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Monday, May 24, 2010

25 Best True Crime Books

Todd Jensen blogs at ForensicColleges.net. He provides career information and advice for people considering becoming a forensic scientist. There are listings of schools and interesting articles about the field of forensic science. I'm a sucker for lists, so I was happy to find Todd's site.

For the mystery reader, his annotated list of 25 Best True Crime Books is a must.  Here's the list, but be sure and read the entire blog for annotations and film clips.

Any books you think are missing? Leave a comment.

1. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote (1966)
2. Helter Skelter, Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Gentry (1974)
3. Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets, David Simon (1991)
4. The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America, Erik Larson (2003)
5. Crime and Science: The New Frontier in Criminology, Jurgen Thorwald (1967)
6. Doctor Dealer: The Rise and Fall of an All-American Boy and His Multimillion-Dollar Cocaine Empire, Mark Bowden (2000)
7. Wiseguy, Nicholas Pileggi (1986)
8. Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia, Joseph D. Pistone (1987)
9. Bestial: The Savage Trail of a True American Monster, Harold Schechter (1998)
10. Blind Eye: The Terrifying Story of a Doctor Who Got Away With Murder, James B. Stewart (2000)
11. Finders Keepers: The True Story of a Man Who Found $1 Million, Mark Bowden (2002)
12. A Rip in Heaven: A Memoir of Murder and Its Aftermath, Jeanine Cummins (2004)
13. The Stranger Beside Me, Ann Rule (1980)
14. Lethal Intent, Sue Russell (2002)
15. Killer Clown: The John Wayne Gacy Murders, Terry Sullivan and Peter T. Maiken (2000)
16. The Lives and Times of Bonnie & Clyde, E.R. Milner (1996)
17. Dead Man Walking, Helen Prejean (1993)
18. Public Enemies: America’s Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933-34, Bryan Burrough (2004)
19. Angel Face: The True Story of Student Killer Amanda Knox, Barbie Latza Nadeau (2010)
20. The Killing Season: A Summer Inside an LAPD Homicide Division, Miles Corwin (1997)
21. The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher, Kate Summerscale (2008)
22. And the Dead Shall Rise: The Murder of Mary Phagan and the Lynching of Leo Frank, Steve Oney (2003)
23. Confessions of Son of Sam, David Abrahamsen (1985)
24. Cries Unheard: Why Children Kill — The Story of Mary Bell, Gitta Sereny (1999)
25. Blood and Money, Thomas Thompson (2001)

Check out the whole article! Add more titles under comments.
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9 comments:

  1. Mason CanyonMay 24, 2010 at 5:55 PM

    Great list. There is one and I can't remember the name of it but it's about Jeffrey MacDonald.

    Mason
    Thoughts in Progress

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownMay 24, 2010 at 8:01 PM

    I've read some of these book. The first two on the list for sure. I think it's smart and yet chilling to read true crime novels. It's sad what people do to each other.

    CD

    ReplyDelete
  3. jedidiah ayresMay 25, 2010 at 7:14 AM

    Howsabout The Adversary by Emmanuel Carrere.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Janet RudolphMay 25, 2010 at 7:47 AM

    haven't read the Carrere. Will have a look. Thanks for stopping by..

    ReplyDelete
  5. craigMay 27, 2010 at 9:39 AM

    Gary Lavergne's Sniper in the Tower is TC at its best.

    ReplyDelete
  6. zooksMay 28, 2010 at 7:47 PM

    'Murder in Italy' is a MUCH better book than 'Angel Face' about the Amanda Knox case.

    ReplyDelete
  7. AnonymousJuly 4, 2010 at 9:56 PM

    Shake The Devil Off by Ethan Brown

    One of the best true crime have evr read!

    ReplyDelete
  8. AnonymousSeptember 10, 2010 at 6:43 PM

    Don't forget "The Executioner's Song" by Norman Mailer.

    ReplyDelete
  9. AnonymousJanuary 1, 2011 at 3:59 PM

    With Cold Hearts by David Hurst is the best crime book I've ever read. Based on a killer who targeted authors and their readers… Hurst is a mystery writer with a journalistic background.

    ReplyDelete