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I am just currently reading about Martin Bryant - ""born or bred"" - about the infamous Port Arthur massacre in Tasmania, very well written.
Other than that, books about Josef Fritzl ""Monster"", and Natascha Kampusch were both very interesting.
The book ""Vanished"" about the disappearance of Madeleine McCann left a lot questions unanswered, and I still have her mother's book, which am yet to read much of.
Great thread. True crime books are my favorites. Although not exactly true crime, The Girl Next Door by Jack Ketchum is based on the true story of the Sylvia Likens murder.
I need this thread. I have read so much true crime that I can rarely find good books anymore that I haven't already read. Poorly written ones, yes, but well-written, well-researched ones on interesting cases - much harder to come by. I will browse through the titles others have mentioned here and see if I can find some new titles to read.
I got hooked on true crime early in life, perhaps a bit too early. For some strange reason, at the book fairs at my elementary school in 6th grade, they sold John Saul books, which are fiction, but about people who've been murdered. So I started reading those. Then one day in 7th grade, I was out with a friend and her dad, and we stopped in a book shop, and I bought two true crime books with my own money. They were SUPER scary, and not ones I would read today because the crimes were so horrific (I do not like to read about crimes that include torture).
Anyway, my mind got warped at that point and I've been reading true crime ever since!
These two would be in my top ten:
1. Bitter Harvest by Ann Rule - written back when she put a ton of detail and research into her books. Now that she is older, you can tell that these elements (detail/research) have decreased in her books, but I don't blame her -- she has written so many and I just appreciate her earlier works much more.
2. And the Sea Will Tell- also by Vincent Bugliosi - this is an incredible book about a US couple that gets murdered while stopping on their yacht at a small island in between California and Hawaii. I think this is my all-time favorite true crime book.
I would also recommend the now-deceased true crime author Jack Olsen - I've read many of his books and they are a combination of excellent writing and research.
Last edited by KittenSparkles; 03-19-2013 at 10:50 PM..
^^^ Every Breath You Take is the book about the guy (Allen Blackthorne) who had his wife killed. That & If You Really Love Me are the only Ann Rule books I've read so far - I have Small Sacrifices and The Stranger Beside Me on the "soon to be read" pile.
Some books I've enjoyed:
Helter Skelter
Son - Jack Olsen (my favorite true crime writer, and this is one of his best)
Under The Banner of Heaven - Jon Krakauer
The Corpse Had A Familiar Face - Edna Buchanan
The Company She Keeps - Georgia Durante
She Wanted It All - Kathryn Casey
I've tried a couple times to get into In Cold Blood, because I know it's a classic, but I can't seem to get into it.
Thanks for these. There are a few I haven't read. I've read Son and She Wanted It All. Both are really good. I'll check out the others.
I found In Cold Blood so atmospheric and haunting. I've never forgotten the Clutter family especially Nancy.
Homicide: A Year On The Killing Streets - David Simon
This is the book that the TV show "Homicide: Life on The Street" was based on. It was written about the year 1988, so it's a bit dated, but it's still a very good book about the Baltimore homicide squad.
Simon's later book, "The Corner", is very good as well.
Wow. Thanks for this list. They just opened a brand new library new me and true crime is my fave genre ever since I read Helter Skelter years ago.
I also enjoyed:
The Gainesville Ripper: A Summer's Madness, Five Young Victims- The Investigation, the Arrest and the Trial by Mary S. Ryzuk - scared the crap outta me!
The Last Victim: A True-Life Journey into the Mind of the Serial Killer by Jason Moss - Couldn't put it down!
Secrets in the Cellar by John Glatt - UNBELIEVABLE story!
Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Gentry
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
The Onion Field by Joseph Wambaugh
Fatal Vision by Joe McGinniss
That was it for me ... I can't handle it. No more true crime for me. When I read "In Cold Blood" my husband was in the Army preparing to depart for Vietnam. During his training at Aberdeen Proving Grounds it was the second shift 4-midnight. I would sit in the parking lot on base with my book and a flash light reading ... I wouldn't stay at home alone. LOL
I can read Stephen King and his vampires (Salem's Lot) ... werewolf (Silver Bullet) and all kinds of creepy things but I just can't read True Crime.
The Onion Field is another great book by Joseph Wambaugh.
I don't blame you at all. I still get nervous reading a good true crime book at night. That first chapter in Helter Skelter is so creepy.
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