20 Fantastic True Crime Books You Should Read Before You Die

With everyone updating their reading lists for 2023, there's no time like the present to add some of these harrowing true crime reads to your stack. Dust off those library cards, charge up that Kindle, or head out to the bookshop to grab a copy of one of these fascinating accounts of true crimes.

1. "Helter Skelter" by Vincent Bugliosi (1974) - This book is a true crime account of the Manson Family murders, written by the prosecutor in the case.
2. "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote (1966) - This book is a nonfiction novel that tells the story of the brutal murder of a Kansas family in 1959.
3. "The Stranger Beside Me" by Ann Rule (1980) - This book is a true crime account of the Ted Bundy murders, written by a woman who worked with Bundy and had no idea of his crimes until he was arrested.
4. "The Killing of Bonnie Garland" by Willard Gaylin and Bruce R. Levin (1977) - This book recounts the murder of a young woman by her former boyfriend and his friends, and the subsequent trial.
5. "The Boston Strangler" by Gerold Frank (1966) - This book tells the story of the Boston Strangler, who killed 13 women in the early 1960s.
6. "The Onion Field" by Joseph Wambaugh (1973) - This book recounts the true story of the kidnapping and murder of a police officer in 1963.
7. "The Road to Jonestown: Jim Jones and Peoples Temple" by Jeff Guinn (2017) - This book explores the rise and fall of Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple cult, culminating in the mass murder-suicide in Jonestown, Guyana in 1978.
8. "The Last Victim: A True-Life Journey into the Mind of the Serial Killer" by Jason Moss (1999) - This book is a memoir by a true crime author who corresponded with several notorious serial killers, including John Wayne Gacy and Jeffrey Dahmer, in order to understand their motivations.
9. "The Girls of Murder City: Fame, Lust, and the Beautiful Killers Who Inspired Chicago" by Douglas Perry (2010) - This book explores the lives of two women, Belva Gaertner and Beulah Annan, who were acquitted of murder charges in the 1920s, and the cultural forces that surrounded their trials.
10. "The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America" by Erik Larson (2003) - This book tells the story of the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago, and the serial killer who preyed on fairgoers.
11. "The Zodiac Killer" by Robert Graysmith (1986) - This book tells the story of the infamous Zodiac Killer who terrorized Northern California in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and the efforts of law enforcement and amateur sleuths to identify and capture him.
12. "The Murder of Bob Crane: Who Did It?" by Robert Graysmith (1978) - This book recounts the murder of Bob Crane, a popular actor best known for his role in the TV series "Hogan's Heroes," and the subsequent investigation and trial.
13. "The Night Stalker" by Philip Carlo (1992) - This book tells the story of Richard Ramirez, a notorious serial killer and rapist who terrorized Southern California in the mid-1980s.
14. "The Grim Sleeper: The Lost Women of South Central" by Christine Pelisek (2010) - This book tells the story of the Grim Sleeper serial killer, who murdered at least 10 women in South Central Los Angeles over a period of more than 20 years.
15. "The Monster of Florence" by Douglas Preston with Mario Spezi (2008) - This book tells the story of a serial killer who murdered couples in the hills of Tuscany, Italy between 1968 and 1985, and the efforts of the Italian police and a journalist to identify and capture him.
16. "The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst" by Robert Durst and Andrew Jarecki (2015) - This book tells the story of Robert Durst, a New York real estate heir who was suspected in several murders, including that of his wife and a close friend, and his eventual arrest and trial.
17. "The Good Nurse: A True Story of Medicine, Madness, and Murder" by Charles Graeber (2013) - This book tells the story of Charles Cullen, a nurse who murdered at least 40 patients over a period of 16 years, and the investigation and trial that brought him to justice.
18. "The Lost Boys of Bird Island: Uncovering the Truth about South Africa's Hidden Scandal" by Mark Minnie and Chris Steyn (2018) - This book tells the story of a child sex abuse scandal in South Africa in the 1980s involving prominent politicians and businessmen.
19. "A Wilderness of Error: The Trials of Jeffrey MacDonald" by Errol Morris (2012) - This book re-examines the case of Jeffrey MacDonald, a former Green Beret who was convicted of murdering his wife and two young daughters in 1970, and raises doubts about his guilt.
20. "The Fact of a Body: A Murder and a Memoir" by Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich (2017) - This book is a true crime memoir that tells the story of a murder case the author was working on as a law student and how it affected her personally.