*this post contains affiliate links*
7b19a1ac0f1dc41fa6ae1fbe96f9ce742284a615170155e786 Maybe a couple weeks ago Buzzfeed had an article with eighteen true crime books listed. Of course being a self-appointed “True Crime Buff” I clicked. A lot of the books I agreed with, but there were some that were missing that are SO good!!!! So, if you happen to be a fan of the genre you should definitely check some of these books out.
1. The Bone Garden – This one makes me particularly excited because it took place in my home town. I’ve been to the house, my mom took a tour, and it was a part of my growing up. Dorthea Puente was a female serial killer, one of the rarest of types and completely fascinating to me. She killed people, took their welfare and buried them in their yard. FASCINATING or creepy depending on who you ask.
2. A Sniper in the Tower – This one is both heartbreaking and fascinating. The story of Charles Whitman is almost a curious case. He killed his wife, mother, and decided to go up into the tower at the University of Texas and pick people off. In a very interesting time of police work, where there were no radios like today, they were outgunned, and so much more.
3.
Body Parts – Wayne Adam Ford killed four women in Humboldt County, and walked into the Sheriff’s office and confessed it. Caitlin Rother is a fantastic author and has written several other crime books. This may not be the most memorable of crime stories, but I just find it particularly fascinating. Ford was sentenced to death.
4.
Fatal Vision – probably my favorite crime book. So much so that my one of my besties gave me a first edition for my birthday and wrote me a note in it. Is that weird? For two people going to school for Crime related things its not so weird, trust me. This is one of those kind of unsolved, but not really unsolved cases. Jeffery McDonald was in the Army, when his entire family was horribly murdered in base housing. While there was enough evidence to convict, the question has always remained. Joe Guinness is the author of this and he spent a significant amount of time with Jeffery during the trial. Fascinating stuff. There’s also a really good tv movie.
5.
Hush Little Babies – Another argued “unsolved” where you so desperately want to believe its untrue, and you are conflicted by reading it. It’s crazy to think about how many of these types of cases are around like this. This one in particular is creepy because it involves a mother killing her children. But the mystery involved, the time it took, the fact that her husband was also in the house. Its a really good book and an intriguing story. There have been several good shows on the story.
6.
From Cradle to Grave – This book needs very little introduction other than what is on the book cover. I mean, she was caught almost red-handed smothering her child. Then you realize she had eight other children who died. And THEN you realize she was a nurse with suspicious deaths in her wake. Whoa!
7. The Night Stalker – This particular book is probably one of the most creepy and scary true crime books I’ve ever read, and I’ve read a lot. Whenever I talk about this book I tell the story of my mom who couldn’t even finish it, it was so creepy. Richard Ramirez is one freaky dude. I mean, the way he just looked over at the cameras during his trial, his smile, his almost rock star persona. Totally creepy. Also, as a little aside, the dude totally got married in prison. Someone married this guy! There is no question that he committed these crimes people. Nonetheless, its up there as one of my favorite true crime books.
8.
Most Evil – So this is a very interesting book because Steve Hodel believes his father to be the perpetrator of many unsolved, or “uncertain” crimes, including the Zodiac murders and the Black Dahlia. It is extremely fascinating and I finished the book definitely seeing how what he was saying could definitely be true. As a side note, the two Zodiac books are really good to read before this one.
9.
Women Who Kill – Women Who Kill is a complication book, incorporating stories of female serial killers, and one-shot killers as well. In college female serial killers, and just female murderers, were very particular fascinating to me. At the time it wasn’t talked about much; and in fact I had a paper that was going to be submitted to a journal but was turned down because talking about women in such a way was deemed too controversial. You will find a ton of good stories like Lizzie Borden, Aileen Wuornos and even Agrippina.
Are you a true-crime buff, or a just a fan of non-fiction, and have
a favorite book in this genre? Tell me about it.
