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Post by SweetieBugs on Jul 18, 2015 21:54:19 GMT
I have a morbid fascination with crime and mysteries. I watch every Dateline and On The Case With Paula Zahn but hate the unnecessary dramatic flair and poor writing on these shows. I've been enjoying a fun murder mystery fiction series (Sasha MacCandless) but would love to get some true crime book recommendations.
Thanks.
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Post by freecharlie on Jul 18, 2015 22:02:04 GMT
I love the profiler books by John Douglas, I think one might be called mind hunter, they are older so some of the killers may have been caught, but it is well written imo.
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marianne
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by marianne on Jul 18, 2015 22:04:47 GMT
I liked Fatal Vision by Joe McGinniss; In Cold Blood by Truman Capote; have you read any of Anne Rule's books?
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Post by Restless Spirit on Jul 18, 2015 22:08:52 GMT
I think I've read all of Ann Rule's books. I like her, but many don't. Joe McGinniss's "Fatal Vision", about an army doctor who murdered his wife and two daughters. I like his books "Blind Faith" and "Cruel Doubt". I think the first TC I ever read was Helter Skelter about Charles Mansion. I also like Mindhunter and Zodiac. Also, "Until the Twelfth of Never" by Bella Stumbo about the Betty Broderick case. I love true crime books, but every now and then I have to stop reading them. It's appalling what people will do to other people.  |
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Post by whipea on Jul 18, 2015 22:11:10 GMT
Bitter Blood by Jerry Bledsoe
If I Can't Have You by Greg Olson
Greg Olson, Ann Rule and Jerry Bledsoe are all prolific true crime authors. Of course to me the best is In Cold Blood by Truman Capote.
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Deleted
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Jun 1, 2024 17:24:49 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 18, 2015 22:21:58 GMT
Hester Skelter was an amazing book
I second the Joe McGuiness books Blind Faith and Fatsl Vision
I've read most of Anne Rules books, interesting but for me not memorable
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Deleted
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Jun 1, 2024 17:24:49 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jul 18, 2015 22:24:20 GMT
I think I've read all of Ann Rule's books. I like her, but many don't. Joe McGinniss's "Fatal Vision", about an army doctor who murdered his wife and two daughters. I like his books "Blind Faith" and "Cruel Doubt". I think the first TC I ever read was Helter Skelter about Charles Mansion. I also like Mindhunter and Zodiac. Also, "Until the Twelfth of Never" by Bella Stumbo about the Betty Broderick case. I love true crime books, but every now and then I have to stop reading them. It's appalling what people will do to other people. Restlesss Spirit, we have read many of the same books. I was fascinated by the Betty Broderick case. Did you ever see the movie with Meredith Baxter? |
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gina
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by gina on Jul 18, 2015 22:24:54 GMT
Hands down Helter Skelter by Vincent T. Bugliosi. It's like, my most favorite book, ever!  |
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Post by marg on Jul 18, 2015 23:05:10 GMT
Mindhunter by John Douglas is great. His other books are good too.
Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi is excellent. His book And The Sea Will Tell is also great.
In Cold Blood is a classic.
The Jon Benet Ramsey book that is out by one of the detectives is really interesting: JonBenet: inside the Ramsat murder investigation by Steve Thomas.
Deadly Innocence by Scott Burnside, and Invisible Darkness by Stephen Williams are both about the Paul Bernardo/Karla Homolka murders are fascinating, full of detail, very disturbing but riveting. There's also one called Lethal Marriage by Nik Pron as well. I've read so much about them because I remember when the girls' went missing and it wasn't too far from me.
John Walsh's book about his son Adam's murder was heartbreaking - it's called Tears of Rage.
Ann Rule's books about Ted Bundy (The Stranger Beside Me) and about Diane Downs called Small Sacrifices are her best books I think, and really worth reading.
I've learned of a few new authors on this thread, thanks for starting it. I feel like if I read True Crime I can prevent it from happening to my family - like I can learn what to do/not to do, etc. I have a strange fascination for it, too.
Oh yeah, I just read Amanda Berry's and Gina DeJesus' book about their kidnapping in Cleveland and it was really good. It's called Hope.
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Post by ingrid6 on Jul 18, 2015 23:07:57 GMT
I have a morbid fascination with crime and mysteries. I watch every Dateline and On The Case With Paula Zahn but hate the unnecessary dramatic flair and poor writing on these shows. I've been enjoying a fun murder mystery fiction series (Sasha MacCandless) but would love to get some true crime book recommendations.
Thanks. Me too! Will be watching this thread for some good recommendations. Thanks for posting. |
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Post by Restless Spirit on Jul 18, 2015 23:44:43 GMT
I think I've read all of Ann Rule's books. I like her, but many don't. Joe McGinniss's "Fatal Vision", about an army doctor who murdered his wife and two daughters. I like his books "Blind Faith" and "Cruel Doubt". I think the first TC I ever read was Helter Skelter about Charles Mansion. I also like Mindhunter and Zodiac. Also, "Until the Twelfth of Never" by Bella Stumbo about the Betty Broderick case. I love true crime books, but every now and then I have to stop reading them. It's appalling what people will do to other people. Restlesss Spirit, we have read many of the same books. I was fascinated by the Betty Broderick case. Did you ever see the movie with Meredith Baxter? Yes! Her case fascinates me for some odd reason. Years ago, Betty did an interview. She's so angry and unrepentant. Fascinating. |
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happymomma
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,078
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Post by happymomma on Jul 19, 2015 0:26:57 GMT
I'm a true crime junkie. Ever since I read Helter Skelter when I was in third grade.
I'm at my husband's house this weekend but I'll make a good list for you when I get home.
A few come to mind instantly.
Della's Web
To Die For, about Dana Sue Gray
Son of a Grifter
She Wanted it All, about Celeste Beard
Any book about Darlie Routier
Any book about Karla Homolka and Paul Bernardo
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Post by lisacharlotte on Jul 19, 2015 0:55:36 GMT
Helter Skelter and Fatal Vision.
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twinsmomfla99
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by twinsmomfla99 on Jul 19, 2015 1:35:17 GMT
The Death of Innocents by Richard Firstman.
Prosecutors are faced with the case of three dead children in one family over several years. While attempting to prove their father killed and them for insurance money, they find out about a family with five dead kids many years earlier. That family was the basis of medical research that found a familial link for SIDS, but the truth about their deaths was horrific.
The investigation of their mother and a look at the failures of the medical researchers is fascinating but oh so sad.
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Post by gmcwife1 on Jul 19, 2015 2:06:50 GMT
Ann Rule is a favorite of mine, but she is also local to me so that make her books more interesting. I also second Fatal Vision by Joe Mcginnis.
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Laura
Full Member
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Post by Laura on Jul 19, 2015 2:12:01 GMT
Any book by Harold Schechter is a hardcore true crime book. He's written some great books about historical true crimes. haroldschechter.com/books/allRead the Devil in White City by Erik Larsen which is about a man who was considered to be the American Jack the Ripper. If you are interested in the case of Adam Walsh read Bringing Adam Home. It's a heart wrenching book that has a shocking smoking gun. If you are interested in the Black Dahlia read the books by Steve Hodel. The crime hasn't been officially solved but these books (about his father) pretty much have everyone convinced that it was his father who murdered Beth Short as well as many other women. I think in one of his later books Mr. Hodel implicates him as being the one responsible for the Zodiac killings that happened in the 1960's. |
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Post by epeanymous on Jul 19, 2015 2:31:30 GMT
The only Ann Rule book I thought was worth reading was her Ted Bundy book, which was genuinely scary.
In Cold Blood is one that I will fourth or fifth here.
Aphrodite Jones's Cruel Sacrifice is about teen girl killers and is interesting.
There are two books that are probably halfway between true crime and advocacy books that are pretty interesting and about the same set of cases -- The Dreams of Ada, by Robert Mayer, and An Innocent Man, by John Grisham.
Judgement Ridge, which is the story behind the Dartmouth murders, is good.
A Rip in Heaven, about the Chain of Rocks bridge murders in East St. Louis, is affecting, although you have to get past the fact that a cousin of the victims wrote it.
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Post by katieanna on Jul 19, 2015 2:37:20 GMT
Great thread! I've read nearly all of Ann Rule's books. I'm going to check out some of the ones listed here, especially Fatal Vision. TFP!
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Post by betty on Jul 19, 2015 2:58:02 GMT
I'm not an Ann Rule fan but somehow I still read them all.
I liked "Into the Water" by Diane Fanning about the Lisk/Silva murders in Virginia because I lived there and the killer actually live about 1/2 mile from us!
These two are really disturbing..
"Suffer the Little Children" by Barbara Davis
"House of Secret" by Lowel Caufiel. I think this family was called "America's most disfunctional family" on the Oprah show.
"Evidence of Murder" by Samuel Roen ( one that is local to where I live currently)
I liked Helter Skelter so much that I got a couple of other Manson family member books over the years "My Life with Charles Manson" is a good one.
It is out of print and hard to get in book form cheaply but I think you can get it electronically.
I also read Susan Atkins "Child of Satan/Child of God". Not that great but I'm one who loves to read as much as possible on the a single topic.
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Post by Bobomommy on Jul 19, 2015 4:41:52 GMT
"Everything She Ever Wanted" by Ann Rule.
Susan, the daughter who was the whistleblower rented a house from my parents. After she turned in her mother she told my parents that she was moving and not to let any of her family know her new address. There is a dollhouse mentioned in the book and my mother bought it from Susan. My mother passed away 12 years ago and I inherited the dollhouse. It's in my attic, waiting on grandchildren.
The woman who masterminded/committed the murders has been out of prison for quite a few years and I sometimes see her around town. What shocks me is that her other daughter, Debbie, lets Pat keep the grandchildren. If my mother had been convicted of murder, I really can't imagine letting her watch my young children!
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NoWomanNoCry
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Post by NoWomanNoCry on Jul 19, 2015 5:27:17 GMT
Just marking my spot.
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anniebygaslight
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Post by anniebygaslight on Jul 19, 2015 5:47:02 GMT
I have a morbid fascination with crime and mysteries. ...
Me too. I have just finished reading 'Yorkshire Ripper: The Secret Murders' by Chris Clark and Tim Tate. it puts forward a very convincing argument that Peter Sutcliffe was responsible for at least another 22 unsolved murders, as well as detailing the bungling incompetence of the West Yorkshire Police. |
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lindawn7
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Post by lindawn7 on Jul 19, 2015 9:03:03 GMT
Two of my favorites are "And the Sea will Tell" and "Evidence of Love"
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Post by marg on Jul 19, 2015 13:17:33 GMT
Another excellent book on Jack The Ripper is the one by Patricia Cornwell. She spent a lot of time and money investigating the murders. It was compelling that I have a hard time reading other theories now, but my interest has definitely been piqued by anniebygaslight's recommendations.
I also read on the Websleuth's forum sometimes - lots of good info on there about almost every case imaginable from recent years.
The Black Dahlia book mentioned by Laura is really good, as is Bringing Adam Home - that's the first book I read about the case. We drive down to the Ft Lauderdale every year to visit my parents and I always think about Adam Walsh when I'm there. Heartbreaking.
I need to some requesting at the library today, I'm excited to have some new books to read.
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Post by slicksister on Jul 19, 2015 17:32:26 GMT
Marking my place.
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Post by mariemily on Jul 19, 2015 18:03:33 GMT
"The Cases that Haunt Us" by John Douglas & Mark Olshaker (about some of the most famous unsolved cases)
"Helter Sketler" by Vincent Bugliosi
"A New Kind of Monster" by Timothy Appleby (about Russell Williams, the colonel who murdered two women)
I used to like Ann Rule's books, but found her latest ones really boring. Why is she still writing about stuff that happened back in the 60s and the 70s? Surely there are more recent cases she can write about. That being said, I loved her book about the Sheila Bellush case, "Every Breath you Take", as well as the one about Ann Marie Fahey, "And Never Let her Go".
I read two books about the Homolka/Bernardo murders and found them extremely disturbing. I am not sure I would recommend them.
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Post by winogirl on Jul 19, 2015 18:43:40 GMT
Another excellent book on Jack The Ripper is the one by Patricia Cornwell. She spent a lot of time and money investigating the murders. It was compelling that I have a hard time reading other theories now, but my interest has definitely been piqued by anniebygaslight's recommendations. I enjoyed that book too; she made a god case. if you like that, you might like The Princes in the Tower by Alison Weir. It's her well studied findings as to whether Richard III caused the deaths of his two nephews and rightful heirs to the throne. |
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Post by rainangel on Jul 19, 2015 18:59:48 GMT
Another excellent book on Jack The Ripper is the one by Patricia Cornwell. She spent a lot of time and money investigating the murders. I was going to recommend this book aswell. Great book! I also want to recommend a book about the 1957 disappearance of Moira Anderson, in Scotland. It is called 'Where there is Evil' by Sandra Brown. I read this book in 2003, not sure when it came out. But there has been a lot of developments in this case since I read it, and I believe the police in Scotland are pretty sure who did it now. They even exhumed a grave in 2013 to see if Moira was buried underneath it. So; read the book, get intrigued, and then google it to find out who the killer (most likely) was! Love this thread! I will make a list of books to take with me to the library tomorrow! Thanks Peas! |
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Post by kath323 on Jul 19, 2015 19:31:49 GMT
Helter Skelter and In Cold Blood (both already mentioned a few times) are books I read over and over...creepy I know. Jack the Ripper stories fascinated me when I was in college.
Netflix has an awesome Helter Skelter documentary that shows the scenes in the book. We talked with my husband's grandpa about it (he lived in the California area during the time of the murders) and he said he drove out to the dessert where the family lived. Apparently it was so creepy that they could barely stand being there and sped away.
Now that I added most of the suggested reads to my Amazon wish list, I am certain Amazon's peeps must be concerned about my mental health.
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Post by kath323 on Jul 19, 2015 19:40:59 GMT
Oh, I remembered one not mentioned here-The People Who Eat Darkness by Richard Lloyd Parry. It discusses a British woman's disappearance in Tokyo and the search that ensued. I listened to this one, though, so I can't say if reading it would be less enjoyable.
I'll also add, I can read any JFK assassination book and one of my favorites is The Girl on the Stairs. I bought it on a whim for 2 bucks when it was cheap for Kindle and it turned out being one of my favorite books on the subject. It focuses on one witness but pulls in many aspects of the case. May be viewed more as a conspiracy book, but the way it examined statements and elements of the crime made the theory it presented a very convincing one.
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