True Crime with focus on Detectives/Police

[Trisha]

Hi everyone,

I posted this on another board a while back, but I thought I'd ask around here to see if I can find some more recommendations.

I recently finished two fantastic (and very similar) books:
Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets by David Simon and Homicide Special: A Year with the LAPD's Elite Detective Unit by Miles Corwin.
(The latter I actually found because of its similar title to the former!)

I enjoyed both very much, and am now searching for true crime books with a little more focus on the detectives, investigators, or the police. It doesn't have to be like the two above, which go into detail about police bureaucracy and their daily lives. I think what I enjoyed most is how these two books approached the crimes from the perspective of the detectives.

So far I've been suggested to check out Mindhunter by John Douglas and Anne Rule's book on the Green River Killer. Do you guys have any more suggestions?

Thanks!

[Terri]

[Lisa]

I have read Mindhunter and thought it was very good. I can't recommend any others since I haven't read them yet but you may want to check these out, they are all on my list:
The Evil Within,

The Profiler: My Life Hunting Serial Killers and Psychopaths,

The Evil That Men Do: FBI Profiler Roy Hazelwood's Journey into the Minds of Serial Killers,

My Life Among the Serial Killers: Inside the Minds of the World's Most Notorious Murderers,

The Chieftain: Victorian True Crime through the Eyes of a Scotland Yard Detective.

The following seem to be more geared toward forensics if you want that-

Beyond the Body Farm: A Legendary Bone Detective Explores Murders, Mysteries, and the Revolution in Forensic Science,

Blood Secrets: A Forensic Expert Reveals How Blood Spatter Tells the Crime Scene's Story,

Behind the Yellow Tape: On the Road with Some of America's Hardest Working Crime Scene Investigators,

and No Stone Unturned: The True Story of the World's Premier Forensic Investigators.

[Lady ♥ Belleza, Gif Princesa]

The Evil That Men Do: FBI Profiler Roy Hazelwood's Journey into the Minds of Serial Killers is excellent. I have never been disappoint by anything Stephen G. Michaud has written.

[Trisha]

Thanks for all the recommendations, these are exactly the sort of books I was looking for!

[Catherine]

"Mindhunter - Inside the FBI Elite Serial Crime Unit" by John Douglas and Mark Olshaker was amazing! Such an interesting and informative book - I simply loved it and can recommend it to everyone who loves true crimes. My next true crime book will be "Journey into Darkness" by John Douglas and Mark Olshaker as well. I feel like John Douglas simply can't disappoint me with his true crime books ;)

[Terri]

I am reading their The Cases That Haunt Us now

[Liz]

I'm new to Goodreads, but I joined for the same reasons you did and I love the recommendations I'm finding! I don't know if this is like stating the obvious in a "true crime" discussion thread, but have you read Helter Skelter yet? It's super procedural - co-written by the prosecutor for the Manson trial. It's a really neat insider look at the investigative process, but moreover on the process of building the case once the killers were identified. If you haven't read, I would recommend!

[Saysayg]

Yes,of course I've read Helter Skelter....there are so many awesome true crime books...some of my favorites are: Homicide, A Year on the Killing Streets; Columbine; and, I

[Fishface]

Rick Nelson's The Cop Who Wouldnt Quit is a good one. So is Tom Henderson's Blood in the Snow: The True Story of a Stay-at-Home Dad, his High-Powered Wife, and the Jealousy that Drove him to Murder

[Fishface]

Oh, and try Stalker by John Stalker. How is that not a perfect detective name?

Or Murder Was My Business by John DuRose.

Ooh! Ohh! Or Wicked Beyond Belief: The Hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper.