Week 18 - Killer Books

[Ashley]

Happy Monday!

A few weeks back, I posted a topic about nonfiction. One of my favorite types of nonfiction is true crime. I frequently find myself falling down the rabbit hole of online discussion forums and the Investigation Discovery TV channel.

There are several infamous unsolved crimes that are constantly being dissected. Theories fly around as to who could have possibly committed these heinous crimes. Up until recently, one of the cases that stumped most was that of the Golden State Killer. This was a person who committed multiple murders, assaults, and burglaries, but they could not pin him down. He went decades without being caught, leading to years of speculation. Michelle McNamara, wife of Patton Oswalt, wrote the book I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer, which was published posthumously two years after her untimely death.

Less than two months after the book was released, the Golden State Killer was identified through DNA and arrested. I have been reading everything I could on this case. I only hope that the other unsolved cases that plague me eventually find resolution.

There are many true crime books that I would recommend, but I'd be curious to see what others have read. I'll end with two that I have enjoyed recently - one solved and one unsolved. Pretty Little Killers: The Truth Behind the Savage Murder of Skylar Neese by Daleen Berry tells the unbelievable story of two teens who killed their best friend. True Crime Addict: How I Lost Myself in the Mysterious Disappearance of Maura Murray by James Renner is about Maura Murray's unsolved disappearance. I've seen several theories about what could have happened to her, but after 14 years, there are still no concrete answers. I hope one day to hear that she has been found, one way or another.

So, what are your go-to true crime books? Are there any unsolved mysteries that you find yourself drawn to?

[Ann]

I'm not a big fan of true crime, not sure why. But give me a good mystery, and I am happy as a clam. Cozy, historical, any variation on Sherlock Holmes: they're all good.

[Jodie]

I loved true crime. Now, not so much; funny how reading tastes change over time. I read almost anything by Ann Rule. Some of my favorite true crime were Small Sacrifices and The Stranger Beside Me, both by Ann Rule. I also loved Truman Capote's In Cold Blood. John Grisham's first piece of non-fiction, An Innocent Man, was also good.

You have to read American Fire by Monica Hesse. It is a true crime book that reads like a novel and you also learn so much about the Eastern Shore of Virginia and Accomac County. Great read!!

I am interested in reading I'll Be Gone in the Dark. I have it on hold!