4 Fascinating True Crime Favorites for Your TBR

Reading Instruction

After spending a year doing a deep dive into memoirs, I’ve turned my reading to true crime and cozy mysteries. I tend to read in cycles, and true crime is where I’m reading right now.

I wouldn’t typically call myself a “true crime” reader, but there’s really no category “off limits.” I just read where and when I have an interest, and that interest is often widespread, meandering, and surprising.

With that in mind, I wanted to share 4 fascinating true crime reads for your TBR.

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True Crime Recommendations

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote is the quintessential true crime novel. It’s also the only book on this list I’ve taught. Many of the tropes of true crime come from In Cold Blood: small town violated in the dark of night, unsuspecting family and community, earnest and hardworking detectives. However, the psychological aspect of the book is unparalleled. The sections focused on the murderers offer contradictory and complex challenges to traditional depictions of criminals. These are the sections my students are have been the most interested in interrogating.

To my surprise, my top read of 2024 was probably Among the Bros by Max Marshall, which discusses drug trafficking (among other crimes) in a Southern fraternity. When I think about “fraternity crimes,” I think mostly about hazing. While Among the Bros touches on hazing and Gatsby-style excess, most of the book focuses on high-stakes and widespread drug trafficking. The systems in play are complex, yet the dealers are nonchalant. The author’s tone is matter-of-fact in a way that is engaging and unique.

The Art Thief by Michael Finkel touches on a part of true crime I had not previously considered: art crime. Following the escapades and heists of Stéphane Bréitwieser, this book takes readers through hundreds of shockingly low-tech but high-dollar art thefts. Of the true crime reads on this list, this one covers, perhaps, the most brazen crimes. Certainly, this book includes more crimes than any other book on this list. The included photographs also help readers understand and visualize the sheer magnitude of art discussed, stolen, and, sometimes, damaged or lost forever.

While Idaho Slept by J. Reuben Appelman was one of the first books I read in 2025. I have to admit that this book only made it on to my TBR because it was on sale, but it was a worthy read nevertheless. Appelman provides painstaking details and accounts of the events surrounding four murders at the University of Idaho in 2022.

You may remember these tragic deaths dominating the news cycle and your social media during this time. (But I have to say that I was first introduced to them through a colleague who was following along with each revelation.) While Idaho Slept has a lot in common with In Cold Blood: quiet community, close-knit families, disenfranchised murderer, committed detectives. However, it’s also a good snapshot of how technology has changed (for the better and the worse) the criminal justice system.

Honorable Mentions

The House of My Mother by Shari Franke is an honorable mention because I haven’t finished it yet. Franke describes how her mother exploited her children for digital, monetized content, first through blogging and later through videos. “Family video channels” are an ecosystem I don’t know much about, so this book has been harrowing and fascinating all at once. Certainly, it’s a book that challenges readers to consider the content they consume and support online, and it raises concerns about a variety of consent issues I had not previously considered.

Permanent Record by Edward Snowden is another honorable mention because I don’t quite know how to classify it. On the one hand, it’s advertised as a biography and doesn’t include any of the bloody tropes of a more traditional true crime story. On the other hand, Snowden describes his crimes against the state. It was an interesting read, and there’s a young readers’ edition that’s perfect for your classroom library.