Halloween is rapidly approaching and you know what that means-time to scare yourself silly. Sure, you could watch horror movies, but isn’t it more terrifying when it’s a true story? It could happen in your town. It could be your neighbor. Boo! Did I scare you? No? Then you should read one of the scary true crime books on this list to give yourself a fright.
Contents
- The Last Book On The Left: Stories of Murder and Mayhem from History’s Most Notorious Serial Killers
- American Demon: Eliot Ness and the Hunt for America’s Jack the Ripper
- The Big Book of Serial Killers
- A Haunted Road Atlas: Sinister Stops, Dangerous Destinations, and True Crime Tales
- I’ll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman’s Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer
- If You Tell: A True Story of Murder, Family Secrets, and the Unbreakable Bond of Sisterhood
- Unspeakable Acts: True Tales of Crime, Murder, Deceit, and Obsession
- The House from Hell: The True Story of Gertrude Baniszewski One of America’s Most Notorious Torture Mom
- The Texas Tower Sniper: The Terrifying True Story of Charles Whitman
- Child Killer: The True Story of The Atlanta Child Murders
The Last Book On The Left: Stories of Murder and Mayhem from History’s Most Notorious Serial Killers
Authors: Ben Kissell, Henry Zebrowski, and Marcus Parks
Last Podcast on the Left is a longtime staple in the true crime podcast community. They cover a range of scary topics: serial killers, cults, hauntings, and some other things I’ve sure I missed.
The Last Book on the Left is their first book and it features stories of infamous serial killers including Ted Bundy and Jeffrey Dahmer. The Last Book on the Left contains original artwork depicting the book’s subjects.
Real Amazon Review:
American Demon: Eliot Ness and the Hunt for America’s Jack the Ripper
Author: Daniel Stashower
American Demon: Eliot Ness and the Hunt for America’s Jack the Ripper explores the story of Cleveland’s Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run. I know this case better as the Cleveland Torso Murderer, but no matter what you call him (I assume it’s a him), He terrorized Cleveland for years during the Great Depression.
Eliot Ness makes an appearance in this story. As in the Eliot Ness who took down Al Capone, which is cool. Except he takes some questionable actions, but I’ll let you read to find out more.
Real Amazon Review
The Big Book of Serial Killers
Author: Jack Rosewood
Who doesn’t want an encyclopedia of serial killers for their coffee table? I mean you’re here, so I assume you’re on board. The Big Book of Serial Killers is organized alphabetically and it covers 150 serial killers from the well-known serial killers to some you may not have heard of.
Real Amazon Review
A Haunted Road Atlas: Sinister Stops, Dangerous Destinations, and True Crime Tales
Authors: Christine Schiefer and Em Schulz
We have another book written by true crime podcasters. A Haunted Road Atlas: Sinister Stops, Dangerous Destinations, and True Crime Tales was written by Em Schulz and Christine Schiefer, the hosts of And That’s Why We Drink. Their podcast covers true crime and the paranormal.
A Haunted Road Atlas is a collection of locations that are spooky, haunted, or just former crime scenes. Fun facts and illustrations are sprinkled in. Road trip, anyone?
Real Amazon Review
I’ll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman’s Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer
Author: Michelle McNamara
We’ve all seen the HBO series I’ll Be Gone in the Dark. Oh, you haven’t? Get on it. It actually appears on my list of top ten true crime docs. Go watch it right now.
Welcome back. I hope you liked the series and didn’t cry too much. Now you should definitely read the book written by Michelle McNamara that the series is based on. It chronicles McNamara’s search for a serial killer she dubbed The Golden State Killer.
It was named the best book of the year by so many publications that I can’t list them here. Just go read it. You won’t be sorry.
Real Amazon Review
If You Tell: A True Story of Murder, Family Secrets, and the Unbreakable Bond of Sisterhood
Author: Gregg Olsen
Have you ever heard of Shelly Knotek? I hadn’t either, but If You Tell recounts the harrowing story of Knotek’s courageous daughters Nikki, Sami, and Tori, who exposed their mother as a serial killer who had tortured her victims. I honestly can’t describe most of her crimes but just know they are heinous. And the sisters weren’t immune from her wrath.
Real Amazon Review
Unspeakable Acts: True Tales of Crime, Murder, Deceit, and Obsession
Editor: Sarah Weinman
Unspeakable Acts is a collection of essays that cover recent crimes. The TV show The Act is based on the essay about the infamous case of Gypsy Rose and Dee Dee Blanchard. There are 13 essays by the best of true crime journalists that not only summarize crimes, but also discuss what makes true crime appealing.
Real Amazon Review
The House from Hell: The True Story of Gertrude Baniszewski One of America’s Most Notorious Torture Mom
Author: Genoveva Ortiz
I don’t know if there’s a murderer I despise more than Gertrude Baniszewski. The House from Hell is about the child abuse, torture, and eventual death of Sylvia Likens. This is one of those stories that really sticks with you. I first read about it on a Buzzfeed list before falling into a Wikipedia hole.
It bothered me for days after. So there’s your warning before you read it.
Real Amazon Review
The Texas Tower Sniper: The Terrifying True Story of Charles Whitman
Author: Ryan Green
The Texas Tower Sniper recounts the mass murder on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin. Charles Whitman opened fire from a tower on campus and shot everyone he could. What’s scary about this is how normal this guy was. Check over your shoulders, y’all.
Real Amazon Review
Child Killer: The True Story of The Atlanta Child Murders
Author: Jack Rosewood
This is a story that I only learned about in the last year or so, which is an indictment of the justice system’s treatment of minorities. Child Killer is about the Atlanta Child Murders between 1979 and 1981. There’s some debate about the guilt of the man who was convicted of some of these murders. What do you think?
Real Amazon Review
So what books did I miss? Tell me what true crime book has kept you up at night. Thanks for reading!
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