During the past few years, the lovers of horror novels watched a considerable increase for the obsession with crime and true crime related things, and it wouldn’t be different when it comes to books. So this month, we decided to bring some really good (true) crime literature that can be even more interesting and absurd than fiction. Check it out!
- Bind, Torture, Kill: The Inside Story of BTK, the Serial Killer Next Door, by Roy Wenzl, Tim Potter, L. Kelly & Hurst Laviana
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BTK, more than the pseudonym, it’s also the Modus Operandi of Dennis Rader, a serial killer that haunted the residents of Wichita, Kansas between 1974 and 1991. BTK was only caught in 2005. He eluded the police for years while bragging about his terrible exploits for the media, especially on the newspaper “Wichita Eagle”, which covered the serial killer since his first attack in January 1974. Since then, the newspaper, the police and the killer have developed a complex relationship.
When Dennis Rader was caught, the Wichita Eagle transcribed the entire trial and posted it on the internet so the population could have access to the information. This book investigates the human mind and its behavior, and makes us question whether we really know the people who live with us – and what makes us vulnerable in the face of danger.
Dennis Rader was above all suspicion, because he was a perfect alibi: a father, a loving husband and president of the local congregation. A serial killer above any suspicion.
- The Stranger Beside Me: The Shocking Inside Story of Serial Killer Ted Bundy, by Ann Rule
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When Ann Rule met Ted Bundy, and eventually got engaged to him, she had no idea that that nice, smart guy would become one of the serials most prominent killers in history. Ted Bundy confessed to have killed at least 36 women in the United States during the 1970s. But some speculate that the final count is even higher. He may even have saved lives at the suicide prevention center, but he took dozens more when no one was looking. Countless families were left with no answers, and he was executed in 1989 in the electric chair. In The Stranger Beside Me, we dive into the memories of Ann Rule. The book became a classic true crime book.
- The Run of His Life: The People v. O.J. Simpson, by Jeffrey Toobin
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The Run of His Life by Jeffrey Toobin tells the story behind the trial of OJ Simpson and it is considered to be the best one about the subject. Not only because Toobin writes in a way that catches the reader’s attention, but also due to the fact that he is a legal analyst, so he thoroughly understands the system he is talking about. Another aspect of the book that is truly remarkable is the level of importance given for each fact that happened on the “behind the scenes” of the trial.
Therefore the book is much more accurate than the series American Crime Story: The People X OJ Simpson, for example, that it’s been a bit too interested in Simpson and a bit too determined to portray the defense lawyers while there was much more happening where the flashlights were not shining.
And even though the book was published in 1996, it is now enjoying a kind of second run in sales, and it actually deserves the renewed look, so why not take the chance to read it?
- Midnight in Mexico: A Reporter’s Journey Through a Country’s Descent Into Darkness, by Alfredo Corchado
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Alfredo Corchado spent his youth building a career as a reporter when he was called to be an international correspondent in Mexico for the Dallas Morning News, once he has access to the dirty things happening behind the curtains of government corruption and its relations with the big cartels.
It is a very interesting piece, not only by the stories itself, but also because the reader has the experience to follow all the investigation and the reporter steps. Corchado get so attached to the story that even himself becomes a murder target. Really worth checking it out.
- “Bom Dia, Verônica”, by Raphael Montes & Ilana Casoy
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Originally published in 2016, the book is a collaboration between the writer Raphael Montes and the criminologist Ilana Casoy, under the pseudonym of Andrea Killmore. This is not entirely a true crime book, but a lot of it came from Ilana’s experience being a criminologist! The thriller revolves around the police scrivener Verônica Torres, whose life was pacific, bureaucratic and full of interrupted dreams until the morning she witnesses a suicide.
Shortly after this trauma, Verônica receives an anonymous call from a woman crying out for her life. The protagonist then decides to start an investigation by herself, of both criminal cases, holding onto the opportunity to show her detective skills. Recently the book was adapted into Netflix series and guarantees lots of goosebumps.
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The article above was edited by Laura Enchioglo.
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