What are the best non-fiction books about murder?

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Nov 1, 2021

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Best non-fiction books about murder	Price	Last Updated
-- People who eat darkness (book)	$13.24	Nov 1, 2021
-- The Stranger Beside Me (book)	$7.19	Dec 3, 2018
-- In Cold Blood (book)	$13.21	Dec 3, 2018
-- Helter Skelter (book)	$11.52	Dec 3, 2018

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score 3 · Answer 1

People who eat darkness (book)

Top Pro

It's not about just one murder

The killer manipulated, raped literally hundreds of women before killing his first victim, and that kind of darkness is present in the retelling of the events in this book. See More

Top Con

Documentary style

Excepting the psychological parts or the gore parts, the detailed concise storytelling that the author uses for most of the book might be too bland for some people. See More

Top Pro

It doesn't over-dramatize events

The writer's experience with journalism helped this novel become a very unbiased piece of work. See More

Top Pro

Deeply Psychological

It dives deep into the mind of the killer, making it very interesting to read, and not for the faint of stomach. See More

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score 1 · Answer 2

The Stranger Beside Me (book)

Top Pro

Unbiased storytelling

Top Con

The murders are not told in chronological order

The story skips around quite a bit and does not go through them in a way that true crime fans might want to. See More

Top Pro

It is a close up personal look into a serial killer

The author had a platonic relationship with the serial killer for years, up until his execution, so she knows a lot of details that are not available anywhere else. See More

Top Con

It doesn't get much into the mind of Ted Bundy

The book is filled with details of Ann Rule's relationship with Ted, and her feelings for him, however, she doesn't really dive into what was going on inside the mind of the killer. That lack of psychological perspective is felt throughout the novel. See More

Top Pro

Several formats available

It's available in paperback, hard-cover and in ebook(Kindle) format. See More

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score 1 · Answer 3

In Cold Blood (book)

Top Pro

Truman Capote's masterpiece

This nonfiction novel was written in 1966 and it's his best literary work. See More

Top Con

Long

Some people may find it longer than they'd like, as per their Amazon reviews. See More

Top Pro

Well done research

If you look past Capote's narrative techniques, which may make some people wonder if it's truly a real story, the more you read you will find that the research is actually very well done. See More

Top Pro

Several formats available

The book can be obtained in paperback, hardcover, audiobook and e-book(kindle) formats. See More

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score 1 · Answer 4

Helter Skelter (book)

Top Pro

Plenty of real evidence of the trial case available in this book

Since the writer was also the lead prosecutor of the case, and also one of its investigators, there is enough evidence on this book to make the reader an expert on Charles Manson. See More

Top Con

A little dense for non detail-oriented people

The amount of detail in this book is staggering, and some people found the evidence roundups and the pages depicting the trial too repetitive for their taste. See More

Top Pro

Best Seller with 4.5/5 stars rating

7 million copies of this book were sold. Its rating on Amazon is 4.5 stars. See More

Top Con

The Kindle version does not include the original photos

Due to permission issues, the 50+ pages containing original photos of the case are not included in the Kindle version, so bear this in mind if you're buying it in the electronic format. See More

Top Pro

Several formats available

It is available in paperback, hardcover, audiobook and ebook(Kindle) formats. See More

See All

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What are the best non-fiction books about murder?

4 Options Considered

People who eat darkness (book)

My Recommendation for People who eat darkness (book)

My Recommendation for People who eat darkness (book)

It's not about just one murder

Documentary style

It doesn't over-dramatize events

Deeply Psychological

The Stranger Beside Me (book)

My Recommendation for The Stranger Beside Me (book)

My Recommendation for The Stranger Beside Me (book)

Unbiased storytelling

The murders are not told in chronological order

It is a close up personal look into a serial killer

It doesn't get much into the mind of Ted Bundy

Several formats available

In Cold Blood (book)

My Recommendation for In Cold Blood (book)

My Recommendation for In Cold Blood (book)

Truman Capote's masterpiece

Long

Well done research

Several formats available

Helter Skelter (book)

My Recommendation for Helter Skelter (book)

My Recommendation for Helter Skelter (book)

Plenty of real evidence of the trial case available in this book

A little dense for non detail-oriented people

Best Seller with 4.5/5 stars rating

The Kindle version does not include the original photos

Several formats available

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