True Crime

The Girl on the Velvet Swing by Simon Baatz

A chronicle of the events surrounding the 1906 murder trial of millionaire Harry Thaw details the victimization of teen actress Evelyn Nesbit and Thaw’s vengeance-fueled, public murder of legendary architect Stanford White.

The Man From the Tran by Bill James

Using unprecedented, dramatically compelling sleuthing techniques, legendary statistician and baseball writer Bill James applies his analytical acumen to crack an unsolved century-old mystery surrounding one of the deadliest serial killers in American history.

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

In the small town of Holcomb, Kansas,1954, four members of the Clutter family were savagely murdered. There was no apparent motive for the crime, and there were almost no clues. As Truman Capote reconstructs the murder and the investigation that led to the capture, trial, and execution of the killers, he generates both mesmerizing suspense and astonishing empathy.

Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann

Presents a true account of the early twentieth-century murders of dozens of wealthy Osage and law-enforcement officials, citing the contributions and missteps of a fledgling FBI that eventually uncovered one of the most chilling conspiracies in American history.

In Vino Duplicitas by Peter Hellman

An engrossing account of wine fraud and forgery in the high-rolling economy of the early 2000’s

Bood and Ivy: The 1849 Murder that Scandalized Harvard by Paul Collins

Traces the scandalous murder of a Harvard Medical School graduate and the ensuing trial that riveted mid-nineteenth-century America, exploring how the case established important precedents in medical forensics and the definition of reasonable doubt.

American Fire by Monica Hesse

The Washington Post reporter documents the trial of a man who was charged with dozens of counts of arson in rural Virginia county, sharing insight into the perpetrator’s struggles with addiction, his relationship with his accomplice girlfriend and the impact of the fires on their community.

The Feather Thief by Kirk Wallace Johnson

Documents the astonishing 2009 theft of an invaluable collection of ornithological displays from the British Museum of Natural History by a talented American musician, tracing the author’s years-long investigation to track down the culprit and understand his motives, which were possibly linked to an obsession with the Victorian art of salmon fly-tying.

Hellhound on His Trail by Hampton Sides

A taut, intense narrative about the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., and the largest manhunt in American history–a sixty-five-day search that led investigators to Canada, Portugal, and England.

The Spy Who Couldn't Spell by Yudhijit Bhattacharjee

Before Edward Snowden’s infamous data breach, the largest theft of government secrets was committed by an ingenious traitor whose intricate espionage scheme and complex system of coded messages were made even more baffling by his dyslexia.

Black Klansman by Ron Stallworth

Relates how African American detective Ron Stallworth went undercover to investigate the Ku Klux Klan in Colorado Springs in 1978, describing how he disrupted Klan activities and exposed white supremacists in the military during the months-long investigation.

Conan Doyle For The Defense by Margalit Fox

A true-crime procedural documents how Sherlock Holmes creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle became involved in the 1908 wrongful conviction case of an immigrant Jewish cardsharp whose innocence was proved by Doyle’s use of reason and the scientific method.

Black Edge by Sheelah Kolhatkar

Traces the rise and fall of stock trader Steven Cohen and his hedge fund, SAC Capital, to offer insight into personalities behind the largest insider-trading investigation in Wall Street history while revealing how Cohen continues to make billions as a free man.

Truevine by Beth Macy

Tells the true story of two African-American brothers who were kidnapped and displayed as circus freaks, and whose mother endured a 28-year struggle to get them back.

The Real Lolita by Sarah Weinman

A gripping true-crime investigation of the 1948 abduction of Sally Horner details the crime itself and how it inspired Vladimir Nabokov’s classic novel, Lolita.