25 Best True Crime Books of All Time to Unleash Your Inner Sherlock

Something about true crime just hits differently than fictional psychological thriller books. Maybe it's because true crime books reveal the darkness that can lurk in the human spirit, maybe it's the way real stories feel closer to home — and maybe it's the empathy for victims and families they inspire. Whatever your reason for loving true crime, there may be no better time to get into it. A bumper crop of great real-life mystery books have come out in recent years, driven by our collective fascination with the ways humanity can go wrong. These books give readers the opportunity to put on our detective hats and put the clues together along with the author, as well as soak up all of the details of a twisty, salacious story we've heard about on the news or discovered via other elements of popular culture.