The top 3 are especially good.

No one & I mean no one can beat Truman Capote.

I have been meaning to get to the Erik Larson book forever.

I just finished Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll and although it was okay, I do not think it should be considered true crime. She loosely fictionalized the Ted Bundy sorority house killings. Truman created the true crime novel genre. Again, nobody tops him.

The book did however peak my interest in Ted Bundy, which I know was not the authors intent. I am guilty of viewing some you tube content in that regard. The trial tapes are pretty flabbergasting. She was trying to focus on the women and victims. The judge at the time called Ted Bundy a “bright young man,” hence the title. The book does drive home the times we lived in and how women were treated. But oddly, if you look at the trial tapes, two of the women who survived the killings were a little giggly on the stand. It was all pretty strange. And Bundy was an absolute monster, no doubt about that.

Evidence of Love is another one that will send you down a deep dark rabbit hole. What a crazy true story. It was made into 2 series and a tv movie. Barbara Hershey gave an award winning performance as Candy in the tv version. Then Jessica Biel and Elizabeth Olsen also played the murderess. This story scared the heck out of me. The made for tv series was a little kitschy and took some getting used to.

And speaking of Texas killers; I read a crazy story in my local book club here in Texas. The Midnight Assassin: Panic, Scandal, and the Hunt for America’s First Serial Killer by Skip Hollandsworth. I was completely unfamiliar with this story. A killer who was possibly America’s first serial killer, right here in Texas, at the time they built the State capitol building and the University. Interesting story that has a possible Ripper connection!

Lastly, add to the list of scary true crime reads, that are in my opinion way scarier than any spooky seasonal books:

Fatal Vision by Joe McGinniss. Reader beware. It is the story of Captain Jeffrey R. MacDonald, M.D. and the February 17, 1970 murders of his wife and their two children at their home on Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Absolutely chilling. It too was made into a tv movie.

Not for the faint of heart. This one will haunt you. It in turns fascinates me and scares me.

I sometimes take a turn with these books, but then have to step away and read something light and bright.