Autumn is the season when shadows lengthen, and the real monsters of history step out of the dark. These chilling true-crime reads span art heists, survival against a serial killer, secret military cartels, wrongful convictions, and the haunting rise of serial murder in the Pacific Northwest—reminding us that the scariest stories are the ones that actually happened.

5 True Crime Books For Fall

1. The Art Thief by Michael Finkel

Available at Amazon

Available at Bookshop

The mesmerizing account of Stéphane Breitwieser, the world’s most prolific art thief, who stole for love of beauty rather than money—until obsession destroyed everything.

2. Out of the Woods: A Girl, a Killer, and a Lifelong Struggle to Find the Way Home by Gregg Olsen

Available at Amazon

Available at Bookshop

A gripping story of survival and aftermath, following Shasta Groene’s abduction by a serial killer and her harrowing fight to reclaim her life.

3. The Fort Bragg Cartel: Drug Trafficking and Murder in the Special Forces by Seth Harp

Available at Amazon

Available at Bookshop

An explosive investigation into unsolved murders, narco-trafficking, and cover-ups within America’s most secretive military units.

4. The Man No One Believed: The Untold Story of the Georgia Church Murders by Joshua Sharpe

Available at Amazon

Available at Bookshop

A riveting tale of a double murder, a wrongful conviction, and the journalist who uncovered the truth decades later.

5. Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers by Caroline Fraser

Available at Amazon

Available at Bookshop

Pulitzer Prize–winner Caroline Fraser traces the rise of serial killers like Bundy and the Green River Killer against the toxic, poisoned landscape of the Pacific Northwest.

Visit our Reading Essentials section to discover the best bookshelves, reading chairs, book lights for reading at night, and more!

Receive top book recommendations directly in your inbox.