Best book/Favourite book.

[Herlock Sholmes]

Ive been meaning to ask everyone a question. Its a question that requires 2 answers though.

In your own opinion.......

1) What is the best true crime book ever written? The criteria is your own. It could be one that you feel cracks an important case or it might just be, in your opinion, a masterpeace of research. It might even be historically significant. It can also be on any crime (Whitechapel Murders included.)

and then.......

2) What is your favourite true crime book? This would be the book that you simply enjoyed reading the most. You may even have disagreed with its conclusions, questioned its research or even cringed at some of its interpretations but its a book that you know that if you read it again today you wouldn’t regret doing so.

Ill be interested in all opinions. If nothing else it might give us all a suggestion or two for books to get. Ill post my own andwers too but ill wait a while because id like to see if anyone’s choices tally with my own.

Thanks all (if anyone posts of course )

[DirectorDave]

I'm not really into true crime tbh, but with a little time off and lack of box-sets I stumbled across the Jodi Arias trial. In about a fortnight I became obsessed and read and watched almost everything.

I read the prosecutor Juan Martinez's book "Conviction: The Untold Story of Putting Jodi Arias Behind Bars" cover to cover within 48 hours and I am re-reading it again definitely my favourite TC book, although I think his theory on how and why the crime happened is incorrect.

The best? Bugliosi's reclaiming history, it red-pilled me on the whole JFK conspiracy nonsense, is brilliantly written and although long, very long it's never boring.

[Herlock Sholmes]

I'm not really into true crime tbh, but with a little time off and lack of box-sets I stumbled across the Jodi Arias trial. In about a fortnight I became obsessed and read and watched almost everything.

I read the prosecutor Juan Martinez's book "Conviction: The Untold Story of Putting Jodi Arias Behind Bars" cover to cover within 48 hours and I am re-reading it again definitely my favourite TC book, although I think his theory on how and why the crime happened is incorrect.

The best? Bugliosi's reclaiming history, it red-pilled me on the whole JFK conspiracy nonsense, is brilliantly written and although long, very long it's never boring.

First poster and my choice for best book has been named already. Couldnt agree more Dave. There cant have been a better and more deeply researched book ever than Reclaiming History. It has more pages on notes and sources than most books just have pages. ‘The Bug’ nails it for me

[Herlock Sholmes]

After looking at some footage of the Arias trial I’m definitely tempted to get the book you mention.

[Abby Normal]

Helter Skelter and sugdens ripper book.

[Abby Normal]

First poster and my choice for best book has been named already. Couldnt agree more Dave. There cant have been a better and more deeply researched book ever than Reclaiming History. It has more pages on notes and sources than most books just have pages. ‘The Bug’ nails it for me

as much as I love Bug and hate conspiracies I have to say I think there was probably a second shooter. shooting from the area of the rr track overpass.

the main thing for me is that I don't buy the whole head recoil when struck from the back argument. I have been around guns and shooting my whole life-my brother in law was an army ranger and weve been over it a thousand times. 99 times out of 100 when taking a head shot, the head moves as if hit by something in the direction of the striking bullet. JFK took the head shot from someone firing from the front IMHO.

that being said I have not read reclaiming history though and I plan on it.

[Sam Flynn]

Helter Skelter and sugdens ripper book.

Snap! Although Brian Masters' "Killing for Company" runs Bugliosi a close second.

[Abby Normal]

Snap! Although Brian Masters' "Killing for Company" runs Bugliosi a close second.

that's got to be a book on Dahmer??

[Herlock Sholmes]

Excellent choices

When i thought about having a ‘favourite’ as opposed to what i thought was the ‘best’ i certainly had one book in mind. Its Stephen Knight’s The Final Solution. It was, i think, the second full book on the subject that I read and i loved it straight away. It got all the best qualities of a thriller. Mystery, horror, sadness and surprising revelations. If there’s one Ripper book that i could say that i wished was true it would be Knight’s book.

[Herlock Sholmes]

that's got to be a book on Dahmer??

I’m pretty sure that it’s about Dennis Nilson Abby?

[Sam Flynn]

that's got to be a book on Dahmer??

Close, but no cigar! It's about Dennis Nilsen, and a darned good read.

[Pcdunn]

Interesting question.
I haven't read a great deal of true crime (tend to prefer watching documentary films on television), but I do recall "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larsen which would be my choice for best true crime book. Another I've read was "Nightmare in Wichita: The Hunt for the BTK Strangler" which was especially chilling.

I also have a used copy of "The Stranger Beside Me" by Ann Rule, which I want to read, and have seen parts of both "In Cold Blood" and "Helter Skelter" (also both on my want to read list.)

Favorite true crime book? --"The Crimes, Detection, and Death of Jack the Ripper" by Martin Fido.

[Herlock Sholmes]

Interesting question.
I haven't read a great deal of true crime (tend to prefer watching documentary films on television), but I do recall "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larsen which would be my choice for best true crime book. Another I've read was "Nightmare in Wichita: The Hunt for the BTK Strangler" which was especially chilling.

I also have a used copy of "The Stranger Beside Me" by Ann Rule, which I want to read, and have seen parts of both "In Cold Blood" and "Helter Skelter" (also both on my want to read list.)

Favorite true crime book? --"The Crimes, Detection, and Death of Jack the Ripper" by Martin Fido.

Hi Pat,

I think that we have to list Fido’s book as one of the classics

I recall reading The Stranger Beside Me a few years ago when my dad was going through all the Ann Rule books. Its possibly the book, more than any other, that introduced us to the idea of the ‘likeable’ serial killer. The guy that everyone liked and predicted a bright future for. It would be much easier if our lunatics actually looked and acted like lunatics