1Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann
In the 1920s, members of the oil-rich Osage Nation in Oklahoma were murdered one by one, and the case helped shape the early FBI. David Grann's account reads like a thriller and was turned into a Martin Scorsese film. It was a number one New York Times bestseller and a National Book Award finalist.
Pros
- Gripping and deeply researched.
- A story many people don't know.
- Inspired the Scorsese film.
Cons
- A heavy, often upsetting story.
View on Amazon UK↗UK listing only in this guide.Amazon price at the time shown. Prices and availability can change; the price on Amazon at purchase applies. Product sources
Doubleday product page ↗
2Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe
Say Nothing starts with the 1972 disappearance of Jean McConville, a widowed mother of ten taken from her Belfast home, and becomes a history of the Troubles. It won the Orwell Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award and was made into a TV series.
Pros
- Award-winning true crime.
- A gripping history of the Troubles.
- Made into a TV series.
View on Amazon UK↗UK listing only in this guide.Amazon price at the time shown. Prices and availability can change; the price on Amazon at purchase applies. Product sources
Vintage product page ↗
3In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
In Cold Blood is the book that started modern true crime. Truman Capote spent years researching the 1959 murders of a Kansas farming family and the two men who killed them, and wrote it with the pace of a novel. It's on the Modern Library list of the best non-fiction ever written.
Pros
- The true crime classic.
- Reads like a novel.
- Essential for any fan.
Cons
- Written in the 1960s, so the style is of its time.
View on Amazon UK↗UK listing only in this guide.Amazon price at the time shown. Prices and availability can change; the price on Amazon at purchase applies. Product sources
Vintage product page ↗
4The Five by Hallie Rubenhold
The Five tells the lives of the women killed in Whitechapel in 1888, rather than the man who killed them. Hallie Rubenhold shows who they really were, from a ballad writer to a coffee-house owner, and challenges the old myths. It won the Baillie Gifford Prize.
Pros
- A fresh take on a famous case.
- Gives the victims their stories back.
- Baillie Gifford Prize winner.
Cons
- Focuses on the women's lives, not the investigation.
View on Amazon UK↗UK listing only in this guide.Amazon price at the time shown. Prices and availability can change; the price on Amazon at purchase applies. Product sources
Doubleday product page ↗
5Unsolved Case Files: Harmony Ashcroft
True crime fans love playing detective, and this game hands them a real-feeling cold case file. In Harmony Ashcroft, they work through evidence to prove a man wrongly jailed for decades is innocent and find the real killer. It's great for an evening with friends.
Pros
- Play detective at home.
- Fun with friends or solo.
- Feels like a real case file.
View on Amazon UK↗UK listing only in this guide.Amazon price at the time shown. Prices and availability can change; the price on Amazon at purchase applies. Product sources
Unsolved Case Files product page ↗
What to buy someone who loves true crime
True crime fans have usually read the obvious books, so pick award winners or classics they may have missed. The best gifts for true crime fans are well-researched books and games that let them play detective. In Cold Blood suits newcomers. A case file game makes a fun night in.
How we picked these gifts for true crime fans
We picked each product for what true crime fans enjoy and because it makes sense as a present. The order is our own choice. The pros and cons come from published product details, not customer reviews.
Amazon shows the current price and delivery. Where we've checked that the US listing is the same product, the US link goes there. Otherwise you'll get the UK listing, labelled as such. More about our research.
