True Crime & Legal

Perhaps few genres have benefitted as much from the rise of binge-watching culture as true crime. Any of these texts could be adapted as a streaming documentary series—and a few are already available. Dive into this collection for real drama ripped straight from the headlines.

Publication year 1995

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Environment

Tags Crime & Law, Education, Education, Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Science & Nature, World History

Jonathan Harr’s A Civil Action is a 1995 nonfiction account of the legal case Anderson v. Cryovac, which disputed whether water contamination was the cause of leukemia in the defendant’s child and other members of the community. The case was between several families in Woburn, Massachusetts, and two corporations, Beatrice Foods and W.R. Grace. Harr is an American writer and journalist. A Civil Action was his first book, followed by Funeral Wars (2001) and The... Read A Civil Action Summary

Publication year 1989

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes War, Shame & Pride, Truth & Lies

Tags Military & War, Drama, Crime & Law, Social Justice, Politics & Government, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Arts & Culture, Dramatic Literature, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction

A Few Good Men is a play written by Aaron Sorkin and first performed in 1989. The story involves a military lawyer who defends two Marines accused of murder. The play was well-received, and Sorkin adapted it into a screenplay for the film of the same name (released in 1992), which was a popular and critical success.Plot SummaryA Few Good Men opens as two Marines, Downey and Dawson, recall the details of a nighttime incident... Read A Few Good Men Summary

Publication year 1974

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Politics & Government, Truth & Lies, Appearance & Reality

Tags Crime & Law, Politics & Government, Journalism, US History, Mystery & Crime Fiction, World History, Classic Fiction

All the President’s Men (1974) is the story of the most famous American political scandal of the 20th century. Written by Washington Post reporters Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward (also known for War), the book follows in exacting detail their investigation into the Watergate Hotel break-in and subsequent coverup of that crime. The case began with a story on an unusual burglary attempt at the Democratic National Headquarters in the summer of 1972. It eventually... Read All the President's Men Summary

Publication year 2023

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Masculinity, Race, Community, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed

Tags Crime & Law, Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Journalism, Sociology, World History

Publication year 2004

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Tags US History, Civil Rights & Jim Crow South, Crime & Law, Jazz Age, Race & Racism, World History, Biography, Social Justice, Politics & Government

Kevin Boyle's Arc of Justice depicts the racial turmoil in Detroit in 1925 through the story of Dr. Ossian Sweet, an African-American physician who faces murder charges after trying to defend his home in an all-white neighborhood from mob violence. The grandson of a slave, Ossian moves northward during the Great Migration to get his education at Wilberforce and Howard Universities. After graduating Howard's medical school, Ossian sets up practice and residence in Black Bottom... Read Arc of Justice Summary

Publication year 2004

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Childhood & Youth, Family

Tags Crime & Law, Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, American Literature, Biography

A Rip in Heaven: A Memoir of Murder and Its Aftermath (2004) is a true-crime story and memoir by Jeanine Cummins. The book recounts the violent rape and murder of two young women, Julie and Robin Kerry, the author’s cousins, and focuses on the aftermath for their families. Tom Cummins, their cousin who is present during the crimes, is thrown off a bridge into the Mississippi River with the two women but survives. Innocent, he... Read A Rip in Heaven Summary

Publication year 2011

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Mental Health, Perseverance

Tags Crime & Law, Trauma & Abuse, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Biography

A Stolen Life: A Memoir (July 2011) is the story of the abduction and captivity of author Jaycee Lee Dugard when she was 11 years old. Dugard is not a professional author and declined to use a ghostwriter to tell her story of abuse and survival. Her memoir became a New York Times bestseller and was followed by a sequel entitled Freedom: My Book of Firsts (2016).Shortly after her release from her captors in August... Read A Stolen Life Summary

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Self Discovery, Family, Truth & Lies, Safety & Danger, Revenge, Justice

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Romance, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Education, Relationships, Technology, Crime & Law, Modern Classic Fiction

Publication year 2018

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Tags Crime & Law, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Science & Nature, Journalism, Business & Economics, World History, Biography

One of the great corporate frauds of the 21st century, the Theranos blood-test scam, is brought to light in the award-winning bestseller Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup, published in 2018 and updated in 2020. Author John Carreyrou, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter and bureau chief at The Wall Street Journal, brings his years of experience to the case against tech startup Theranos and its spellbinding CEO, Elizabeth Holmes. The Vintage Books... Read Bad Blood Summary

Publication year 2004

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Tags Race & Racism, US History, Crime & Law, Civil Rights & Jim Crow South, World History, Biography

Blood Done Sign My Name (2004), by Timothy B. Tyson, is a nonfiction work of history centered on the racially motivated 1970 murder of Henry Marrow Jr. in Oxford, North Carolina. The killing occurred after Marrow, a 23-year-old Black Army veteran, husband, and father of two, allegedly made a flirtatious remark in the direction of a 19-year-old married white woman. The woman’s husband, brother-in-law, and father-in-law chased Marrow down the street, shot him from behind... Read Blood Done Sign My Name Summary

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Friendship, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Good & Evil, Femininity, Perseverance, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Historical Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Gender & Feminism, US History, Incarceration, Internet & Social Media, Journalism, LGBTQ+, Love & Sexuality, Politics & Government, Psychology, Relationships, Social Justice, Trauma & Abuse, Crime & Law, World History

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Perseverance, Hope, Memory, Shame & Pride, Race, The Past, Environment, Place, Family, Community, Politics & Government, Equality, Justice, Power & Greed, Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Historical Fiction, Crime & Law

Publication year 2019

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Shame & Pride

Tags Crime & Law, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Journalism, Gender & Feminism, World History, Politics & Government

Catch and Kill is a 2019 nonfiction book by the American journalist Ronan Farrow. The book details Farrow’s investigation into decades of sexual abuse and cover-ups committed by Hollywood executive Harvey Weinstein as well as numerous institutional attempts to prevent his abuse coming to light. Catch and Kill begins with investigative journalist Ronan Farrow searching for a story with producer Rich McHugh in 2016. Although rumors about Harvey Weinstein’s abusive behavior are beginning to reach... Read Catch and Kill Summary