True Crime
Explore true crime with these tales full of murder, assassination, theft and forgery, from different historical periods up to the present day. This list was created by a librarian at The Seattle Public Library (April 2023).
-
The Woman Who Stole Vermeer
In this fascinating tale, an English debutante becomes a revolutionary and art thief, joining Northern Ireland’s fight for freedom from British rule in the 1970s.
Format: Book
Availability: All copies in use
View The Woman Who Stole Vermeer -
The Patient Assassin
A BBC journalist presents the story of Udham Singh, an enigmatic man who waited 20 years to take revenge on those responsible for the tragic 1919 Jallianwala Bagh Massacre.
Format: Book
Availability: Available
View The Patient Assassin -
Masters of the Lost Land
This meticulously researched account explores the history of Amazon rainforest deforestation and violent land disputes through the investigation of a labor activist’s assassination in 2000.
Format: Book
Availability: Available
View Masters of the Lost Land -
Invisible
Carter shares the story of his grandmother, Eunice Hunton Carter, an accomplished lawyer and activist whose work was central to the conviction of crime boss Charles “Lucky” Luciano.
Format: Book
Availability: Available
View Invisible -
In the Mouth of the Wolf
Corcoran details the bravery of Mexican journalist Regina Martínez in the face of threats and censorship, and strives to uncover the truth behind her 2012 murder.
Format: Book
Availability: Available
View In the Mouth of the Wolf -
The Colony
A mass murder brings the world’s attention to a polygamous Mormon sect based in Mexico. Denton chronicles the group, from their formation in the 1880s to their present-day ties to the NXIVM cult.
Format: Book
Availability: Available
View The Colony -
Covered With Night
When a Native American man is killed by British colonizers in 1722, fears of war spread through the land. This history captures the contrast between Indigenous forms of justice and British retribution.
Format: Book
Availability: All copies in use
View Covered With Night -
The Other Dr. Gilmer
In this compassionate account, a revered doctor is imprisoned for murdering his own father during a health crisis, exposing a justice system dismissive of criminals who suffer from mental illness.
Format: Book
Availability: Available
View The Other Dr. Gilmer -
The Wager
Grann (Killers of the Flower Moon) reconstructs the catastrophic 18th century expedition of a British warship, and the court martial convened to determine the truth of what occurred.
Format: Book
Availability: Available
View The Wager -
Last Call
Green’s sensitive account memorializes the victims of a 1990s New York City serial killer who preyed upon a gay community already contending with a world in which they did not feel safe.
Format: Book
Availability: Available
View Last Call