The Best General True Crime Books 2025

1. Slave Girls (Other) 9780312958701

ISBN: 9780312958701 ISBN10: 0312958706 Contributors: Clarkson, Wensley,

Slave Girls (Other) 9780312958701

2. Cleveland of Yesteryear: Death Ride at Euclid Beach: And Other True Tales of Crime & Disaster from Cleveland's Past (Paperback)

"Has more than its fair share of violence, sex, debauchery and reversals of fortune . . . But what emerges between the lines are stories of human suffering, stories of class struggle, stories that speak as much to the criminal mind as to the crime itself." -- Sun Newspapers More true tales of woe from Cleveland's crime and disaster expert. The fifth book in John Stark Bellamy's popular series delivers 26 accounts of Cleveland-area crimes and disasters from 1900 through 1950, including: The depression-era "Blue Book Murder," in which a swank Shaker Heights society party was interrupted by low-class thugs with deadly intentions; Truculent barkeep Thomas Martin, whose idea of a good time was shooting the lunch buckets out of unsuspecting laborers' hands as they came off their Whiskey Island shifts; A strange international photo hoax in which Lakewood lad John May Warren became "The boy with Hitler's face"; Sleepwalking Harry Krause, who dreamt one night of battling a gigantic snake but awoke to the real nightmare: he had strangled his own beloved mother in her bed; The shocking murder of sweet 16-year-old Beverly Jarosz in her Garfield Heights bedroom--one of Cleveland's most baffling murder mysteries ever; And 20 more local true stories of courage, fear, deception, treachery, tragedy, violence, and guilt. Sometimes gruesome, often surprising, Bellamy's tales are meticulously researched and delivered in a literate and entertaining style.

Cleveland of Yesteryear: Death Ride at Euclid Beach: And Other True Tales of Crime & Disaster from Cleveland's Past (Paperback)

3. Cleaning Up : One Man's Redemptive Journey Through the Seductive World of Corporate Crime

In this eye-opening book, Minkow--the one-time Wall Street wiz kid who rocked the financial world with one of its biggest scams--tells the riveting true story of how he turned from con to cop, turning his skills to outing crooks and investment scams, and even training FBI agents to do the same.

Before he was even old enough to drink, he had bank accounts, a Ferrari, a mansion, a multi-million dollar corporation, and a desperate little secret . . . it was all a lie. Most of us can't imagine life getting much worse than it got for Barry Minkow, the one-time Wall Street wiz kid who catapulted his company to stardom and success only to see it exposed as a $300-million fraud. Most of us can't imagine spending more than seven years in federal prison and coming out owing victims $26 million. Most of us can't imagine our careers changing from FBI target to FBI trainer, from CEO to senior pastor, from con man to con catcher. Or can we? We've all slipped up. We've all failed. Cleaning Up is Barry Minkow's comeback story-a powerful a tale of redemption and inspiration, of second chances and setting things right. More than a decade from defrauding investors, today, as cofounder of the Fraud Discovery Institute, he's uncovered over a billion dollars worth of investment scams.

4. Cleveland Cops: The Real Stories They Tell Each Other (Paperback)

Gritty, scary, hilarious, and heartbreaking ... these remarkable true stories will take you on the roller coaster ride that is life as a Cleveland police officer. These are the real stories cops trade with each other after the shift, over a couple of beers. They're stories the rest of us rarely get to hear, because cops are often reluctant to open their world to outsiders. But now they share their compelling personal tales with the rest of us. Listen in as dozens of cops--active and retired, young and old, from rookie to chief--tell about their most memorable moments patrolling the streets of Cleveland. The biggest arrests, the dumbest criminals, the funniest practical jokes, the most frightening calls ... Their stories will give you goose bumps on one page and make you laugh until you're gasping for breath on the next. Some hit like a punch in the gut, some will make you stop and wonder. On this ride you'll get a front-seat look at one of the toughest jobs in town--and gain a better understanding of the men and women who put their lives on the line every day to do it. A real eye-opener, and great fun to read. "This book should be required reading for every elected official and for every citizen." -- Chief Edward P. Kovacic (retired), Cleveland Police Department

Cleveland Cops: The Real Stories They Tell Each Other (Paperback)