36 True Crime Novels to Channel Your Inner Sleuth

If you can't get enough of true crime, join the club. The popularity of the genre has given rise to a whole slew of mystery-focused podcasts, Sherlock Holmes-inspired TV shows, and of course, true crime novels. There's nothing like diving into a good whodunit, especially those that come freshly ripped from the headlines. Nonfiction books give you the added bonus of enjoying newspaper clippings, web stories, additional fan theories, and a whole library of other resources to keep your guilty pleasure going once you've turned the final page. But if you wonder where the line between mystery fan and sordid tale fanatic lies, experts say you probably don't have to worry about yourself or your amateur detective loved ones. “It says that we're normal and we're healthy,” Dr. Michael Mantell, former chief psychologist of the San Diego Police Department, told NPR in 2009. “I think our interest in crime serves a number of different healthy psychological purposes.” Those may include empathy for your fellow human being, curiosity about how others tick, and the mental exercise puzzling out a mystery brings. Of course, if your true crime-obsessed teenager starts papering their walls with wanted posters and spending all night concocting conspiracy theories, it might be time to introduce them to another hobby.