19 True Crime Audiobooks And Podcasts To Listen To After Watching Netflix's "Dahmer"
You've got to admit, all people seem to be talking about right now is Netflix's latest true crime drama, Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, and why wouldn't they?
Netflix / Via giphy.com
It's a harrowing and uncomfortable watch, but for many, whilst it can be too horrible to watch play out, our curious minds can't stop watching because of the truths that craft the show together.
It's not just the Dahmer story though, true crime generates a lot of interest and a lot of watchers/listeners across the world. There's just something about trying to get to the bottom of these unthinkable stories, understand the minds of the criminal, or the exact events of the crimes that seem so unfathomable to begin with!
Well, I'm here to further indulge the true-crime fanatics among us! My commute to work consists of listening to a true crime audiobook or podcast, whilst most of my friends are no doubt happily singing along to the radio... I'm not sure why I do it to myself, but now I can pass the baton so that you can get stuck into some more crime stories, be it unsolved murders or the deconstructing of huge crime events in history.
Here are 19 true crime audiobooks and podcasts to keep your brain ticking...
1.Call Me God: The True Story of the DC Sniper Investigation
2.Mindhunter
3.Tom Brown’s Body
4.The Serial Killer
Dive into the serial killer phenomenon with this podcast led by Thomas Wiborg-Thune as he talks us through stories of serial killers from who they were to what they did and how they did it.
What's really interesting in this show is the effort into exploring the killer's youth background and how it doesn't shy away from the graphic details. You'll find yourself immersed in the stories of the world, too, from the Icelandic Axe murderer to South African serial killers.
5.Suspect
6.Columbine
Columbine was one of the hardest true crime stories I've listened to, and at a heavy 14 hours long! That said, it was a tragic but really investing listen.
Journalist Dave Cullen revisits the notorious killing spree of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold and the 1999 Columbine High School massacre with the idea of trying to explain how the two boys ended up on the wrong path and why they acted with such disgusting violence.
Cullen demonstrates the difficulty in understanding or untangling a shooting spree, how mass tragedies are catapulted into the news and sometimes made worse by media misinformation, and pulls in lots of stories from those who knew the perpetrators beforehand, or those who had been impacted after the events.
The audiobook is way more layered and even more tragic to listen to than you could imagine, especially when we learn of the conclusion behind the 'whys.'
7.The Shrink Next Door
8.Dateline
9.In Cold Blood
The Clutter Family Murders of November 1959 in Holcomb, Kansas, are reconstructed and retold in Truman Capote's book, read by Scott Brick for the audiobook version. The murders saw four members of the Clutter family savagely killed with a shotgun, where there was no apparent motive and almost no clues.
The audiobook is a really interesting listen as it recounts the events from multiple points of view, from the policy to the community and judicial system.
10.LISK: Long Island Serial Killer
The Long Island Serial Killer is a story heard by many over the years, and this podcast is inspired by the Lost Girls: An Unsolved American Mystery book. The series reflects on the LISK investigation which began in 2010 after the disappearance of sex worker Shannan Gilbert, followed by the discovery of nine more murders of sex workers whose bodies were disposed of in similar ways.
The series features unheard interviews with family members, police officers, and government officials, as well as friends and others affected by the murders.
It's an incredibly detailed listen which goes deep into the victim's stories.
11.Serial
12.Bible John: Creation of a Serial Killer
New to the podcast scene is Bible John: Creation of a Serial Killer, and with just three out of 10 episodes released, it's already set to be a good one!
The show delves into the Bible John murders, an investigation which became one of Scotland's biggest ever manhunts. The unsolved case began in 1968 when a young woman was murdered after a night of dancing in Glasgow's Barrowland Ballroom, the first victim in a series of three killings.
13.I’ll Be Gone In The Dark
There have been many accounts of the Golden State Killer, but none as atmospheric and obsessive as Michelle McNamara's audiobook, a journalist who tragically died while investigating the case.
For over 10 years, an elusive rapist turned murderer committed 50 sexual assaults and 10 sadistic murders in Northern California, before disappearing and eluding capture by multiple police forces. Thirty years later, McNamara delves into the case, reviewing police reports, interviewing victims, and embedding herself into the online communities surrounding the case, all in the pursuit of truth.
14.Kim Kardashian’s The System: The Case of Kevin Keith
15.My Favourite Murder
16.Finding Tamika
17.True Crime Obsessed
18.Helter Skelter
Vincent Bugliosi was the prosecuting attorney in the Manson trial, so this book is a unique insider look into the baffling and cold-blooded Tate-LaBianca murders carried out by Charles Manson and four of his followers in 1969.
At nearly 27 hours long, the audiobook version is as gripping as it could get, going through the forensic details, and witness reports to the arrest and trial of the killers without losing your attention.
19.Crime Junkie
What true crime podcast or audiobook have you listened to that you would recommend? Share in the comments!