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21 Chilling True Crime Book Excerpts That Will Haunt You for Days

Get the chills. 

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Books about mystery and murder are as compelling as they are addictive. But add the fact that what you’re reading about actually happened, and you’re in for some sleepless nights.

These true crime books will have you itching for more murder and mayhem. Read about these 21 real-life crimes below, and then click to read book excerpts from the horrific tellings.

Mother’s Day, by Dennis McDougal

mother's day by dennis mcdougal

Nine years after her sister’s unidentified body was discovered burned on the side of the I-80 in Sacramento, Terry Knorr came forward and detailed the shocking abuse and death of her sisters … carried out by their mother, Theresa Knorr.

Read an excerpt of Mother’s Day here.


A Death in California, by Joan Barthel

true crime book excerpts death in california

Hope Masters and her fiancé Bill were on vacation in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains when they met G. Daniel Walker, who proceeded to kill Bill and hold Hope captive—sexually assaulting her over the span of a weekend. But the most unfathomable part? She began to fall in love with her captor.

Read an excerpt of A Death in California here.


The Michigan Murders, by Edward Keyes

true crime book excerpts michigan murders

In the 1960s, the Ypsilanti Ripper began terrorizing the college town of Ypsilanti (pronounced Ip-sih-lan-tee), Michigan—torturing and killing women. But the killer’s identity was most shocking of all: An all-American college student at Eastern Michigan University—where many of his victims were also students.

Read an excerpt of The Michigan Murders here.


Blood Echoes, by Thomas H. Cook

true crime book excerpts blood echoes

In 1973, Carl Isaacs, his half brother Wayne Coleman, and George Dungee escaped from prison and were joined by Carl’s 15-year-old brother, Billy Isaacs. They stumbled upon the mobile home of Jerry and Mary Alday, where they proceeded to kill the couple and multiple family members that came by.

Read an excerpt of Blood Echoes here.


The Professor and the Prostitute, by Linda Wolfe

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William Douglas was a brilliant professor at Tufts University. But when he murdered his call-girl mistress in a homicidal rage, he needed to come up with a plan about what to do with the body–and fast.

Read an excerpt of The Professor and the Prostitute here.


Evil Angels, by John Bryson

true crime book excerpts evil angels

While camping in Australia in 1980, Lindy Chamberlain’s 9-week-old daughter was snatched by wild dogs, known as dingoes. Chamberlain was tried and found guilty of her daughter’s murder, serving almost four years in prison before being released due to new evidence that backed up her story.

Read an excerpt of Evil Angels here.


Brady and Hindley, by Fred Harrison

true crime book excerpts brady and hindley

Between 1963 and 1965, Ian Brady and his lover Myra Hindley abducted, raped, tortured, and murdered five young victims, ranging from 10 to 17 years old, in Manchester, England. Known as the “Moors Murders,” Fred Harrison’s true crime book on the deadly duo is based in part on face-to-face interviews with Ian Brady himself.

Read an excerpt of Brady and Hindley here.


Richie, by Thomas Thompson

true crime book excerpts richie

From the age of 15, Richie Diener showed signs of aggression and began using drugs. When Richie, high on pills, began swinging a steak knife at his parents on February 27, 1972, his father George felt he had no choice but to kill his own son.

Read an excerpt of Richie here.


Needle Work, by Fred Rosen

true crime book excerpts needle work

Lovers Carol Giles and Tim Collier killed Carol’s husband, a homebound diabetic and heroin dealer, with a lethal shot of heroin from his own stash. Believing that Carol’s best friend, Nancy Billiter, would turn them in for the murder, paranoid Tim decided that she needed to be kept quiet … permanently.

Read an excerpt of Needle Work here.


Deadly Greed, by Joe Sharkey

true crime book excerpts deadly greed

According to Charles Stuart, on October 23, 1989, he and his pregnant wife Carol were driving back from a birthing class in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston when a black gunman forced his way into their car and shot them. But what really happened is far more chilling.

Read an excerpt of Deadly Greed here.


To Kill and Kill Again, by John Coston

true crime book excerpts to kill and kill again

We might never know just how many murders Wayne Nance committed. Referred to as the Missoula Mauler, the suspected serial killer has never been tried or convicted of any murder because he was shot and killed while breaking into the home of Doug and Kris Wells.

Read an excerpt of To Kill and Kill Again here.


Forever and Five Days, by Lowell Cauffiel

true crime excerpts forever and five days

Cathy Wood and Gwen Graham met as nurses at Alpine Manor, a senior living facility in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The pair quickly became lovers and started a deadly game: Killing their elderly patients by smothering them in their beds.

Read an excerpt of Forever and Five Days here.


A Dark and Bloody Ground, by Darcy O’Brien

true crime book excerpts dark and bloody ground

Beginning in the 1980s, Benny and Sherry lived out their version of a Bonnie-and-Clyde fantasy for 10 years—by going on a killing spree all across Eastern Kentucky.

Read an excerpt of A Dark and Bloody Ground here.


Who Killed My Daughter?, by Lois Duncan

true crime excerpts who killed my daughter

In 1989, Kaitlyn Duncan was shot in a seemingly random act of violence. After years of investigation, the police were unable to solve Kaitlyn’s murder. But Kaitlyn’s family started their own inquiry, eventually discovering that their daughter was hiding some very dangerous secrets.

Read an excerpt of Who Killed My Daughter? here.


Thirty-Eight Witnesses, by A.M. Rosenthal

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In 1964, bar manager Kitty Genovese was stabbed to death on her way home from work in the early morning hours. As news broke of the brutal slaying, a starling narrative emerged: 38 neighbors allegedly heard Genovese’s cries for help that night, but only one called the police. Examine the details of the infamous Kitty Genovese case, which haunts popular culture to this day.

Read an excerpt of Thirty-Eight Witnesses here.


The Killing of Karen Silkwood, by Richard Rashke

true crime book excerpts karen silkwood

On November 13, 1974, the body of chemical technician and labor union activist, Karen Silkwood, was found in her wrecked vehicle off the road in Crescent, Oklahoma. Though police assumed she had fallen asleep at the wheel, those close to Silkwood knew she had been fighting against a large nuclear facility for its unsafe practices … and her death seemed like no accident.

Read an excerpt of The Killing of Karen Silkwood here.


Nutcracker, by Shana Alexander

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On July 23, 1978 in Salt Lake City, Franklin Bradshaw was murdered from two gunshot wounds. The scene was set to look like a murder, and it wasn’t until two years later police revealed the truth: Bradshaw had been shot by his 17-year-old grandson Marc Schreuder.

Read an excerpt of Nutcracker here.


The Wrong Man, by James Neff

true crime book excerpts wrong man

For 10 years, Dr. Sam Sheppard served a jail sentence for the brutal murder of his wife Marilyn—a murder he was eventually acquitted of in 1966. Was Sheppard really guilty of such a heinous act … or was he the wrong man?

Read an excerpt of The Wrong Man here.


Death Sentence, by Joe Sharkey

true crime book excerpts death sentence

On November 9, 1971, List methodically murdered his wife Helen, his mother Alma, and their three children—Patricia, 16; Frederick, 13; and John Jr., 15. It would be 18 years before he was finally brought to justice.

Read an excerpt of Death Sentence here.


Butcher, Baker, by Walter Gilmour and Leland E. Hale

true crime book excerpts butcher baker

Robert Hansen, a soft-spoken and charming local baker with a penchant for hunting, abducted, tortured, and murdered 17 women as part of his sick fantasy. Alaska’s most notorious serial killer was finally caught when one woman finally escaped.

Read an excerpt of Butcher, Baker here .


Sharon Tate and the Manson Murders, by Greg King

sharon tate manson murders california murders

Actress Sharon Tate, three of her friends (Jay Sebring, Wojciech Frykowski, and Abigail Folger), and a friend of Tate’s housekeeper, Steven Parent, were killed when members of the Manson family stormed Tate’s residence in 1969. Tate was eight and a half months pregnant at the time, just two weeks from her due date.

Read an excerpt of Sharon Tate and the Manson Murders here.


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