Truman Capote’s bestseller In Cold Blood (4.5/5 stars, currently priced at $9.99) was a groundbreaking first: a true crime “novel”. From Amazon:
On November 15, 1959, in the small town of Holcomb, Kansas, four members of the Clutter family were savagely murdered by blasts from a shotgun held a few inches from their faces. There was no apparent motive for the crime, and there were almost no clues.
As Truman Capote reconstructs the murder and the investigation that led to the capture, trial, and execution of the killers, he generates both mesmerizing suspense and astonishing empathy. In Cold Blood is a work that transcends its moment, yielding poignant insights into the nature of American violence.
Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders (4.5/5 stars, currently priced at $8.61) was also a bestseller. From Amazon:
“[A] social document of rare importance.”—The New Republic
Prosecuting attorney in the Manson trial, Vincent Bugliosi held a unique insider’s position in one of the most baffling and horrifying cases of the twentieth century: the cold-blooded Tate-LaBianca murders carried out by Charles Manson and four of his followers. What motivated Manson in his seemingly mindless selection of victims, and what was his hold over the young women who obeyed his orders? Here is the gripping story of this famous and haunting crime. Both Helter Skelter and Vincent Bugliosi’s subsequent Till Death Us Do Part won Edgar Allan Poe Awards for best true-crime book of the year.
Raven: The Untold Story of the Rev. Jim Jones and His People (5/5 stars, currently priced at $15.99). From Amazon:The “seminal book on the story of Jonestown” (Associated Press) is restored to print for the thirtieth anniversary of the Jonestown massacre, with a new preface by the author.
After many years, one of the most widely sought out-of- print books is newly available: Raven reveals the complete, shocking story of Jonestown, providing the definitive account of the worst cult tragedy in American history.
Tim Reiterman’s PEN Award–winning work explores the ideals-gone-wrong, the intrigue, and grim realities behind the Peoples Temple and its implosion in the jungle of South America. Raven clarifies historical misperceptions regarding the character and motives of Jim Jones; the reasons why people followed him; and the important truth that many of those who perished at Jonestown were victims of mass murder rather than suicide.
Here is the unparalleled record of a catastrophe the world still struggles to comprehend.
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (4/5 stars, currently priced at $11.99). From Amazon:
Shots rang out in Savannah’s grandest mansion in the misty,early morning hours of May 2, 1981. Was it murder or self-defense? For nearly a decade, the shooting and its aftermath reverberated throughout this hauntingly beautiful city of moss-hung oaks and shaded squares. John Berendt’s sharply observed, suspenseful, and witty narrative reads like a thoroughly engrossing novel, and yet it is a work of nonfiction. Berendt skillfully interweaves a hugely entertaining first-person account of life in this isolated remnant of the Old South with the unpredictable twists and turns of a landmark murder case.
It is a spellbinding story peopled by a gallery of remarkable characters: the well-bred society ladies of the Married Woman’s Card Club; the turbulent young redneck gigolo; the hapless recluse who owns a bottle of poison so powerful it could kill every man, woman, and child in Savannah; the aging and profane Southern belle who is the “soul of pampered self-absorption”; the uproariously funny black drag queen; the acerbic and arrogant antiques dealer; the sweet-talking, piano-playing con artist; young blacks dancing the minuet at the black debutante ball; and Minerva, the voodoo priestess who works her magic in the graveyard at midnight. These and other Savannahians act as a Greek chorus, with Berendt revealing the alliances, hostilities, and intrigues that thrive in a town where everyone knows everyone else.
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: A Savannah Story is a sublime and seductive reading experience. Brilliantly conceived and masterfully written, this enormously engaging portrait of a most beguiling Southern city is certain to become a modern classic.