100 Best Criminal Law Books of All Time (Updated for 2026)

1

Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption

Bryan Stevenson

5.0

A powerful true story about the potential for mercy to redeem us, and a clarion call to fix our broken system of justice—from one of the most brilliant and influential lawyers of our time

Bryan Stevenson was a young lawyer when he founded the Equal Justice Initiative, a legal practice dedicated to defending those most desperate and in need: the poor, the wrongly condemned, and women and children tr

Recommended by Richard Branson, Chris Sacca, Howard Schultz, and 4 others.

Richard Branson

Founder/Virgin Group

Today is World Book Day, a wonderful opportunity to address this #ChallengeRichard sent in by Mike Gonzalez of New Jersey: Make a list of your top 65 books to read in a lifetime. [source]

Chris Sacca

Proud that @crystale and I could help fund the making of a film about one of our heroes, Bryan Stevenson. If you’ve read the book, then you know how powerful this film is. #JustMercy https://t.co/vNfXK4Imwr [source]

Howard Schultz

CEO/Starbucks

Perhaps one of the most powerful and important stories of our time. [source]

2

Billion Dollar Whale: The Man Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood, and the World

Tom Wright, Bradley Hope

4.7

Preview Summary

An epic true-tale of hubris and greed from two Pulitzer-finalist Wall Street Journal reporters, Billion Dollar Whale reveals how a young social climber pulled off one of the biggest financial heists in history--right under the nose of the global financial industry--exposing the shocking secret nexus of elite wealth, banking, Hollywood, and politics.

The dust had yet to settle on the global financi

Recommended by Bill Gates, Alexis Ohanian, Morgan Housel, and 2 others.

Bill Gates

CEO/Microsoft

As Bad Blood is to biotech, Billion Dollar Whale is to international finance... a wonderful read... Thrilling. [source]

Alexis Ohanian

Co-founder/Reddit

An incredible story.... If you need some billionaires to despise--look no further than these charlatans. [source]

Morgan Housel

This book on the 1MDB scandal was great, hard to put down. Low sophistication + huge brazenness is a powerful fraud combo. https://t.co/nYpIJffcb5 [source]

3

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness

Michelle Alexander

4.6

Preview Summary

"Jarvious Cotton's great-great-grandfather could not vote as a slave. His great-grandfather was beaten to death by the Klu Klux Klan for attempting to vote. His grandfather was prevented from voting by Klan intimidation; his father was barred by poll taxes and literacy tests. Today, Cotton cannot vote because he, like many black men in the United States, has been labeled a felon and is currently o

Recommended by Mark Zuckerberg and Peter Temin.

Mark Zuckerberg

Founder/Facebook

I read The New Jim Crow, a study of how the U.S. justice system disproportionately criminalizes and jails blacks and Latinos. Making our criminal justice system fairer and more effective is a huge challenge for our country. I’m going to keep learning about this topic, but some things are already clear: We can’t jail our way to a just society, and our current system isn’t working (adapted with permission from Facebook’s A Year of Books project). [source]

Peter Temin

The new Jim Crow that Michelle Alexander is talking about is mass incarceration. [source]

4

What Every Body is Saying: An Ex-FBI Agent's Guide to Speed-Reading People

Joe Navarro and Marvin Karlins

4.5

Preview Summary

He says that's his best offer. Is it?

She says she agrees. Does she?

The interview went great—or did it?

He said he'd never do it again. But he did.

Read this book and send your nonverbal intelligence soaring. Joe Navarro, a former FBI counterintelligence officer and a recognized expert on nonverbal behavior, explains how to "speed-read" people: decode sentiments and behaviors, avoid hidden pitfalls,

Recommended by Naval Ravikant.

5

The Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron

Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind

4.4

Preview Summary

There were dozens of books about Watergate, but only All the President's Men gave readers the full story, with all the drama and nuance and exclusive reporting. And thirty years later, if you're going to read only one book on Watergate, that's still the one. Today, Enron is the biggest business story of our time, and Fortune senior writers Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind are the new Woodward and B

Recommended by Warren Buffett.

Warren Buffett

CEO/Berkshire Hathaway

Well-reported and well-written. [source]

Cover unavailable

6

A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership

James Comey

4.3

Former FBI Director James Comey shares his never-before-told experiences from some of the highest-stakes situations of his career in the past two decades of American government, exploring what good, ethical leadership looks like, and how it drives sound decisions. His journey provides an unprecedented entry into the corridors of power, and a remarkable lesson in what makes an effective leader.

Mr.

Recommended by Marc Andreessen, Joanna Peñabickley, and Seb Eckersleymaslin.

Marc Andreessen

Co-Founder/Andreessen Horowitz

Certainly the story is well known, but given author's propensity to post photos of himself wearing running shoes in Iowa, potentially relevant again starting next year? [source]

Joanna Peñabickley

Silence is complicity — @Comey ; For the last 4 days I have been glued to #AHigherLoyalty. I sincerely hope all of you read this book about truth, integrity and ethical leadership. Best 📖 on leadership I’ve read in a while #ThankYou for your leadership and service. [source]

Seb Eckersleymaslin

@shandsaker @ScottKilmartin @Hsuen Agreed. It’s tabloid. Read James Comey’s new book, it is much better. Some great lessons on true leadership in there. [source]

7

The Road to Wigan Pier

George Orwell

4.3

A searing account of George Orwell’s experiences of working-class life in the bleak industrial heartlands of Yorkshire and Lancashire, The Road to Wigan Pier is a brilliant and bitter polemic that has lost none of its political impact over time. His graphically unforgettable descriptions of social injustice, slum housing, mining conditions, squalor, hunger and growing unemployment are written with

Recommended by D J Taylor and David Heinemeier Hansson.

D J Taylor

The Road to Wigan Pier is a very transitional book. It shows all the attention to detail and the thought of street-level reportage that distinguishes Down and Out in Paris and London, but it’s moving forward to a political position—the political position—that will underlie what Orwell starts writing in the 1940s, for which we now celebrate him. [source]

David Heinemeier Hansson

It’s amazing how much of the abusive ideology revealed in his account of the miners is still present in today’s gig economy. [source]

8

Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain

David Eagleman

4.3

If the conscious mind—the part you consider you—accounts for only a tiny fraction of the brain’s function, what is all the rest doing? This is the question that David Eagleman—renowned neuroscientist and acclaimed author of Sum—answers in a book as accessible and entertaining as it is deeply informed by startling, up-to-the-minute research.

Recommended by Seth Godin, Louis Grenier, and Rand Fishkin.

Seth Godin

Author, Marketer, Entrepreneur

At a conference I recently attended, David talked about his work. It's all anyone discussed for the next two days. This book will help you understand the meat/electricity/chemicals you're carrying around inside your head better than you ever have before. [source]

Louis Grenier

“Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain” and “Predictably Irrational” are 2 very good books on psychology that I think you should read. [source]

9

Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets

David Simon

4.2

The scene is Baltimore; the year is 1988. Twice every three days another citizen is shot, stabbed, or bludgeoned to death. At the center of this hurricane of crime is the city's homicide unit, a small group of hard men who battle to achieve a bit of rough justice in a deadly world. This is their story.

Recommended by John R Stanton.

John R Stanton

@grisuy @anthoknees The snot boogy story is also based on something that really happened as I recall. If you haven’t read @AoDespair’s book Homicide, you should. It’s amazing and has a lot of the source material from the Wire and Homicide the show. [source]

Cover unavailable

10

The Criminal Law Handbook: Know Your Rights, Survive the System

Paul Bergman J.D. and Sara J Berman J.D.

4.2

The criminal justice system is complicated, understand it and your rights

Criminal law is full of complex rules and procedures, but this book demystifies them. It explains how the system works, why police, lawyers, and judges do what they do, and what suspects, defendants, and prisoners can expect. It also provides critical information on working with a lawyer.

In plain English, The Criminal Law Han

11

Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit

John E. Douglas

4.2

Discover the classic, behind-the-scenes chronicle of John E. Douglas’ twenty-five-year career in the FBI Investigative Support Unit, where he used psychological profiling to delve into the minds of the country’s most notorious serial killers and criminals—the basis for the upcoming Netflix original series.

In chilling detail, the legendary Mindhunter takes us behind the scenes of some of his most g

Cover unavailable

12

Black Reconstruction in America 1860-1880

W. E. B. Du Bois

4.2

The pioneering work in the study of the role of Black Americans during Reconstruction by the most influential Black intellectual of his time.

Recommended by Imani Perry.

Imani Perry

W.E.B. Du Bois was the father of American sociology and one of the most influential intellectuals of the twentieth century. His classic text, The Souls of Black Folk, was published in 1903. Black Reconstruction in America came thirty years later. [source]

13

The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row

Anthony Ray Hinton

4.2

Anthony Ray Hinton was poor and black when he was convicted of two murders he hadn't committed. For the next three decades he was trapped in solitary confinement in a tiny cell on death row.

Eventually his case was taken up by the award-winning lawyer, Bryan Stevenson, who managed to have him exonerated, though it took 15 years for this to happen. How did Hinton cope with the mental and emotional t

Recommended by Richard Branson and Desmond Tutu.

Richard Branson

Founder/Virgin Group

If there is ever a story that needs to be told, it is this one. Anthony Ray Hinton is extraordinary, an example to us all of the power of the human spirit to rise above complete injustice. He is using his experience as a way to turn the broken criminal justice system upside down. He is a brilliant storyteller, and his book will make people laugh, cry, and change their own lives for the better. It will also inspire people to never accept the unacceptable, like the death penalty. The Sun Does Shine will be a book that people all around the world will never forget. [source]

Desmond Tutu

Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in prison for opposing a racist system in South Africa. Anthony Ray Hinton spent 30 years on death row because a racist system still exists in America. Both emerged from their incarceration with a profound capacity to forgive. They are stunning examples of how the most horrendous cruelty can lead to the most transcendent compassion. The Sun Does Shine is both a cautionary tale for all who think that a great nation can easily forget its past and inspiring proof of the inability to condemn a man's capacity for hope, love, and joy. An amazing and heartwarming story, it restores our faith in the inherent goodness of humanity. [source]

14

I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer

Michelle McNamara

4.2

A masterful true crime account of the Golden State Killer—the elusive serial rapist turned murderer who terrorized California for over a decade—from Michelle McNamara, the gifted journalist who died tragically while investigating the case.

"You’ll be silent forever, and I’ll be gone in the dark."

For more than ten years, a mysterious and violent predator committed fifty sexual assaults in Northern C

15

Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison

Michel Foucault, Alan Sheridan

4.2

Librarian note: an alternate cover for this edition can be found here.

In this brilliant work, the most influential philosopher since Sartre suggests that such vaunted reforms as the abolition of torture and the emergence of the modern penitentiary have merely shifted the focus of punishment from the prisoner’s body to his soul.

Cover unavailable

16

Exonerated: The Failed Takedown of President Donald Trump by the Swamp

Dan Bongino

4.2

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

“Great new book by wonderful and very street smart author Dan Bongino, EXONERATED, THE FAILED TAKEDOWN OF PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP BY THE SWAMP. Dan hits all of the crooked points of the greatest Witch Hunt in political history. Nevertheless, the Scam continues!”
—President Donald J. Trump

An explosive, whistle-blowing exposé, Exonerated: The Failed Takedown of Donald Trum

Recommended by Donald J. Trump.

Donald J. Trump

USA President

Great new book by wonderful and very street smart author Dan Bongino, EXONERATED, THE FAILED TAKEDOWN OF PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP BY THE SWAMP. Dan hits all of the crooked points of the greatest Witch Hunt in political history. Nevertheless, the Scam continues! [source]

Cover unavailable

17

An Introduction to Constitutional Law: 100 Supreme Court Cases Everyone Should Know

Randy E. Barnett and Josh Blackman

4.2

This multimedia platform combines a book and video series that will change the way you study constitutional law. An Introduction to Constitutional Law teaches the narrative of constitutional law as it has developed over the past two centuries. All students--even those unfamiliar with American history--will learn the essential background information to grasp how this body of law has come to be wh

18

Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America

Gilbert King

4.2

Devil in the Grove is the winner of the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction.

Arguably the most important American lawyer of the twentieth century, Thurgood Marshall was on the verge of bringing the landmark suit Brown v. Board of Education before the U.S. Supreme Court when he became embroiled in an explosive and deadly case that threatened to change the course of the civil rights movement a

19

Papillon

Henri Charriere

4.2

Henri Charrière, called "Papillon," for the butterfly tattoo on his chest, was convicted in Paris in 1931 of a murder he did not commit. Sentenced to life imprisonment in the penal colony of French Guiana, he became obsessed with one goal: escape. After planning and executing a series of treacherous yet failed attempts over many years, he was eventually sent to the notorious prison, Devil's Island

Recommended by Cristina Riesen.

Cristina Riesen

More than career paths, I like to look at life trajectories. There are some books who will forever change who you are. When I was around 12 years old, my father brought home Henri Charriere's "Papillon". He told me that it was totally inappropriate for my age but he wanted me to read it so that I can understand what persistence and grit means and how important it is to learn to develop them. I did and I must say it was a life-changing experience on so many levels. Enlightening not only because of the extraordinary story and skilful storytelling but also because, now looking back, my father's gesture empowered me so much. You will not be surprised that persistence and grit are still my top skills, even today. [source]

20

No Visible Bruises: What We Don’t Know About Domestic Violence Can Kill Us

Rachel Louise Snyder

4.2

In No Visible Bruises, journalist Rachel Louise Snyder frames this urgent and immersive account of the scale of domestic violence in our country around key stories that explode the common myths-that if things were bad enough, victims would just leave; that a violent person cannot become nonviolent; that shelter is an adequate response; that violence inside the home is separate from other forms of

21

Are Prisons Obsolete?

Angela Y. Davis

4.2

With her characteristic brilliance, grace and radical audacity, Angela Y. Davis has put the case for the latest abolition movement in American life: the abolition of the prison. As she quite correctly notes, American life is replete with abolition movements, and when they were engaged in these struggles, their chances of success seemed almost unthinkable. For generations of Americans, the abolitio

22

The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York

Deborah Blum

4.1

Deborah Blum, writing with the high style and skill for suspense that is characteristic of the very best mystery fiction, shares the untold story of how poison rocked Jazz Age New York City. In The Poisoner's Handbook Blum draws from highly original research to track the fascinating, perilous days when a pair of forensic scientists began their trailblazing chemical detective work, fighting to end

Recommended by Michelle Francl.

Michelle Francl

Deborah Blum’s book reminds me that molecules are powerful witnesses, if only we have the skills to interrogate them, and sometimes they are killers. [source]

Cover unavailable

23

Blood in the Water: The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 and Its Legacy

Heather Ann Thompson

4.1

The first definitive account of the infamous 1971 Attica prison uprising, the state’s violent response, and the victims' decades-long quest for justice including information never released to the public published to coincide with the forty-fifth anniversary of this historic event.

On September 9, 1971, nearly 1,300 prisoners took over the Attica Correctional Facility in upstate New York to protest

Cover unavailable

24

The Fifth Witness (Mickey Haller, #4; Harry Bosch Universe, #22)

Michael Connelly

4.1

Mickey Haller has fallen on tough times. He expands his business into foreclosure defense, only to see one of his clients accused of killing the banker she blames for trying to take away her home.

Mickey puts his team into high gear to exonerate Lisa Trammel, even though the evidence and his own suspicions tell him his client is guilty. Soon after he learns that the victim had black market dealing

Cover unavailable

25

The War on Cops: How the New Attack on Law and Order Makes Everyone Less Safe

Heather Mac Donald

4.1

Since the summer of 2014, America has been convulsed with a protest movement known as Black Lives Matter. That movement holds that police officers are among the greatest threats—if not the greatest threat--facing young black males today. Policing and the rest of the criminal justice system—from prosecutors to drug laws—single out minority communities for gratuitous and heavy-handed enforcement, th

Recommended by Ben Shapiro.

Ben Shapiro

A very good book. … Talks about the Ferguson effect and why it is that the left's attack on law enforcement is actually making people in the inner city less safe, and raising crime rates. [source]

Cover unavailable

26

Locking Up Our Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America

James Forman Jr., Kevin R. Free, et al

4.1

In recent years, America’s criminal justice system has become the subject of an increasingly urgent debate. Critics have assailed the rise of mass incarceration, emphasizing its disproportionate impact on people of color. As James Forman, Jr., points out, however, the war on crime that began in the 1970s was supported by many African American leaders in the nation’s urban centers. In Locking Up Ou

Cover unavailable

27

Taken for Granted: How Conservatism Can Win Back the Americans That Liberalism Failed

Gianno Caldwell

4.1

A deeply personal book from Fox News political analyst Gianno Caldwell about how the status quo of American politics, culture, and self-identity has failed those who need it most.

Gianno Caldwell, raised by his grandmother on the south side of Chicago, saw firsthand how lawmakers have failed African American voters on issues like poverty, welfare, and education. As someone who beat the odds of grow

Recommended by Donald J. Trump.

Donald J. Trump

USA President

Great new book just out, “Taken for Granted, How Conservatives Can Win Back Americans That Liberalism Failed”, by Gianni Caldwell, a young winner! He will be at the Ronald Reagan Library, Simi Valley, California, on Thursday at 6 PM, PT. Check it out! [source]

Cover unavailable

28

The Tools of Argument: How the Best Lawyers Think, Argue, and Win

Joel P. Trachtman

4.1

Joel Trachtman's book presents in plain and lucid terms the powerful tools of argument that have been honed through the ages in the discipline of law. If you are a law student or new lawyer, a business professional or a government official, this book will boost your analytical thinking, your foundational legal knowledge, and your confidence as you win arguments for your clients, your organizations

Cover unavailable

29

A Colony in a Nation

Chris Hayes

4.1

New York Times Bestseller

New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice

"An essential and groundbreaking text in the effort to understand how American criminal justice went so badly awry." —Ta-Nehisi Coates, author of Between the World and Me

In A Colony in a Nation, New York Times best-selling author and Emmy Award–winning news anchor Chris Hayes upends the national conversation on policing and democ

Recommended by Charles P. Pierce.

Charles P. Pierce

In case you missed it, @chrislhayes took his own bosses to task over their reaction to the Weinstein case and Ronan Farrow’s book. This took a great deal of integrity but, luckily, Chris has that to spare. [source]

30

The Run of His Life: The People v. O.J. Simpson

Jeffrey Toobin

4.1

A behind-the-scenes look at the crime of the century and the legal proceedings that followed sheds new light in the arrest and trial of O.J. Simpson, the evidence in the case, and the role of the prosecution and defense.

31

First 30 Seconds: The Active Shooter Problem

Ed Monk

4.1

America has been failing for over 40 years at understanding, planning for, and responding to Active Shooter attacks. So, we continue to see attacks end in high victim-counts. America fails because we:- do not base plans on TIME & MATH- like plans that are easy to type, easy to drill, and do not “trigger” anyone- recommend and adopt “best practices” that are not best- adopt plans that work flawless

32

A Civil Action

Jonathan Harr

4.1

A Civil Action is a non-fiction book by Jonathan Harr about a water contamination case in Woburn, Massachusetts, in the 1980s.

After finding that her child is diagnosed with leukemia, Anne Anderson notices a high prevalence of leukemia, a relatively rare disease, in her city. Eventually she gathers other families and seeks a lawyer, Jan Schlichtmann, to consider their options.

Schlichtmann original

Recommended by Catherine Manegold.

Catherine Manegold

This book incorporates less history. Instead, it is just a whiz-bang narrative about a lawyer who takes up the cause of a small New England town that is host to a mysterious rash of cancer deaths. The narrative revolves around Jan Schlichtmann, a Boston lawyer who uncovers an environmental crisis and traces culpability up the chain to several multinational corporations responsible for the mess. As the reader follows Schlichtmann in his crusade, Harr uses the case and Schlichtmann’s obsession with it, to educate us about chemistry, cancer clusters, illegal dumping, environmental degradation and the law. Here again, a seductive narrative yanks the reader in, then great research and reporting leave the reader wholly changed. No one reading this book could ever think about ground pollutants and illegal dumping the same way again. That’s the beauty of it: Who would ever go to a bookstore and say to the clerk: ‘Gee, today I’d really like to sink into a 500-page book on cancer clusters, dead children and irresponsible industry executives.’ In the hands of a writer like Jonathan Harr, however, the education is a treat. [source]

33

The Killer Across the Table: Unlocking the Secrets of Serial Killers and Predators with the FBI’s Original Mindhunter

John E. Douglas

4.1

‘John Douglas is the FBI's pioneer and master of investigative profiling, and one of the most exciting figures in law enforcement I've had the privilege of knowing’ Patricia Cornwell

‘John Douglas knows more about serial killers than anybody in the world’ Jonathan Demme, Director of The Silence of the Lambs

The legendary FBI criminal profiler, number-one New York Times bestselling author, and i

34

On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society

Dave Grossman

4.1

The good news is that most soldiers are loath to kill. But armies have developed sophisticated ways of overcoming this instinctive aversion. And contemporary civilian society, particularly the media, replicates the army's conditioning techniques, and, according to Lt. Col. Dave Grossman's thesis, is responsible for our rising rate of murder among the young.

Upon its initial publication, On Killing

35

Hellhound on His Trail: The Stalking of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the International Hunt for His Assassin

Hampton Sides

Natalie Zemon Davis

4.1

The clever peasant Arnaud du Tilh had almost won his case, when a man with a wooden leg swaggered into the French courtroom, denounced du Tilh, and reestablished his claim to the identity, property, and wife of Martin Guerre. This book, by the noted historian who served as a consultant for the film, adds new dimensions to this famous legend.

Recommended by Jonathan Healey and Suzannah Lipscomb.

Jonathan Healey

John Grisham

4.1

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

In the town of Ada, Oklahoma, Ron Williamson was going to be the next Mickey Mantle. But on his way to the Big Leagues, Ron stumbled, his dreams broken by drinking, drugs, and women. Then, on a winter night in 1982, not far from Ron’s home, a young cocktail waitress named Debra Sue Carter was savagely murdered. The investigation led nowhere. Until, on the flimsiest evid

50

Government Gangsters: The Deep State, the Truth, and the Battle for Our Democracy

Kash Pramod Patel

4.1

51

Death's Acre: Inside the Legendary Forensic Lab the Body Farm Where the Dead Do Tell Tales

William Bass and Jon Jefferson

4.1

Dr. Bill Bass, one of the world's leading forensic anthropologists, gained international attention when he built a forensic lab like no other: The Body Farm. Now, this master scientist unlocks the gates of his lab to reveal his most intriguing cases-and to revisit the Lindbergh kidnapping and murder, fifty years after the fact.

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52

Beyond Survival: Strategies and Stories from the Transformative Justice Movement

Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha

4.1

Afraid to call 911 but not sure what to do instead? Transformative justice and other community-based approaches to violence have existed for centuries, yet are often under the radar and marginalized. This is How We Survive focuses on concrete alternatives to policing and prisons. From practical tool-kits and personal essays, to supporting people in mental health crises, to community-based murder i

Cover unavailable

53

Criminal Law: A Desk Reference

Paul Bergman J.D.

4.1

Understand criminal law! Learn about crimes, the system, and your rights

Whether you're studying law, work in law enforcement, or simply want to know more about the criminal justice system, this book can help.

Criminal Law: A Desk Reference covers the basic to the complex in alphabetical order. Whether it's "alibi" or "writ of habeas corpus," the book makes it easy to find and understand what you're

54

Whoever Fights Monsters: My Twenty Years Tracking Serial Killers for the FBI

Robert K. Ressler

4.1

Face-to-face with some of America's most terrifying killers, FBI veteran and ex-Army CID colonel Robert Ressler learned form then how to identify the unknown monsters who walk among us--and put them behind bars. Now the man who coined the phrase "serial killer" and advised Thomas Harris on The Silence of the Lambs shows how is able to track down some of today's most brutal murderers.

Just as it hap

55

Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer

James L. Swanson

4.1

A fascinating tale of murder, intrigue, and betrayal. A gripping hour-by-hour account told through the eyes of the hunted and the hunters, this is history as you've never read it before.

The murder of Abraham Lincoln set off the greatest manhunt in American history -- the pursuit and capture of John Wilkes Booth. From April 14 to April 26, 1865, the assassin led Union cavalry and detectives on a wi

Cover unavailable

56

Emotional Survival for Law Enforcement: A Guide for Officers and Their Families

Kevin M Gilmartin

4.1

Dr. Gilmartin is a behavioral scientist who specializes in issues related to law enforcement. With twenty years of police experience under his belt, he currently provides service to the law enforcement community as a consultant. In writing this book, it was his goal to aid officers and their families in maintaining and/or improving their quality of life both personally and professionally.

Cover unavailable

57

Last Man Standing: The Ascent of Jamie Dimon and JPMorgan Chase

Duff McDonald

4.1

It was a shattering death bed confession by a heartbroken mother. But would it solve the oldest cold case murder case in American jurisprudence?

In January 1994, Eileen Tessier told Jack McCullough's half-sister Janet Tessier that he, her son, kidnapped 7-year-old Maria Ridulph from their neighborhood in Sycamore, Illinois and killed her in December 1957. It was a case that tore the child’s family

58

Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion

Gary Webb

4.1

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59

Deadly Force: A Police Shooting and My Family’s Search for the Truth

Lawrence O'Donnell Jr.

4.1

Featuring a new preface and afterword by the author

From the host of MSNBC’s The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell, the riveting story of a 1975 police shooting of an unarmed black man in Boston—one of the first to draw national headlines—and the dramatic investigation and court case that followed.

On a rainy winter night, James Bowden, Jr. left his mother’s house in Roxbury after a visit. As he gui

60

Framed: Astonishing True Stories of Wrongful Convictions

4.0

With the eloquence of Ta-Nehisi Coates and the persuasive research of Michelle Alexander, a former federal prosecutor explains how the system really works, and how to disrupt it

Cops, politicians, and ordinary people are afraid of black men. The result is the Chokehold: laws and practices that treat every African American man like a thug. In this explosive new book, an African American former feder

Recommended by Bryan Stevenson.

Bryan Stevenson

Paul Butler illuminates the complexities that shape racial injustice in America with a sharp, critical, intersectional analysis that is honest and sobering. Chokehold deconstructs all of the forces that have created despair and violence in the criminal justice system but courageously posits solutions as well. An important read for anyone searching for a more just system. [source]

Cover unavailable

71

Understanding Criminal Law

Joshua Dressler

4.0

Cover unavailable

72

Actual Innocence: When Justice Goes Wrong and How to Make it Right

Jim Dwyer, Peter Neufeld, Barry Scheck

4.0

Here are the stories of innocent men and women—and the system that put them away under the guise of justice. Now updated with new information, Actual Innocence sheds light on “a system that tolerates lying prosecutors, slumbering defense attorneys and sloppy investigators” (Salt Lake Tribune)—revealing the shocking flaws that can derail the legal process and the ways that DNA testing has often sha

Cover unavailable

73

Partners (Rogue Lawyer, #0.5)

4.0

In 2014, Shane Bauer was hired for $9 an hour to work as an entry-level prison guard at a private prison in Winnfield, Louisiana. An award-winning investigative journalist, he used his real name; In American Prison, Bauer weaves a much deeper reckoning with his experiences together with a thoroughly researched history of for-profit prisons in America from their origins in the decades before the Ci

Recommended by Barack Obama and Barbara Ehrenreich.

Barack Obama

Former USA President

As 2018 draws to a close, I’m continuing a favorite tradition of mine and sharing my year-end lists. It gives me a moment to pause and reflect on the year through the books I found most thought-provoking, inspiring, or just plain loved. It also gives me a chance to highlight talented authors – some who are household names and others who you may not have heard of before. Here’s my best of 2018 list.

Barbara Ehrenreich

Sometimes the only way to get the full story is to put yourself into it as an ‘immersion journalist.’ Shane Bauer wanted to know more about for-profit prisons so he got a job in one as a correction officer, or guard, and reports his experiences grippingly while weaving in the social and economic factors that give rise to these horrors. His book reveals much that that we didn’t want to know about but, having learned about, can never forget. [source]

84

The I-5 Killer

Ann Rule

4.0

As a young man, Randall Woodfield had it all--a star athlete, good looks, and an award-winning student. Working in the swinging West Coast bar scene, he had more than his share of women. But he wanted more than just sex. An appetite for unspeakable violent acts led him to cruise the I-5 highway through California to Washington, leaving a trail of victims along the way. As the list of the dead grew

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85

FIRST DEGREE RAGE: The True Story of 'The Assassin,' An Obsession, and Murder

Paula May

4.0

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86

Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America

Jill Leovy

4.0

On a warm spring evening in South Los Angeles, a young man was shot and killed on a sidewalk minutes away from his home, one of hundreds of young men slain in LA every year. His assailant ran down the street, jumped into an SUV, and vanished, hoping to join the vast majority of killers in American cities who are never arrested for their crimes. But as soon as the case was assigned to Detective Joh

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87

Bleeding Out: The Devastating Consequences of Urban Violence--and a Bold New Plan for Peace in the Streets

Thomas Abt

4.0

From a Harvard scholar and former Obama official, a powerful proposal for curtailing violent crime in America
Urban violence is one of the most divisive and allegedly intractable issues of our time. But as Harvard scholar Thomas Abt shows in Bleeding Out, we actually possess all the tools necessary to stem violence in our cities.

Coupling the latest social science with firsthand experience as a cri

Recommended by Ricardo Hausmann.

Ricardo Hausmann

A great book on urban violence by @HarvardCID fellow is out: @Abt_Thomas opus on the causes and solutions to this important problem is must read. While the book leverages massive amounts of work on the US, its relevance is global. https://t.co/9u12vfG48K [source]

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88

Byron Tau

4.0

92

National Geographic and Tom Nick Cocotos

4.0

Did you hear the one about the crook who broke into a vending machine and then left a trail of cheese curls all the way to his hideout? Or the burglar who left his wallet in an apartment he robbed, and actually went back to get it? Or how about the runaway criminal who got stuck in a drainpipe? Based on the successful "Stupid Criminals Busted!" column in National GeographicKids magazine, this book

96

The Little Book of Racial Healing: Coming to the Table for Truth-Telling, Liberation, and Transformation

Thomas Norman DeWolf

4.0

This book introduces Coming to the Table’s approach to a continuously evolving set of purposeful theories, ideas, experiments, guidelines, and intentions, all dedicated to facilitating racial healing and transformation.

People of color, relative to white people, fall on the negative side of virtually all measurable social indicators. The “living wound” is seen in the significant disparities in aver

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97

Stalling for Time: My Life as an FBI Hostage Negotiator

Gary Noesner

4.0

The FBI's chief hostage negotiator recounts harrowing standoffs, including the Waco siege with David Koresh and the Branch Davidians, in a memoir that serves as a basis for the upcoming series Waco.

In Stalling for Time, the FBI's chief hostage negotiator takes readers on a harrowing tour through many of the most famous hostage crises in the history of the modern FBI, including the siege at Waco, t

98

World Without Cancer

G. Edward Griffin

4.0

99

Zero Fail: The Rise and Fall of the Secret Service

Carol Leonnig

4.0

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100

Innocent Victims: The True Story of the Eastburn Family Murders

Scott Whisnant

4.0

The riveting true account of a grisly crime and the unprecedented three murder trials faced by Fort Bragg soldier Tim Hennis.

On Mother’s Day, 1985, the bodies of Kathryn Eastburn and her two young daughters were found in their Fayetteville, North Carolina, home. Katie, an air force captain’s wife, had been raped and stabbed to death. Kara and Erin’s throats had been slit. Their toddler sister, Ja