20 Terrific Narrative Non-Fiction Books

As is so often said, the truth is stranger than fiction – which is why you should never discount the non-fiction side of the library entirely. You might associate non-fiction with dense textbooks and nonsense self-help, but there’s a whole world of true stories out there told using the narrative techniques that mimic the tropes and prose of fiction. Here are twenty terrific narrative non-fiction books that are every bit as compelling as prize-winning best-selling novels.

Empire Of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe

Blurb: “This is the saga of three generations of a single family and the mark they would leave on the world, a tale that moves from the bustling streets of early 20th-century Brooklyn to the seaside palaces of Greenwich, Connecticut, and Cap d’Antibes to the corridors of power in Washington, DC. Empire of Pain is a masterpiece of narrative reporting and writing, exhaustively documented and ferociously compelling. It is a portrait of the excesses of America’s second Gilded Age, a study of impunity among the super elite and a relentless investigation of the naked greed and indifference to human suffering that built one of the world’s great fortunes.” Read my full review of Empire of Pain here.

She Said by Jodi Kantor & Megan Twohey

Blurb: “When Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey were finally able to convince sources to go on the record, a dramatic final showdown between Harvey Weinstein and the New York Times was set in motion. In the tradition of great investigative journalism, She Said tells a thrilling story about the power of truth and reveals the inspiring and affecting journeys of the women who spoke up—for the sake of other women, for future generations, and for themselves.” Read my full review of She Said here.

A Mystery Of Mysteries by Mark Dawidziak

Blurb: “A Mystery of Mysteries is a brilliant biography of Edgar Allan Poe that examines the renowned author’s life through the prism of his mysterious death and its many possible causes. Poe, who remains one of the most iconic of American writers, died under haunting circumstances that reflect the literary genres he took to new heights. In a compelling dual-timeline narrative alternating between Poe’s increasingly desperate last months and his brief but impactful life, Mark Dawidziak sheds new light on the enigmatic master of macabre.”

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

Blurb: “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. In one of the first non-fiction novels ever written, Truman Capote reconstructs the murder and the investigation that led to the capture, trial, and execution of the killers, generating 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.” Read my full review of In Cold Blood here.

The Library Book by Susan Orlean

Blurb: “More than thirty years later, the mystery remains: Did someone purposefully set fire to the library—and if so, who? In The Library Book, Orlean chronicles the Los Angeles Public Library fire and its aftermath to showcase the larger, crucial role that libraries play in our lives; delves into the evolution of libraries; brings each department of the library to vivid life; studies arson and attempts to burn a copy of a book herself; and reexamines the case of Harry Peak, the blond-haired actor long suspected of setting fire to the LAPL more than thirty years ago.” Read my full review of The Library Book here.

Bad Blood by John Carreyrou

Blurb: “When John Carreyrou, working at The Wall Street Journal, got a tip from a former Theranos employee and started asking questions, both Carreyrou and the Journal were threatened with lawsuits. Undaunted, the newspaper ran the first of dozens of Theranos articles in late 2015. By early 2017, the company’s value was zero and founder Elizabeth Holmes faced potential legal action from the government and her investors. Bad Blood is the riveting story of the biggest corporate fraud since Enron, a disturbing cautionary tale set amid the bold promises and gold-rush frenzy of Silicon Valley.” Read my full review of Bad Blood here.

The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

Blurb: “Intimate in feeling, astonishing in scope, and impossible to put down, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks captures the beauty and drama of scientific discovery, as well as its human consequences. As Rebecca Skloot so brilliantly shows, the story of the Lacks family – past and present – is inextricably connected to the dark history of experimentation on African Americans, the birth of bioethics, and the legal battles over whether we control the stuff we are made of.” Read my full review of The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks here.

Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil by John Berendt

Blurb: “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil is a sublime and seductive reading experience. Brilliantly conceived and masterfully written, this true-crime book has become a modern classic. John Berendt’s sharply observed, suspenseful, and witty narrative flows 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.” Read my full review of Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil here.

Columbine by Dave Cullen

Blurb: “Columbine became the template for nearly two decades of “spectacle murders.” It is a false script, seized upon by a generation of new killers. In the wake of Newtown, Aurora, and Virginia Tech, the imperative to understand the crime that sparked this plague grows more urgent every year. Dave Cullen was one of the first reporters on the scene, and he spent ten years on this book, the definitive account. Cullen paints raw portraits of two polar opposite killers. They contrast starkly with the flashes of resilience and redemption among the survivors.” Read my full review of Columbine here.

I’ll Be Gone In The Dark by Michelle McNamara

Blurb: “I’ll Be Gone in the Dark – the masterpiece McNamara was writing at the time of her sudden death – offers an atmospheric snapshot of a moment in American history and a chilling account of a criminal mastermind and the wreckage he left behind. It is also a portrait of a woman’s obsession and her unflagging pursuit of the truth. Utterly original and compelling, it is destined to become a true-crime classic – and may at last unmask the Golden State Killer.” Read my full review of I’ll Be Gone In The Dark here.

Under The Banner Of Heaven by Jon Krakauer

Blurb: “Under The Banner Of Heaven is an extraordinary work of investigative journalism that takes readers inside America’s isolated Mormon Fundamentalist communities. Beginning with a meticulously researched account of this appalling double murder, Krakauer constructs a multi-layered, bone-chilling narrative of messianic delusion, polygamy, savage violence, and unyielding faith. Along the way he uncovers a shadowy offshoot of America’s fastest growing religion, and raises provocative questions about the nature of religious belief.”

The Arsonist by Chloe Hooper

Blurb: “On the scorching February day in 2009, a man lit two fires in the Australian state of Victoria, then sat on the roof of his house to watch the inferno. The Arsonist takes readers on the hunt for this man, and inside the puzzle of his mind. But this book is also the story of fire in the Anthropocene. The command of fire has defined and sustained us as a species, and now, as climate change normalizes devastating wildfires worldwide, we must contend with the forces of inequality, and desperate yearning for power, that can lead to such destruction.” Read my full review of The Arsonist here.

Murder In Mississippi by John Safran

Blurb: “In 2009 John Safran, a controversial Australian journalist, spent an uneasy few days interviewing one of Mississippi’s most notorious white supremacists. A year later, he learned the man had been murdered by a young black man. But this was far from a straightforward race killing. Safran flew back to Mississippi in a bid to discover what really happened, immersing himself in a world of clashing white separatists, black lawyers, police investigators, oddball neighbours and the killer himself. In Murder In Mississippi, Safran paints an engrossing and revealing portrait of race, money, sex and power in the modern American South.” Read my full review of Murder In Mississippi here.

The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule

Blurb: “In 1971, while working the late-shift at a Seattle crisis clinic, true-crime writer Ann Rule struck up a friendship with a sensitive, charismatic young coworker: Ted Bundy. Three years later, eight young women disappeared in seven months, and Rule began tracking a brutal mass murderer. But she had no idea that the “Ted” the police were seeking was the same Ted who had become her close friend and confidant. Forty years after its initial publication, The Stranger Beside Me remains a gripping, intimate, and unforgettable true-crime classic.” Read my full review of The Stranger Beside Me here.

Trace by Rachael Brown

Blurb: “Based on the international #1 podcast, Trace re-examines the 1980 murder of Maria James―the single mother of two sons, one with a disability―revealing abuse in the Catholic Church, cult activities, and claims of incompetence and corruption at the highest levels. Investigating possible conspiracies and uncovering fresh evidence, Rachael Brown’s riveting investigation has won multiple media awards and may lead to the reopening of this chilling case.” Read my full review of Trace here.

We Keep The Dead Close by Becky Cooper

Blurb: “A tale of gender inequality in academia, a “cowboy culture” among empowered male elites, the silencing effect of institutions, and our compulsion to rewrite the stories of female victims. We Keep the Dead Close is a memoir of mirrors, misogyny, and murder. It is at once a rumination on the violence and oppression that rules our revered institutions, a ghost story reflecting one young woman’s past onto another’s present, and a love story for a girl who was lost to history.” Read my full review of We Keep The Dead Close here.

The Woman They Could Not Silence by Kate Moore

Blurb: “Braving the confines of an oppressive mental asylum, Elizabeth Packard defied all odds as she fought for her freedom and the rights of countless other women confined against their will. With relentless determination, she became a voice that resonated across the nation, igniting a movement for change. The Woman They Could Not Silence is a triumphant tale of resilience, challenging the status quo, and the enduring power of the human spirit. Moore’s meticulous research and rich historical detail bring Elizabeth Packard’s story to life, painting a vivid portrait of a woman who defied society’s expectations and paved the way for future generations.”

Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi

Blurb: “Vincent Bugliosi was the prosecuting attorney in the Manson trial, and this book is his enthralling account of how he built his case from what a defense attorney dismissed as only “two fingerprints and Vince Bugliosi.” The meticulous detective work with which the story begins, the prosecutor’s view of a complex murder trial, the reconstruction of the philosophy Manson inculcated in his fervent followers…these elements make for a true crime classic. Helter Skelter is not merely a spellbinding murder case and courtroom drama but also, in the words of The New Republic, a social document of rare importance.” Read my full review of Helter Skelter here.

My Friend Anna by Rachel DeLoache Williams

Blurb: “Rachel DeLoache Williams’ new friend Anna Delvey, a self-proclaimed German heiress, was worldly and ambitious. When Anna proposed an all-expenses-paid trip to Marrakech at the five-star La Mamounia hotel, Rachel jumped at the chance. But when Anna’s credit cards mysteriously stopped working, the dream vacation quickly took a dark turn. Back in Manhattan, the repayment never materialized, and a shocking pattern of deception emerged. Rachel learned that Anna had left a trail of deceit – and unpaid bills – wherever she’d been. With breathless pacing and in-depth reporting from the person who experienced it firsthand, My Friend Anna is an unforgettable true story of glamour, greed, and lust for power.”

The Great Pretender by Susannah Calahan

Blurb: “Doctors have struggled for centuries to define insanity–how do you diagnose it, how do you treat it, how do you even know what it is? In search of an answer, in the 1970s a Stanford psychologist named David Rosenhan and seven other people went undercover into asylums around America to test the legitimacy of psychiatry’s labels. Forced to remain inside until they’d “proven” themselves sane, all eight emerged with alarming diagnoses and even more troubling stories of their treatment. But, as Cahalan’s explosive new research shows in The Great Pretender, very little in this saga is exactly as it seems. What really happened behind those closed asylum doors?” Read my full review of The Great Pretender here.