I've been interested in reading some disturbing true crime books. I have made a short list and wanted to see if anyone felt strongly on if they are good or not.

Zodiac, Robert Graysmith
Helter Skelter, Vincent Bugliosi
In Cold Blood, Truman Capote

I enjoyed them all, probably in the order that you listed.

Thanks picked up Zodiac over the weekend.

Helter Skelter is one of my all-time favorite reads. Couldn't out it down.

You might also check out some of Bugliosi's other true crime works, Outrage (about the OJ Simpson case) and And the Sea Will Tell.

All are great, but HS is a classic of the genre and shouldn't be missed.

Others I've enjoyed include:

Murder Machine, Gene Mustain & Jerry Capeci
The Westies, T.J. English
The Iceman, Philip Carlo
Wiseguy, Nicholas Pileggi

Bitter Blood by Jerry Bledsoe is very good and well written. It is about murders that happened in North Carolina and Kentucky. There was also a mini-series based on it back in the 90s.

None of these are novels. You should modify the thread title.

Yeah, it should probably read "True Crime Books" (or "True Crime Recommendations").

Specialty of mine. Of the hundreds I have read, those listed below had the most impact on me and have a special place on my shelf. I would say the best true crime author is a Canadian named Michael Harris, an effortlessly eloquent writer. Jack Olsen is excellent as well.

-Honour Thy Mother by Rick Boychuk
-Victim by Gary Kinder
-Tears of Rage by John Walsh
-Time-Life True Crime Series (9 volumes), especially Mass Murderers and Compulsion to Kill
-A Strange Piece of Paradise by Terri Jentz
-Justice Denied by Michael Harris
-The Judas Kiss by Michael Harris
-The Prodigal Husband by Michael Harris
-Unholy Orders by Michael Harris
-Son by Jack Olsen
-Salt of the Earth by Jack Olsen
-A Shallow Grave in Trinity County by Harry Farrell
-Indecent Exposure by David McClintick
-The Death of Innocents by Richard Firstman and Jamie Talan
-Torso by Steven Nickel
-I Know My Name is Steven by Mike Echols
-A Dance With the Devil by Barbara Bentley
-The CBS Murders by Richard Hammer
-The Dungeon Master by William Dear
-Zero at the Bone by Bryce Marshall and Paul Williams