Best True Crime Inspired Novels You Must Read

Published: DEC 25, 2025

THE WIDOWS OF MALABAR HILL by SUJATA MASSEY

Set in 1920s Bombay, Perveen Mistry: India’s first female solicitor, investigates a suspicious will and murder, navigating colonialism, patriarchy, and power.

THE GIRLS BY EMMA CLINE

Set in 1960s California, this novel follows teen Evie Boyd as she’s drawn into a cult-like group led by a magnetic man, exploring loneliness, desire, and manipulation, making it a haunting coming-of-age story.

OCCCUPIED CITY by DAVID PEACE

Set in post-World War II, this novel narrates the 1948 Tokyo bank massacre through multiple fragmented voices and unreliable narrators, evoking the paranoia and chaos of occupied Tokyo.

ALIAS GRACE by MARGARET ATWOOD

Inspired by a real 1843 double murder, Margaret Atwood reimagines the life of Grace Marks, a convicted servant whose guilt remains hauntingly unresolved.

CONFESSIONS by KANAE MINATO

Part psychological thriller, part social critique, Confessions examines Japan’s juvenile justice system through a teacher’s devastating confession and calculated retaliation.

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