Obsessed with true crime? Check out these 15 books, perfect for binge-reading

Blurb:

The Deadly Dozen is a collection of true crime cases and short biographies of twelve serial killers that terrorised the Indian public. Bhattacharya’s writing is a mixture of facts with a storyteller’s flair, and he presents the details of the lives and heinous crimes committed by these twelve criminals in a way that paints a vivid picture of their deeds. Given that Bhattacharya is a co-creator of the true-crime show Saavdhan India, it is no surprise that his writing has the same capacity to keep its readers hooked, making us all wonder, “Is there a serial killer hidden in many of us?“

Get the Book from Amazon

Blurb:

Khaki Files is written by Neeraj Kumar, who had a career in the police force for nearly thirty-seven years, and retired as the commissioner of police for Delhi. This collection of nine true crime cases with which Kumar was closely associated in one capacity or the other cover a span of over thirty years, covers details of cases that are both known and unknown to the general public. The book has chapters on the infamous attack on the Indian parliament as well as on a lottery fraud in the early nineties that led to the ban on lotteries held by people and private organisations, alongside a foiled terrorist plan and other cases that made a lasting impression on the author during his eventful stint with the police.

Get the Book from Amazon

Blurb:

Queens of Crime is an anthology that tells of the crimes committed by women criminals in India in the far and near past. The book tries to narrate the true crimes in the context of what turned these women into hardcore criminals: be it abuse, poverty, greed or even love.

Get the Book from Amazon

Blurb:

Prabhala Kolai Vazhakkugal is a collection of true crime cases written in Tamil. This collection has cases from the past and the present that rocked the country when they happened. Be it the Tamil Nadu injection murders; that of the marma sanyasi or that of the attempted shooting of MGR by M R Radha, these cases are an interesting compilation of well-known as well as lesser known cases that reads better than a thriller.

Get the Book from Amazon

Blurb:

Oru Police Surgeonte Ormakkurippukal, translated into English under the title Dead Man Tell Tales: The Memoir of a Police Surgeon is a memoir by Dr. B Umadathan who held various public roles including those of police surgeon and medico-legal advisor to Kerala Police. This memoir by Umadathan is a collection of forty-one true crime cases with which he was closely associated and was often instrumental in providing a break-through with the use of forensic evidence.

Get the Book from Amazon

Blurb:

Dead End is a thrilling tale that reads no less than the plot of a high-octane thriller. Based on the murder of an advocate from Kerala, this true crime book details the attempts of the CBI officer K. Rangothaman to solve a cold-case that had its roots in the highest corridors of power. This officer’s quest to get justice for the victim and the obstacles that he faces from within and without are what make this a propulsive read.

Get the Book from Amazon

Blurb:

Murder on the Menu is the story of an entrepreneur who also became a murderer. It tells the story of how P. Rajagopal, who founded the famous restaurant chain Sarvana Bhawan and was also called the dosa king, resorted to crimes such as kidnapping and murder after he became obsessed with an employee’s daughter and decided that he wanted her at any cost. The book not only details the crime but also the court-case that followed and its impact on all those affected by it.

Get the Book from Amazon

Blurb:

Goyendapith Lalbazar, Ek Dozon Khuner Ruddhaswas Nepathyakatha by Supratim Sarkar has been translated as Murder in the City: Twelve Incredible Case Files of Kolkata Police by  – Swati Sengupta. Supratim is an IPS officer who wrote about some intriguing cases solved by the Kolkata police on the Facebook page of Kolkata Police. These cases became so popular that they were later compiled into a book, which has since then also been translated into English. The book about true crime shows how the police solved these incredible cases and gives due attention to the hard-work that goes into solving crimes.

Get the Book from Amazon

Blurb:

The Bawla Murder Case narrates the case of the murder of Abdul Kader Bawla in Bombay in the year 1925. He was one of the richest men of the city and the killing led to an in-depth inquiry which showed that the crime had connections with the princely state of Indore. This murder also had far-reaching consequences for Indore’s royal family. Kulkarni brings this old case to light and narrates the events as they unfolded along with providing his readers with a dose of history.

Get the Book from Amazon

Blurb:

While most of true-crime narratives deal with the more gruesome crimes like murder and kidnapping, India’s Money Heist tells about the daring robbery which happened in a non-descript Kerala town, Chelembra. Besides giving his readers the details of the robbery that was committed in a manner no less than an action movie, Bhattacharya also takes his readers through the efforts of the police to solve the case. Given that he has based his book on the confessions of the criminals and the interviews of the cops who solved the case, this book is definitely like getting the truth straight from the horse’s mouth.

Get the Book from Amazon

Blurb:

In Hot Blood is the story of one of the most sensational killings that happened in Indian history, of a crime that has inspired two blockbuster Hindi films – the Nanavati case. The case was also responsible for the abolishment of the jury system in India. Karkaria gives a detailed account not just of the crime as it happened, but also of the trial and the events that unfolded later. The book has been written after a lot of research and it shows in the details that Karkaria brings to her narrative. If you have ever wondered what actually happened in the Nanavati case, this is the book for you.

Get the Book from Amazon

Blurb:

Police File Se is a collection of twenty-eight cases of true crimes. The book involves a myriad of cases such as that of the gruesome killing of a judge; a crime committed for revenge; for the desperation of having a child and others. The writer is a crime writer, and brings his story-telling flair into these true-crime narratives as well.

Get the Book from Amazon

Blurb:

Eye Witness is a collection of true crime cases in two parts written by the retired police officer S K Umesh in Kannada. Umesh has covered a number of police investigations in which he was directly involved in the series. This book, written in two parts, has some fabulous cases for Kannada true crime lovers.

Get the Book from Amazon

Blurb:

Prof Triveni Singh is an IPS officer who has solved over two-hundred cases of cyber-crime, while Amit Dubey is a cyber-crime specialist who helps the police in solving these cases from time to time. Together, these two experts in the field have compiled various kinds of cyber-crime cases that have taken place in India. Ranging from financial fraud to how a dead victim’s Fitbit device led to the arrest of her murderer; from kidnapping to killing, these true cyber-crimes give their readers an idea of how to live safely in a world that is so highly dependent upon the internet. The book is based on Hidden Files, India’s first cyber-crime radio show.

Get the Book from Amazon

Blurb:

Barabanki Narcos tells the story of how the young officer Aloke Lal tried to end the nexus of criminals and people in high places who were instrumental in turning the small UP town of Barabanki into the illegal drug centre of Northern India. This thrilling narrative shows not just how Lal managed to rid Barabanki of this pestilence, but also the long-term consequences that this cleansing had on the socio-political map of the region.

Get the Book from Amazon