True Crime Legend Dennis McDougal Elevated the Standards of the Genre

Born in California in 1947, Dennie McDougal was a journalist and true crime author for almost 50 years.

He gained great acclaim for his revealing books about crime in Los Angeles as well as his contributions to the Los Angeles Times and the New York Times and the documentaries he has produced. 

Sadly, McDougal recently passed away at the age of 77. 

After about 20 years in journalism writing for The Riverside Press-Enterprise, The Long Beach Press-Telegram, and the Los Angeles Times, McDougal published his first book, Angel of Darkness (1991).

The book was a work of investigative journalism exploring the case of Southern California serial murderer Randy Kraft, one of the most prolific murderers in modern America, and became a big hit and a cult classic.

Following the success of his first book, McDougal has written 12 more books, mostly about crime in Los Angeles and California.

His work has earned him many awards including a National Headliner Award, multiple Associated Press awards, and a George Peabody Award.

Additionally, he taught journalism and creative writing at UCLA and two California State Universities and served for two years in the Naval Reserves. 

To honor his memory and recognize this great loss to the community, we have put together this list of some of Dennis McDougal’s books to celebrate his lasting impact.