12 Historical True Crime Books About Slaughter Across the Centuries

This book looks at a series of grisly crimes in a South Yorkshire town throughout the course of the 19th century. While modern-day Barnsley is a kinder place to live, this book examines the roots of crime in its past, as well as the societal prejudices that affected the town. 

Among the tales are a case of body-snatching, numerous poisonings, the murder of a child, and the death of a woman by her former boyfriend.

The spark of attraction between a rich older widow and a 23-year-old bootlegger resulted in a shooting. Money-hungry Harry Diamond was Nettie Herskovitz’s fifth husband, and he intended to be her last—no matter the cost.

On February 14th, 1923, Harry shot his wife four times. He blamed the crime on their African-American chauffeur, but Nettie's surprising survival poked holes in Harry's scheme. 

Related: On the Lam: 7 True Crime Tales Set During the Roaring Twenties

This controversial case caused a sensation in eighteenth-century London.

18 year old Elizabeth Canning disappeared on New Year’s Day, 1753. Elizabeth miraculously reappeared a month later, and claimed to have been abducted by an older woman, Susannah Wells, who tried to force her into the sex trade. 

Wells was convicted for these crimes, but the Lord Mayor of London didn’t believe Canning’s story. He would set out to uncover the truth for himself; and in this case, the truth was truly stranger than fiction. 

This Reconstruction Era murder never saw a single indictment or conviction in the death of John W. Stephens, a state senator for North Carolina. 

Wise traces the origins of this little-known murder, chronicling the circumstances surrounding this violent crime. The tale includes the first governor to ever be impeached and removed from office in United States history. 

Wise outlines North Carolina’s tense political situation in the wake of the Civil War, and examines the men whose political agendas clashed so violently that one of them ended up dead.  

Related: 5 Places Still Haunted by Civil War Ghosts

When 12 year old Marion Parker was returned several days after being abducted from her L.A. school, her kidnapper left with the ransom money before Marion's father could realize that his daughter was dead. When the murderer was tracked down, he confessed; but the road to justice in this case was more turbulent than anyone could have expected. 

William Edward Hickman had not only killed Marion Parker, but he would go on to make history in California by entering the state’s first insanity plea. As his lawyers argued that their client was heavily influenced by movies, and out of touch from reality, the burgeoning talkie film industry campaigned to protect its reputation. 

Jennie May Walker Burleson was raised with everything that a woman could want. So how did she come to be standing over the body of her husband’s second wife, a gun in her hands? Dorn examines the life of this socialite and murderer, and the society that adorned then spurned her. 

When a fraudulent Milanese count was mysteriously murdered by a Prussian nobleman in 1775, Hamburg’s society was stunned. Lindermann reconstructs the events of the murder, profiles the high-society suspects, and explores Hamburg’s cultural and diplomatic dynamics in the late eighteenth century. 

Criminal Women traces the hidden paths of women in the legal and penal systems, helping readers gain a deeper understanding of female offenders in Victorian and Edwardian Eras. Through real-life case studies, historical context, and archival material, this fascinating book reveals women who fell on the wrong side of the law. 

H. H. Holmes is as infamous now as he was in 1893. This serial killer terrorized Chicago in the midst of the World’s Fair, trapping guests in their rooms and murdering them. The True History of the White City Devil is a comprehensive guide to the life and crimes of H. H. Holmes, one of the most notorious serial killers in American history. 

Selzer examines the evolution of Holmes’ story throughout history, exposing how this larger-than-life murderer became an American legend. 

Related: American Ripper: H. H. Holmes’ Great-Great-Grandson Claims Holmes was Jack the Ripper

In 1963, Daisy Zick was brutally murdered in her home in Battle Creek, Michigan. Locals still talk about this infamous unsolved case today. Zick was stabbed twenty-seven times. At least three witnesses saw the murderer, but today the culprit remains elusive.  

Pardoe interviews investigators, examines sealed police records, and works to uncover the truth about who killed Daisy Zick. How did this murderer escape, and is it too late for justice for Daisy?

Over the course of two summer nights in 1969, Charles Manson’s followers killed seven people, including pregnant actress Sharon Tate; the heiress to the Folger's Coffee fortune; and a supermarket owner and his wife. Manson’s followers did as their leader ordered without hesitation or mercy. Since then, Manson’s name has become associated with cultish nightmares and murder. 

Bugliosi was the prosecuting attorney in the Manson trial. This book is his account of how he built the case that brought Manson to justice. 

In 1982, an organized hit on an accountant resulted in three additional deaths when employees from the nearby CBS television were unlucky witnesses to the crime. All three were murdered. This slaughter in the middle of Manhattan stunned some of the most hardened detectives in the NYPD. 

Following the evidence, and working under intense media speculation, the NYPD uncovered a diabolical criminal conspiracy.