The Best True Crime Books of the Month: June 2026

6 new works of true crime history and reportage out this month, as selected by the CrimeReads editors.

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Carlos Barragán, The Yahoo Boys: Love, Deception, and the Real Lives of Nigeria’s Romance Scammers
(FSG)

“This is nonfiction that reads like a compelling novel . . . Unexpectedly tender . . . What [Barragán has] produced feels miraculous: journalism that is simultaneously funny, devastating, wildly intimate, and righteous without veering into moralism.” –Wired

Matthew Campbell, The Man Who Stole the Gods : A True Story of War, Obsession, and a Global Art Conspiracy
(Portfolio)

“Fascinating…’The Man Who Stole the Gods’ reads like a thriller…the story romps along with dogged lawyers and a ludicrous, devious antagonist.”–The Economist

Justine van der Leun, Unreasonable Women: Three Stories of Violence, Imprisonment, and Extraordinary Survival
(Ecco)

“The book explores the stories of women who survived violence, only to find themselves criminally prosecuted and failed by the system. The stories span seven years of Justine’s reporting and input from over 1,000 women.” –Women Beyond Walls

Nicole Gonzalez Van Cleve, Crime Fictions: How Racist Lies Built a System of Mass Wrongful Conviction
(Random House)

“Fierce condemnation of a justice system that systematically commits injustices against nonwhite defendants . . . a disturbing register of crimes committed by those who are supposed to shield us from crime.”–Kirkus Reviews

Patricia Cornwell, True Crime: A Memoir
(Grand Central)

“If you’ve ever wondered how crime writers manage to dream up the mayhem they write about, this book is an excellent window into the process.” –Oprah Daily

Joanna Bourke, Five Evil Women : Hindley, West, Wuornos, Homolka, Tucker
(Reaktion Books)

“In Five Evil Women, Bourke turns her fearless gaze towards the subject of female violence. . . . [An] intriguing book.”–Times Literary Supplement