The Best True Crime of the Month: May 2026
Corrupt dynasties, psychedelic conmen, stolen children, architectural horrors, and a new history of the Manson murders
5 new works of true crime history and reportage out this month, as selected by the CrimeReads editors.
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James Lasdun, The Family Man: Blood and Betrayal in the House of Murdaugh
(Norton)
“[Lasdun] brings literary polish to a quest to understand the inexplicable.” –New York Times
Ru Marshall, American Trickster: The Hidden Lives of Carlos Casteneda
(OR Books)
“Persuasive biography of an archetypal confidence man—a quintessential American tale.” –Foreword Reviews
Paige Towers, What They Stole: A Familicide Rooted in Intercountry Adoption
(University of Iowa Press)
“In this meticulously researched book, Paige Towers braids a modern-day familicide with the story of one man’s messianic zeal in the 1950s to find South Korean babies for childless American couples.” –Maria Laurino, author, The Price of Children: Stolen Lives in a Land Without Choice
Casey Sherman, The Killer and Frank Lloyd Wright
(Sourcebooks)
“Highlighting a nearly forgotten event in Wright’s life, this account of the Taliesin murders will appeal to general and true crime readers.” –Library Journal
Claudia Verhoeven, Love and Terror: The Helter-Skelter History of the Manson Murders
(Verso)
“A clarifying reevaluation…Manson obsessives will find much to chew on.”–Publishers Weekly
