The Best True Crime of the Month: October 2026
Deep South crimes, 19th-century detectives, crime-solving writers, backrooms poker players, and realpolitik killings
5 new works of true crime history and reportage out this month, as selected by the CrimeReads editors.
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Matt Kessler, The Wiregrass: A Tale of Murder and Retribution in the Deep South
(Grand Central)
“[A] searing look at the intersection of race and criminal justice in America.” –Publishers Weekly
Lindsey Fitzharris, Sleuth-Hound: The Case of the Real Sherlock Holmes
(FSG)
Fans of the great detective and of the history of criminology will enjoy this gripping and grisly narrative.” –Library Journal
Jack El-Hai, The Case of the Autographed Corpse: A Medicine Man and a Mystery Writer in Pursuit of Justice
(Pegasus Crime)
“El-Hai digs into a case involving an Apache shaman and the author of Perry Mason in this fascinating true crime account. He fleshes out the cultural clash at the heart of Edwards’s conviction, but for the most part, he lets the facts of this inherently intriguing story speak for themselves. It’s a winner.”
Publishers Weekly
Gina Fiore, Advantage Player: A Memoir of Blackjack, Backrooms, and Beginnings
(Zando)
“An absorbing and fascinating memoir by a determined woman who doesn’t believe in gambling so much as in qualified risk-taking.”–Booklist
Kim Ghattas, The Best Kind of American: A True Story of Murder, War, and America’s Undoing in the Middle East
(Henry Holt and Co.)
The Best Kind of American is a brilliant, tightly focused, and intricately plotted piece of non-fiction, a Levantine In Cold Blood. –William Dalrymple, author of The Anarchy
