If you liked
Books like The Wager
by David Grann
The Wager is David Grann's account of an eighteenth-century British shipwreck, the mutiny that followed, and the competing versions of the truth that reached England. It reads like a thriller and asks who gets to write history. If you want more gripping narrative non-fiction, these are the reads.
The shortlist
What to read next
Killers of the Flower Moonby David Grann
“Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann 2017 review. The 1920s murders of dozens of Osage people in Oklahoma after the discovery of oil. The Apple TV / Scorsese film source and Grann's narrative non-fiction breakthrough.”
The Lost City of Zby David Grann
“The Lost City of Z by David Grann 2009 review. The 1925 disappearance of British explorer Percy Fawcett in the Amazon. Grann's debut narrative non-fiction and the basis for the James Gray film.”
The Devil in the White Cityby Erik Larson
“The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson 2003 review. The 1893 Chicago World's Fair and the serial killer H. H. Holmes, whose hotel operated three blocks from the fairgrounds. The narrative-nonfiction bestseller that defined the contemporary popular-history register.”
Say Nothingby Patrick Radden Keefe
“Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe 2018 review. The 1972 disappearance of Belfast mother Jean McConville and the broader IRA history of the Troubles. Keefe's first major book and the basis for the 2024 FX Hulu limited series.”
Empire of Painby Patrick Radden Keefe
“Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe 2021 review. The Sackler family and the operational mechanics of Purdue Pharma's OxyContin marketing strategy across three generations. The canonical contemporary investigative non-fiction book on the opioid crisis.”
Bad Bloodby John Carreyrou
“Bad Blood by John Carreyrou 2018 review. The Theranos and Elizabeth Holmes blood-testing fraud. Carreyrou's investigative account built from his Pulitzer Prize-winning Wall Street Journal reporting.”
FAQ
Common questions about The Wager read-alikes
- I want more David Grann.
- Killers of the Flower Moon is the essential one, his investigation of the 1920s murders of the Osage, and The Lost City of Z is his earlier Amazon-expedition classic. Both show the same gift for turning archives into propulsive narrative.
- I want history that reads like a novel.
- The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson braids the 1893 Chicago World's Fair with a serial killer working its edges, the gold standard for you-are-there narrative non-fiction. A natural next read after The Wager.
- I want investigative non-fiction with the same drive.
- Say Nothing and Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe, and Bad Blood by John Carreyrou, all carry the same momentum, turning real crimes and cover-ups into books you cannot put down.
- I want the survival-and-mutiny angle specifically.
- The Lost City of Z is the closest for pure expedition-into-disaster tension. If the shipwreck and the fight to survive were the hook, that is where Grann does it best outside The Wager itself.
The original