Must-Read
Best Investigative Non-Fiction Worth Your Time
Contemporary American investigative non-fiction is doing some of the strongest work in popular publishing — David Grann, Patrick Radden Keefe, John Carreyrou, and Erik Larson have built a consistent tradition that respects the documentary record while reading with the propulsive momentum of fiction. These seven are the books our editors recommend most.
7 books on this list.
Killers of the Flower Moonby David Grann
5.0“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.”
Empire of Painby Patrick Radden Keefe
5.0“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.”
Say Nothingby Patrick Radden Keefe
5.0“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.”
Bad Bloodby John Carreyrou
5.0“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.”
The Wagerby David Grann
5.0“The Wager by David Grann 2023 review. The 1741 shipwreck of HMS Wager off Patagonia and the two contradictory mutiny narratives that returned to England. Grann's third major narrative non-fiction book and the canonical contemporary maritime-disaster story.”
The Devil in the White Cityby Erik Larson
5.0“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.”
Casteby Isabel Wilkerson
5.0“Caste by Isabel Wilkerson 2020 review. A comparative history of American racial hierarchy, the Indian caste system, and Nazi Germany's racial laws. Wilkerson's second book after The Warmth of Other Suns.”