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25 Must-Read Morbid Nonfiction Books

"I've divided the books into sections based on theme and topic to help readers find exactly what they're looking for, but this list honestly could've been twice as long. There are so, so many morbid nonfiction books, and I've only included a relatively small selection here. Whether you're a fan of historical crime, medical history, poison, cults, or death — well, we've got a little something for everyone.
One last note before we begin. This is probably an obvious disclaimer, but nonetheless: keep in mind some of these titles get dark. And I mean dark. It's not all murder and serial killers by any means, but that doesn't mean it's all sunshine and daisies either. We're talking cults, cannibalism, and some of the darkest corners of medical history. I'm not even going to attempt to go into specific trigger warnings for each title, because it would simply be too many to count. Suffice it to say, be prepared for some nightmares if you read these books before bed."
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The Five (Hallie Rubenhold)
The Five
1
Hallie Rubenhold
The Girls of Murder City: Fame, Lust, and the Beautiful Killers Who Inspired Chicago (Douglas Perry)
The Girls of Murder City: Fame, Lust, and the Beautiful Killers Who Inspired Chicago
2
Douglas Perry
Black Dahlia, Red Rose (Piu Eatwell)
Black Dahlia, Red Rose
3
Piu Eatwell
Hell's Half-Acre (Susan Jonusas)
Hell's Half-Acre
4
Susan Jonusas
Medical Bondage: Race, Gender, and the Origins of American Gynecology (Deirdre Cooper Owens)
Medical Bondage: Race, Gender, and the Origins of American Gynecology
5
Deirdre Cooper Owens
Hidden Valley Road (Robert Kolker)
Hidden Valley Road
6
Robert Kolker
Patient Zero: A Curious History of the World's Worst Diseases (Lydia Kang, Nate Pedersen)
Patient Zero: A Curious History of the World's Worst Diseases
7
Lydia Kang, Nate Pedersen
The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer (Siddhartha Mukherjee)
The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer
8
Siddhartha Mukherjee
Medical Apartheid (Harriet Washington)
Medical Apartheid
9
Harriet Washington
Quackery: A Brief History of the Worst Ways to Cure Everything (Lydia Kang)
Quackery: A Brief History of the Worst Ways to Cure Everything
10
Lydia Kang
The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York (Deborah Blum)
The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York
11
Deborah Blum
The Royal Art of Poison (Eleanor Herman)
The Royal Art of Poison
12
Eleanor Herman
A Is for Arsenic: The Poisons of Agatha Christie (Kathryn Harkup)
A Is for Arsenic: The Poisons of Agatha Christie
13
Kathryn Harkup
Underground: The Tokyo Gas Attack and the Japanese Psyche
Underground: The Tokyo Gas Attack and the Japanese Psyche
14
In the Shadow of the Moons (Nansook Hong)
In the Shadow of the Moons
15
Nansook Hong
The World in Flames (Jerald Walker)
The World in Flames
16
Jerald Walker
18 Tiny Deaths: The Untold Story of Frances Glessner Lee and the Invention of Modern Forensics (Bruce Goldfarb)
18 Tiny Deaths: The Untold Story of Frances Glessner Lee and the Invention of Modern Forensics
17
Bruce Goldfarb
Dark Archives (Megan Rosenbloom)
Dark Archives
18
Megan Rosenbloom
The Lady and Her Monsters (Montillo, Roseanne)
The Lady and Her Monsters
19
Montillo, Roseanne
Gory Details: Adventures From the Dark Side of Science (Erika Engelhaupt)
Gory Details: Adventures From the Dark Side of Science
20
Erika Engelhaupt
Cannibalism: A Perfectly Natural History (Bill Schutt)
Cannibalism: A Perfectly Natural History
21
Bill Schutt
From Here to Eternity (Caitlin Doughty)
From Here to Eternity
22
Caitlin Doughty
Buried Alive: The Terrifying History of Our Most Primal Fear (Jan Bondeson)
Buried Alive: The Terrifying History of Our Most Primal Fear
23
Jan Bondeson
Playing Dead (Elizabeth Greenwood)
Playing Dead
24
Elizabeth Greenwood
All the Living and the Dead (Hayley Campbell)
All the Living and the Dead
25
Hayley Campbell
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