True Crime Books in 2025 Part 1
One of the most often asked questions we receive is ‘did you watch series X’ or ‘listen to podcast Y’ - and for the most part, it’s a no. When you work so closely within the genre of true crime it’s a difficult prospect to lend leisurely hours to the subject as well. However, this case is not the same for reading. Given our interest in reading, we hope to shine some light onto some of the more unusual and interesting true crime books which we finish along the year.
While multiple editions of Underground have been published, with varying cover art, this edition stands as the most evocative.
Underground by Haruki Murakami.
Underground is the most recent in a constant rotation of true crime books. We picked this title after recently finishing Kafka on the Shore, Hard Boiled Wonderland, The City and its Uncertain Walls, and What I Talk About When I Talk About Running - interested to hear such a unique Japanese novelist’s voice on a Japanese cult and their apocalyptic act of terror.
Murakami interviews victims of Aum’s sarin attacks, as well as family members whose whole world was affected when loved ones lost their lives. The later half of the book recounts a perspective not published in the original, but rather serialized in subsequent magazine releases - the Aum perspective. Interviews with former, as well as currently active member of Aum post-attack.
While drawn to this book in the hopes of a true crime read with the surreal touch of Murakami, we ended up uncovering a work where his voice is silent in lieu of giving a feet on the ground view of one of Japan’s most chaotic and tragic days in modern history.
Cover of the third printing of The Indiana Torture Slaying.
The Indiana Torture Slaying (House of Evil) by John Dean
I went into House of Evil with little knowledge of the Indiana torture slaying case. My understanding of what happened to Sylvia Likens came entirely from the Jack Ketchum novel The Girl Next Door, as well as its 2007 film adaptation. If you have familiarity with either of these works it may give the impression that the depravity that took place was cranked up for the Hollywood shock factor. Unfortunately, reality of what happened is much more disturbing than the fictional works it inspired.
Given the limited number of witnesses to this crime, this book relies on a lot of information uncovered during the trial to piece together a picture of what exactly had taken place. The first third of the book tells the story of events as a real time narrative, followed by the later two thirds focusing heavily on the trial as well as what became of the children involved in the crime.
The edition of the book we own has been in print steadily since 2008 - making it an affordable addition to any true crime library. Author John Dean recounts through several introductions that the original book sold 50,000 copies in 1966 and 1967 - and that he received a large amount of inquiries for a copy after this initial run. Given the frequency of these requests, the author self published a second run in 1999 to much success - however still considered as a cult classic. The current (third) edition of this book seems to have been inspired by the 2007 release of the film An American Crime.
While the first and second editions can demand a high price, it is great that the book has been brought back to the printers in order to become more accessible to readers. While this post is bring written in July, just past the halfway mark through 2025, it is likely this title remains the most disturbing true crime book read in 2025.
Cover of the 2025 English translation by Serial Pleasures Publishing.
While many serial killers, cult leaders, and other figures within the world of true crime have decided to put pen to paper and tell their story, none have reached the writing prolific quite like Issei Sagawa. Sagawa’s life could be surmised as a practice in exploiting his crime to survive. After the murder and cannibalism he perpetrated in Paris, and his subsequent freedom upon extradition to Japan, he found the reputation for his actions didn’t leave many opportunities for normal employment.
By leaning into his criminal past, Issei Sagawa found a counterculture icon like success in writing books, articles, and making film and television cameos. In The Fog, the first book by Sagawa in which he recounts his history with cannibalism, his murder, and his arrest left the Japanese readers hungry for even more information on this bizarre crime. Following it’s publication came a manga written and illustrated by Sagawa himself. These two works are his most well known pieces as well as the first to be translated into English.
Serial Pleasures Publishing has continued their efforts first put forth for In The Fog and Sagawa’s Manga, and in 2025 released the first English translation of Paris Cannibal Massacre.
Released in Japan in 1998 (and it’s English translation in 2025) Paris Cannibal Massacre recounts the same story from In The Fog, with more of a romantic and nostalgic feeling of prose. The text is accompanied by illustrations from Takashi Nemoto - a notable figure in the underground manga scene. This artwork is a fever dream collage of gory creatures, photos of Issei Sagawa, and distorted nude female figures.
Paris Cannibal Massacre stands next to In The Fog as a companion piece. The two books telling the same story by the same author with an entirely different feel.
