The Bed Trick by Izabella Scott review – a bizarre story of sexual duplicity
A brilliant analysis of the trial of Gayle Newland and the literary and social antecedents of ‘sex by deception’
The 25 best Australian books of 2025
Just in time for last-minute gifts: Guardian Australia critics and staff pick out the best books of the year, featuring Helen Garner, Dominic Amerena, Evelyn Araluen and more
Luigi: The Making and the Meaning by John H Richardson review – sympathy for a devil?
This nebulous study of Luigi Mangione veers close to romanticising him as a latter-day Robin Hood
The Mushroom Tapes review – Erin Patterson through the eyes of Helen Garner, Chloe Hooper and Sarah Krasnostein
This account of what the three authors observed during Patterson’s triple murder trial does resemble a podcast transcript at times, but it is extremely readable
‘Erin Patterson remains mysterious to me’: Helen Garner, Sarah Krasnostein and Chloe Hooper on the mushroom murders
Three of Australia’s most acclaimed writers have teamed up to write The Mushroom Tapes, about the weeks they spent at the triple-murder trial, picking apart lies, media ethics and evil
Mushroom tapes, erotic Greek myths and joyful Thai cooking: the best Australian books out in November
Each month Guardian Australia editors and critics pick the upcoming titles they have devoured – or can’t wait to get their hands on
‘I felt like the walls were closing in. All I could see was Fred West’s face’: how one woman escaped Britain’s worst serial killers
When Kathleen Richards rented a room at 25 Cromwell Street, she quickly realised the couple who owned it had a dark side. But even after their arrest, there was something about her 15 months at the house that she could never tell anyone – until now
Murderland by Caroline Fraser review – what was behind the 1970s serial killer epidemic?
A compulsive new history suggests the crimes of Ted Bundy et al were – at least partly – down to the air they breathed
Is he still alive? The mystery of DB Cooper – the hijacker who disappeared
In 1971, a man held a plane to ransom for $200,000, then parachuted out in his suit and dress shoes, never to be seen again. What happened to him?
The Rock to co-author true crime book about Hawaii mob boss to be adapted by Martin Scorsese
Dwayne Johnson is working with investigative journalist Nick Bilton on the project, with a film in the pipeline starring Emily Blunt and Leonardo DiCaprio
‘The anger became bigger than shame’: the writer whose memoir of child abuse has taken France by storm
As Neige Sinno’s critically acclaimed memoir about being sexually abused by her stepfather is published in English, she reveals how writing her story has helped set her free
Story of a Murder by Hallie Rubenhold review – engrossing retelling of ‘the crime of the century’
This account of Dr Crippen’s notorious Edwardian-era killing shifts the focus to the women at the centre of the sordid tale
The Five author Hallie Rubenhold: ‘I really hate true crime’
The award-winning writer turned the Jack the Ripper case on its head. Now she is giving Dr Crippen the same treatment – and questioning how we tell stories about murderous men
The Mouthless Dead by Anthony Quinn review – murder most unsolvable
The author’s haunting and highly readable fictionalisation of a high-profile killing in prewar Liverpool is rich in legal and procedural detail
The Peepshow by Kate Summerscale audiobook review – postwar true crime
Nicola Walker narrates the account of the 10 Rillington Place murders in the 50s – and the macabre media whirlwind that followed