Today we are shamelessly stealing an AMAZING idea from Baltimore County Public Library’s Maureen Roberts. Maureen masterminded the library’s “Read With” feature wherein an author curates a virtual book display of 10-20 titles. Maureen’s first test case: Henry Holt author, Mikita Brottman.

Maureen said, “We’ve been talking about AN UNEXPLAINED DEATH at our fall book buzzes and our customers are so intrigued, especially because the Belvedere Hotel is an institution around here. We would love to share Mikita’s recommendations.” And of course, Mikita BROUGHT IT. Here are her all-time True Crime favorites:

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True crime combined with memoir can be especially compelling, especially when the writing is strong. These are some of my favorite true crime memoirs, in no particular order. Although they’re all written in the first person, each author’s involvement is different. Some were directly affected by the crime; others got involved after the fact by attending the trial, or interviewing the participants. What they have in common is skillful writing, and a gripping story.

THE ADVERSARY: A True Story of Monstrous Deception by Emmanuel Carrère (Picador, 2002).  The tale of a wealthy, successful doctor with a loving family who turns out to be an epic imposter. Carrère describes the tragedy that unfolds when eighteen years of lies come undone.

THE RED PARTS: Autobiography of a Trial by Maggie Nelson (Graywolf, 2016).  Nelson, along with her mother, attends the trial of a man accused of murdering her aunt Jane 35 years earlier. Although Nelson never met her aunt, she’d always been fascinated and horrified by the murder. Woven into her observations of the trial are family memories, reflections on a broken relationship, meditations on the nature of violence, and much more. readmoreremove