Why am I passionate about this?

Iā€™m a window-seat person. If Iā€™m on a trip, I want to see much more than the device propelling me forward. In crime books, the vehicle is always the crime, but I want that felonious little engine to also propel me through realms where I become more explorer than passenger, where Iā€™ve entered marvelous and unexpected worlds that become characters in themselves. It almost doesnā€™t matter what that world is, whether itā€™s 19th-century Chicago architecture, bitcoin cartels or octopus linguistics. As long as itā€™s well-researched and rendered with depth, precision, and passion, your ticket to a crime gets you at least two books, or even genres, for one!


I wrote

The Last Counterfeiter: The Story of Fake Money, Real Art, and Forging the Impossible $100 Bill

By Jason Kersten,

Book cover of The Last Counterfeiter: The Story of Fake Money, Real Art, and Forging the Impossible $100 Bill

What is my book about?

The true story of master counterfeiter Arthur J. Williams Jr, a brilliant, disadvantaged kid from Chicago's South Side who embarkedā€¦

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

The books I picked & why

Book cover of The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America

Jason Kersten Why did I love this book?

Erik Larson is known for his masterful ability to combine meticulous research with rich prose to breathe life into history. This book, with intersecting narratives of a serial killer and a brilliant architect set at the 1893 Worldā€™s Fair in Chicago, painted such a living picture for me that I still felt stuck to the canvas even when I wasnā€™t reading.

I learned about astonishing true events and characters I barely knew existed. The contrast between the great inventors on the grand stage of the fair and the killer haunting its shadow was superbly done.

By Erik Larson,

Why should I read it?

25 authors picked The Devil in the White City as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The Chicago World Fair was the greatest fair in American history. This is the story of the men and women whose lives it irrevocably changed and of two men in particular- an architect and a serial killer. The architect is Daniel Burnham, a man of great integrity and depth. It was his vision of the fair that attracted the best minds and talents of the day. The killer is Henry H. Holmes. Intelligent as well as handsome and charming, Holmes opened a boarding house which he advertised as 'The World's Fair Hotel' Here in the neighbourhood where he was onceā€¦


Book cover of The Alienist

Jason Kersten Why did I love this book?

This was a transformative read for me, taking me so deep into the world of turn of the century New York City that it felt like Carr was introducing me to new possibilities as a writer.

Carr is a historian as well as a novelist, and many of the landmarks, neighborhoods, and streets in this book took on a deeper meaning for me afterward. The crime narrative, which takes place during a pivotal moment in the evolution of modern criminology, is so propulsive and fascinating that I was holding my breath through some of the wonderfully spooky scenes.

I devoured this book with as much pleasure as his characters took in the scenes where they dine at Delmonicoā€™s.

By Caleb Carr,

Why should I read it?

8 authors picked The Alienist as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The internationally bestselling historical thriller, now a major Netflix series starring Luke Evans, Dakota Fanning and Daniel Bruhl.

Some things never change.

New York City, 1896. Hypocrisy in high places is rife, police corruption commonplace, and a brutal killer is terrorising young male prostitutes.

Unfortunately for Police Commissioner Theodore Roosevelt, the psychological profiling of murderers is a practice still in its infancy, struggling to make headway against the prejudices of those who prefer the mentally ill - and the 'alienists' who treat them - to be out of sight as well as out of mind.

But as the body countā€¦


Ad

Book cover of At What Cost, Silence?

At What Cost, Silence? by Karen Lynne Klink,

Secrets, misunderstandings, and a plethora of family conflicts abound in this historical novel set along the Brazos River in antebellum Washington County, East Texas.

It is a compelling story of two neighboring plantation families and a few of the enslaved people who serve them. These two plantations are a microcosmā€¦

Book cover of Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith

Jason Kersten Why did I love this book?

In the best true-crime books, the crime itself is often indicative of a much deeper underworld that has violently broken through our norms, revealing a portal that the author then bravely descends into. Krakauerā€™s voyage into the fanatical religious roots beneath a horrific double murder had me riveted.

His razor-sharp prose is so clear and haunting, and I was spellbound as he moved effortlessly between the past and present narratives. This book starkly reminded me of how important it is for America to always confront the demons of its past with open eyes, unglazed by anything but the facts, and what the consequences can be when we bury it.

By Jon Krakauer,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked Under the Banner of Heaven as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

NATIONAL BESTSELLER ā€¢ From the author of Into the Wild and Into Thin Air, this extraordinary work of investigative journalism takes readers inside Americaā€™s isolated Mormon Fundamentalist communities. Now an the acclaimed FX limited series streaming on HULU.

ā€œFantastic.... Right up there with In Cold Blood and The Executionerā€™s Song.ā€ ā€”San Francisco Chronicle

Defying both civil authorities and the Mormon establishment in Salt Lake City, the renegade leaders of these Taliban-like theocracies are zealots who answer only to God; some 40,000 people still practice polygamy in these communities. 

At the core of Krakauerā€™s book are brothers Ron and Dan Lafferty,ā€¦


Book cover of Blow: How a Small-Town Boy Made $100 Million with the Medellin Cocaine Cartel and Lost It All

Jason Kersten Why did I love this book?

My favorite true crime booksā€”and most of my favorite non-fiction booksā€”tend to be character-driven, read like novels, and tell a larger story through the protagonistā€™s lens. I found myself getting lost in George Jungā€™s journey as a drug smuggler and loving that sometimes it felt almost incidental that he was at the criminal nexus of a massive cultural phenomenon taking place.

I also love it when books and protagonists create conflicting emotional reactions. Jungā€™s likeability, coupled with the destructiveness of the business he helped pioneer, rings true to life; I found myself rooting for him at times, then despising him, and always wondering where the chips would fall in this improbable journey.

By Bruce Porter,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Blow as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

BLOW is the unlikely story of George Jung's roller coaster ride from middle-class high school football hero to the heart of Pable Escobar's Medellin cartel-- the largest importer of the United States cocaine supply in the 1980s. Jung's early business of flying marijuana into the United States from the mountains of Mexico took a dramatic turn when he met Carlos Lehder, a young Colombian car thief with connections to the then newly born cocaine operation in his native land. Together they created a new model for selling cocaine, turning a drug used primarily by the entertainment elite into a massiveā€¦


Ad

Book cover of Caesarā€™s Soldier

Caesarā€™s Soldier by Alex Gough,

Who was the man who would become Caesar's lieutenant, Brutus' rival, Cleopatra's lover, and Octavian's enemy? 

When his stepfather is executed for his involvement in the Catilinarian conspiracy, Mark Antony and his family are disgraced. His adolescence is marked by scandal and mischief, his love affairs are fleeting, and yet,ā€¦

Book cover of Skin Tight

Jason Kersten Why did I love this book?

Carl Hiassen is so good at leading readers on hysterical romps through the corrupt and criminal underbelly of modern-day Florida that almost any of his books could make my list, but this one stood out for me.

His digs on the plastic surgery and landscaping industries, Geraldo-style sensationalism and vanity, and the sheer absurdity of a hit man riding around naked on a jet ski had me in stitches. Books do not have to be ā€œseriousā€ to be great, and I would argue any day that, collectively, Hiassenā€™s crime books provide one of the best commentaries on Floridaā€™s dark side. 

By Carl Hiaasen,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Skin Tight as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Bestselling author Carl Hiaasen serves up a humorous helping of "taut, fast-paced action...crisp and hot" (The New York Times).

After dispatching a pistol-packing intruder from his home with the help of a stuffed Marlin head, Mick Stranahan can't deny that someone is out to get him. His now-deceased intruder carries no I.D., and as a former Florida state investigator, Stranahan knows there are plenty of potential culprits. His long list of enemies includes an off point hit man, a personal injury lawyer of billboard fame, a notoriously irritating TV journalist, and a fumbling plastic surgeon.

Now, if he wants toā€¦


Explore my book šŸ˜€

The Last Counterfeiter: The Story of Fake Money, Real Art, and Forging the Impossible $100 Bill

By Jason Kersten,

Book cover of The Last Counterfeiter: The Story of Fake Money, Real Art, and Forging the Impossible $100 Bill

What is my book about?

The true story of master counterfeiter Arthur J. Williams Jr, a brilliant, disadvantaged kid from Chicago's South Side who embarked on a "holy grail" quest to create a perfect replica of the most secure US bill ever made. The all-consuming effort would take him deep into Americaā€™s criminal underworld and establish him as one of the greatest counterfeiters of our time, propelling him into a life most of us only dream about. It would also make him one of the Secret Serviceā€™s most wanted criminals.

Far more than a story about crime, The Last Counterfeiter is also a compulsively readable exploration of family, our relationship with money as a society, and one manā€™s quest to turn all of it into redemptive artistic expression.

Book cover of The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America
Book cover of The Alienist
Book cover of Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

2,006

readers submitted
so far, will you?

Ad

šŸ“š You might also likeā€¦

Book cover of A Daily Dose of Now: 365 Mindfulness Meditation Practices for Living in the Moment

A Daily Dose of Now by Nita Sweeney,

Reduce stress, ease anxiety, and increase inner peaceā€”one day at a timeā€”with a year of easy-to-follow mindfulness meditation techniques.

Certified mindfulness teacher, bestselling author, ultramarathoner, wife, and dog-mom Nita Sweeney shares mindfulness meditation practices to help anyone break free from worry and self-judgment.

Mindfulness meditation trains you to live inā€¦

Book cover of Who Is a Worthy Mother?: An Intimate History of Adoption

Who Is a Worthy Mother? by Rebecca Wellington,

I grew up thinking that being adopted didnā€™t matter. I was wrong. This book is my journey uncovering the significance and true history of adoption practices in America. Now, in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Courtā€™s overturning of Roe v. Wade, the renewed debate over womenā€™s reproductive rights placesā€¦

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in private investigators, Teddy Roosevelt, and organized crime?

Teddy Roosevelt 46 books
Organized Crime 65 books