Jane

By Maggie Nelson,

Book cover of Jane: A Murder

Book description

Part elegy, part true crime story, this memoir-in-verse from the author of the award-winning The Argonauts expands the notion of how we tell stories and what form those stories take through the story of a murdered woman and the mystery surrounding her last hours.

Jane tells the spectral story of…

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

Why read it?

1 author picked Jane as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Writing about crime is understandably fraught. Some true crime stories are told with genuine care and attention to impact, while others are definitely…not.

In Jane, Nelson finds a way to grapple with the death of her aunt and the impact it is had on her and her family. It was a guiding light for me when I thought about ways to tell an unwieldy story about murder.

Nelson leans on honesty, compassion, and curiosity to stay safely away from the most common true crime traps, and the result is a wonderful, affecting book. 

If you love Jane...

Ad

Book cover of Wildcat: An Appalachian Romance

Wildcat By Jeffrey Dunn,

A retired English teacher has come home to Appalachia, a land of industrial disaster and natural beauty. He has been enticed with stories of Wildcat’s transformation: of the collective action embodied in Hotel Wildcat as well as the artisanal pursuits springing to life in the old iron mill. But in…

Want books like Jane?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Jane.

Browse books like Jane

Book cover of The American Way of Death Revisited
Book cover of Nox
Book cover of That This

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

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

1,593

readers submitted
so far, will you?

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in Michigan, murder, and murder mystery?

Michigan 69 books
Murder 1,078 books
Murder Mystery 567 books