11 True Crime Books For Music Lovers

The volatile and frequently chaotic scene of late-1970s New York, and its impact on music, has been written about in a number of acclaimed books, including Jeff Chang’s Can’t Stop Won’t Stop and Will Hermes’s Love Goes to Buildings on Fire. Jonathan Mahler’s Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bronx is Burning situates the city’s musical evolution in the context of other things happening within its borders–including events like the Son of Sam killings. 

Mara Leveritt’s book Devil’s Knot is an in-depth look at the case of the West Memphis Three: three teenagers convicted of murdering three eight-year-old boys (believed to be as part of a Satanic ritual) in 1994 despite substantial evidence and procedural issues that suggested that they were innocent of the crime. A number of prominent musicians – from Henry Rollins to Chuck D – have, over the years, been supportive of their case; they were released in 2011.

The history of musicians with close ties to organized crime goes back decades, if not longer, and it’s led to some memorable true stories along the way. Mara Shalhoup’s BMF: The Rise and Fall of Big Meech and the Black Mafia Family grew out of a series of articles that she wrote for Atlanta’s Creative Loafing, examining how a drug trafficking organization sought to enter the music industry–and how the law eventually caught up with them. 

The history of black metal in Norway abounds with violence and other horrific acts, from church burnings to murder to various musicians’ fondness for fascism. (Elizabeth Hand’s excellent crime novel Available Dark also riffs heavily on black metal’s violent side.) Lords of Chaos provides a comprehensive look at this particular subculture and the unpleasantness left in its wake. 

Fredric Dannen’s 1990 book Hit Men explored the complex world of the record industry from the early Twentieth Century onwards, showcasing a host of bad behavior and unethical practices along the way. If you’re looking for a narrative where the line between a music industry confidential and a tale of crime in the business world is blurred, you’ve come to the right place. 

As a detective with the NYPD, Derrick Parker was involved in a host of high-profile cases that related to the world of music, including the shooting of Tupac Shakur and the murder of Jam Master Jay. Parker and Diehl’s book examines the contentious relationship between hip-hop and the NYPD, and Parker provides an inside view on several prominent investigations. 

In his memoir of his time in the New York club scene in the 1980s and 1990s, James St. James focuses on the circumstances of the 1996 murder of Andre Melendez. The book was originally published under the title Disco Bloodbath, and has been adapted for the screen (in 2003) and the stage (in 2013). 

Mick Brown’s expansive biography of producer Phil Spector covers decades of Spector’s life, and succinctly delineates the paradox of a pioneering artist who wasn’t a very good person. Brown’s book also explores the 2003 killing of actress Lana Clarkson, a crime for which Spector was convicted in 2009.