20 Best True Crime Audiobooks for Your Inner Detective

25 Best True Crime Audiobooks for Your Inner Detective

Do you enjoy murder mysteries or chilling criminal escapades? The best true crime audiobooks will have you on the edge of your seat, whether the story divulges details about well-known serial killers or unidentified villains of unsolved crimes. You won’t be able to stop listening as each mystery unravels, especially when these fascinating, gripping tales are read by some of the most captivating voices in audio. Here’s a selection of the best true crime audiobooks to satisfy your inner detective.
Product list
    • By: Chloe Hooper
    • Narrated by: Sibylla Budd
    • Length: 6 hrs and 39 mins
    • Release date: 15-10-2018
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 306 ratings
    • Fires have unfortunately become a fact of life for some parts of Australia. The Arsonist shines a light on the hunt for a fire-lighter suspected of starting two fires that killed eleven people on Black Saturday in Victoria in February 2009. The police identified a number of people in the Latrobe Valley region who may have been responsible for the fires that burned 26,000 hectares, leaving hundreds of people homeless and eleven dead. Detectives soon narrowed their search to someone not previously known to them and award-winning writer Chloe Hooper documents the investigation and prosecution. Narrated by Australian actress Sybilla Budd, the point of view switches between the arsonist, police, prosecutors, defence lawyer and the victims. The Arsonists is a powerful commentary on the devastating impact of fires and what would motivate someone to commit such a despicable act.

    Non-member price: $21.99 or 1 Credit

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    • By: Dan Box
    • Narrated by: Dan Box
    • Length: 9 hrs and 32 mins
    • Release date: 02-07-2019
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 90 ratings
    • Between 1990 and 1991 in the small town of Bowraville in New South Wales, two teenagers and a child were murdered within six months of each other. All three of the victims were Aboriginal and a local white man was suspected of the killings. No one was ever convicted of the crimes. Over 20 years passed before journalist Dan Box heard about the murders and created a podcast based on his investigation into the case. Box narrates this gripping account of the botched investigations by the police and the families’ desperate search for justice. Described by The Guardian as a “gripping true crime tale and an essay on racism; a challenge to the lies Australia tells itself about its treatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people told through the voices of three Aboriginal families who have been indisputably let down,” Bowraville is an important part of Australian history.

    Non-member price: $26.99 or 1 Credit

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    • The Definitive How-To Guide
    • By: Georgia Hardstark, Karen Kilgariff
    • Narrated by: Georgia Hardstark, Karen Kilgariff
    • Length: 6 hrs and 31 mins
    • Release date: 30-05-2019
    • Language: English
    • 5 out of 5 stars 607 ratings
    • This vulnerable, hilarious, and heartwarming listen shares never-before-heard stories from the hosts of the wildly popular podcast, My Favorite Murder. Stepping beyond their usual discussions on violence and death, Kilgariff and Hardstark are less guarded than ever as they recount their own personal stories of depression, addiction, anxiety, and eating disorders in addition to getting candid about the experiences that shaped their careers. Expanding on their own personal expertise as two of the most recognised and beloved voices in the true crime world, these co-hosts and co-authors share some thoughts on the cultural, social, and emotional impacts of the crime-as-entertainment business, all while advocating for the importance of staying safe in an often perilous world. Told with ferocious earnestness and an enormous amount of love, this is a must-hear for Murderinos and first-time listeners alike.

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    • By: Peter Hoysted, Pat Sheil
    • Narrated by: Shane Jacobson
    • Length: 6 hrs and 55 mins
    • Release date: 20-08-2019
    • Language: English
    • 4.5 out of 5 stars 64 ratings
    • If you need a break from listening to gripping but often grim true crime horror stories, this caper about an Australian gambling coup gone wrong, could be just the ticket. A horse race in Brisbane in 1984 may not sound like a promising setting for a true crime tale but The Fine Cotton Fiasco is the stuff of Aussie legend, for all the wrong reasons. Peter Hoysted and Pat Sheil tell an unbelievable tale of a simple scam dreamed up by a couple of inmates in jail that went horribly wrong. The plan to swap an average horse with a faster one and profit handsomely by betting big on the race unravels due to bad judgement, a ragtag collection of incompetent conspirators, and plain bad luck.

    Non-member price: $21.99 or 1 Credit

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    • By: Ron Stallworth
    • Narrated by: Ron Stallworth
    • Length: 5 hrs and 50 mins
    • Release date: 16-08-2018
    • Language: English
    • 4 out of 5 stars 29 ratings
    • In this story, the basis for Spike Lee’s Academy Award-winning film BlacKkKlansman, author Ron Stallworth shares what it was like to be instated as the first black detective in the Colorado Springs Police Department - a position that gave him the opportunity to take a shot at dismantling a violent, white supremacist stronghold. Posing over the phone as a white man looking to join the Ku Klux Klan, Stallworth is soon invited to join the cause and “preserve the nation’s heritage.” Seizing an opportunity to infiltrate the nation’s largest domestic terrorist group, Stallworth hatches a plan to send his white partner to stand in for him. This insider story, narrated by the author himself, paints a stunning picture of a divided America, the absurdities that accompany racism, and the phenomenal heroes with the courage to fight back.

    Non-member price: $21.99 or 1 Credit

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More in True Crime: Audible Original Podcasts

Blood Territory

Set against a sizzling Darwin backdrop, this is true crime 'Territory Style'. Brought to you by a Walkley Award-winning journo, the investigation has it all: murder, vigilantism, and allegations as wild as its landscape.

Ghosthunter

Part family memoir, part true crime story, this podcast sees a police investigation collide with paranormal activity and a family’s terrible forgotten secret. Our members have called it 'enthralling' and 'captivating'.

No Gangsters in Paradise

This is true crime told from the inside out. In Western Sydney circa 1999, gun-toting gangs ruled Western Sydney – with a family feud at its violent epicentre. Listeners have called it ‘bingeworthy’ and ‘unbelievably good’.

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