American Kingpin is the true story of Ross Ulbricht. He was better known under his online alias, Dread Pirate Roberts. By now you may have heard of the online black market, Silk Road. Ulbrict was the creator of Silk Road.

Silk Road was and still is an online store on the dark web. This platform allows people to buy and sell drugs, guns, fake passports anonymously.  American Kingpin follows Ulbricht’s life during this time, as well as his eventual fall. This true crime audiobook is one of the best released in recent years.

Narrator – Will Damron
Length – 12 hours & 14 minutes

The Vory by Mark Galeotti is one of the best true crime audiobooks of 2018. In Zero Zero Zero by Saviano there is a brief chapter on the Russian Mafia. It was intriguing for any true crime enthusiast. So, when I saw that Scribd offered Mark Galeotti’s The Vory I immediately downloaded it! Listen and you will be amazed at how the Russian Mafia has transformed. The Vory is captivating.

Narrator – Nigel Patterson
Length – 11 hours & 26 minutes

The Stranger Beside Me from Ann Rule follows the murders of Ted Bundy. Rule was one of many writers working on the mystery mass murder case. Attempting to hunt down the vicious women killer.

Ann Rule and Ted Bundy actually worked together. It wasn’t until the pieces of the puzzle formed before she realised that Ted was the murderer. The Stranger Beside Me reveals a different side of the murder case, that of a friend of Bundy. This true crime audiobook is eerily chilling.

Narrator – Lorelei King
Length – 18 hours & 30 minutes

The next true crime audiobook on our list is Helter Skelter. The author Vincent Bugliosi was the prosecuting attorney in the Charles Manson trial. Helter Skelter is an in-depth look at the Manson murders. Starting with the first crime scene, and even following the detectives’ discoveries. Read by the famous audiobook narrator Scott Brick. For anyone that enjoys true crime stories, Helter Skelter won’t disappoint.

Narrator – Scott Brick
Length – 26 hours & 29 minutes

The mass murder cases that were never solved. The Zodiac killer of San Francisco and the Bay Area was never caught. The author, Robert Graysmith, worked on the San Francisco Chronicle during the murders. He published Zodiac in 1976. You can now listen to the murder tales, and find out how the killer taunted the police. A fascinating unsolved mystery.

Narrator – Stefan Rudnicki
Length – 10 hours & 40 minutes

Bad Blood isn’t your typical true crime audiobook, that doesn’t mean that it lacks in story. Theranos was a multi-billion dollar start-up founded by Elizabeth Holmes. Named by some as the female Steve Jobs, Holmes had success written all over her. The start-up aimed to make blood tests simpler and quicker with a new machine. That was the business plan, but the machine didn’t do what it said. Holmes as founder and CEO mislead investors, employees and FDA officials. That is until an ex-employee approached the author John Carreyrou. Carreyrou started to investigate the $9 billion start-up and this book is what he found.

Narrator – Will Damron
Length – 11 hours & 36 minutes

Frank ‘the Irishman’ Sheeran is the main protagonist in the book I Heard You Paint Houses. When Jimmy Hoffa met Sheeran for the first time these were the words that he said first. Meaning I understand that you are a hitman. The author Charles Brandt interviewed Sheeran over five years. During these interviews, he confessed that he executed more than 25 victims. The story of Frank Sheeran is one that will keep you listening until you finish the whole book.

Narrator – Scott Brick
Length – 15 hours & 12 minutes

You’ve most likely already seen the film, but the book that the story comes from is also worth a read (listen). The story of Jordan Belfort who went from a multimillionaire a convict. Written by the man himself, he details his life during the days at Stratton Oakmont. Pumping penny stocks got Belfort on this journey of greed and excess. Listen to his unbelievable stories and learn from his eventual crash.

Narrator – Eric Meyers
Length – 20 hours & 20 minutes

Frank Abagnale was one of the smartest con men of his time. His aliases included Frank Williams, Frank Adams, Robert Conrad and Robert Monjo. He was on America’s most wanted list during his criminal career and also known by 26 other countries. He has posed as a pilot, faked being a college professor and made millions from forged checks. This true crime story will have you entranced.

Narrator – Barrett Whitener
Length – 8 hours & 30 minutes

Crack cocaine first entered the United Kingdom in the early 1990s. This was the start of a drug epidemic in Britain’s largest cities. The capital London was hit hard. Crack House looks at how police units attempted to tackle this war on drugs. The author, Harry Keeble, was the leader on one of the two drugs squad in London. Keeble’s account is eye-opening on what happens to communities due to drugs. He also shows how the epidemic was stopped before it got even worse.

Narrator – Damian Lynch
Length – 7 hours & 35 minutes

Jim Jones was a young an Indianapolis minister in the 1950s. In his preachings, he mixed Marxism with Gospel. Jones become somewhat of a leader in the contemporary civil rights activist group. He moved his church to Northern California, where he then became involved in politics. Jeff Guinn puts Jim Jones’ life under the microscope in Road to Jonestown. Guinn researched thousands of case documents from the FBI to write this book. What was Jones’ motive behind the mass suicide that he orchestrated in South America. 

Narrator – George Newbern
Length – 17 hours & 30 minutes

Neil Woods was an undercover police officer in one of Britain’s drugs squad. It was his mission to infiltrate gangs and then make them crack from within. He is at the top of his profession, but it isn’t long until the harsh reality sets in. Drug kingpins get richer, whilst poor communities suffer as an account. A revealing insight into the drug underworld of Great Britain.

Narrator – Mark Williams
Length – 8 hours & 48 minutes

Last on the list, is the story from Truman Capote that true crime enthusiasts have followed for years. The murders of the Clutter family in November 1959. At the time of the case, the clues were non-existent and there was no suspect motive. Scott Brick narrates Capote’s reconstruction of the murder and investigation brilliantly. The writer and narrator have made this one of the best true crime audiobooks to this day.

Narrator – Scott Brick
Length – 14 hours & 30 minutes