Three Nonfiction Books That Read Like Thrillers - Guest Post By Elizabeth Held
Walking in my neighborhood park the other day, I noticed a woman sitting on a bench reading John Carreyou’s Bad Blood. It depicts the real-life tale of Elizabeth Holmes’ path from CEO to alleged fraudster, awaiting trial.
Before I could stop myself, I gushed, “I love that book!” My neighbor responded similarly. Bad Blood is one of my favorite kinds of books — nonfiction that reads like fiction. I love when writers apply the techniques found in novels — well-developed characters, narrative arcs and engaging dialogue — to make a real-world event jump off the page.
If that sounds like something you’d like, I have three book recommendations for you:
Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe
Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe is one of my favorite books of the past few years. Keefe uses Jean McConville, a Belfast mother of ten, to illuminate the history of the Troubles, the long-running violent conflict in Northern Ireland.
Strongly developed characters — including a pair of sisters serving in the Irish Republican Army and hunger strikers in a British prison — bring to life what could otherwise be a dry recounting of historical events.
Say Nothing shows off both Keefe’s reporting and writing skills and kept me up late into the night reading.
Furious Hours by Casey Cep
Casey Cep combines a true crime story with a biography of Harper Lee in Furious Hours, carefully documenting a case Lee became obsessed with late in her life.
The first half of Furious Hours focuses on Reverend Willie Maxwell, who got away with murdering five family members thanks to his shark-like lawyer. After Maxwell is murdered — in front of hundreds of witnesses at one of his victim’s funerals — the same lawyer gets his murderer acquitted. In the second half of Furious Hours, Cep chronicles Lee’s failed attempt to write a book about Maxwell and his lawyer.
I love books that teach me weird trivia while simultaneously entertaining me and Furious Hours fits that bill. In addition to learning more about Lee’s later life, I got a crash course in the history of life insurance and voodoo.
Bloodlines by Melissa Del Bosque
The premise of Bloodlines sounds like something from a movie or a prestige cable drama: A rookie FBI agent attempts to take down one of the world’s most notorious drug cartels by investigating horse race racing.
Acting on an anonymous tip, agent Scott Lawson learned Miguel Treviño, one of the leaders of the Zetas, was laundering money into the U.S. through American quarter racing. The information led to a years’ long investigation that brought together the DEA, FBI and IRS, and relied on a well-placed criminal informant in the horse racing world.
Del Bosque has a gift for simplifying complex concepts, making obscure financial transactions not just understandable — but interesting — for readers. I walked away from this book feeling like I understood the basics of financial crimes and also had read a fascinating story.
