In this compelling psychological thriller, which was adapted into the Apple TV+ series Truth Be Told, Josie Buhrman’s carefully constructed new life is shattered when a viral true crime podcast reopens the investigation into her father's murder.
Barber adeptly portrays how modern podcast narratives can resurrect old traumas and threaten family bonds, highlighting the devastating impact public fascination with crime can have on private lives.
This horror-thriller creates an eerie, chambered atmosphere in an isolated California mountain town plagued by strange disappearances. Journalist and podcaster Isaiah Coleridge, a former mob enforcer, arrives to investigate the town’s unsettling secrets.
Barron skillfully incorporates the production of Isaiah’s podcast into the storyline, effectively showing the unsettling intersection between investigative storytelling and hidden, cosmic truths.
When her favorite true-crime podcast host suddenly vanishes, devoted listener Sera decides she is the only one who can solve the case. Traveling to the host's remote California ranch, Sera’s investigation blurs the line between fandom and delusion.
The novel is a chilling look at how parasocial relationships can curdle into obsession, demonstrating the powerful influence podcast hosts wield over their most ardent fans.
Elle Castillo hosts a popular podcast dedicated to solving cold cases involving missing children. Her current season brings her dangerously close to an elusive serial killer known as The Countdown Killer, who seems to be taunting her through the investigation.
The narrative’s blend of podcast transcripts, witness interviews, and Elle’s increasingly personal involvement makes for a tense, meta-thriller where the podcaster becomes part of the story she’s trying to tell.
Told entirely through the script of a fictional true-crime podcast, this inventive novel is a modern retelling of Theodore Dreiser’s classic, An American Tragedy. The podcast, also titled The Anatomy of Desire, investigates the mysterious death of a beautiful young woman and the potential involvement of her social media influencer boyfriend.
The format perfectly captures the style, pacing, and speculative nature of popular investigative podcasts while dissecting contemporary celebrity culture.
Two former best friends, Ambrosia and Sloane, return to their elite college for a reunion, only to be confronted by the dark secrets of their past.
While not the central focus, a popular true-crime podcast covering a tragedy from their freshman year acts as a narrative catalyst, reopening old wounds and forcing the characters to reckon with their shared culpability. The podcast serves as an omnipresent, judgmental eye on their past actions.
Rachel Krall, the host of a massively successful true-crime podcast, travels to a small coastal town to cover a high-profile rape trial. Told partly through episodes of her podcast, the story weaves two timelines together when Rachel begins receiving anonymous notes urging her to investigate a decades-old, unresolved death.
Goldin masterfully uses the podcast format to build suspense and connect past and present crimes with chilling effectiveness.
In this literary mystery, successful film professor and podcaster Bodie Kane is drawn back to the New Hampshire boarding school of her youth. While there, she begins re-examining the 1995 murder of her former roommate, a case that has haunted her for decades.
The podcast becomes a vehicle for Bodie to explore the unreliability of memory, the failures of the justice system, and the ethical complexities of turning real-life trauma into public content.
Anna McDonald’s life is upended when she impulsively starts listening to a true-crime podcast about a sunken yacht and a murdered family. When the podcast host mentions a name from her own hidden past, Anna is drawn into the investigation alongside the disgraced aristocrat whose life the podcast has ruined.
What follows is a wild, unpredictable pursuit of the truth that blends dark humor, sharp cultural critique, and genuine suspense.
This YA novel follows Frances Janvier, a high-achieving student whose only real passion is her secret love for a mysterious, melancholy podcast called “Universe City.” When Frances discovers the podcast's creator is Aled Last, a quiet boy from her school, they form a deep bond.
The novel is a brilliant portrayal of online fandom, creator culture, and the pressure to conform, using the podcast as a powerful symbol of art, identity, and finding your voice.
A gripping and innovative YA thriller, Sadie unfolds through a dual narrative. One storyline follows Sadie, a young woman on a desperate quest for revenge after her younger sister is murdered. The other is told through the transcripts of a true-crime podcast called The Girls, hosted by a journalist investigating Sadie’s disappearance.
The two perspectives race toward a devastating conclusion, with the podcast format creating a powerful sense of immediacy and suspense.
Five years ago, Lucy was found covered in her best friend’s blood with no memory of the night’s events. Now, a handsome, famous podcaster has returned to his Texas hometown to investigate the cold case for his show, making Lucy his prime subject. To clear her name, Lucy must work with him to uncover the truth.
Tintera’s novel is a witty "rom-thriller" that uses the podcast as a catalyst to force its protagonist to confront a past she literally can’t remember.
The first in a popular series, this novel is structured as six episodes of an investigative podcast hosted by Scott King. Each episode presents an interview with a different person connected to a decades-old cold case involving a teenager’s death at a remote outdoor center.
By presenting conflicting accounts and memories, the novel expertly mimics the "found footage" feel of a real podcast, exploring the elusive nature of truth and the unreliability of narrative itself.
In a quiet New Jersey suburb in the 1980s, the disappearance of a young girl shatters the community's idyllic facade. Years later, a popular podcast revisits the tragedy, interviewing residents and exploring the long-buried secrets that surrounded the event.
The podcast serves as a framing device, lending the narrative a layer of retrospective commentary and examining how communities mythologize their own tragedies over time.