Some books are meant to be a gentle escape, lulling you to sleep with comforting stories and happy endings. And then there are the other books. The ones that grab you by the collar on page one and refuse to let go. These are the nonfiction reads so gripping, so mind-bendingly strange, or so deeply unsettling that you find yourself glancing at the clock, shocked to see it’s 2 a.m. They are the stories that prove truth is often stranger, scarier, and more thrilling than fiction. Whether it’s a high-stakes investigation, a journey into the mind of a criminal, or an encounter with the unbelievable, these books deliver an adrenaline rush that will have you sacrificing sleep just to read one more chapter. If you’re looking for a nonfiction book that reads like a thriller and sticks with you long after you’re done, you’ve come to the right place.

The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson

This book is a masterclass in storytelling, weaving together two incredible, and incredibly different, true stories that happened at the same time. The first story is about the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, an event of breathtaking ambition and architectural genius. Daniel H. Burnham, the fair's lead architect, battles impossible deadlines, massive egos, and tragic accidents to create a gleaming "White City" that will dazzle the world. It’s a story of innovation, optimism, and the birth of modern America.

But lurking in the shadows of this grand spectacle is the second story. Dr. H.H. Holmes, a charismatic and cunning young doctor, builds a hotel near the fairgrounds. To the outside world, it’s just another building, but inside, it's a custom-built castle of horrors, complete with a gas chamber, a dissection table, and a crematorium. As unsuspecting young women flock to Chicago for the fair, many check into Holmes's hotel and are never seen again. Larson’s ability to switch between the bright wonder of the fair and the dark horror of Holmes’s actions creates a level of suspense that is almost unbearable. It’s a chilling reminder that great progress and great evil can exist side-by-side.

The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women by Kate Moore

In the early 20th century, radium was the new miracle element. It glowed in the dark, and people believed it had amazing health benefits. Companies hired young women, known as the "Radium Girls," to paint watch dials with this glowing substance. To get a fine point on their brushes, the women were instructed to lick the tips, a technique called lip-pointing. They were told the radium paint was harmless. They even painted their nails and teeth with it for fun, enjoying the way they glowed in the dark.

But the radium was a silent poison. Soon, the women started getting sick with mysterious ailments. Their jaws began to decay, their bones crumbled, and they suffered from horrific pain. The companies that hired them denied any connection and actively fought to cover up the truth. The Radium Girls is the inspiring and infuriating story of these women’s brave fight for justice. They took on a powerful industry in a battle that would not only expose corporate greed but also lead to groundbreaking changes in workplace safety standards. It’s a heartbreaking, powerful story of courage in the face of unimaginable suffering.

The Hot Zone: The Terrifying True Story of the Origins of the Ebola Virus by Richard Preston

This book is not for the faint of heart. In fact, many readers have claimed it’s scarier than any horror novel they’ve ever read. The Hot Zone details the origins and first outbreaks of deadly filoviruses, particularly Ebola and its cousin, Marburg. Preston’s writing is so vivid and clinical that you feel like you are right there in the biocontainment labs with the scientists, dressed in pressurized suits and handling the world’s most dangerous pathogens.

The book begins with the horrifying story of a man in Kenya who essentially dissolves from the inside out from the Marburg virus. From there, it traces the terrifying path of Ebola, from its mysterious emergence in Central Africa to a shocking outbreak in a primate facility just outside Washington, D.C. The story of how a team of army scientists worked in secret to contain the virus and prevent it from spreading to the public is pure, nail-biting suspense. Preston makes the science of virology accessible, explaining how these viruses attack the body with ruthless efficiency. It’s a terrifying look at the very real threat of emerging diseases and the razor-thin line that protects us from a global pandemic.

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

This book created a new genre: the nonfiction novel. In 1959, the Clutter family—a respected and well-liked farming family in rural Kansas—was brutally murdered in their home for no apparent reason. The crime shocked the small community and the nation. Intrigued by the case, author Truman Capote traveled to Kansas with his friend Harper Lee (author of To Kill a Mockingbird) to investigate.

Capote spent years interviewing everyone involved: the townspeople, the investigators, and, eventually, the killers themselves. The result is a book that reads with the psychological depth and narrative drive of a great novel. He reconstructs the lives of the Clutter family, making you feel their loss deeply. He also delves into the minds of the murderers, Perry Smith and Dick Hickock, exploring their troubled pasts and the chillingly casual way they planned and executed the crime. The book forces you to ask difficult questions about the nature of evil, the death penalty, and the meaning of justice. In Cold Blood is a literary masterpiece that is as haunting today as it was when it was first published.