True Grime

Provocative, darkly funny, and deeply self-aware, True Grime is not a catalogue of crimes, it's a reckoning with the stories we consume, the ones we tell, and what they reveal about who we are.

True Grime isn't just a true crime book. It also asks why true crime became the biggest entertainment genre on earth.
You might think it's about murder, cults, serial killers, dark tourism and courtroom dramas. It is. And, it is about us.
It's about why sensible, compassionate, busy people can't stop pressing play.
Why women make up the overwhelming majority of true crime audiences.
Why we binge murder podcasts to relax.
True Grime is an investigation into why trauma has become entertainment.
Jordan Bissell has been that crime reporter standing outside murder scenes. She's interviewed victims' families, cult survivors, experts and legends like Hedley Thomas. She's also booked the Jonestown tour, binge-listened to crime podcasts, and understands exactly why the rest of us do, too.
She's funny, self-deprecating and inappropriate. And then, when you're laughing, she'll sucker punch you with a disarming question.
True Grime is curious. It's funny. It's deeply researched. And underneath all the wit is the question: How does all this storytelling shape our understanding of violence?
Part Jon Ronson, part Sarah Krasnostein, by the time you finish True Grime, you won't just be thinking differently about Ted Bundy or Jonestown.
You'll be thinking differently about yourself.