“What are the best books about The F.B.I.?” We looked at 148 of the top FBI books, aggregating and ranking them so we could answer that very question!

Learn more about The FBI and its long history with the nearly 150 books below. The top 13 books, all appearing on 2 or more “Best FBI Book” lists, are ranked below with images, descriptions, and links. The remaining 100+ titles, as well as the lists we used, can be found at the bottom of the page.

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Top Books About The FBI

13 .) Bobby and J. Edgar: The Historic Face-Off Between the Kennedys and J. Edgar Hoover That Transformed America by Burton Hersh

Lists It Appears On:

• ChikiChika
• Alibris

The history of one of the most admired (Bobby Kennedy) and one of the most reviled (J. Edgar Hoover) are entwined with that of Joseph Kennedy. This triumvirate was marked by conflict, betrayal and a strange Shakespearean familial bond. Set against the ongoing context of Joe Kennedy’s behind-the-scenes manipulation of key players in Congress, organized crime, and his own family, major players are revealed such as Roy Cohn, Martin Luther King, Marilyn Monroe, Lyndon Johnson, and Richard Nixon.

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12 .) Donnie Brasco by Joseph Pistone

Lists It Appears On:

• FBI Authors
• FBI Authors

“Posing as jewel thief “”Donnie Brasco,”” FBI agent Joseph D. Pistone carried out the most audacious sting operation ever, working undercover for six years to infiltrate the flamboyant community of mafia soldiers, “”connected guys,”” captains, and godfathers.
Now his unforgettable eyewitness account brings to pulsating life the entire world of wiseguys—their code of honor and their treachery, their wives, girlfriends and whores, their lavish spending and dirty dealings.

With the drama and suspense of a high-tension thriller, Joseph Pistone reveals every incredible aspect of the jealously guarded world he penetrated…and draws a chilling picture of what the mafia is, does, and means in America today.”

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11 .) The Man and the Secrets by Curt Gentry

Lists It Appears On:

• Alibris
• The New York Times

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10 .) The Boss: J. Edgar Hoover and the Great American Inquisition by Athan G. Theoharis; John Stuart Cox

Lists It Appears On:

• Questia
• Questia 2

In 1925 J. Edgar Hoover secretly began to maintain in his own office the “Obscene File”and two other files which were kept separate from the FBIas central records system and which recorded accounts of sexual activities and damaging personal information on dissident activists, prominent leaders and personalities, even Presidents and First Ladies. In addition, Hoover had his aides keep “summary memoranda” on members of Congress reporting on their “subversive activities” and “immoral conduct.” He also had aides create office files in which memoranda labeled “Do Not File” itemized illegal break-ins by agents authorized by Hoover; these “files” were also kept apart from the Bureauas central records and were regularly destroyed. Having cracked Hooveras secret filing systems, Athan G. Theoharis and John Stuart Cox present with unprecedented accuracy and comprehensive primary evidence the definitive biography of J. Edgar Hoover, the man who was the FBI for 48 years. The Boss draws on previously unknown and extremely sensitive Bureau files as well as interviews with Hoover family members, agents, politicians, and “targets” of FBI investigations to reveal the man, the administrator, and the power-monger who manipulated American politics for half a century.

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9 .) Stalking the Sociological Imagination: J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI Surveillance of American Sociology by Mike Forrest Keen

Lists It Appears On:

• Questia
• Questia 2

It is now common knowledge that the FBI and its long-time director, J. Edgar Hoover, were responsible for the creation of a massive internal security apparatus that undermined the very principles of freedom and democracy they were sworn to protect. While no one was above suspicion, Hoover appears to have held a special disdain for sociologists and placed many of sociology’s most prominent American figures under surveillance. Using documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, this volume portrays the FBI’s stalking of the sociological imagination, offering a detailed account of its investigations within the context of an overview of the history of American sociology. This groundbreaking analysis of a previously hidden chapter of American intellectual history suggests that the activities of Hoover and the FBI marginalized critical sociologists such as W.E.B. Du Bois and C. Wright Mills, suppressed the development of a Marxist tradition in American sociology, and likely pushed the mainstream of the discipline away from a critique of American society and towards a more quantitative and scientific direction. The author also turns sociology back upon the FBI, using the writings and ideas of the very sociologists Hoover had under surveillance to examine and explain the excesses of the Bureau and its boss.

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8 .) Public Enemies by Bryan Burrough

Lists It Appears On:

• Five Books
• EW

In Public Enemies, bestselling author Bryan Burrough strips away the thick layer of myths put out by J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI to tell the full story—for the first time—of the most spectacular crime wave in American history, the two-year battle between the young Hoover and the assortment of criminals who became national icons: John Dillinger, Machine Gun Kelly, Bonnie and Clyde, Baby Face Nelson, Pretty Boy Floyd, and the Barkers. In an epic feat of storytelling and drawing on a remarkable amount of newly available material on all the major figures involved, Burrough reveals a web of interconnections within the vast American underworld and demonstrates how Hoover’s G-men overcame their early fumbles to secure the FBI’s rise to power.

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7 .) My FBI by Louis J. Freeh

Lists It Appears On:

• FBI Authors
• EW

“Louis Freeh led the Federal Bureau of Investigation from 1993 to 2001, through some of the most tumultuous times in its long history. This is the story of a life in law enforcement, and of one man’s determined struggle to strengthen and reform the FBI while ensuring its freedom from political interference.

Bill Clinton called Freeh a “law enforcement legend” when he nominated him as FBI Director. The good feelings would not last. Going toe-to-toe with his boss during the scandal-plagued ‘90s, Freeh fought hard to defend his agency from political interference and to protect America from the growing threat of international terrorism. When Clinton later called that appointment the worst one he had made as president, Freeh considered it “a badge of honor.”

This is Freeh’s entire story, from his Catholic upbringing in New
Jersey to law school, the FBI training academy, his career as a US District attorney and as a federal judge, and finally his eight years as the nation’s top cop. This is the definitive account of American law enforcement in the run-up to September 11. Freeh is clear-eyed, frank, the ultimate realist, and he offers resolute vision for the struggles ahead.”

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6 .) Mind Hunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit by John Douglas, Mark Olshaker

Lists It Appears On:

• FBI Authors
• EInvestigator

“In chilling detail, the legendary Mindhunter takes us behind the scenes of some of his most gruesome, fascinating, and challenging cases—and into the darkest recesses of our worst nightmares.

During his twenty-five year career with the Investigative Support Unit, Special Agent John Douglas became a legendary figure in law enforcement, pursuing some of the most notorious and sadistic serial killers of our time: the man who hunted prostitutes for sport in the woods of Alaska, the Atlanta child murderer, and Seattle’s Green River killer, the case that nearly cost Douglas his life.

As the model for Jack Crawford in The Silence of the Lambs, Douglas has confronted, interviewed, and studied scores of serial killers and assassins, including Charles Manson, Ted Bundy, and Ed Gein, who dressed himself in his victims’ peeled skin. Using his uncanny ability to become both predator and prey, Douglas examines each crime scene, reliving both the killer’s and the victim’s actions in his mind, creating their profiles, describing their habits, and predicting their next moves.”

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5 .) J. Edgar Hoover and the Anti-interventionists: FBI Political Surveillance and the Rise of the Domestic Security State, 1939–1945 by Douglas M Charles

Lists It Appears On:

• ChikiChika
• Alibris

Douglas M. Charles reveals how FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover catered to President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s political interests. Between 1939 and 1945, the Federal Bureau of Investigation monitored the political activities of President Roosevelt’s anti-interventionist foreign policy critics. Hoover, whose position as FBI director was tenuous within the left-of-center Roosevelt administration, catered to the president’s political and policy interests in order to preserve his position and to expand FBI authority.

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4 .) J. Edgar Hoover and His G-Men by William B. Breuer

Lists It Appears On:

• Questia
• Questia 2

“Through gripping accounts of actual incidents, William Breuer brings the reader to the front lines of battle with Hoover and his crimebusters. Thrilling manhunts, thwarted mayhem, and tense confrontations dominate the action as the FBI tracks down the most dangerous hoodlums, kidnappers, and marauders of the era. Breuer also examines the social obstacles of pursuing justice during that bleak period in American history. Citizen apathy spurred by the Depression further stacked the odds against the G-Men as they chased desperadoes across the landscape. Somehow, the FBI achieved unprecedented success in the face of almost insurmountable odds. This powerful volume demonstrates the stunning evolution of a tattered, corrupt organization into a disciplined unit priding itself on integrity and a tireless dedication to duty. Most of all, Hoover’s mystique and the sheer force of his will can be felt with each encounter detailed in this fascinating book.

As the blood of criminal violence flowed through the streets in early 1920s America, the FBI was rendered helpless by unholy alliances with crooked politicians and shady dealings. A dynamic, young J. Edgar Hoover would change all that. After being named director of the FBI, Hoover quickly whipped the bureau into crime-fighting shape through mass firings of political hacks and painstaking screening of new recruits. Hoover’s meticulous revitalization of the FBI resulted in the forming of a small, coldly efficient force that eagerly awaited its chance to battle the criminal element. Once Congress removed limitations on making arrests and carrying firearms, Hoover and 600 G-Men took to the streets, matching guns and wits with America’s most notorious gangsters in an all-out war. The G-Men rapidly nailed ruthless criminals and well-known kingpins such as John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson, Pretty Boy Floyd, Ma Barker and her sons, Machine Gun Kelly, and Creepy Karpis (who was personally apprehended by Hoover).”

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3 .) Hoover’s FBI by Cartha D. DeLoach

Lists It Appears On:

• FBI Authors
• Alibris

The FBI is the world’s most famous law enforcement agency and also one of the world’s most mysterious organizations. Only the few who were part of J. Edgar Hoover’s inner circle know the truths of five decades of his authoritarian rule. In this gripping personal account, Deke DeLoach, who was privy to Hoover’s thoughts and actions during the FBI’s most tumultuous years, tells his insider story.

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2 .) Enemies: A History of the FBI by Tim Weiner

Lists It Appears On:

• EW
• Alibris

“Enemies is the first definitive history of the FBI’s secret intelligence operations, from an author whose work on the Pentagon and the CIA won him the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award.

We think of the FBI as America’s police force. But secret intelligence is the Bureau’s first and foremost mission. Enemies is the story of how presidents have used the FBI to conduct political warfare, and how the Bureau became the most powerful intelligence service the United States possesses.

Here is the hidden history of America’s hundred-year war on terror. The FBI has fought against terrorists, spies, anyone it deemed subversive—and sometimes American presidents. The FBI’s secret intelligence and surveillance techniques have created a tug-of-war between national security and civil liberties. It is a tension that strains the very fabric of a free republic.”

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1 .) The Bureau: The Secret History of the FBI by Ronald Kessler

Lists It Appears On:

• The New York Times
• EInvestigator
• EW

“Based on exclusive interviews-including the first interview with Robert Mueller since his nomination as director-The Bureau reveals why the FBI was unprepared for the attacks of September 11 and how the FBI is combating terrorism today. The book answers such questions as: Why did the FBI know nothing useful about al-Qaeda before September 11? What is really behind the FBI’s more aggressive investigative approaches that have raised civil liberties concerns? What does the FBI think of improvements in airline security? How safe does the FBI think America really is?

An Award-winning investigative reporter and New York Times bestselling author of Inside the White House, Ronald Kessler answers these questions and presents the definitive history of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Bureau reveals startling new information-from J. Edgar Hoover’s blackmailing of Congress to the investigation of the September 11th attacks.”

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The Additional Best Books About The Federal Bureau of Investigation

9 Best Books To Read For Learning More About The FBI Sources/Lists