Nothing is as it seems: 9 must-read exposés

Why read this: A teenage boy falls to his death from a luxury Thames-side apartment block. His parents' determination to understand why leads us here: a forensic, heart-rending investigation into the hidden underworld of modern London. In 2019, Zac Brettler’s death left his parents searching for answers. What they uncovered – his fantasy identity as the son of a Russian oligarch and a secret double life – opened the door into a world of extreme wealth, secrecy and quiet impunity. With all the rigour that made Empire of Pain and Say Nothing international bestsellers, the 2021 Baillie Gifford Prize-winning Patrick Radden Keefe traces a family’s grief against a city reshaped by offshore money and moral compromise. Meticulous, humane and quietly enraging, this is sure to sit among the best true crime books ever written.

If you’re looking for: Investigative journalism, extreme wealth, oligarchs, books about London.

Great for fans of: Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe, Butler to the World by Oliver Bullough, A Thread of Violence by Mark O'Connell, Putin's People by Catherine Belton.

What the experts say: ‘Gripping, rigorous and smart . . . breathtaking’ – Jon Ronson, author of The Men Who Stare At Goats and The Psychopath Test. 'More addictive than any box set, London Falling will break your heart, instil you with cold rage, and make you see London in a completely new light' – Sathnam Sanghera, author of Empireland.

Why read this: Award-winning journalist Katie Prescott explores the life, and mysterious death, of Mike Lynch. Lynch became one of the UK’s richest men after selling his software company Autonomy to Hewlett-Packard for £11billion in 2011 – a sale which led to one of the biggest fraud cases in Silicon Valley history. After battling in courtrooms for over a decade, and eventually being exonerated, Lynch (and six others, including his daughter) died when his mega yacht sunk off the coast of Sicily. Just hours earlier, his co-defendant has been killed in a car accident. Prescott pieces together the rise and fall of a man whose story proves that in the world of high finance, nothing is ever quite as it seems.

If you’re looking for: Tech industry biography, investigative journalism, corporate intrigue, British business, narrative non-fiction.

Great for fans of: Michael Lewis, Bad Blood by John Carreyrou, Parmy Olson, Succession.

Why read this: Shocking and darkly funny, Careless People gives you a front-row seat to the decisions that are shaping our world and the people who make them. Welcome to Facebook. From wild schemes cooked up on private jets to risking prison abroad, Careless People exposes both the personal and political fallout when boundless power and a rotten culture take hold. In a gripping and often absurd narrative, former Director of Global Public Policy Sarah Wynn-Williams rubs shoulders with Mark Zuckerberg, Sheryl Sandberg and world leaders, revealing what really goes on among the global elite – and the consequences this has for all of us.

If you’re looking for: Big Tech exposé, corporate memoir, social media impact, whistleblowing, narrative non-fiction.

What the experts say: ‘Amazing: of all the books in all the world Mr Free Speech Zuckerberg wants to ban, it’s the one about him’ – Marina Hyde.

Why read this: A landmark work of investigative journalism, Empire of Pain exposes the dynasty behind one of the most devastating public health crises of our time. From the rural communities ravaged by the impact of opioid addiction to the hallowed halls of some of the world’s most respected cultural and education institutions, the Sackler’s unsavoury legacy in America is undeniable. Patrick Radden Keefe’s Baillie Gifford Prize-winning investigation traces three generations of the Sackler family, from the marketing of Valium to the global devastation wrought by OxyContin. As compelling as a thriller, this book masterfully weaves a story of ambition, greed and secrecy and uncovers how the Sackler family made a fortune from other people’s pain and how they were allowed to get away with it. 

If you’re looking for: Corporate accountability, pharmaceutical scandal, investigative journalism, abuse of power, global health crisis, award-winning investigation. 

Great for fans of: Painkiller (Netflix), Slow Burn podcast. 

What the experts say: 'Put simply, this book will make your blood boil . . . a devastating portrait of a family consumed by greed and unwilling to take the slightest responsibility or show the least sympathy for what it wrought . . . a highly readable and disturbing narrative.' – John Carreyrou, author of Bad Blood.

Why read this: A first-hand account of the intelligence leak that reshaped the global debate on privacy and state power. In Permanent Record, Edward Snowden traces his journey from precocious tech enthusiast to CIA and NSA contractor – and ultimately to the whistleblower who exposed mass surveillance programmes capable of harvesting phone calls, emails and digital footprints on an unprecedented scale. With technical clarity and personal candour, Snowden explains how the system was built, how it operated, and why he chose to risk exile rather than remain silent. For readers interested in accountability, government overreach and the hidden architecture of the internet, this is a vital insider narrative of the digital age.

If you’re looking for: Whistleblowing, state surveillance, cyber security, intelligence agencies, political memoir, digital ethics.

Why read this: A bestselling, award-winning exposé of Britain’s criminal justice system that reveals what really happens behind courtroom doors. Written anonymously by a practising barrister, this is an urgent, clear-eyed account of a system under strain – where underfunding, political decisions and structural flaws have real human consequences. By turns darkly funny and deeply unsettling, it connects everyday cases to bigger questions about fairness, accountability and trust in public institutions. You’ll come away better informed – and unlikely to see the justice system in quite the same way again.

If you’re looking for: Criminal justice insight, UK legal system, politics and policy, real-life case stories, social justice, investigative narrative non-fiction.

Great for fans of: The Establishment by Owen Jones, Do No Harm by Henry Marsh.

What the experts say: 'By turns eye-opening, damning and hilarious, the secret barrister lifts the lid on a legal system where the system, the politicians, the lack of funding and sometimes the judges are the real villains and the victims are all of us' – Tim Shipman, author of Fall Out and All Out War

Why read this: A brutally honest, hugely funny memoir that captures the reality of life on the NHS front line. Written in secret between gruelling hospital shifts, Adam Kay’s account lays bare the exhaustion, absurdity and emotional toll of the job – from 97-hour weeks to split-second, life-or-death decisions. It’s as entertaining as it is eye-opening, blending sharp humour with moments of real heartbreak. Crucially, it offers a deeper understanding of the pressures facing healthcare professionals, making it both a compelling read and an important one.

If you’re looking for: Medical memoir, NHS insight, laugh-out-loud humour, real-life diaries.

Great for fans of: The Secret Barrister, Henry Marsh’s Do No Harm.

What the experts say: ‘I’d prescribe this book to anyone and everyone’ – Jonathan Ross. ‘Painfully funny. . .entirely noble and entirely loveable’ – Stephen Fry.

Why read this: Corporate fraud on a scale that endangered lives: this is the original award-winning investigation behind the Theranos scandal. Read journalist John Carreyrou's exposure of the breathtaking deception at the heart of the multibillion biotech Silicon Valley start-up, where Elizabeth Holmes promised revolutionary blood-testing technology, but the technology didn’t work. Built from whistleblower testimony, internal documents and dogged reporting, Bad Blood reads like a financial crime thriller – yet every detail is documented. 

If you’re looking for: Corporate crime, whistleblowers, investigative journalism, courtroom drama, abuse of power.

Great for fans of: The Dropout podcast, The Smartest Guys in the Room by Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind, All the President's Men.

What the experts say: 'A story so incredible you'd think it was fiction' – James Patterson. 'I couldn’t put down this thriller . . . a book so compelling that I couldn't turn away' – Bill Gates

Why read this: A gripping, unfiltered account of life inside one of Britain’s most notorious prisons, told by a former officer who lived it day in, day out. Neil Samworth pulls back the curtain on HMP Manchester, revealing a volatile world of violence, dark humour and fragile humanity. From confrontations with dangerous inmates to the quieter toll on staff, this is both a frontline memoir and a wider critique of a system under pressure. Honest, unsettling and often surprisingly compassionate, it offers rare insight into a hidden corner of public life.

If you’re looking for: Prison system insight, UK criminal justice, frontline memoir, true crime perspective, mental health, gritty real-life stories.

Great for fans of: Good Cop, Bad War by Neil Woods, Lethal Force by Tony Young. 

What the experts say: ‘Authentic, tough, horrifying in some places and hilarious in others. . .an enthralling, exciting but disturbing book’ – Jonathan Aitken.