With HBO’s “Murder in Glitterball City,” based on David Dominé’s nonfiction book “A Dark Room in Glitter Ball City,” true-crime adaptations are once again in the spotlight. The two-part series revisits the 2010 Louisville murder case involving Joey Janis and Jeffrey Mundt. It’s one of several nonfiction books about murder that later became documentary films or series.

Here are some nonfiction books that also made the leap from page to documentary screen.

‘Ted Bundy: Falling for a Killer’
Prime Video

Based on the book “The Phantom Prince: My Life with Ted Bundy” by Elizabeth Kendall (1981), the documentary “Ted Bundy: Falling for a Killer” premiered on Prime Video on Jan. 30, 2020. The film draws directly from Kendall’s memoir about her relationship with Bundy and includes archival material tied to the book.

‘The Innocent Man’
Netflix

Netflix’s six-part series is based on John Grisham’s first nonfiction book, which examines two murder cases and alleged wrongful convictions in Ada, Okla. It premiered on Netflix on Dec. 14, 2018. He wrote his second nonfiction book, “Framed: Astonishing True Stories of Wrongful Convictions,” in 2024 with Jim McCloskey. 

‘A Wilderness of Error’
FX

Blumhouse and UCP adapted 2012 Errol Morris’ nonfiction book revisiting the 1970 murders of Army surgeon Jeffrey MacDonald’s family, reexamining evidence and legal questions. It premiered on FX on September 25, 2020.

‘I’ll Be Gone in the Dark’
HBO

Michelle McNamara’s book “I’ll Be Gone in the Dark” was published in 2018, two years after her 2016 death from an accidental overdose. The book chronicled her investigation into the Golden State Killer and was completed by collaborators. HBO released a six-part documentary adaptation on June 28, 2020 following her reporting and the 2018 arrest of Joseph DeAngelo. McNamara’s husband, Patton Oswalt, served as an executive producer.

About the writer

S. Lynn Bonanno has a weakness for murder docs and an even bigger one for cult exposés. If there’s a limited series involved, she’s already watching.