Cloyd Steiger’s Memoir is the Best True Crime Book Ever Written

A True Crime Book Written by the Man on the Inside

Jul 07, 2025

"One of the Top True Crime Books" — True Crime Guide
"One of the Top Ten True Crime Books to Quietly Obsess Over" — TheManual.com
"Top 100 Best Selling Memoirs" — Book Authority

When it comes to true crime stories that grip your soul, rattle your sense of safety, and make you look at your city a little differently — Homicide: The View from Inside the Yellow Tape by Cloyd Steiger does exactly that. 🚨📖

This isn't just another true crime book 📕— it’s a front-row seat to the horror and humanity of Seattle’s most chilling murder cases. It’s one of those rare reads that makes you put the book down just to stare at the wall and absorb what you just read. 😳🧠

And here's a personal note — Cloyd is my friend on Facebook, and knowing him even in that way makes the stories in this book hit even harder. This isn’t just history. This is a man who lived it. 🧵💬

🚓 A Career in the Darkest Corners of Seattle

Cloyd Steiger served as a Seattle homicide detective for 22 years — part of a 36-year career in law enforcement. That’s decades spent staring into the abyss, tracking down murderers, terrorists, and people capable of the worst kinds of violence. 🌃🖤

He wasn’t just there after the fact — he was the guy pulling the threads, sitting across from killers in interrogation rooms, and walking families through the worst days of their lives. 💔💡

If you’ve ever wanted to know what it's really like on the other side of that yellow crime scene tape — the real human toll, the mental acrobatics, and yes, even the moments of dark humor that help detectives survive — Homicide: The View from Inside the Yellow Tape gives you that and more. 🧠🔍⚠️

🩸 Stories You Won’t See on the Evening News

Steiger doesn’t hold back.

Inside this book, you’ll find raw, detailed accounts of cases involving serial killers, domestic terrorists, and psychotic murderers. 🧨🔪😱

But it’s not just the violence that stays with you — it’s the why. Steiger digs into motives, broken minds, the small clues that make or break a case, and the gut instincts that can’t be taught at any academy. 💡🗯️

Some chapters are so outrageous they border on absurd — others are devastating in their emotional weight. And somehow, Steiger finds room to weave in the humor, humanity, and even grace found in the work of homicide investigation. 🤯😢🤣

“You come face-to-face with pure evil,” he writes. “And you learn how to carry that with you.”

That’s not a quote from the book — it’s just the tone Steiger carries throughout every page. The man doesn't flinch. And after reading this, you might not either.

🗣️ Real Talk: Cloyd’s Voice Is Unfiltered and Powerful

One of the best things about this memoir? The voice.

It’s not polished like a TV script or sterilized for mass consumption. It’s raw. Gritty. Honest. The words are from a man who’s been there, done that, and still carries every case in his heart. 💬🧠💥

That authenticity is part of why Homicide: The View from Inside the Yellow Tape has been featured in outlets like KING5 News in Seattle 📺, and why it continues to rank among Amazon’s bestsellers for true crime and memoirs. 📈🔥

👉 Watch his KING5 interview here
👉 Visit his Amazon author page

💬 Why Readers Keep Coming Back

Here’s what makes this book stand out:

✅ The Cases: You get details of Seattle’s most brutal and baffling homicides. No fluff.
✅ The Psychology: You learn what makes killers tick — and how detectives tick even faster. 🧠
✅ The Humanity: From victims’ families to fellow cops, this book honors the people behind the headlines. ❤️
✅ The Dark Humor: Because sometimes, laughing is the only way to keep from crying. 😅

You’ll walk away with new respect for detectives — and maybe a little less naïveté about the world around you. 🧍‍♂️🌎

🧠 Mental Toll of Murder Work

One thing Steiger doesn’t shy away from is the psychological cost of homicide work. He doesn’t play the tough guy. He lets you in on the nightmares, the sleepless nights, and the heavy weight of seeing so much pain over and over again. 😔💤💣

You can’t unsee these things. You carry the victims with you. And Steiger makes sure you feel that too. The compassion in his writing is powerful — and rare in a genre that sometimes focuses too much on the killers. 🩶

🎖️ Why This Book Deserves the Hype

When TheManual.com named it one of the top ten true crime books to quietly obsess over — they nailed it. This isn’t just a book you read. It’s a book that lingers. 😮‍💨📘

When True Crime Guide called it one of the top true crime books, they weren’t exaggerating. There are plenty of good true crime books. But very few written by someone who lived the job, wrote it well, and didn’t glamorize a thing. 🪦🔎📊

And when Book Authority placed it in the Top 100 Best Selling Memoirs, it showed that Steiger's stories resonate with people far beyond the crime niche. His memoir isn't just a retelling of murders — it’s a testament to resilience, truth, and doing the hard work no one else wants to do. ⚖️✍️

🧍‍♂️ A Personal Note from TheColdCases.com 💻

As the founder of TheColdCases.com — a platform built to spotlight unsolved cases, honor victims, and demand justice — I feel a deep connection to what Cloyd has written. 🕯️📢

Reading his work reminds me why I started this mission in the first place: to give voice to the voiceless, just like Cloyd has done for years both on the streets and now on the page. 💬🎤

If you want to understand what murder really looks like — not the Netflix version, but the human, emotional, relentless reality of it — Homicide: The View from Inside the Yellow Tape is a must-read. 🧾🧠🧨

And if you want to support the kind of journalism and storytelling that aims to change the culture of silence around cold cases, consider sharing this post, picking up the book, or subscribing to TheColdCases.com 🙏📩

🛒 Where to Get the Book

📘 Buy the book on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B079PSM3S5

📺 Watch Cloyd Steiger on KING5 News:
https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/retired-detective-pens-book-about-seattles-notorious-murders/281-523567927

👋 Final Thoughts

Cloyd Steiger's Homicide: The View from Inside the Yellow Tape isn’t just another true crime book to add to your shelf. It’s a witness statement. A veteran's dispatch from the trenches of America’s most terrifying crimes. And a must-read for anyone who cares about justice, humanity, and truth.

It’s the kind of book that makes you grateful for people like Cloyd — and motivates the rest of us to keep the fight for justice going, especially for the cases that still remain unsolved. 🕊️🔦

I’m proud to call Cloyd a friend. And I’m proud to recommend this book to every reader of TheColdCases.com. 💻📖

Stay vigilant. Stay compassionate. And never stop asking questions. ❄️🕵️‍♀️🕯️

— Dustin Terry, Founder of TheColdCases.com