In 2007, an infantry platoon in the U.S. Army's 173rd Airborne Brigade deployed to Afghanistan's Korengal valley; bestselling author and war correspondent Sebastian Junger was embedded with them for much of that time. Junger lived, slept, and fought with these soldiers, joining in on patrols and experiencing both the chaotic firefights and the periods of excruciating boredom that war often consists of. The result is this often-harrowing on-the-ground account of what it's like to be a soldier in combat. (It's also worth noting that Junger also helped make an award-winning documentary called Restrepo, named after a nickname for the firebase he lived in, which itself was named after a fallen medic.)

Taxes, women's suffrage, anti-German sentiment: these seemingly unconnected things all influenced the arrival of the Volstead Act, which in 1920 made the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol anywhere in the U.S. illegal. This informative and entertaining book--chock full of fascinating details--explains exactly how Prohibition happened, what life under Prohibition was like, and what the consequences were of shutting down the U.S.'s fifth largest industry. Kirkus Reviews calls it "intoxicating" (you knew someone was going to), and the author and his book figure prominently in Ken Burns' 2011 documentary on the subject. Don't miss it if you're interested in this era in American history.

Those familiar with American frontier history know that despite the lack of solid historical data on the Battle of the Little Bighorn, there's no shortage of authors creating plausible scenarios. Now, here comes historian Nathaniel Philbrick, who attempts to analyze the characters and contributions of Native American leaders Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse and Union cavalry officer Lt. Col. George Custer and his subordinates. Unsurprisingly, perhaps, the award-winning Philbrick succeeds, producing a "fascinating integration of known fact and defensible speculation that should rivet his audience" (Booklist).

Presenting little-known aspects of Parisian history--as well as its geographical secrets--through a series of vignettes that feature historical figures like Marie Antoinette (unable to flee the city because she lacked a reliable map) or criminal-turned-P.I. Eugène François Vidocq, this "valentine to the City of Light" (The New York Times) will definitely appeal to those who wish to spend more time there themselves. Though historian Graham Robb takes certain novelistic liberties (historical individuals share narrative duties), his findings are based on solid research. Curious about Paris' catacombs or Napoleon's first impressions of Paris? You'll find information about both--and so much more--in Parisians.

In this spellbinding book, bestselling author Hampton Sides explores the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. with all the "immediacy, intimacy, and the pacing of a thriller" (Booklist). As April 4th, 1968 approaches, Sides alternates perspectives between King and his eventual killer--escaped criminal James Earl Ray, who traveled under the name Eric Galt as he stalked and plotted to kill the civil rights leader. Sides goes on to follow the FBI investigation and the manhunt that ended in Ray's capture, addressing theories that Ray did not act alone and that FBI leader J. Edgar Hoover was behind the assassination. If you'd like to read more about King and his legacy, try Michael Eric Dyson's April 4, 1968.

Journalist Mark Bowden may be better known for the National Book Award-winning Black Hawk Down, but this riveting nonfiction thriller covers a compelling topic--the exploits of and the hunt for Pablo Escobar, the terrifying Colombian cocaine kingpin whose propensity for kidnapping and torture held an entire country in thrall. Using eyewitness accounts, the transcripts of bugged telephone calls, and other restricted documents, Bowden covers Escobar's ruthless building of the Medellín cartel, the often-frustrating hunt by Columbian and U.S. forces, and the shadowy, violent world of international drug trafficking. For an insider's account of Escobar's multi-billion dollar empire, try The Accountant's Story, by his brother (and business partner) Roberto Escobar.

In a misguided attempt to obtain a pardon for a fellow counterfeiter moldering in an Illinois penitentiary, three men attempted to break into Springfield's Oak Ridge Cemetery, steal the 16th U.S. President's body, and hold it for ransom. Fortunately, their plan was foiled, but not before Lincoln's crypt was disturbed and his casket temporarily removed from its sarcophagus... This event might have gotten more attention had it not taken place on the same night as the hotly contested (and scandal-ridden) 1876 presidential election, but it resulted in several more reburials before Lincoln's body came to rest securely ensconced in steel and concrete. Booklist calls this account of a bizarre night and its consequences "irresistible."

In the 1930s, Han van Meegeren was a not-very-successful Dutch painter who turned to selling "lost Vermeers" to the Nazis and other wealthy art collectors. He made millions doing this, but earned the enmity of those who considered him a collaborator--until it turned out that he had painted all the Vermeers himself, for years duping his former critics and Nazi officer Herman Göring alike. The Forger's Spell brilliantly retells this story of art fraud, from painting technique to forged bills of sale to, most importantly, the psychological spell van Meegeren wove over those he deceived. For more on crime and the arts, check out the author's The Rescue Artist or Jonathan Harr's The Lost Painting.

This "eloquent, impeccable book" (The New York Times) follows the story of Frank Koehler, who shot and killed two men in 1970 and subsequently disappeared, and the man who, 27 years later, tracked him down and arrested him. This was Andy Rosenzweig, an investigator with the Manhattan D.A.'s office who had known the victims. Though there was no doubt as to Koehler's guilt, tracking him down took more than a little legwork on Rosenzweig's part; it is this police work, as well as Koehler's confession and legal defense, that form the most interesting parts of this slender book.

Chicago's World Fair of 1893 boasted the best of American ingenuity--the first Ferris Wheel, the introduction of the zipper--as well as the worst, for as crowds gathered on the fairgrounds, a charismatic serial killer preyed on innocents in a specially constructed complex nearby. The stories of the two men who shaped the way this historic event would be remembered--architect Daniel Burnham, who coordinated the construction of the White City, and serial killer Herman Mudgett, who exploited it--are shared in this "compelling and aptly claustrophobic" (Publishers Weekly) book, which also draws an illuminating picture of America at the turn of the century.

Almost ten years ago, special agent Robert Philip Hanssen of the FBI was arrested for selling top-secret intelligence and defense information to Russia. Hanssen--a counterintelligence expert--had been selling secrets for 20 years, making his betrayal one of the worst security breaches the FBI had ever seen. This well-researched book offers not just an explanation of how Hanssen managed to go so long without being caught, but also suggests why it was that Hanssen betrayed his country in the first place. If you're captivated by this story and want more, you can try Adrian Havill's The Spy Who Stayed Out in the Cold, Elaine Shannon and Ann Blackman's The Spy Next Door, or the Hollywood movie, Breach.