{"id":5554,"date":"2026-01-31T21:30:59","date_gmt":"2026-01-31T21:30:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/osintme.com\/?p=5554"},"modified":"2026-02-01T23:50:54","modified_gmt":"2026-02-01T23:50:54","slug":"osint-online-crime-books-for-investigators-the-osint-me-2026-reading-list","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/osintme.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/31\/osint-online-crime-books-for-investigators-the-osint-me-2026-reading-list\/","title":{"rendered":"OSINT &#038; online crime books for investigators &#8211; the Osint Me 2026 reading list"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"5554\" class=\"elementor elementor-5554\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-4050625 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"4050625\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-0cd4d88\" data-id=\"0cd4d88\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2ab4f92 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"2ab4f92\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Similar to <a href=\"https:\/\/osintme.com\/index.php\/2021\/04\/30\/my-recently-read-osint-security-books-recommendations\/\">the post published several years ago<\/a>, I&#8217;m sharing a short list of book recommendations for 2026.<\/p><p>This subjective list will be made of two parts &#8211; the first one will contain recommendations based on the books I personally read and found worthwhile to share. Each book will have a brief note explaining why I thought it was valuable.<\/p><p>The second list will have on it my own prospective reads for 2026. Again, each position will have a sentence or two on the reasons why I intend to read it.<\/p><p>So here goes &#8211; in no particular order:<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-f91b748 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"f91b748\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-9720b28\" data-id=\"9720b28\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-63ff52c elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"63ff52c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">My reading recommendations \nfor 2026<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-00c4c58 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"00c4c58\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-407db35\" data-id=\"407db35\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1ab0f46 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"1ab0f46\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul><li><strong>Social Engineering<\/strong> by Christopher Hadnagy &#8211; a must read by pentesters, cybersecurity professionals and hacking enthusiasts. It explains how attackers exploit human psychology to bypass controls and gain access to information systems. Hadnagy also offers defensive guidance on how organisations can spot, resist, and report social engineering attempts more effectively.<\/li><li><strong>The Crypto Launderers<\/strong> by David Carlisle &#8211; this book provides a lot of historical context to the adoption of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies &#8211; from early darkweb markets to NFTs, DeFi, etc. It contains examples of past cases involving cryptocurrencies and money laundering, including the early days of the North Korean thefts and hacks. All this is laid out in a clear and understandable way, ideal for somebody who is only beginning to venture into cryptocurrency investigations. On a personal note, I met the author last year at a conference in the UK &#8211; his background as an anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing expert reflects his knowledge of this topic.<\/li><li><strong>There&#8217;s No Such Thing as Crypto Crime<\/strong> by Nick Furneaux &#8211; from the same author who in 2018 wrote <strong>Investigating Cryptocurrencies<\/strong>, a book essentially written by an investigator for other investigators. His new work updates the narrative to present days and deals with topics such as the most prominent current scam methods, coin swap services, mixing, deobfuscation, and so on. A worthwhile read!<\/li><li><strong>Pegasus<\/strong> by Laurent Richard &#8211; this one is about digital privacy. It details the deployment of commercial spyware from the infamous NSO Group against basically innocent and unsuspecting people all over the world. It walks you through the ways in which Pegasus and its \u201czero\u2011click\u201d exploits could turn any smartphone into a fully compromised, covert surveillance device.<\/li><li><strong>The Age of Surveillance Capitalism<\/strong> by Shoshana Zuboff &#8211; this book is a hefty brick of a read (over 700 pages!) but might be worth it if you&#8217;re interested in the socio-economic side of digital privacy. \u00a0The author explains how technology platforms turn human experience into harvestable behavioural data and then sell it in \u201cbehavioural futures markets.\u201d The book shows how this data extraction and prediction infrastructure works in pretty much every online ecosystem in which cybercrime, fraud, and manipulation now occur.<\/li><li><strong>The OSINT Handbook<\/strong> by Dale Meredith &#8211; this one is a tentative recommendation, since I can&#8217;t honestly say this book contains 100% updated and relevant OSINT techniques and tools. It is however suitable for beginners, as you can get a basic grasp on how to use core OSINT stuff across search engines, social media, websites, etc. There are some tips on how to automate collection and analysis to work at scale.<\/li><li><strong>Full Stack Recruiter<\/strong> by Jan Tegze &#8211; previously mentioned during the <a href=\"https:\/\/osintme.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/12\/osint-recruiting-and-personal-brand-building-interview-with-jan-tegze\/\">conversation with the author here<\/a>. This book contains some good OSINT tips and tricks, since it turns out that sourcing candidates for jobs is not so drastically different to finding suspects and their digital footprint.<\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-042603f elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"042603f\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-4b12975\" data-id=\"4b12975\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d7d8594 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"d7d8594\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">My reading TO DO list for 2026<\/h4>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-9262396 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"9262396\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-02488af\" data-id=\"02488af\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3fb3e23 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3fb3e23\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul><li><strong>Tracers in the Dark<\/strong> by Andy Greenberg &#8211; apparently it &#8220;reads like a thriller&#8221; while explaining the techniques &amp; tools that make cryptocurrency tracing possible.<\/li><li><strong>We Are Bellingcat<\/strong> by Elliot Higgins &#8211; who in OSINT hasn&#8217;t heard of Bellingcat?!<\/li><li><strong>Deep Dive<\/strong> by Rae Baker &#8211; general &amp; maritime OSINT techniques from the author who previously was a guest on the blog &#8211; see <a href=\"https:\/\/osintme.com\/index.php\/2022\/03\/22\/the-power-of-maritime-osint-interview-with-wondersmith-rae\/\">here<\/a>.<\/li><li><strong>Dark Wire<\/strong> by Joseph Cox &#8211; this book is about a certain app called Anom, that was favoured for secure communications by cybercriminals &#8211; until it turned out that it was being operated by the FBI.<\/li><li><strong>Rinsed<\/strong> by Geoff White &#8211; focuses on online and offline money laundering methods.<\/li><li><strong>Nothing Is Beyond Our Reach<\/strong> by Kristie Macrakis &#8211; about the CIA, its creation and its various operations around the world, more or less scandalous and morally dubious.<\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A personal list of reading recommendations for 2026 for investigators and OSINT enthusiasts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"","neve_meta_content_width":0,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[133,76,143,127],"class_list":["post-5554","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-books","tag-cybercrime","tag-learning","tag-money-laundering"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/osintme.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5554","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/osintme.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/osintme.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/osintme.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/osintme.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5554"}],"version-history":[{"count":64,"href":"https:\/\/osintme.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5554\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5623,"href":"https:\/\/osintme.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5554\/revisions\/5623"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/osintme.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5554"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/osintme.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5554"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/osintme.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5554"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}