Looking for books about Bali? Kathryn Bonella’s bestselling true crime books reveal the island beyond the tourist image — from Bali’s international drug trade and Kerobokan Prison to surfers turned international drug traffickers and some of the island’s most notorious criminal cases. Her Bali books include Snowing in Bali, Hotel Kerobokan, Operation Playboy and Schapelle Corby: My Story.
Featured Bali True Crime Books
Snowing in Bali →
Snowing in Bali investigates the surfers turned international drug traffickers operating behind Bali’s paradise image. Through extensive interviews with traffickers, insiders and those close to the trade, Kathryn exposes a hidden world of cocaine, luxury villas, beach culture, risk and excess — and how some foreign surfers became major players in Bali’s international drug trade.
Hotel Kerobokan →
Hotel K, also published as Hotel Kerobokan, takes readers inside Bali’s notorious Kerobokan Prison. Based on extensive access and interviews, the book reveals a world of corruption, violence and survival populated by celebrity prisoners, drug traffickers and some of Bali’s most notorious criminals. It exposes the extraordinary stories and strange economy of life behind the walls of one of Indonesia’s most infamous prisons. Hotel K became an international bestseller and established Kathryn as a leading writer on Bali’s criminal underworld.
Operation Playboy →
Operation Playboy follows an international network of Brazilian surfers turned drug traffickers and the Brazilian Federal Police operation pursuing them across the globe. Moving between Brazil, Bali, Amsterdam and Australia, the book reveals both the extraordinary lives of the traffickers and the police investigation closing in on them — a global true crime story of ambition, risk, money and betrayal.
Schapelle Corby: My Story →
Kathryn’s work with Schapelle Corby led to Schapelle Corby: My Story / No More Tomorrows, the firsthand account of the Australian woman arrested at Bali’s Denpasar Airport after marijuana was found in her bodyboard bag.
The case became one of Australia’s most intensely followed legal dramas, generating years of headlines, public debate and extraordinary media attention. Kathryn worked closely with Schapelle to bring her account to readers as the case unfolded.
Why These Books About Bali Stand Out
Kathryn Bonella’s books about Bali focus on the real people and events behind some of the island’s most extraordinary true crime stories. Drawing on extensive interviews and firsthand accounts, the books explore Bali’s international drug trade, Kerobokan Prison, major criminal investigations and the experiences of Australians and international figures caught up in Indonesia’s justice system. From Snowing in Bali and Hotel Kerobokan to Operation Playboy and Schapelle Corby: My Story, the collection offers readers a deeper view of Bali beyond its beaches and resorts. For readers searching for Bali books, Indonesian true crime or nonfiction about crime in Bali, these books provide detailed, extensively researched accounts of the island’s hidden world.