Те, кто читает такие книги, часто ищут доказательства раньше героев.

Те, кто... is a very common Russian pattern meaning those who....

• Те = those
• кто читает такие книги = who read such books

So the structure is:

• Те = the people being talked about
• кто читает такие книги = a clause describing which people

This is one of the standard ways Russian says those who....

This is a very common point of confusion.

In Russian, кто usually takes a singular verb in its own clause:

• кто читает = who reads
• кто знает = who knows
• кто пришёл = who came

But the main clause agrees with те, which is plural:

• Те ... ищут = Those ... look for

So in this sentence:

• кто читает = singular because of кто
• те ... ищут = plural because of те

That combination is completely normal in Russian.

Because кто читает такие книги is a subordinate clause attached to те.

Russian punctuation normally separates this kind of clause with commas:

• Те, кто читает такие книги, ...

So the commas mark the inserted who read such books part.

This is very similar to how English often sets off a clause like Those who read such books..., although Russian punctuation is often stricter and more regular.

Такие книги is in the accusative plural, because it is the direct object of читает:

• читать что? → книги

Why does it look the same as the nominative?

Because for inanimate plural nouns, the accusative form is the same as the nominative:

• nominative: такие книги
• accusative: такие книги

So the form does not change here, even though the case is accusative.

Такие means such, these kinds of, or books like that.

So:

• такие книги = such books / books like that

It points back to a type or category of book, not specific books already named in the sentence.

Grammatically, доказательства is the plural of доказательство, which often means:

• proof
• evidence
• sometimes, depending on context, something like clues

In this sentence, the meaning depends on the broader context. If we are talking about mystery or detective stories, доказательства may feel closer to evidence or even clues than mathematical proofs.

Formally here it is accusative plural, because it is the object of ищут:

• ищут что? → доказательства

Героев is genitive plural of герои.

It is genitive because раньше can be used with the genitive to mean earlier than someone or something:

• раньше героев = earlier than the heroes

So the sentence means that these readers often look for the evidence before the heroes do.

This is a comparison in time.

In natural English, it usually means before the heroes do.

Russian often leaves the repeated verb unstated when it is obvious from context. So:

• часто ищут доказательства раньше героев

understands something like:

• often look for evidence earlier than the heroes [look for it / find it / figure it out]

The exact missing idea depends on context, but the general sense is that the readers get ahead of the protagonists.

Yes. Герой in Russian can mean hero, but in literary context it very often means:

• character
• main character
• protagonist

So in a sentence about books, героев may be better understood as the characters or the protagonists, depending on the style of the translation.

A very literal translation gives heroes, but that may sound less natural in English if the context is simply fiction rather than heroic stories.

Because Russian often uses the present tense to describe a general habit or typical behavior.

So here the meaning is not just about what is happening right now. It means something like:

• people who read such books tend to do this
• they often do this in general

Also, both verbs are imperfective, which fits habitual or repeated actions:

• читает = reads / is reading
• ищут = look for / are looking for

With часто, the habitual meaning is especially clear.

Sometimes Russian can build a sentence without те, but it would not be exactly the same structure.

• Те, кто читает такие книги, ... = Those who read such books, ...
• Кто читает такие книги, тот ... = Whoever reads such books, ... / Anyone who reads such books, ...

The version with те, кто is the most direct match for those who. It sounds natural and neutral here.

So те is not random; it is an important part of this specific construction.