Serial Murder Books

AAAARRRRRGGGHHHH,

I am so frustrated. I am reading David Wilte's, Prayer For the Dead, in paper back and I have a misprinted book. It goes from page 282 back to page 251 and then repeats through 282 jumping at the end to 315. Too many missing pages. Wonderful book! I read all that was available in one Saturday morning. Perfect mindless readingfor a lazy Saturday. Wish I could finish it!

At the risk of sounding effusive, let me state right up front that this is the best, scariest, most interesting thriller, the best, most interesting, most seriously flawed hero, and the strangest, most frightening villain of any book that I've read in a decade. The earlier one was Red Dragon by Thomas Harris. An added plus for Wiltse that Harris, for all his talent, doesn't seem to have, is a sense of humor. I got my copy from a friend, I don't know if you can buy it, but, hey, try the library. It's a terrific book.

John Becker returns to the serial hunting fold when men mysteriously disappear. Flashbacks were a bit much. The mode chosen to murder the victims was gruesomely sick. I couldn't stop reading though.

Whoa, whoa, whoa! Be careful with this one, I didn't sleep for a week afterwards. So this is how John Becker got started. What a debut! I've been working my way backwards through David Wiltse's stuff, and I see he just started at the top and stayed there. Remarkably scary book!

This is a psychological thriller that introduces us to ex-FBI agent John Becker. It's one of those fast paced books that ensured that I was frantically turning pages in an effort to keep up.

John Becker is asked to have a bit of a look into some recent disappearances of some young men in the local area to see whether they are related. Becker, who is trying to enjoy his retirement, very reluctantly agrees and has soon linked the missing men through a common, yet obscure similarity. From here the chase is on to identify and track down a man who we know as Dyce. We learn a lot about Dyce quite early on, and follow along as he finds himself a girlfriend. This was probably the only part of the book that I had a problem with as the girlfriend is cast as a real desperate, so much so that she completely ignores some pretty weird things about her new boyfriend. And when I say pretty weird, I'm talking right out there, baby.

This is quite a typical psychological thriller with the usual extreme - dare I say it - psychotic behaviour by the killer accompanied by the odd flashback to his childhood to explain his present day actions. Becker's character is established, casting him as reliable in his instincts, but difficult to work with, particularly when fool superiors are involved. It's the sort of first book of a series that promises further development of a character who already has issues.

Ths is at best a run of the mill true crime story which concentrates more on the cops who caught him than the killer himself.Very little attempt is made in understanding the mind of BTK. Do we really need to know about the family life of the detectives on the case, i dont think so

Dennis Rader also known as BTK Killer which stands for Bind, Torture, and Kill murdered over ten innocent people over the period of 30 years. He had led a double life of devoted husband and father in Wichita, Kansas. He was also a serial killer who murdered the entire Otero family on January 15, 1974. The book is well-written and told by the people who were directly involved in the investigation and case. Since January 15, 1974 when the Oteros were brutally murdered, Wichita had learned that there was a monster in the mist. For over 30 years, people particularly women checked to make sure the phone lines weren't cut as they entered their homes. Women were terrified because the main target of his BTK's victims are women. Rader's secret life was complicated by his obligations as husband, father, and Christian. While the police wondered why BTK stopped killing, it was because he was busy. Rader was smart, calculated, slick, and purely evil in determining his victims. He stalked them, followed them, monitored them, and watched their habits before he attacked like a predator to the prey, BTK knew he didn't want to get caught because he was ashamed of how his other life as husband and father would be shattered. He also worked in the security business ADT setting up alarms. Think of the irony, here was a man who installed security systems because of the BTK killings. Rader knew no mercy towards his victims. When he wasn't raping and killing, he posed and wore his victims clothing. The authors of this collaborative effort did an amazing job in putting the story together. It's not without effort that this is probably the best book on the BTK case that I have read so far. Also, the book goes insides those affected by the case that went unsolved for so long. Wichita lived in horror and terror for over 30 years. The terrorism that BTK inflicted upon Wichita for so long affected those residents. Rader also knew how to play games with the police, press, and his victims. One victim, Anna Williams, came home to find her home burgled and then she later learned that she was a potential victim of BTK from a chilling note. Rader loved to play deadly games of scaring people. He had changed his modus operandi several times which threw off police. Unlike Bundy, Gacy, and Dahmer, Rader is fascinating because he knew how to be careful, controlling, and deadly at the same. He watched, stalked, wrote notes, and learned how to pick his victims carefully. He made notes on when to attack to rape and kill his potential victims. He defiled his victims by posing their dead bodies and even wearing the victims' clothing at times. He showed no mercy towards even the youngest of victims and would have gladly killed Shirley's children if he had the time and change but the phone rang constantly. He is now spending the rest of his life in prison but nothing will make up for the terror and horror of the residents of Wichita and it's surrounding area of what BTK had done to them. It is no longer innocent anymore as it once was. People now regularly locked their doors, watched their children carefully, and protected themselves with security alarms and made sure their phone lines were not cut off. This book is the best book so far on the BTK killer.

Straight forward storytelling with great accuracy and full details. One of the best books I've read this past year.

This book is fascinating. It is an "insider" account into the BTK murders in Kansas. It is well-written and factual, often clearing up many misconceptions about BTK from the mass media. It is a must read for anyone interested in serial crime, especially those who are interested in how law enforcement solves crime. Some parts of the book are disturbing, be forewarned. A+ for "Bind, Torture, Kill."

This book was well written and very informative about the investigation and also the motives of Dennis Rader, the BTK killer. What a heartless cruel person he was and how dedicated the officers and detectives were in bringing in this monster. It's a shame it took so long to capture this monster.

This story is good, the plot moves along smoothly, but Susan Anderson has written more exciting stories. I wasn't so much disappointed as I was a little "at a loss". I kept expecting that little "zing" from the characters as the story eveolved and this story just didn't do it.

Olympic silver medallist, Sasha Miller, is the darling of the figure skating world. Even the drug scandal associated with her former partner, Lon Morrison, hasn't diluted her popularity or prevented her star from rising to fabled, glorious heights. Oh, her professional reputation has been tarnished by the whispers and innuendos, but Sasha has managed to rise above it all to embrace her childhood dream. Her provocative routines heat up the ice, and defy the conventional expectations of a figure skater: Sasha has a passion for skating, and it shows -- in every shimmy, shake and gracefully executed jump.

No one would suspect the saintly Sasha of trafficking in drugs, however. No one, that is, except Special Agent Mick Vinicor of the DEA. Someone in "Follies on Ice," the touring show Sasha is a star attraction of, is selling high grade cocaine to junkies (and killing them with the drug's potency), and it's Mick's job to find out who's doin' the selling and then bust their sorry hump. This isn't his idea of an ideal undercover operation, though. Infiltrating the namby-pamby world of figure skaters is giving him the chills, in fact, and thoroughly testing his patience. Miller has gotta be as guilty as sin, but Mick is beginning to question his own judgment.

Sure, lusting after his number one suspect is stone-cold stupid, but his gut is trying to tell him that Sasha is innocent...and the intended target of a would-be killer on the prowl.

Conflicting loyalties and misplaced trust put Sasha and Mick on the warpath (once Mick's not-so-tiny white lies are exposed for what they are). On Thin Ice has reams and reams of thick, sexual tension to entertain a reader, however, and to compensate for this frustrating failure to communicate. Susan Andersen's Avon romances are by and large lighter, fluffier fare than this dark, somewhat plodding plot of romantic suspense. Night and day style wise, there are still certain commonalities to be found in this middling-to-high octane story: mainly, the spectacular chemistry percolating between Ms. Andersen's hero and heroine.

Why, the sensuality level is pea soup thick, and steamy enough to fog melted glass! There's no questioning Mick and Sasha's compatibility as a couple, but there are a few lamentations to be uttered regarding the lack of honesty in their relationship (and the high-handed, alpha male posturing of a vulnerable hero striking out in a knee-jerk reactionary manner). I really can't deny my infatuation with Mick, however, or the appeal of his politically incorrect take-charge attitude. Sasha has plenty of spunk and spirit to combat Mick's free-roaming egotism -- or should that be despotism? -- at any rate. Strain will test the strength of her emotional reserves, however, and create an illusion of fragility, further inciting Mick's protective instincts.

On Thin Ice has a thinly stretched suspense subplot that will easily crack under pressure, though, so it's best not to test or tamper with Ms. Andersen's premise. Nimble pacing of the storyline, spectacular sexual sparks, and complex, likeable characterizations make this novel a showstopper, if not an out and out heart stopper.

Reviewed by C.L. Jeffries

I loved this book! I think it is a re-release. This one is on my keeper shelf.

I love the fact that she makes him grovel, and that when he does something wrong that she calls him on it.

The killer was pretty obvious, it had an o.k. storyline. I loved the chemistry between the main 2. Definately a romance, if you like this book, I highly recommend Obsessed and Shadow Dance. They were great. Also, you would probably like Helen Myers and Lisa Jackson books. Also Erica Spindler is really good. And always, Nora Roberts and Mariah Stewart!

If you want more mystery and less romance, I would try Robin Burcell, and Iris Johanson.

This is one of Susan Andersens older books and I'm really glad that they re released it again. It's one of her darker books and is really easy to get into.

Ice queen Sasha feels a responsibility for her ex-pairs partner Lon, who has spent the last five years in prison for trafficking heroin while on tour. While he was in prison, she went on to single glory, winning an Olympic silver medal. She vouches for him and gets him a slot on her latest ice tour when he is paroled.

Mick is an undercover DEA agent assigned to be the tour manager. Several drug-related deaths have coincided with the ice tour and the 17 kilos of heroin that Lon was supposed to have in his possession never materialized. All suspicion points to Sasha, as he puts her under close surveillance, while trying to resist falling for her, while investigating the rest of the folks on the ice tour, and all the recent mishaps and accidents that have befallen Sasha. Sasha is not the most trusting; an unhappy childhood, then betrayal from Lon have been hard to forget. Will she be able to forgive Mick when she finds out about his deception?

The true pusher is identified early in the story, and attempts to bring Lon back into the fold. Andersen does a great job of keeping you glued to the story to find out the conclusion, as well as to see justice served. The two lead characters have immense chemistry and some pretty steamy encounters.

An almost painful read book, chock to the brim with dimensionless characters, flimsy plotlines, cliches and writing that is just plain bad. The villain is the only character with any complexity. The protagonist is such a sickly sweet hero that he is almost instantly hatable. I found myself rooting for the bad guy. Other cliched characters abound, the smart beautiful love interest who gets menaced by the antagonist, the kindly and self-sacrificing side-kick, not to mention the virtual plethora of pitiful children who are, I suppose, expected to tug at our heartstrings but manage only annoy. The premise is shabby. The ending is both gruesomely satisfactory and irritatingly sentimental at the same time. If you're a fan of shallow formulaic tripe, buy this book.

I picked this book up at the library barley reading the discription and just picking it up for something to read. When I got home and started to read I couldn't put it down. It's compelling in it's mysterious mixture of a scientifical, medical, murder mystery love story. The way Spruill describes all the characters and situations, you can paint the most vivid discription in your mind that's better than watching a movie. If your not a book person (as I was not) this book will quickly change your views and you won't put it down untill the end! You will IMEDIATELY fall in love with this author and want to read more of his works.

I was never a big fan of vampire stories, but this is more than a vampire story. This was one of two books (the other being Daughter of Darkness) that actually made me feel, it made me actually feel what the characters are going through. A beautiful story that portrays the relationship between Father and Son, Father and Daughter, and the love between two people from different worlds and their loyalty toward one another. It's a wonderful book.

Just when you thought vampires were cliche' and couldn't be given a new spin, Spruill proves you wrong. "Ruler of Darkness" is really unique. It grounds vampirism in reality and explains many attributes of vampires through the use of science. I found this book and it's sequel, "Daughter of Darkness," to be one of the best vampire treatments ever written.

This book was one of the best told books that I have ever read. The medical-murder-mystery-love story is most complelling. The way Spruill told the story and descibed all the events and characters was amazing. It felt as if I was sitting right there with the charachters watching everything happen. Merrick, Katie, and Zane were described so well it was as if I personally knew them. Being a PREVIOUS non - reading type of person Spruill change my outlook completely on reading and now I would rather read than watch a movie. This is without a doubt an author that should be recognized for all his work becase it is absoulutly amazing. I am looking forward to reading Daughters of Darkness (the follow up) and I have read Painkiller which was also a GREAT book! And I plan on reading all or most of Spruill's other books! ~Sheila

Overall I really liked Imbrie's telling of this awful crime. When a book makes me feel like I am actually there I am impressed. I often read true crime accounts and sympathize with the victims, but Imbrie's writing really gave me that eerie feeling like Lee could have been any one of us. I think her writing style is different and I really liked the book.

I have not read this book as it is out of stock and I just found out about it but this crime is in Ann Rule's book You Belong to me, if someone wants to read about the killer Gary Taylor.

The book is touching, I'll give Ann Imbrie that, but really, she doesn't have enough material to warrent a full length book. Because she lacks many facts, she invents what she doesn't know and does a good job doing it, but the book should be marketed as such i.e. it is really about her feelings and reminisces of her dead friend, not what happened to her. An excellent book to borrow from a friend, check out from the library, or purchase used, but i wouldn't pay full price for it.

I really enjoyed reading the book. I am an eighth grader at Bowling Green Junior High. I felt like I understood alot about the Lee and that I could relate to some of her problems. I thought that the book was wonderful. Thank you Ann Imbrie!

This is a difficult book to describe. Although it is classified as such, it is not at all "true crime" and those who are looking for strict true crime will be disappointed.
Ann Imbrie's "Spoken In Darkness" is basically the author's search for the memory of a murdered friend, both externally through research which includes courthouse searches and interviews; and, to a greater degree, through her own memories of her friend, Lee Snavely. The author was best friends with Lee for only a couple of years, but when she heard Lee had been killed she began her search, and in doing so she beautifully and honestly uses the experience to also examine her own childhood and her relationship with her parents, and to contrast that childhood with Lee Snavely's in an attempt to explain to herself how a friend she truly loved could end up so differently from herself - Lee a murdered prostitute; Imbrie a college professor. And, in fact, the book is at least as much about the author and her emotions as she remembers her friend as it is about the friend herself.
This is a highly literate work written at an unusual level of tenderness and honesty. Lee Snavely's murder, and some of her adult life, are described by Imbrie only as products of her imagination. This does not at all detract from the purpose of the book, which is to a great degree more emotional than factual. The pain in Imbrie's writing about Lee Snavely's childhood is palpable and explains why Lee's life unfolded as it did.

"Spoken In Darkness" is a truly soulful book.

This ranks among Professor Schechter's best books. Though less gory than his books on Fish and Gein, it is just as terrifying. He brings his sterling insight to bear on the psychological workings of the mind of a female serial killer, and shatters the myth that such creatures are less depraved and evil than their male counterparts. As is often the case, he is willing to feel a certain degree of sympathy for the killer in relation to the environmental and/or congenital forces that contributed to her psychopathy, while remaining careful to never exculpate the killer of her crimes (he remains neutral as to whether insanity is an exculpating factor) or mitigate the degree of evil and pain caused to the victims. Schechtermakes it clear he views Jane Toppan as a monster driven by depraved urges and longings.

His usual approach towards describing his subject via historical and cultural context as well as a meticulously researched recreation of the killer's career is adhered to fully. You will learn about the appallingly meagre salaries available to most women in the 19th century; the brutally draining workload experienced by most nurses, within both institutions and private homes; the terrible state of medical care available to the public; and the shocking fact that substances such as arsenic were not only sold over-the-counter in huge amounts for household purposes (killing rats, etc.), but appeared as well within patent compounds that claimed to have salubrious cosmetic benefits (young women ingested a beauty compound made with arsenic that promised to remove blackheads, pimples, and all other such facial blemishes).

Everyone has their favorite Schechter books. I cannot guarantee that this will rank with your own personal favorites, but I think I can assume with a fair degree of confidence that, if you have enjoyed other books by the author, you will enjoy this one. The intelligent formula for success you associate with Deranged and Deviant and Bestial, et. al., can be found intact in Fatal.

Harold Schechter brings to our attention the fact that there are more female serial killers in history than we actually suspect. In this case, Jane Toppan is revealed to the world in what would otherwise have been nothing more than a footnote in New England history. Schechter presents the history of this murderous poisoner who used morphine and atropine to extinguish upwards of three dozen people, many of the latter were 'dear friends' of hers. She is finally caught and avoids prison on an insanity charge where she spends the next 30+ years of her life. After reading this morbid story, I'm not so sure she was insane by our terms today as much as just off-kilter. I think she truly went insane once her freedom was taken away and her paranoia at being poisoned herself by the asylum staff drove her to quit eating. Schechter shows us the transgressions of Nurse Toppan and how she got away with it for so long. It's truly an interesting story but there were two or three parts where Schechter goes off on a sidenote (history of the asylum for one) where I lost some focus. Otherwise, it's another true crime story that we never would have known about and Schechter does another great job of weaving the events into something nearly unbelievable.

I'm a psychologist by training. Schechter is the first person I know of to explain a female serial killer's experience during the act of murder. I wanted to gag! Then I spoke to a few female associates, who confirmed what Schechter revealed. OMG! I had no idea women have the capacity to be so....reptilian. 'Reptilian' may be flattering, now that I think about it.

The book features other female serial killers besides Jane Toppan. Theyre bad enough, but Jane is the arch-snake.

The subject is fascinating, the writing is excellent, and it's a wake-up call about the fair sex. Be afraid. be very afraid!

"Fatal" tells the story of Jane Toppan, a psychopathic nurse living in the 1890's. Her childhood was a difficult one, and though little is really known about it, what the author tells is points to one filled with abuse and turmoil. At a young age, she was put in an orphange and "adopted" by the Toppan family. Her part in the family was that of a servant, though it seems that the Toppans treated her well.

After she became a nurse, she began poisoning some of her patients as they lay in their hospital beds, with a mixture of morphine and atropine. She did this for pleasure, because she enjoyed it. She murdered her family members and friends, preferring people she knew over strangers. This went on for decades before the police finally caught on. Some estimate the number of people she killed being close to 100.

The author does a good job telling the story. It's amazing that more people haven't heard of her - this was the first time for me. There were some parts that were a little too gory for my taste, and I feel that the author occasionally pontificates. Of course, it's not enough to stop me from reading another one of his books. Those who enjoy true crime and history should enjoy this.

After an informative introduction, Schechter sets the mood for Jane Toppan by briefly covering serial murderesses Lydia Sherman and Sarah Jane Robinson, two predecessors to Toppan with affiliations for arsenic. Then along came Jane Toppan with her morphia and atropia cocktails.

Born into the world as Honora Kelley, Jane was indentured to, and adopted by, Mrs. Ann C. Toppan and thus became Jane Toppan. Jane resented growing up as a servant to her family, and especially resented her sister Elizabeth, who would later fall victim to Jane's careful ministrations.

Jane took nursing school, a rigorous training in its day, but never graduated with a certificate before taking herself out of hospital care and into family home care, where her poisonous ways became more noticeable. Still, it was years before Jane was ever suspected and brought to trial, leaving a wake of corpses behind her.

'Fatal' is very well written, although drawn out at times. The prose enchants you back to the era of the murders, specifically pointing out many differences in both medical and courtroom procedures between 1901 and our modern day world. Schechter rounds out the case with Jane's life as a child and the unsavory circumstances of her childhood, to her early years, on through her active killing spree and ending with court proceedings and what happened to Jane afterward. There's a lot of detail on Jane's life, and while there is no bibliography there's an Acknowledgements section that lists Schechter's resources. If you like true crime, you'll like this unique account of one of the first female serial killers ever documented. Enjoy!

This man can write! From beginning to end, the pace never slows, and you can smell the authenticity.

After I finished (when I could breathe again), I was wondering, there's more than one way to skin a cat. The only flaw I could find in the book was, the terrorist never made it clear what he wanted. He seemed to want authority. The hero cleverly seeks out the terrorist so he can shoot him. For argument's sake, let's say the terrorist wanted to become ruler of the US. But maybe they could have dealt with it by asking the terrorist, ok, say you do become ruler, how will you keep your hold on power? Once you are ruler, you can't sneak around hiding bombs or poisoning people, so what will you do to keep yourself alive the day after you take power? Maybe you can't reason with a nut, and of course the American way is always, "run `em down and shoot `em" (Viet Nam, Afghanistan, Iraq, New Orleans). But it's an interesting idea.

Forget the interesting idea, just read the book! It is a real thriller.

I couldn't put it down. Fast pacing and really challenging. Don't miss it

This one kept me involved throughout a long flight! It was great... just when I thought I had it all figured out...BAM! Ya know?

Enjoy!

This is the best of Lindsay's first three thrillers, with the most interesting cat-and-mouse game and the most satisfying conclusion. A former FBI agent, Lindsay writes with great authority about the Bureau and its bureaucratic and political in-fighting. He also provides a thrill-a-minute plot, sharply drawn characters, snappy dialogue, and plenty of you-are-there technical and procedural minutiae for the aspiring G-man in all of us. Read and enjoy!

This book is filled with short, stupid dialogue, a macho FBI agent that does everything without thinking, a wife who says, "But honey, you take too many risks," and a handicapped clerk who becomes a hero. You can count on what will happen next, and you have to read though quick two page chapters that are suppose to imply excitement but are just choppy. Even for summer trash reading, this book is a zero. The subtitle of it being about the FBI is a joke, unless you want to believe that the agency is nothing but a bunch of paper pushers with one dangerous agent they can't keep under control, yet he consistently saves the day. UGGG!! I've bought a lot of books through Amazon and I am always surprised when customer reviews are so glowing for such trivial writing. Save your money!

I could barely get through the first two chapters of this book as I found the author's views intruding too much. As to what to do about such humans I am never a supporter of the death penalty as it is uncivilized so life without parole is just fine.

Elliott Leyton (author) has written a superb detailed book focusing on 6 modern serial killers/modern mass murderers. Edmund Kemper, Ted Bundy (the charming young Republican), Albert Desalvo (the social climber known as The Boston Strangler), David Berkowitz (Son of Sam), Mark Essex (the racist) & Charles Starkweather. Leyton also touches upon other 'famous' killers to try and argue his case that all these killers are not alien people with deranged minds, but *'alienated men with a disinterest in continuing the dull lives in which they feel trapped.'(*author's quote). The book tries to go inside these killers minds (and backgrounds) to try and understand why they, as individuals, committed these crimes. Were all their childhood backgrounds so tragic as to contribute towards their eventual decline? If so, why do individuals with equally tragic (or more so) backgrounds choose not to kill? The book also seperates truth from fantasy. What we see in films such as The Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal etc may all be very compelling action and drama, and highly enjoyable to watch, but we must not make the mistake of believing that these films are based on reality. Leyton has done a thorough job of disecting these cases one by one, and the painstaking research that he has conducted is evident on every page. Buying this book will be well worth your time and money, for it may just be the one book that may well stimulate your thoughts enough to question everything you thought you knew about serial killers.

Leyton is an anthropologist, and this study of serial killers focuses on sociocultural factors rather than individual pathology as a cause of multiple murder. Specifically, Leyton examines how class conflict has contributed to serial killings in different epochs. In the Middle Ages, royalty killed serfs; in the Industrial Age of the 19th century, the nouveau middle class killed prostitutes and other individuals from the lower rungs, and in the modern era serial killers target those who are just one rung up from them in the social ladder.

Leyton argues that modern multiple murderers are class-conscious and socially conservative men who are obsessed with status, class, and power. Emboldened by our cultural glorification of violence and serial killers, and trapped in alienating lives that do not match their class strivings, they kill the objects of their desire. And they keep killing until they feel that they have accomplished the mission that they set out on. It's a very interesting analysis, although I think Leyton selected case studies that fit his thesis and ignored others that did not. (He profiles Ted Bundy, Edmund Kemper, David Berkowitz, and four other cases, including the D.C. snipers in his new edition, but he ignores - for example - Jeffrey Dahmer, whose predilection for young Cambodian boys goes against his thesis.) Also, the fact that documented serial killers in the Middle Ages were royalty may be due to documentation issues; maybe serfs who killed serfs never made the history books (a possibility Leyton doesn't mention).

But these are minor limitations. The book is well researched and well written, and it is certainly refreshing to see a treatment of this topic that does not ignore the macro perspective of class, race, and culture. In my own forensic psychology practice, I have found it helpful to keep Leyton's perspective in mind, while still not ignoring the developmental wrong-turns and individual pathologies that also contribute to multiple murder. Overall, this book is well worth reading for anyone interested in the etiology of serial murder.

I first read Hunting Humans 15 or so years ago and I have recently bought the new edition. It is a fascinating insight into the minds and motivations of serial killers, although I think Leyton struggles somewhat to fit them all into his particular thesis. Ted Bundy was extremely bright and personable and started his killing spree after his girlfriend had accepted an offer of marriage which he promptly withdrew two days later. Almost without exception, his victims all resembled this woman. He was also a necrophiliac, returning to have sex with his victims even when they were in an advanced state of decomposition. Perhaps my favourite part of the book, and one I often quote when faced with 'expert opinion' , regards the 'gentle giant' Edmund Kemper. He had spent several years incarcerated as a teenager for brutally murdering his grandparents (yes, they let him out!), and he was in the psychiatrist's office getting his release papers. The good doctor wished him well and felt certain that the young Kemper would go on to have a productive and useful life. At that very moment Kemper's car was parked outside. In the boot were the two severed heads of his latest victims. Chilling, but absolutely gripping reading.

Leyton has written a classic study on the rise and motives of serial killers and mass murderers. The new edition of this book originally published in the early 80's includes a discussion of the DC sniper attacks and case studies of various killers including Ted Bundy, the Boston Strangler Albert DeSalvo, David Berkowitz aka the Son of Sam, and Mark Essex. Leyton lays out a very convincing argument about the motives behind the killings of multiple murderers. He casts asides psychopathology as the primary reason for their crimes and instead contends that an inability to cope with social position and class consciousness drives these killers.

Leyton views multiple murderers from a sociological rather than a psychiatric standpoint. The evidence underlying his arguments is solid. His main conclusion is that multiple murderers seek to destroy members of a social class secure in its position in the social hierarchy that have excluded him (sometimes her) from their ranks. Bundy, DeSalvo, and the rest belonged to the lower or lower middle classes and despite being superficially accepted by the social hierarchy above them, they were acutely aware of their humble origins and hypersensitive to rejection. In fact, all of the murderers that Leyton discusses in detail spoke greatly at length about wanting to punish the people they felt had rejected them. Though it is hard to imagine that multiple murderers are not psychotic, it appears that not only are they sane for the most part, they have a conscious or subconscious agenda to destroy the people they feel will never accept them.

The case that best exemplifies Leyton's thesis, in my opinion, is the case of Mark Essex. Essex was killed on the roof of a hotel in early January of 1975 after a killing spree that left over 10 people dead. Essex was not a raving madman, but a black man who suffered the devastating consequences of racism during his years in the Navy. He was insulated from the consequences of his skin color as a youth but soon realized that he was not considered an equal even by his country's own military. His experiences left him deeply disillusioned, and several years after his discharge, he took revenge on the people that held him down. In his mind, this included all white people. No one who knew Essex portrayed him as a psychotic. Rather, he was described as an intelligent and diligent worker who felt rejected by the social class above him and that he was not willing to accept his permanent social position beneath white people just because of his skin color.

Each of Leyton's case studies are meticulously researched, and his sociological arguments are solid. The last chapter of his book "A Historical Overview" ties all of his ideas together neatly. He mentions several cases of multiple murderers dating back several hundred years, and all of them represent struggles between a member of a class whose members are facing uncertainty or alienation against a class that is secure in its social standing. This chapter really represents what is best about this book. Leyton's convincing arguments don't just explain what drives people to kill so many of their fellow human beings in modern times but they also provide a framework to discuss multiple murderers from the past.

For the people that are comforted by the idea that multiple murderers are psychotic maniacs who have an unrestrained lust for killing people, this book will change your mind.

This is a must read book for all of the people who interact on the net with "FRIENDS".

This story blew my mind. I had just finished the book when I stopped for fuel at the NM/AZ state line on I-40. There was a state police computer printout hanging on the door, warning women against chatting with men on the internet because of the "internet slavemaster." The state police (NM) were asking for any information in connection to this internet entity. I couldn't believe it.

Then, when I arrived in Holbrook, AZ, I ran into four highway patrolmen at a truckstop diner and asked them about the notice. We engaged in an hour-long conversation about how a predator like this can disguise himself as an upstanding member of the community and keep everybody fooled. We had the book out and several people seemed mesmerized by our discussion of this story. It has that effect! It is just so unbelievable that people are astounded.

If you have not read this book, get it! This man was the first to harness the internet for serial killing. Boy, it will drive home the fact that there is no safe ground anymore. If you have children, you will be concerned about what they are doing online. It will make you look at your computer in a whole new light. It will also make you start wondering about all those upstanding citizens that you know so well ... or do you really know them at all?

There is a flip side to this story - the world of S&M and the women that were surfing for a "master." This man could not have lured them if they had not been presenting themselves as victims. That is where the game is so dangerous - you just never know when it is going to get out of hand. I would think that it is not something you would readily trust to a stranger. I think that is the part of this story that astounds people the most. Why would a woman readily place herself into the role of slave to a complete stranger?

The author has done a fabulous job of presenting the facts in a flowing narrative that keeps you reading. I couldn't put the book down until I finished it. I can't imagine what he could have done to improve it. It was outstanding!

John Robinson was a businessman, Eagle Scout and Man of the Year. Very few people knew the real John Robinson. Three quarters of the book deals with the prior crimes committed by John. He was always setting up new businesses and trying to get people to invest. Each time the police caught him, he would start up another business.
While only a quarter of the book dealt with his new found internet lifestyle. The book was well written except for the ending, when the reader is left wonder what actually happened.

I first came across this book as it was listed in another reviewer's listmania list. Given its lofty reviews, I was excited when I finally came across a used copy of this out-of-print book. For the most part, the book did not disappoint.

John Edward Robinson may go down as the first internet serial killer. However, the route to his crime was less than conventional. From fraud, theft, to various other scams, Robinson fits the profile of a career criminal. It was only when his BDSM lifestyle began to spiral out of control that his criminal world closed in on him. Like many criminals, his crimes became sloppy toward the end of his run. Even if Robinson appears reasonably clean early in the book, the search warrants toward the end lend an explosive image to the crimes.

The one major flaw I saw with the book is its inability to finish the story. The book ends with the case going to trial. Why end the book before the story is finished? I needed to do an internet search to learn of the court rulings.

Living in the Kansas City area I was particularly interested in the John Robinson case and followed it avidly. Glattt has done an excellent job in recounting the case and his research is first class. He also goes further and breaks new facts on the case which have never come to light before. I was very impressed by his writing style and attanetion to detail. I would recommend this to all true crime fans and have done so. This one is way up there with In Cold Blood.

This book is basically an alphabetized glossary of every person that conceivably had anything to do with the Jack the Ripper story. Even masochist-poet Algernon Charles Swinburne was proposed as a Ripper suspect! It's an intriguing and helpful catologue of names and brief biographies focusing on Ripper connections. This book will appeal especially to those readers who already have some knowledge of the case from books.

David Rehak
author of "A Young Girl's Crimes"

In his Foreword to this reference book, Donald Rumbelow states that "contrary to popular belief, the pre-occupation with the Ripper is not anti-feminist".

Oh, thank you for the sour persimmons, Donald Rumbelow. Now all can revel in the mystery of Jack the Ripper with clear consciences and without having to worry about being affiliated with those horrible (chooey!) anti-feminists.

And your clarification was necessary because, as everyone knows, when we are not blowing up abortion clinics, anti-feminists are indeed in the habit of committing serial murders of women and ritualistically using their blood to brew our sacred malt liquor.
Sheesh!

And Rumbelow also states that he has no doubt that the mystery will eventually be solved. He wrote that in 1991 before the Maybrick Diary was publicized, but some of us think that the Maybrick Diary contains the solution to the mystery, and yet the debate rages on.

What would have to happen in order for the mystery to be solved to the satisfaction of MOST, let alone EVERYONE? In the wake of the Maybrick storm, Rumbelow's prediction seems naïve today.

But notwithstanding the Forward, this is a very good reference work, usable for both novice and expert, for which the editors, Paul Begg, Martin Fido, and Keith Skinner deserve much credit.

They appear to have overlooked no detail of information or speculation or tradition associated with Jack the Ripper. When one sees an entire entry devoted to "Smith, H - Undertaker of Hanbury Street, who supplied hearse for Annie Chapman", one must acknowledge that the editors truly appear to have left no stone unturned.

Maybe they went a little too far. Does it advance the study of the Ripper mystery to list every fanciful movie or TV show based on that theme, including the Star Trek episode "Wolf in the Fold"?

The authors are modest enough about what they have done and do not vouch for 100% accuracy, but as corrections are brought to their attention, they appear to be dutifully acknowledged and included in each new edition of this book.

Where there are disputes, the authors usually present all sides well and demonstrate impartiality in their analysis. Usually. I especially appreciate their presentation of the dispute over the "Lusk kidney" (genuine kidney removed from Ripper victim, Catherine Eddowes, or medical student hoax?)

But what's this - "(O)n the basis of handwriting analysis, there currently seems little doubt that Maybrick did not write the Journal"? Uh - no. Even the most stalwart Maybrickian might have to admit that the handwriting in the diary is a problem, but that remark from "A to Z" unacceptably crosses the boundary between impartial analysis and opinion.

And what of the famous "Dear Boss" letters written to the Central News Agency, which were signed "Jack the Ripper", from which the East End murderer acquired his legendary nickname? If the letters were contemporary hoaxes and weren't written by the murderer, it isn't really accurate to refer to the murderer as "Jack the Ripper".

When the editors solemnly intone (correctly) that "most researchers" have concluded that the letters were indeed hoaxes, I am inclined to believe that they are slyly using the weight of majority opinion to browbeat the reader into agreeing.

Begg and Fido are certainly part of the "growing consensus" on this issue - do they ever advertise a willingness to go AGAINST the consensus?

And yet, among other things, the "Dear Boss" letters were taken seriously at the time by the police and were written by someone who appears to display the extreme cocksureness of the serial killer. They were written by someone who seems to know that human blood thickens quickly and can't be saved for later use as ink. And they were written by someone who seems POSITIVE that more murders are yet to come. Moreover, they are written in the same hand as that which wrote a threatening letter to a police witness who might have seen the murderer - hardly the work of a hoaxing publicity hound.

So why the consensus AGAINST the authenticity of these letters? Could it be that most Ripperologists have their own favorite suspects, who were unable or unlikely to have written the "Dear Boss" letters, and that these Ripperologists merely alter their view of the letters to conform to their own pre-drawn conclusions?

Begg and Fido wrote about the Ripper before publishing this reference work. Each of them named a different poverty-stricken lunatic semi-literate Polish Jew as the most likely Ripper candidate. Neither of their candidates could have written in the good copperplate hand that wrote the "Dear Boss" letters. Are Begg and Fido expediently allowing their objectivity to be clouded by taking false reassurance from the opinion of "most researchers"?

Ripperologists are confident about issues such as this because of consensuses that they learn about by reading the works of Ripperologists. Did the police operate this way? No wonder Jack was never caught in his lifetime.

In their published commentary about Jack the Ripper, Begg, Fido, and Skinner have proven themselves to be of impartial disposition and advocates of fair treatment for all points of view. They have shown themselves to be friends of the truth, whatever that truth may prove to be. But I am reminded of a book on realpolitik that I once read, in which it was observed that a friend is someone that you can trust 80% of the time.

With that in mind, a rating of four stars out of a possible five seems quite appropriate.

I found this book extremely well researched, well done begg,fido and skinner. I have been interested in the jack the ripper mystery for some years now,and this book was the first to introduce me to such little known suspects as william h piggot.He was arrested in a public house not far from whitechapel after causing a disturbance, and was found to have a torn bloodstained shirt in his possession plus a severe bite mark on his hand(the day after a ripper murder).Then there was edward mckenna, arrested for suppossedly threatening people with a knife.When he was taken to the police station for questioning and told to empty his pockets, they contained amongst other things several metal and cardboard boxes!(the ripperologists out there will know) that a month after mckenna was arrested,Mr lusk recieved a human kidney delivered by post in a (cardboard box). These little gems of knowledge have been brought to life in this alphabettically arranged guide of who's who ,from the bobby on the street to the head of police investigations.A breath of fresh air, much better than the usual claptrap about the prince of wales etc.

This book written in encyclopedia form, lists all the people associated with the Jack the Ripper murders such as witnesses, informants, suspects, residents, inspectors, etc. There is a summary for each person mentioned, which is very informative. This is an excellent source to have by your side when reading other books on the Ripper. It is invaluable!

I had to write a research paper on the Ripper murders, and I found this book invaluable. Grab it as soon as possible. I reccommend it 100%