Serial killers like Seattle's Ted Bundy, Maryland's Beltway Sniper, Atlanta's Wayne Williams, or England's Peter Sutcliffe usually outsmart the task forces on their trail for long periods of time. Keppel and Birnes take readers inside the operations of serial killer task forces to learn why. What is the underlying psychology of a serial killer and why this defeats task force investigations? This is the first book of its kind that combines state-of-the-art psychological assessment experience with the expertise of a homicide investigator who has tracked some of this country's most notorious serial killers. The author also brings to the book hands-on best practices gleaned from the experience of other task forces. Readers, both professionals and students, will benefit from the comprehensive and critical case reviews, the analysis of what went wrong, what went right, and the after-action recommendations of evaluators in the US, UK, and Canada. The book covers: * The nature of the psychology of a serial killer * How crime assessment profiling reveals that psychology * Why psychological profiles fail * How serial killer task forces defeat themselves * How the media can, and usually does, undermine the task force operation * The big secret of all serial killer investigations: police already have the killer's name * The best practices for catching a serial killer * Comprehensive case reviews of some of the US's and UK's most baffling serial killer cases * A list of best practices for serial killer task force investigators * Recommendations for how to manage comprehensive files and computer records * Practical advice on how to manage the media: what to say and not to say * Insight into what a serial killer might be thinking and doing to stay away from police * Recommendations for setting up and administering long-term investigations * Practical tips on how to maintain a task force's psychological edge and avoid defeatism

From ancient times to the present, serial killers have terrorized the public, claiming their victims with a variety of methods, including poisoning, stabbing, and shooting. Modern law enforcement agents have developed sophisticated techniques, such as DNA analysis and psychological profiling, to track and identify these killers. Covering key historical and contemporary cases, Serial Killers is a concise, objective introduction to this field of criminal investigation. This book includes such chapters as: Murder by Numbers; Monsters Among Us; Lethal Ladies; Still at Large; and, The Mind hunters. Cases covered include: Erzsebet Bathory; the Beltway Snipers; David Berkowitz, a.k.a. 'Son of Sam'; John Wayne Gacy; Micajah and Wiley Harpe; Jack the Ripper; Herman Webster Mudgett, aka 'H.H. Holmes'; Gary Leon Ridgway, a.k.a. 'The Green River Killer'; and, Aileen Wuornos.

This is an introduction to serial killers and killings. It includes seven case studies, a discussion of the myths surrounding serial murderers and the reasons why they continue to kill, the seven major problems of investigating a serial murder, and an analysis of the fourteen different law enforcement agencies who respond to a serial murder. Other topics covered include: -- how the media treats serial murder; an essay on victimology; -- a discussion on the concept of "the less dead" or how victims of serial killers are devalued".

In the pages of The Professional Serial Killer and the Career of Ted Bundy, you will find yourself eerily intrigued as the serial killer introduces himself to you. Say hello to your neighbor, partner, son, or daughter-whose dual identity now includes the facade of Politician, Clergyman, Lawyer, Contractor, or Compliance Officer. Your imagination will spark as you slowly but gradually become enamored to the serial killer's ingenuity, as an entrepreneur in the art of murder. Now that you are chillingly mesmerized by his charm, the serial killer takes great pleasure in his sting operation. Thrilled as he passionately and addictively perfects his art, the killer creatively refines his ruse for capturing his victims. In order to inflict the highest level of horror and pain each scene is designed to give the killer an ultimate high of sadistic pleasure. As you reel back and forth, from the disdain you feel for the killer, a sudden and unsuspecting sinking feeling erupts through your very being. The sensation that this is not a horror movie, illuminates your mind, and grasps your fascination with the question: How did this happen? A more intriguing question may be: When did this start? You may want to ask three-year old Ted Bundy.

Procedural and technical inaccuracies can ruin an otherwise effective crime novel, especially given the public's ever-increasing interest in forensic details. In this fascinating guide, readers delve into the worldof murder to learn how and why people commit homicide and how detectives capture the deadly perpetrators.

Serial Killers Around the World: The Global Dimensions of Serial Murder compiles serial murder case studies from several countries - from Australia to Great Britain, and from Japan to Pakistan. The author has covered accounts on a wide array of serial killers including some well known felons namely Jack the Ripper, The Butcher of Mons, Martin & Marie Dumollard, as well as some of the lesser known serial slayers such as Daisy DeMelker, Yoshio Kodaira, Javed Iqbal and many more. The book highlights six dimensions of each case: the killer(s), the serial murders, other crimes, communication, the investigation and trial and punishment of the accused. Readers, both general and aspiring criminologists alike, will find Serial Killers Around the World an interesting resource for critical information on serial murders committed in nations around the world.

In this essential guide for criminal justice professionals, an expert homicide investigator and researcher explores the daunting task of investigating serial murders. Robert D. Keppel presents five detailed profiles of savage killers, to demonstrate how the smallest procedural detail can assure or wreck successful prosecution, and suggests how investigators can plug the loopholes. Book jacket.