After twenty-five years of investigating, analyzing, and interviewing serial killers, their family members, neighbors, and even surviving victims, Jack Levin has become one of the world''s most respected experts on the motivations and modus operandi of dangerous criminals. In this gripping book, he taps his wealth of experience with the criminal mind to offer lessons for law enforcement and the general public about how serial killers think, as well as the conditions under which hideous murders typically occur. These lessons, he hopes, will lead to more effective ways to thwart such crimes in the future. Levin''s face-to-face meetings and correspondence with such notorious murderers as the Hillside strangler (Kenneth Bianchi) and Orville Lynn Majors (the male nurse who was convicted of killing numerous patients in his charge) reveal that these types of killers are not motivated by money, revenge, or rage. In fact, the only motivation seems to be a sadistic craving for power and a need to feel in control. Levin also, for the first time, lets down his guard and reveals what it feels like to be seated so close to such cold-blooded killers.Many killers, as Levin points out, are meticulous planners. Levin has found that even in situations that appear spontaneous, for instance a workplace shooting by a disgruntled employee, the deed is carefully thought out and prepared for in advance. Another factor that consistently emerges in conversations with killers who have committed the most heinous of acts is the total absence of remorse or any notion of moral responsibility. Murder appears to be easy for these criminals and they kill with a feeling of complete impunity. Levin also notes the skillfully deceptive facades that such murderers are able to affect. They are extremely adept liars (he admits to having been fooled!), who enjoy playing mind games, even though outwardly they seem above suspicion. This is one reason they are so dangerous and difficult for investigators to track down and prosecute. This chilling glimpse into the minds of some of the worst criminals makes a valuable contribution to criminology and is a must-read for both true-crime buffs and law enforcement professionals.

Acclaimed crime writer Carol Anne Davis explores the minds of sadistic killers: their childhoods, their growing pathology and horrific crimes. Knowing what some of these killers endured doesn’t even begin to excuse their crimes – but it does explain them. Davis delineates the different subgroups of sadists – for example, those who kill indiscriminately – in Britain, the US and Australia. There are also chapters on: • female sadists, who tend to be overlooked by the media. • consensual sadomasochism – including a rare interview with a well-known female practitioner, Lynn Paula Russell. • input from a psychologist who has helped rehabilitate some of Britain’s most violent men. Sadistic Killers is a compelling look at the formative influences of a sadist and at his or her crimes. Unflinching in detail but never gratuitous, this is an informative read with a hopeful ending.

Harvey Glatman was, from his teenage years onward, obsessed with ropes and bondage, pornography, and a burning desire to dominate women through fear. Inspired by his huge collection of bondage art and photography purchased from Irving Klaw, Glatman evenetually turned his perverted fantasies into a terrifying reality – raping, torturing and murdering three young models, before an attempted fourth killing was thwarted by a passing police patrol officer. This special short ebook in the “Careers Of Evil” series examines Glatman’s deeply twisted life, shocking crimes, and eventual punishment in vivid detail; from his teenage convictions for robbery to the culmination of his horrific and brutal killings, HELLBOUND is the deeply disturbing story of a psychopath who was never able to control his macabre urges.

Bestselling true-crime writer Harold Schechter, a leading authority on serial killers, and coauthor David Everitt offer a guided tour through the bizarre and blood-chilling world of serial murder. Through hundreds of detailed entries that span the entire spectrum -- the shocking crimes, the infamous perpetrators, and much more -- they examine all angles of a gruesome cultural phenomenon that grips our imagination. From Art (both by and about serial killers) to Zeitgeist (how killers past and present embody their times)...from Groupies (even the most sadistic killer can claim devoted fans) to Marriage (the perfect domestic disguise for demented killers)...from Homebodies (psychos who slay in the comfort of their homes) to Plumbing (how clogged drains have undone the most discreet killer), THE A TO Z ENCYCLOPEDIA OF SERIAL KILLERS is the ultimate reference for anyone compelled by the personalities and pathologies behind the most disturbing of crimes.

In this provocative cultural study, the serial killer emerges as a central figure in what Mark Seltzer calls 'America's wound culture'. From the traumas displayed by talk show guests and political candidates, to the violent entertainment of Crash or The Alienist, to the latest terrible report of mass murder, we are surrounded by the accident from which we cannot avert our eyes. Bringing depth and shadow to our collective portrait of what a serial killer must be, Mark Seltzer draws upon popular sources, scholarly analyses, and the language of psychoanalysis to explore the genesis of this uniquely modern phenomenon. Revealed is a fascination with machines and technological reproduction, with the singular and the mass, with definitions of self, other, and intimacy. What emerges is a disturbing picture of how contemporary culture is haunted by technology and the instability of identity.

Robert Keppel explores in unflinching detail the monstrous patterns, sadistic compulsions, and depraved motives of serial killers. From the Lonely Hearts Killer who hunted the most desperate of women in 1950s America to such infamous symbols of evil as Jeffrey Dahmer, Ted Bundy, and John Gacy, these are the cases--horrifying, graphic and unforgettable--that Keppel ingeniously taps to shed light on the darkest corners of the pathological mind. Foreword by Ann Rule.

This investigation into spree killing analyses the psychology of this chilling and relatively new phenomenon. Cawthorne carefully examines each case – such as Michael Ryan, who slew sixteen in the English town of Hungerford - and shows how the killers suppress their violent fantasies until a small incident sparks off their fatal rampage.