Serial Killers: The Method and Madness of Monsters Paperback – October 5, 2004

I’m getting in to true crime. I like the human psychology of it and learning about the making of the killer, as opposed to learning about the killing exclusively, as that can start to feel a bit exploitative. It’s a very well-rounded book. It’s actually one of the first few non-fiction books I’ve ever read, and it’s the most entertaining one as well. He does a great job of telling the story and explaining killer classifications and how their childhoods made them into the monsters (no sugar coating it) they are. As a female, it’s also made me a lot more aware and I’m thankful for it. Awesome writing! Will be buying more of his stuff!

A lot of reviews focused on the history covered by this book, but what I found most compelling was in fact the second half, which discussed the "formation" of a serial killer.In the first half, the author goes back a few centuries to uncover gruesome truths of serial killers across Europe. With every chapter, he steps forward in time, narrating the lives and biographies of famous and not-so-famous killers, from Jack the Ripper to the Boston Strangler. Every page delivers a shock, as the lives and practices of the killers are revealed.If you manage to survive through the photos in the center without passing out at the gore, you'll find the second half even more gripping. It explains how a serial killer develops, how his behavior differs from others in childhood, how he strikes his first victim, and the pattern that dictates his life from there on. There is plenty on the many types of killers and their various approaches to murder.A fair portion near the end of the book is dedicated to criminal profiling and crime scene investigation. The book closes with a chilling chapter on how to survive if you find yourself at the mercy of a serial killer.A very engaging read if you have the heart for the gruesome details!

They always say life imitates art, but its just the opposite - every serial killer book you've read that you think is a fantasy likely has some semblance of truth from one of the killers profiled in this book. This book is amazing, because it takes a disconnected look at the nature of a serial killer to show exactly why were fascinated by them. There is no glorification of the serial killer, just fact after fact to deconstruct the impossible - understanding the madness that drives a serial killer.Cold and clinical, this book still was one of the scariest and most gripping books I've read, simply because you know there are people out there who do the unthinkable.Also has some handy tips to stay alive when encountering a serial killer...4 stars - a great read. If you like the subject matter, this is a must read. I've read a lot of fiction in this genre, and this non-fiction was one of the best.

This is a book that manages to combine good storytelling with a very informative, structured approach to examining every aspect of serial killers, including their origin, evolution, methods and classification. The topic is gruesomely fascinating, and Vronsky doesn't shy from detail. But at base this is a serious book that reviews the bigger picture in an academic way (but never in a manner that is dry and boring). The front cover promises that this is "The definitive history of the phenomenon of serial murder", and having read quite a lot of serial killer accounts I think I have to agree that that subtitle isn't an exaggerated claim.As a chilling bedside read, it's fascinating. And as a text on the topic, it represents a significant achievement.

Good

Serial Killers is divided into three parts: Part one covers the history of serial murder from its ancient roots to approximately the mid-1960s, when Vronsky argues it became viral in its postmodernity. Vronsky proposes that modern culture, media, and society degrade certain classes of people in the perception of homicidal psychopaths, who serially target and murder them in an attempt to satisfy increasingly addictive sexual, hedonistic fantasies. Vronsky points to the high proportion of street prostitutes, runaway youths, cruising homosexuals, or people who are homeless, impovershed, disabled, or elderly among serial killer victims; i.e., victims who are often characterized as society's "throwaways". Vronsky argues that only the presence of children and young college girls among preferred victims of serial killers raise concerns about these predators in society at large. He reviews several sources of statistical data on serial homicide, its patterns, and trends, particularly in the United States, and explores the myth of the recent “serial killer epidemic”.Part 2 focuses on the psychopathology of serial killers, their evolution from child to adult, and the various emerging and evolving categories and profiles of serial offenders. Vronsky points out that law enforcement, psychologists, psychiatrists, and criminologists disagree among themselves as to how to categorize the broad range of offender types, and explores some of the different approaches, all illustrated with case study examples.Part 3 focuses on the investigation of serial homicide, particularly on the various profiling systems from the FBI’s “crime scene analysis” profiling, to British law enforcement’s “psychological profiling”, and Canadian police development of “geographic profiling.” Vronsky explores the pros and cons of the various systems with case study examples of how profiling has both succeeded and failed in homicide investigations.Serial Killers concludes with a chapter based on FBI studies and statements by serial killers and a few survivors of serial killer attacks as how to best survive an encounter with a serial killer.You get all of this with an "easy" to read format.