Why We Love Serial Killers

A chilling investigation into the deviant mind, ';so powerful and provocative, you cannot put it down' (Rita Cosby, New York Timesbestselling author). We know the names: Ted Bundy, Ed Gein, Jeffrey Dahmer, John Wayne Gacy, among themserial killers transformed by the media into ghoulish celebrities. And their iconic fictional counterpartsfrom Norman Bates to Hannibal Lecter to Dexterreveal just how eager we are to watch a psychopath in action. But why? Are we curious about the root of their terrifying compulsions? Or it is something more? Why We Love Serial Killers ';attempts to solve some of these mysteries... What made serial killers this way? Why did they kill, and why did they do it so gruesomely? How are they different from us? (Please let them be different from us)' (The Atlantic). In exploring our appetite for the macabre, criminology professor Dr. Scott Bonn also provides a unique view into the world of serial killers, having corresponded with two of the most notorious examples: David Berkowitz, a.k.a. Son of Sam, and the BTK Killer, Dennis Rader. In addition, Bonn examines the criminal profiling techniques used to identify serial predators, the charisma of the sociopath, the rise in ';murderabilia' collecting, and how and why these killers often become pop-culture icons, escalating both our fears and our fascination. The result is ';powerful and a must-read... Insightful, compelling, and an excellent source of myth-busting information for laymen and professionals alike' (Burl Barer, Edgar Awardwinning author of The Saint).

A chilling investigation into the deviant mind, ';so powerful and provocative, you cannot put it down' (Rita Cosby, New York Timesbestselling author). We know the names: Ted Bundy, Ed Gein, Jeffrey Dahmer, John Wayne Gacy, among themserial killers transformed by the media into ghoulish celebrities. And their iconic fictional counterpartsfrom Norman Bates to Hannibal Lecter to Dexterreveal just how eager we are to watch a psychopath in action. But why? Are we curious about the root of their terrifying compulsions? Or it is something more? Why We Love Serial Killers ';attempts to solve some of these mysteries... What made serial killers this way? Why did they kill, and why did they do it so gruesomely? How are they different from us? (Please let them be different from us)' (The Atlantic). In exploring our appetite for the macabre, criminology professor Dr. Scott Bonn also provides a unique view into the world of serial killers, having corresponded with two of the most notorious examples: David Berkowitz, a.k.a. Son of Sam, and the BTK Killer, Dennis Rader. In addition, Bonn examines the criminal profiling techniques used to identify serial predators, the charisma of the sociopath, the rise in ';murderabilia' collecting, and how and why these killers often become pop-culture icons, escalating both our fears and our fascination. The result is ';powerful and a must-read... Insightful, compelling, and an excellent source of myth-busting information for laymen and professionals alike' (Burl Barer, Edgar Awardwinning author of The Saint).