Kryso Posted March 10, 2006 #1 Share Posted March 10, 2006 Books are my passion, and at the moment I’m into true crimes. The best I have yet read is called: THE SERIAL KILLER FILES: The Who, What, Where, How, and Why of the World’s Most Terrifying Murderers by Harold Schechter. This is an amazing read. But with 423 pages it’s not a light read, or for the light hearted; it’s very, very graphic. To wet your appetite, here is its list of contents… CONTENTS Title Page Dedication Half Title Page Introduction ONE: WHAT IT MEANS Origin of the Term Definitions Categories of Carnage: Serial/Mass/Spree Psychopath vs. Psychotic Psychopaths: The Mask of Sanity “Moral Insanity” Psychotics: The Living Nightmare Beyond Madness TWO: WHO THEY ARE Ten Traits of Serial Killers Warning Signs How Smart Are Serial Killers? Male and Female Angels of Death Black Widows Deadlier Than the Male Black and White Young and Old Straight and Gay Bloodthirsty “Bi”s Partners in Crimes Folie à Deux Killer Couples The Family That Slays Together Married with Children Bluebeards Work and Play Uncivil Servants Killer Cops Medical Monsters Nicknames Serial Killers International THREE: A HISTORY OF SERIAL MURDER Serial Murder: Old as Sin Grim Fairy Tales Serial Slaughter Through the Ages FOUR: GALLERY OF EVIL—TEN AMERICAN MONSTERS Lydia Sherman Belle Gunness H. H. Holmes Albert Fish Earle Leonard Nelson Edward Gein Harvey Murray Glatman John Wayne Gacy Gary Heidnik Jeffrey Dahmer FIVE: SEX AND THE SERIAL KILLER Perversions Sadism The Man Who Invented Sadism Science Looks at Sadism Wilhelm Stekel de River and Reinhardt Disciples of De Sade Dominance Fetishism Transvestism Vampirism Cannibalism ********** Pedophilia Gerontophilia The World’s Worst Pervert SIX: WHY THEY KILL Atavism Brain Damage Child Abuse Mother Hate Bad Seed Mean Genes Adoption Fantasy Bad Books, Malignant Movies, Vile Videos Pornography Profit Celebrity Copycats The Devil Made Me Do It SEVEN: EVIL IN ACTION Triggers Hunting Grounds Prey Targets of Opportunity Snares “Wanted: Well-Built Man for Slaughter” Signature, Ritual, MO Methods Rippers Stranglers Ax Murderers Poisoners Shooters Taunts Escalation Torture Trophies Disposal EIGHT: HOW IT ENDS Profiling Origins The Mind Hunters How It Works Capture Psychics Suicide Punishment NGRI (Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity) Unsolved NINE: SERIAL KILLER CULTURE Fun with Serial Killers Art Music Film Literature Humor Murderbilia Tourist Spots Groupies Has anyone read this book? Or have you any good suggestions for my next read? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yelekiah Posted March 10, 2006 #2 Share Posted March 10, 2006 Whoever Fights Monsters Jack the Ripper: Case Closed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kryso Posted March 12, 2006 Author #3 Share Posted March 12, 2006 Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper - Case Closed The one by Patricia Cornwell? Amazing read, I enjoyed it. Do you think it was the painter? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yelekiah Posted March 13, 2006 #4 Share Posted March 13, 2006 I'm sort of on the fence with it, but mitochondrial DNA showed that he did write at least some of the letters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bella-Angelique Posted March 13, 2006 #5 Share Posted March 13, 2006 In Cold Blood by Truman Capote. Cannot go wrong with a classic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kryso Posted March 13, 2006 Author #6 Share Posted March 13, 2006 In Cold Blood by Truman Capote. Cannot go wrong with a classic. Thanks, will check it out, and let you know what I think! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweetpumper Posted March 13, 2006 #7 Share Posted March 13, 2006 (edited) Try "The Shoemaker: Anatomy of a Psychotic". I'm sure it's out of print, but it's a great read. Edited March 13, 2006 by Sweetpumper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oubli Posted March 14, 2006 #8 Share Posted March 14, 2006 (edited) Try "The Shoemaker: Anatomy of a Psychotic". I'm sure it's out of print, but it's a great read. It may be out of print, but you can still buy it on Amazon, I just bought a copy for $5.40. Thanks for the suggestion. I also got Capote's, sounds interesting. Thanks for the suggestions... Yelekiah: I also picked up A Portrait of a Killer, but, I thought Patricia Cornwell just wrote novels.... I didn't know she also wrote true crime?? I guess you learn something new everyday...... P.S. If you like quirky little reads, another good one is Midnight In the Garden of Good and Evil. It does not read like your average true crime and you know the guy did it from the start. But the atmosphere of the book and the quirkiness really make it a good read. Edited March 14, 2006 by amybutts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kryso Posted March 16, 2006 Author #9 Share Posted March 16, 2006 Yelekiah: I also picked up A Portrait of a Killer, but, I thought Patricia Cornwell just wrote novels.... I didn't know she also wrote true crime?? I guess you learn something new everyday...... The book is amazing. She put a lot of hard work into it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~TheBigK~ Posted March 17, 2006 #10 Share Posted March 17, 2006 Simply enough, "The Encyclopedia of Serial Killers" is the most informative one I've read. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tiddlyjen Posted March 17, 2006 #11 Share Posted March 17, 2006 My favourite true crime book would have to be 'Body of Evidence' by Brian Innes. this is taken from Amazon.com This fast-paced, authoritative book offers a compelling look at the way scientific techniques have helped investigators solve some of the most famous crimes in history. More than 100 true crime cases discussed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
__Kratos__ Posted March 19, 2006 #12 Share Posted March 19, 2006 The best I have yet read is called: THE SERIAL KILLER FILES: The Who, What, Where, How, and Why of the World’s Most Terrifying Murderers by Harold Schechter. Has anyone read this book? Or have you any good suggestions for my next read? I like that one to. It's really the only book I have on serial killers. A lot of the stuff I read is online like at crimelibrary.com and other sites. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bacca Posted March 20, 2006 #13 Share Posted March 20, 2006 if you like serial killers there is a web site i think it's just called serial killers that lists them and what happened with photos etc...it even updates them if something new were to happen like with the BTK killer.... Other then that true crime stores about Lizzie Borden are usually good as well as the old ones like helter skelter...but everyone has read that i think Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elvismay Posted March 20, 2006 #14 Share Posted March 20, 2006 I also recommend Patrica's Jack the Ripper book! Also anything by Lowell Cauffiel! His books are awesome! The research put into his books are amazing, it's almost like your reading a fiction story! I don't remember the name of it, but he wrote a book about some lezbian killer nurses which was great! Also his House of Secret's is quite a freaky tale! Check out not only Vincent Bugliosi's Helter Skelter, but And the Sea Will Tell. Hope that helps, there's some good reading there! stv Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twpdyp Posted March 21, 2006 #15 Share Posted March 21, 2006 "Helter Skelter" by Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Gentry, this book was my first reading encounter with a sick and murderous mind. It scared the hell out of me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweetpumper Posted March 21, 2006 #16 Share Posted March 21, 2006 Amybutts, let me know what you thought of "The Shoemaker" when you're finished! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lycan Posted March 22, 2006 #17 Share Posted March 22, 2006 whoever fights monsters human monsters =) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hans Dolbrook Posted March 23, 2006 #18 Share Posted March 23, 2006 any book written by the retired fbi profiler john douglas is an excellent read.the two books ex la cop mark furman's 2 books are also excellent!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldethyl Posted March 23, 2006 #19 Share Posted March 23, 2006 And I Don't Want to Live This Life: A Mother's Story by Deborah Spungen about Nancy Spungen and Sid Vicious. It's an excellent book: Book Description "For most of us, it was just another horrible headline. But for Deborah Spungen, the mother of Nancy, who was stabbed to death at the Chelsea Hotel, it was both a relief and a tragedy. Here is the incredible story of an infant who never stopped screaming, a toddler who attacked people, a teenager addicted to drugs, violence, and easy sex, a daughter completely out of control--who almost destroyed her parents' marriage and the happiness of the rest of her family." Link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/044991141...glance&n=283155 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oubli Posted March 24, 2006 #20 Share Posted March 24, 2006 (edited) Amybutts, let me know what you thought of "The Shoemaker" when you're finished! Will do I just received it in the mail yesterday! I'm looking forward to reading it... Thank you for the suggestion, I would never even have known it was out there..... Edited March 24, 2006 by amybutts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Byuu94 Posted March 24, 2006 #21 Share Posted March 24, 2006 The Black Dahlia Avenger is a good one. Amazon listing for the Black Dahlia Avenger D. B. Cooper: The Real McCoy is also great. Amazon listing for D. B. Cooper: The Real McCoy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theGhost_and_theDarkness Posted March 30, 2006 #22 Share Posted March 30, 2006 I like reading John Douglas books. . they have a bunch of info on profiling as well as the cases he worked on. Zodiac by Robert Graysmith was pretty good, and I really found "The Diary of Jack the Ripper" interesting, even if most people think it's a hoax. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostLittleGirl Posted April 19, 2006 #23 Share Posted April 19, 2006 There is a book by a man named Peter Vronsky about serial Killers. Can't remeber the title right off hand. Very good read. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spacey Posted April 21, 2006 #24 Share Posted April 21, 2006 Anything by John Doulgas or Robert Ressler- they are the experts on serial killers.. But it depends on what aspect of true crime you're after... I have alot of encyclopaedia's of violent crime and criminolgy. They are excellent, but not cheap (one cost $300AUS) One of my personal faves are The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule Also there's alot of books on Austrlaian crime for anyone who's interested. There's a series called "Never to be Released" by Paul Kidd which discusses some pretty interesting Australian crime. Although he tends to be a bit biased in some chapters and really gets to me when he gets all judgemental instead of simply giving us the facts.. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ha Ha Posted April 21, 2006 #25 Share Posted April 21, 2006 (edited) The Serial Killer Files by Harold Schechter, anything by Max Haines, a Canadian writer who writes about true cases, and of course, " In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote. Ann Rule is good too, but I find her style a bit "wordy"! And I don't Want to Live This Life is very very good too! As is John Douglas. Edited April 21, 2006 by Ha Ha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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