The Serial Killer Files: The Who, What, Where, How, and Why of the World's Most Terrifying Murderers

by Harold Schechter

Book Overview

THE DEFINITIVE DOSSIER ON HISTORY'S MOST HEINOUS Hollywood's make-believe maniacs like Jason, Freddy, and Hannibal Lecter can't hold a candle to real life monsters like John Wayne Gacy, Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, and scores of others who have terrorized, tortured, and terminated their way across civilization throughout the ages. Now, from the much-acclaimed author of Deviant, Deranged , and Depraved, comes the ultimate resource on the serial killer...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0345465660
• ISBN13: 9780345465665
• Release Date: December 2003
• Publisher: Ballantine Books
• Length: 432 Pages
• Weight: 1.76 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 7.4" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

The Ultimate Book on Serial Killers

When I ordered this book, I wasn't sure what I would be getting. I started reading and it didn't take long to realize that this book was incredible. Details, details, details! Updates, graphic descriptions, and plenty of information! It scared the hell out of me, too. If you're looking for some easy, but priceless reading, this book is the book for you!

history of serial killers

This is without any doubt one of the most informative books on the history of serial killers. Schechters writing style is so fluid that it's hard to put the book down. Around 150 - 200 serial killers are discussed in the book, which means that Schechter also mentions the lesser known serial killers, like Javed Iqbal and Li Wenxian. It's interesting to read that serial killers aren't a phenomenon of the last 150 years. Schechter proves that by going back to ancient Rome and the middle ages. Who, what, where, how en why ... You will find the answer in this book. Excellent for true crime addicts. 5 star

Excellent Serial Killer "Text Book"

So many true crime books are sensationally written, poorly researched tabloid type renditions of serial murder. Harold Schechter, however, has literally written a text book of murder. This book is well written, organized, and provides an interesting historical overview of serial killers...from the "Bluebeard" killers, to the Black Widows, to the sexual sadists, he covers them all. Schechter also provides insight into the empty soul of the sociopath. I highly recommend this book!

Verdict: Terrific

I have been a reader of Mr. Schechter's non fiction for three or four years now. One of my first books on serial killers in general (as opposed to books on individual serial killers) was A to Z Encyclopedia of Serial Killers, so I didn't know about this book. But, well, the subject matter is too tantalizing, so I went for it. Was I glad I did. The most valuable thing about this book for me were the updates. We get the Green River Killer update, The Railway Killer, and the Beltway Snipers, to mention only a few. The format here is interesting, and while I read it from page one all the way straight to the end, with its terrific index, its a reference or a "snack" of infomation, however you wish to use it. It has a place of honor on my shelf.

Thorough, fun, fascinating

It's a reference book but reads well cover-to-cover, or you can just look up the specific topics you're interested in. But you'll end up reading the whole thing. Covers all the basics (Gacy, Bundy, Dahmer. . . . and the difference between serial killers and mass murderers) plus a hundred other things I'd never heard of (African American serial killers, or weirdest ways of dumping the bodies). . . . also has a whole comic book about a serial killer named Panzram.