18 books like Serial Killers

What to read after Serial Killers — books similar to it, matched on shared themes.

Blind Faith Joe McGinniss · 1981 · ★ 3.7 · 448p · ≈ 14h · Moderate The Marshalls were the model family of Tom’s River, New Jersey, living the American dream of all that money could buy. Rob Marshall was the big breadwinner, king of the country club set. Maria Marshall was his stunningly beautiful wife and the perfect mom to their three great kids. Then one night Rob, his head bloodied, reported Maria had been brutally slain. Sympathy poured in—until… Shares: Case studies, True Crime, Murder

Crimes of Passion Howard Engel · 2001 · 239p · ≈ 7h · Moderate The very term "crimes of passion" evokes deep-seated, atavistic responses in everyone's heart. These are the crimes that are born in the emotional core of women and men who are pushed to do the unthinkable. There are never - well, hardly ever - any of the crass considerations of financial gain, no taint of reward; only release. These crimes are direct responses to betrayal, to broken hearts and… Shares: Case studies, True Crime, Murder

A rip in Heaven Jeanine Cummins · 2004 · ★ 4.2 · 302p · ≈ 10h · Moderate It was a headline story in the New York Times and USA Today. It was covered by Court TV and profiled on the Ricki Lake Show. Now, here is the intimate memoir of a shocking crime and its aftermath...one family's immediate and unforgettable story of what victims can suffer long after they should be safe. Shares: Case studies, True Crime, Murder

Born Killers Christopher Berry-Dee · 2006 · 270p · ≈ 9h · Moderate But no matter how many people they have killed, no matter how many lives they have ruined and whatever the nature of their sickening crimes, serial killers are still human. Analysing the early years of the lives of men like Jeffrey Dahmer, who abused and killed 17 young men, offers a fascinating insight into the effects of a dysfunctional or abusive childhood. Criminologists Christopher… Shares: Serial murderers, True Crime

The Monster of Florence Magdalen Nabb · 1996 · ★ 3.3 · 344p · ≈ 11h · Moderate Marshal Guarnaccia feels out of his league when he is assigned to help track down a serial killer, especially when he assigned to work under Simonetti, a man so dedicated to achieving a conviction that he is blinded to the consequences. Shares: Serial murderers, Case studies, Serial murders, True Crime

The killer department Robert Cullen · 1993 · ★ 4.0 · 258p · ≈ 8h · Moderate The spellbinding true tale of the discovery, chase, capture, and execution of Andrei Chikatilo, a serial killing madman who sexually assaulted, mutilated, and killed at least 53 women and children near Rostov-on-Don, Russia, between 1978 and 1986. The story is told by Colonel Vicktor Burakov, Soviet Militia, a brilliant, tenacious investigator who would be the very last man I'd want pursuing me… Shares: Serial murderers, Case studies, Serial murders, True Crime

Portrait of a Killer Patricia Cornwell · 1960 · ★ 3.5 · 391p · ≈ 13h · Moderate "Between August and November 1888, at least seven women were murdered in London's Whitechapel area. The gruesome nature of their deaths caused panic and fear in the East End for months, and gave rise to the sobriquet that was to become shorthand for a serial killer - Jack the Ripper.". "For over a hundred years the murders have remained among the world's greatest unsolved crimes, and a wealth of… Shares: Serial murderers, Serial murders, True Crime, Murder

Things a Killer Would Know Paula Doneman · 2006 · 278p · ≈ 9h · Moderate A no-holds-barred account of the deadly rampage of rapist and serial killer, Leonard Fraser.In April, 1999, schoolgirl Keyra Steinhardt was bashed, raped and murdered in a brazen daylight attack as she walked home from school in the central Queensland town of Rockhampton. The disappearance of Keyra made international headlines as the community and law enforcement officers hunted for the… Shares: Serial murderers, Serial murders, True Crime

Guilty of Nothing Kevin King · 2008 · 70p · ≈ 2h · Moderate When Bill Eck is accused of a crime he didn't commit, the evidence is compelling but not complete. With enough loopholes in the case to run a racehorse through, it seems as though any logical juror or judge would need more evidence to convict anyone in this position. A serial killer who strikes at the site of the racehorse track has every citizen on edge, and Bill is no exception. He is, however,… Shares: Serial murderers, Serial murders

There But For the Grace of God Fred Rosen · 2007 · ★ 3.0 · 278p · ≈ 9h · Moderate They stared into the faces of pure evil . . . and survived!Ted Bundy . . . Jeffrey Dahmer . . .David "Son of Sam" Berkowitz . . . Dennis Rader, the BTK Killer . . .These are some of the names that strike terror into even the bravest of hearts. Human monsters, they preyed upon the unsuspecting, freely feeding their terrible hungers. Their crimes were unspeakable, as they maimed, tortured, killed,… Shares: Serial murderers, Serial murders, True Crime

Severed John Gilmore · 1994 · 237p · ≈ 7h · Moderate The Black Dahlia murder hit post-War Los Angeles like a bombshell . . . an impenetrable mystery—the haunting crown jewel of LAPD’s “unsolved” murders. Even before her savage death, beautiful 22-year-old Elizabeth Short, an aspiring starlet and nightclub habitué, was known as the Black Dahlia—now a magnetic icon in American pop culture, an almost mythical symbol of noir Hollywood. In this expanded… Shares: Case studies, True Crime, Murder

Mindhunter John E. Douglas · 1995 · ★ 4.4 · 397p · ≈ 13h · Moderate Discover the classic, behind-the-scenes chronicle of John E. Douglas’ twenty-five-year career in the FBI Investigative Support Unit, where he used psychological profiling to delve into the minds of the country’s most notorious serial killers and criminals—the basis for the upcoming Netflix original series. In chilling detail, the legendary Mindhunter takes us behind the scenes of some of his… Shares: Serial murderers, Case studies, Serial murders, True Crime

Chasing the Devil David Reichert · 2004 · ★ 3.2 · 320p · ≈ 10h · Moderate The riveting personal account of one sheriffs epic hunt for America's most heinous serial killer. For eight years, Sheriff David Reichert devoted days and nights to capturing the Green River Killer--the most notorious serial killer in American history. He was the first detective on the case in 1982 and doggedly pursued it as the body count climbed to 49 and it became the most infamous unsolved… Shares: Serial murderers, Case studies, Serial murders, True Crime

The midnight assassin Skip Hollandsworth · 2015 · ★ 3.9 · 336p · ≈ 11h · Moderate Shares: Serial murderers, Serial murders, True Crime, Murder Shares: Serial murderers, Serial murders, True Crime, Murder

The private diary of Lyle Menendez Lyle Menendez · 1993 · ★ 4.6 · 263p · ≈ 8h · Moderate The personal story of Lyle Menendez is based on a four-and-a-half-year intimate correspondence with the author and covers the murders of Jose and Kitty Menendez by Lyle and his brother Erik and the court trials that ended in hung juries. Shares: Case studies, True Crime, Murder

Serial Killers Up Close and Very Personal Victoria Redstall · 2011 Dive inside the twisted minds of some of the most heinous serial killers in history with this true-crime trove of stories about cannibalistic murderers. Delving deep into the twisted actions of Hannibal Lecter–type murderers, Cannibal Serial Killers profiles the depraved individuals who prolong their horrific crimes beyond the thrill of the chase to a perverse ritualized finale. More than just… Shares: Serial murderers, True Crime, Murder

The serial killers Colin Wilson · 1992 · 336p · ≈ 11h · Moderate As the number of serial killers worldwide has risen steadily - from the emergence of Jack the Ripper in 1888 to Harold Shipman and Ivan Milat, the backpacker killer of the Australian outback - the need to understand mass murder is becoming more urgent. Using privileged access to the world's first National Centre for the Analysis of Violent Crime, Colin Wilson and Donald Seaman bring you this… Shares: Case studies, Serial murders, True Crime

Bringing Adam home Les Standiford · 2011 · ★ 4.4 · 305p · ≈ 10h · Moderate This is the story of an unfathomable crime that would forever embed itself into the collective American psyche and lead to sweeping legislative changes in the way that missing person cases are handled. In 1981, Adam Walsh was a healthy and bright 6 1/2 year old boy with his entire life ahead of him. On the afternoon of July 27th, Adam accompanied his mom, Revé, to the local Sears department store… Shares: Case studies, True Crime, Murder

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