Killers Caught: True Stories of Extraordinary Murder Hunts

by Emily G. Thompson

They thought they had gotten away with murder. They were wrong.

Discover the vital clues, the crucial evidence, the lucky breaks, the chases, the painstaking detective work, the unlikely heroes that led to the capture of serial killers such as “The Good Nurse” poisoner Charles Cullen, finally detected by a young colleague; Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe, revealed by false license plates; Night Stalker Richard Ramirez, spotted by a 13-year-old boy; Hotelier of Death H. H. Holmes, apprehended selling his victims’ skeletons…

Killers Caught reveals the downfall of these ruthless individuals, as well as the stories of how many more of crime’s most notorious and prolific murderers were brought to justice.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction

272 pages, Paperback

Published October 17, 2023

About the author

Emily G. Thompson is an author and freelance writer based in Northern Ireland.

Her first book, Unsolved Child Murders, was published by McFarland in 2017, followed by three more books published by Dorling Kindersley: Unsolved Murders: True Crime Cases Uncovered, in 2019, Cults Uncovered: True Stories of Mind Control and Murder, in 2020, and Mysteries Uncovered: True Stories of the Paranormal and Unexplained, in 2020.

Thompson is also the founder of the true crime website and award-winning podcast, Morbidology, which won the "Best International" podcast at the iHeartRadio Podcast Awards in January 2022. The weekly true crime show takes a look at cases from all across the world, and highlights systemic failures in various systems.

In addition to writing for her own website and podcast, Thompson is a freelance writer for Crime + Investigation, Law & Crime, A&E Network and other true crime podcasts.

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

A book about how some of the worst criminals were ultimately tracked down and apprehended.

It appears that this author / investigative reports published several quickie sensationalistic books about killers, crimes, cults, etc. this being the first of her books that I have picked up, it certainly was interesting but very brief so that as many as possible can be fit into one book. I can’t help thinking that the sole purpose was to generate as much profit as possible with as little effort as needed. A very brief breakdown of what the killer did, how they were caught, sentenced and thereafter died. A short list of sources after each chapter. A couple of sections of pictures. Two not really deserved stars.

[Georgi_Lvs_Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

I decided to listen to this on audio.

This is the ideal read/listen for any true crime fans. There are some brutal cases mentioned in this book and may not be ideal for everyone.

It has defiantly added more books to my TBR!

[Charlotte Print · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very exciting, but can easily be a pausable book, which is good for some people who read multiple things but not so good for me as I like to complete a book before starting a new one

[Nena]

Dnf at 12%. Book is well-researched and presented without bias, but I think I just prefer learning about historical crime through podcasts and documentaries.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

A relatively short collection of true crime stories which cover the crime and subsequent capture of the perpetrator. Cases include the Golden State Killer, Rodney Alcala and a few lesser known international stories.

This book offers little new information for true crime readers, but still an interesting collection for those wishing to dip into the genre.

[Leil Hardman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most cases are well known, but each chapter is an informative overview of a different murderer without glorifying the murderer.

[Russo's Ramblings · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a interesting and quick read, but I think fewer case studies and more detailed descriptions of HOW these killers were caught, where appropriate, would improve the work.

[Kelli Barczynski · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found the cases quite rushed. Personally it would have been better if there were less cases and written about more in depth

[Rick · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's your basic true crime book. it's not bad but there's nothing new.