Why We Love Serial Killers: The Curious Appeal of the World's Most Savage Murderers

by Scott A. Bonn

For decades now, serial killers have taken center stage in the news and entertainment media. The coverage of real-life murderers such as Ted Bundy and Jeffrey Dahmer has transformed them into ghoulish celebrities. Similarly, the popularity of fictional characters such as Hannibal “The Cannibal” Lecter or Dexter demonstrates just how eager the public is to be frightened by these human predators.

But why is this so? Could it be that some of us have a gruesome fascination with serial killers for the same reasons we might morbidly stare at a catastrophic automobile accident? Or it is something more? In Why We Love Serial Killers, criminology professor Dr. Scott Bonn explores our powerful appetite for the macabre, while also providing new and unique insights into the world of the serial killer, including those he has gained from his correspondence with two of the world’s most notorious examples, David Berkowitz (“Son of Sam”) and Dennis Rader (“Bind, Torture, Kill”). In addition, Bonn examines the criminal profiling techniques used by law enforcement professionals to identify and apprehend serial predators, he discusses the various behaviors—such as the charisma of the sociopath— that manifest themselves in serial killers, and he explains how and why these killers often become popular cultural figures.

Groundbreaking in its approach, Why We Love Serial Killers is a compelling look at how the media, law enforcement agencies, and public perception itself shapes and feeds the “monsters” in our midst.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Psychology, Crime, Audiobook, History, Mystery

272 pages, Paperback

First published October 7, 2014

About the author

Scott Bonn, Ph.D. is Professor of Criminology at Drew University, media commentator, public speaker and author. He is an expert on the behavior and the motivations of criminals. He offers insights into various types of crime, including white-collar, state crime, bullying, domestic violence, sexual assault and serial homicide. His expert commentary frequently appears in the popular news media.

Dr. Bonn just completed a book on the public's fascination with serial killers which offers insights into the minds of infamous predators and explains how and why serial killers become ghoulish popular culture celebrities. Titled "Why We Love Serial Killers" this powerful book will be released by Skyhorse Press in October 2014.

Emmy-winning TV host and best-selling author, Rita Cosby, says this about Dr. Bonn's new book:
"Considered one of the world's top experts on criminal behavior, Scott Bonn has delivered a book which is so powerful and provocative, you cannot put it down. Indeed, through his diligent work and unparalleled access to these infamous killers who've committed some of the most horrific crimes of our day, he provides chilling and critical insight into these deviant and pathological criminal minds… and reveals the truth behind the headlines."

Professor Bonn is not your average academic. He combines the knowledge and skills of an academic scholar with more than twenty years of senior-level corporate experience in advertising, and the news and entertainment media. As such, he has unique insights into the public’s attitudes and beliefs, how they are shaped, and the agenda-setting powers of political leaders and the news media.

Dr. Bonn has developed a unique, integrated, and interdisciplinary theory called “critical communication” to explain how state officials and the news media together shape public opinion on complex issues such as homicide, capital punishment, illicit drugs, abortion and terrorism.

Dr. Bonn received a Ph.D. in sociology (criminology) at the University of Miami, FL, and a masters degree in criminal justice administration at San Jose State University. He teaches courses in criminology, sociology of deviance, media and crime, and criminal justice. His primary research interests include white-collar crime, state crime, domestic violence, serial homicide and how the media influence society.

Prior to his academic career, Bonn held high-ranking corporate positions such as Vice President at NBC Television Network, and Executive Vice President at SonicNet, a leading music website, now a part of MTV Networks. He resides in Manhattan, New York.

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book is repetitive and does not have anything new to report. I have seen the author interviewed on true crime and he comes across as knowledgeable on the subject, but this work is so dull.

[Larry Bassett · Rating 1 out of 5]

I got halfway through this book and finally decided that I had to do some of my own research into the material being provided to me in these pages. The result was a feeling of being sucker punched by Scott Bonn.

Here are several paragraphs from a review I suggest you read BEFORE you attempt to read this book.
http://serialhomicidecollaborative.bl...

True crime aficionados will enjoy Killers as Bonn relates the material in an intelligible fashion, making for effortless consumability. As a summation of how society reacted to serial killers long ago, Killers is a decent source and one that should be referenced as a matter of historical record. Hopefully, casual readers will eventually discover other, more rigorously researched works with greater bearing on the contemporary. This reviewer suggests that serious researchers leave Killers to decay on the true crime shelf. Any of the aforementioned works should be read instead, especially Ron Rosenbaum’s more astute (and concise) Slate piece, Why America loves serial killers [21] from which Bonn no doubt drew inspiration.

Overall, the experience of reading Killers was overly onerous, made worse by Bonn’s cognizance and full embrace of his role in the trafficking of human suffering. As a pioneer in the enterprising use of serial murder for profit, Bonn excuses his own “vested interest” (173) in continuing an “unending serial cycle” (7) by employing killers like Jeffrey Dahmer as an “entertainment commodity” (220). Bonn opens Killers by thoughtlessly dedicating it to the “victims and their families” all while maintaining the celebrity of these serial killers and re-victimizing victims’ families for the selfish purpose of financial profit (221).

In the closing line of Killers, Bonn pronounces that “we love serial killers because we need them” (229). One may scour Killers and find no truer words than this disclosure. Bonn desperately needs serial murderers to continue killing as a form of morbid job security. Offenders like Darren Deon Vann and Tiago Rocha present an invaluable opportunity to hock Killers to the masses, ensuring that future editions remain popular. Killers is undoubtedly deserving of its inevitable placement among the other superfluous books on the subject. This reviewer only hopes that before that happens, we direct some attention to the flagrant breach of human decency that works such as Killers represent.

Only a few people have reviewed this book but a lot of people are in line to read it. I hope some Goodreaders will read this review and some of other other one star reviews before starting the book themselves.

[MeriBeth · Rating 1 out of 5]

While Mr. Bonn's book has an interesting premise at its heart, the age old question of why society is so fascinated by serial murders, it suffers from a very average and somewhat prosaic style of writing. It is accessible yet also feels like it is an overly long college thesis which was published to capitalize on the popularity of such shows as Criminal Minds, Dexter and CSI. The chapters are very choppy with internal sections that often don't seem to mesh together. Thus, while I wanted to like it, I couldn't seem to manage to do so. In comparison to other books on the topic of serial killers and criminal profiling, this volume not only falls flat, it falls extremely short of the mark.

[Claudia Hill · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dangerous Balderdash

This book was written from a long outdated view of society, one discredited for more than a hundred years. His concluding chapter, in which he claims that serial killers are actually necessary to society, is dead wrong. Serial killers are as necessary to human society as cancer is to the human body. And, I'm sorry, but there is such a thing as evil that can be recognized and rejected by any human being. Furthermore, the author often mentions "grizzly crimes" and "grizzly public recognition." The only grizzly that ever attained much public recognition that I know of was Gentle Ben, the bear who starred in the movie and television show of the same name. It is, however, sadly true that the crimes of serial killers were indeed horrible and undeniably "grisly." A small point, possibly, but, it certainly casts doubt upon the author's research skills.

[Kemp · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book that explains serial killing and why our society positions them as pop culture icons.

[Leiba · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is one of those books that made me wish I didn't feel compelled to finish one I've started. The subject matter is interesting, so it's hard to imagine how someone could turn it into something so dry that it could serve as a sleep aid, but this book does that. It reads like a very poorly written grade-school essay. One which has not been proofread. (I mean, really. "Grizzly" murders? Using "waiver" instead of "waver," and vice versa? Come on!) And for a book that heavily overuses the word "insights," you'd expect it to actually, I don't know... PROVIDE some. I would give this negative stars if I could.

[Gwen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall, while the topic is intriguing, I didn't like this book.

[HorrorBook HellHound · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very thought-provoking and provided quite a bit of insight for why we (as a society) tend to obsess over and be oddly "in love with" serial killers. I loved the fact that the author scientifically backed up his information and wasn't afraid to dive into some touchy topics such as murderabilia and even reached out to a couple of the most prolific serial killers in American history to discuss his ideas and received valuable feed back from those individuals. As a lover of psychology and someone who has gone to school for forensic psychology, specifically, I loved this journey and think that this book provides some useful information for society as a whole.

[Jose · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐

For the most part, the book is about serial killers rather than the public's fascination with them.

I might revisit the last three chapters, which are the ones in which the central question (and the title of the book) is actually addressed.

[Rena Sherwood · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well, this was a huge disappointment. Extremely repetitive (you could have a drinking game based on the number of times the word "incredibly" is used) and at times naive, Bonn barely touches on the title's premise. Mostly this is just warmed over hash. This could have been SO much more if Bonn had just stuck to the point instead of stuffing the fluff into every page to pad this out.



And David Berkowitz is not a hero -- I'm disappointed that his fat ass hasn't been fried yet (or whatever they do to serial killers nowadays.) I mean, he shot a DOG and blamed his murders on the dead dog (among other very bad things). And now he's found Jesus Christ. "I guess Christ wasn't hiding well enough." (Dennis Miller.)

[Enzo Yaksic · Rating 1 out of 5]

Those who stand to profit from their existence love serial killers the most. Please read my review of Scott Bonn's Why We Love Serial Killers before purchasing it: http://serialhomicidecollaborative.bl...

[Zade · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't read the reviews before listening to this book, but I wish I had. (I listened because Keith Szarabajka narrates. He's usually amazing, so maybe it isn't an accident that the entire audio sounds condescending?) The book is problematic in so many ways, I can't cover them all here without writing a book of my own. Here are a few of the major concerns:

1. Bonn is not a terrible writer, but this is a dissertation, not a book. His chapters are written in a clumsy version of the academic "Here's what I'm going to tell you; now I'm telling you; here's what I just told you" pattern. It's tedious, repetitive, and unnecessarily verbose. Add in his habit of telling readers just how profound and "compelling" and "unique" his insights are going to be, and it made me want to get out my grading pen. Sir, if you have to tell your readers how brilliant you are, perhaps you're not quite so brilliant as you think.

2. He decries the "celebrity" culture surrounding serial killers even as he participates in it. He pays lip service to the harm such commercialization does to survivors and the families of victims, but includes nothing about how it actually affects them. As a result, he comes across insincere and hypocritical. He's participating in using serial killers as entertainment, but we're supposed to see him as morally better than everyone else doing it. The facts of the cases he discusses are known and it's easy for readers to look up the data if needed. Given his purported concern for survivors and families of victims, it is perplexing that he includes so much detail.

3. I don't know what Robert Ressler did to tick off this guy, but his contempt for Ressler fairly oozes off the page. He flat-out accuses Ressler of lying about his interview with David Berkowitz.

4. Bonn talks quite a bit about how charming and persuasive serial killers can be, how they often con even law enforcement and forensic psychiatrists. He then proceeds to go full fan-boy as he writes about how the Son of Sam really truly has changed and now he's the Son of Hope, dedicated to serving others for the rest of his life. The narcissism of Berkowitz's self-proclaimed conversion is glaring, but Bonn has chugged the Flavor-Aid. His proof that it's all real is that he could feel the truth of it when he met Berkowitz.

5. Bonn's explanation of his theory about why society is so interested in serial killers manages to be both far too long and far too superficial. In a nutshell, he sees the popularity of serial killers as a "moral panic" and the killers themselves as "folk-devils." There are so many fallacies and misuses of the philosophy he uses to get here that I won't go into them in depth, but will simply say that his stance is deeply harmful to the victims of real moral panics and those groups cast as folk-devils, e.g. immigrants, LGBTQ+ folks, BLM protesters, etc. He glibly overlooks the fact that the accuracy of these terms depends on the accused not being what they are portrayed to be. Yes it is true that serial murder accounts for only about 1% of all murder in the US, but it is qualitatively different from other types of murder (as he has demonstrated at length in this very book) and is also not the sole focus of true crime media. His sophomoric insistence that evil has only a tautological definition does nothing to remedy the flaws in his argument.

6. He sincerely believes that the average US citizen can't tell the difference between a fictional serial killer and a real one. Also, that said average person does not know the difference using words like "monster" metaphorically and using them to mean something actually supernatural.

You get the point, yes? Bonn is so thrilled that he got to communicate with Berkowitz and Rader, he just had to tell everyone, but to protect his image in his own eyes (because no one else is falling for this charade), he twists philosophy to fit a gap-filled theory that he thinks will make his work academic. Readers will leam little new from his book except that having a doctorate is no guarantee of clear reasoning.

[Erin Reedy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wouldn’t say this was a horrible book. But definitely not the best and will not read again. The book had potential to be really good but it just fell flat. I personally wasn’t a big fan of Scott Bonn’s writing style. At some points to me it felt like I was reading a high school essay when he’d say things like “in this chapter I shall explain” or “I will inform you of”. I just didn’t think it was the best writing style.

[Mina Richards · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. I listened to it on audible and it was in-depth and informational. It diagnosed the serial killers as well as why we are fascinated with this part of life. His chapters flowed and I was impressed with how he understood human behavior and our psychological makeup. We are complicated whether we are the serial killers or the humans that listen, read or watch them and their crimes.

[Jonathan Cavazos · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the pleasure of hearing Dr. Scott Bonn give a talk at the Tobin Center and was interested in reading his book he wrote. He gives fascinating insights into the minds of serial killers and what makes them tick.

[Simon Sweetman · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the book never really answers its own question of central premise, and mostly revels in revealing all the gory details, I cannot say that I found it uninteresting.

[laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Es un libro interesante para introducirse al mundo de la criminología, pero no resulta para nada novedoso y no logra dar una respuesta antropológica a la fascinación que traen los asesinos seriales.

[Tiffany L · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very Informative!!!

[Kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I grabbed this book as part of my Book-Bub bargains. I expected a book that was somewhat more pop culture oriented but ended up with what is predominantly a sociological textbook, written from a functionalist perspective with its main idea that the public needs serial killers to fulfill certain functions in society.

I myself do not subscribe to functionalism but that did not deter me in the reading of the book nor undermine what the writer was trying to convey. If you are a reader looking for an introductory academic discussion based on sociological perspectives, this is a good text to read from. The writer explains the basics of functionalism, delves deeply into anomie and how that applies to serial killers and then outlines his arguments on various topics from there.

If you are a reader who is looking for an entertaining, anecdotal pop culture perspective, then this book will probably not be for you. That being said, it is certainly refreshing to read something more academic on the subject even if I don't subscribe to the perspective the author chooses to write from. I think its important for people to delve into the academic ideas behind the sociology of crime with as much true crime "non-fiction" and interest in the ID channel as there is the United States. While the average true crime reader may have read about any number of cases, most would be hard pressed to be able to discuss any of it from any kind of academic perspective and while this one is definitely tilted in a certain direction, it is still a good introduction.

The author brings up many of the well known cases but spent time corresponding with David Berkowitz (Son of Sam) and Dennis Rader (BTK). Both men offer observations to the author about their own cases as well as commentary on his theories. It will be up to each individual to consider the validity and veracity of what these men have to say about serial killing and about their own crimes.

This is a good introductory sociology text written from a functionalist perspective. For a student wanting to write an essay on this subject, this would be a good text to use as reference material. For the average reader with an interest and basic understanding of sociology, its accessible - not too dry but definitely not "true Crime" as one would find in most bookstores. What is refreshing for the average reader is an academic book that can be useful in furthering a discussion about the topic even if one does not subscribe to the theory behind it.

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bonn's book is set to come out this Fall, but I was lucky enough to get an early look. For those who enjoy tv shows like Criminal Minds, Dexter, CSI, etc. this is a must-read! Though the author is a full-blown criminologist and professor, the writing is easy to understand for the average reader who'd like to learn more about the quirks of killers, why and how they do what they do, and how they end up getting caught (or not). He has been in contact and even sat down and talked to a couple serial killers in prison, so he was able to add his own insights to what he learned from these men first-hand. Really cool and informative read; definitely save the information for when it is officially published.

[Zsofia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interessant om te lezen. Ik vond vooral de eerste helft het meest boeiende.
Naar het einde toe vond ik het soms iet of wat langdradig omdat er nogal veel herhalingen waren omtrent de maatschappij edm en wat seriemoordenaars teweegbrengt, sociologisch gezien dan. Op zich wel eens een tof boek om meer inzicht te krijgen rond heel die fascinatie.
Het leukste vond de mythes die er zijn rond seriemoordenaars en de scheidingen tussen sociopathie en psychopathie, narcisme.. Het sociologische in zijn geheel vond ik iets minder boeiend maar dat is eerder persoonlijk denk ik dan. Sociologie vond ik vroeger een oersaai vak ;)

[Koren · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was very puzzled by this book. It gives us case histories of several serial killers, all of which have had books written about them so there is nothing new here. He talks more about profiling then he does about why people love serial killers. He doesnt actually talk about why people love serial killers until the last chapter of the book. There really isnt anything here that most people who follow true crime dont already know. It reads like a textbook (interpret boring). I did manage to stick with it-barely.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

\This book tries to explain why serial killers interest us. The book isn't about individual serial killers, more about how they present themselves in public, how they pick their victims and everything else you want to know about them. There is also a part on how the FBI profiles them. An interesting read for those who want to learn about serial killers.

[Nicola · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the book somewhat repetitive and a wee bit full of itself. That said, there was much to learn about serial killers and about ourselves in relation to them in this volume. Not at all for the faint-hearted, though. Bonn doesn't revel in salacious detail, but he does tell us some of the horrendous activities, in specifics, that these dangerous and peculiar (to my mind) people undertook.

[s · Rating 2 out of 5]

I do not read non fiction. But if it's serial killers than you know I'm going to read it.

This book had everything you need to know about serial killers. It goes over everything serial killers do. The FBI etc.

However there was just way too much too read. I was hoping to read about what killers did to their victims.

[Sunsettowers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bonn examines the public's fascination with serial killers through a psychological and sociological lens.


This is a really different and fascinating take on true crime. Bonn has done his research, and the lens which he looks through takes into account psychology, sociology, and history itself. He also has been in personal contact with the Son of Sam and the BTK killer, as part of his research, and brings what he has learned from studying them in as well.


This isn't something I didn't like, but more of a heads up for prospective readers. This does not read like a narrative as some true crime books do. This reads like a textbook, which I personally really liked-it made me feel like I was back in college with my highlighters and post it notes.


This was a fascinating, comprehensive read that I would definitely recommend for anyone who has read true crime.

[Michael Slavin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I look past the reputation and the summary of each chapter and found the first half of the book interesting with a lot of statistics and a way to categorize serial killers. But when I hit about 50% on kindle, it is a lot of sociology definitions and assumptions. I skimmed the last 50%, but read each chapter summary for the last half of the book.

I found it odd that the author uses Son of Sam as a reformed (my words) serial killer and is a productive member of society from behind bars. If he is a psychopath, he can never be reformed, but this is not specifically addressed. It was never mentioned that an MRI could be one more tool to ID a psychopath (not all psychopaths are killers), I think that should have been mentioned.

I felt the first half was good, but the second half was not so much.

[Sarah Eckstein · Rating 3 out of 5]

I saw Dr. Bonn give a talk near my home and purchased his book while there. His presentation was fun and upbeat despite the topics and anecdotes he told. The first section of the book was a lot of the same information he shared live. Once I got past that I really enjoyed the sections where he shares his experiences corresponding with BTK & Son of Sam. Also, he gets into sociology principles regarding serial killers and our society, which I found very interesting. The book reads very much like a business book, with introductions and conclusions in every chapter. I found this to be quite choppy and it was a little hard to stay engaged in the content. Overall if you’re fascinated by serial killers and the social impact of them, I’d recommend the book.

[Joy Frazier Boyle · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book had some interesting points but I could not get over how completely off base the author is in his final conclusions. It feels as those he only interviewed men in his research and has very little grasp on why MOST people read/consume information about serial killers. I agree, there may be outliers that want to seek the thrill of experiencing crime safely. However, the majority of crime consumers today are women. And I for one do NOT want to experience crime safely. I read to learn and dissect what motivates these individuals to keep myself and my family safe. An overall interesting read was ruined by the conclusions of a author with a limited research scope.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I saw Scott Bonn (author) speak recently and his presentation is far more engaging than the book. The book covers a fair amount of the exact info in his presentation. He does give some insight into fascination with serial killers, and has some personal dealings with some serial killers and weaves their stories into the book - super interesting. The end of the book though, goes into a lot of detail, seems overkill (see what I did there) - like he's trying to fill pages. Overall if you've not seen his presentation and are interested in serial killers, it's a relatively fast and fascinating yet terrifying read.