Inside the Minds of Serial Killers: Why They Kill

by Katherine Ramsland

There are many cultural myths about serial killers, often propagated even by mental health professionals. Many assume there is a profile of a serial killer, that serial killers always go for the same victim type or always use the same MO, that they are more clever than ordinary people, and that they are inevitably charming and attractive. The truth is not as simple as that. There are different types of serial killers and while there are many books that discuss the serial killer phenomenon especially in relationship to victim types or context, researchers have not yet been able to come up with a definition, or type, that covers the broad spectrum of serial killers and their complex psychological dynamics. Ramsland looks at serial killer types, illustrating that it is difficult to accurately depict these elusive, intriguing, and dangerous killers. This book examines a variety of serial killers, from sexual predators to psychotic killers, from murder teams to odd eccentric stalkers, in order to present the distinct psychological dynamics that set serial killers apart from other violent murderers. Among the motives addressed are lust, control, glory, profit, thrill, delusions, rage, the desire for company, the need to please a partner, and even murder as an intellectual exercise. Serial killers live double lives, hiding their violence even from those who live with them, so along with a study of motives are chapters devoted to how close associates have described killers, including parents, siblings, co-workers, lovers, and survivors. There is no profile of a serial killer, and this book establishes that in vivid and frightening detail.

Genres: True Crime, Psychology, Nonfiction, Crime, Ebooks, Serial Killer

199 pages, Hardcover

First published August 30, 2006

About the author

I've loved books since I was 3, and the library was a highlight of my childhood. I've been fortunate to be able to find great joy in what others have written and sometimes to give this to readers. I follow my own muse, because it leads me on interesting adventures. I began my writing career with "Prism of the Night: A Biography of Anne Rice." I had a bestseller with "The Vampire Companion." Since then, I've published 69 books and over 2,500 articles, reviews and short stories. I have also been an executive producer for "Murder House Flip" and "BTK: Confession of a Serial Killer." From ghosts to vampires to serial killers, I have taken on a variety of dark subjects, mostly in crime and forensics. I hold graduate degrees in forensic psychology, clinical psychology, criminal justice, creative writing and philosophy. Currently, I teach forensic psychology and criminal justice at DeSales University. My books include "I Scream Man," "How to Catch a Killer", "Confession of a Serial Killer", "The Forensic Psychology of Criminal Minds", "The Mind of a Murderer", "The Human Predator: A Historical Chronicle of Serial Murder and Forensic Investigation", "Inside the Minds of Serial Killers", "Inside the Minds of Sexual Predators", and "Inside the Minds of Mass Murderers". My background in forensic studies positioned me to assist former FBI profiler John Douglas on his book, "The Cases that Haunt Us", and to co-write a book with former FBI profiler, Gregg McCrary, "The Unknown Darkness", as well as "Spree Killers" with Mark Safarik, "The Real Life of a Forensic Scientist" with Henry C. Lee, and "A Voice for the Dead" with James Starrs. I speak internationally about forensic psychology, forensic science, and serial murder, and has appeared on numerous documentaries, as well as such programs as The Today Show, 20/20, 48 Hours, NPR, Dr. Oz, Coast to Coast, Montel Williams, Larry King Live and E! True Hollywood. Currently, I'm working on a fiction series, The Nut Cracker Investigations, which features a female forensic psychologist who manages a PI agency. "I Scream Man" is the first one.

Reviews

[Larisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enlightening from many points of view, this book pesents numerous examples in each chapter which is structured in a fluid and detailed way. Unlike other criminal-psychology books, even he/she who knows as little as nothing of psychology can comprehend it and very little research could be needed on the reader`s behalf.

I recommend reading this book especially if you are a psychology or a criminal-psychology student. Other than that, I found it to be fairly accessible also to a public intended on reading about such subjects for pleasure, curiosity, etc...

[NoScreenName · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clean, concise writing style. Very comprehensive presentation of well known violent criminal offenders (and not so well known) that offers some explanation as to what leads some down this dark path.

The takeaway from this book (presented in the beginning of the book and reinforced throughout via expert opinion and statistics) is this: not all serial killers are loners live on the fringes of society. The myth that they are easy to spot or fall into a pat category could not be further from the truth. Many were married with children, stalwart citizens and well liked in their communities. Masters of 'compartmentalizing' these people fooled the people closest to them for years, often decades.

Ramsland pointed out that the existing theory that 'serials' were mostly white men, above average intelligence whose violence was borne of a violent or abusive background is simply not true. Studies were done interviewing prisoners from a very limited demographic group years ago that led to that theory ;It is simply outdated and inaccurate.

The book highlighted women, young children, teenagers and couples who all broke from this mold of the 'typical' offender. I will warn you this book is not for the faint heart (some details of the crimes are upsetting). The aberrant mind is fascinating; many people are interested in it as well apparently. Ramsland wrote that many people are simply curious about what went wrong to make these people (I use the term losely, they're monsters) behave in such deviant ways. I think partially this curiosity is encoded in our genes - we want to know (and modify our behavior accordingly for survival!) what such a person looks like or acts like. We want some 'tells' to help up avoid them. As the author grimly notes this is almost impossible to achieve as "chances are, they'll spot you before you spot them." AW ,SNAP!

It's clear that no one has the answers (yet) on exactly what causes psychopathy in people and what we can to do to prevent or track these people. Chilling thought but a fascinating book.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for a class on the psychology of serial killers. Content was informative. Writing could have been better, hence 4 stars.

[Brandon Stumpf · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book after watching the show Mindhunter on Netflix. This is a really interesting read if you are into true crime and serial killers. I like how this book separates serial killers into different categories since there are many different types with different motivations. There were a lot of interesting stories about the killers and why they did what they did. The author even pulled some killers from as early as the 1600s, which was impressive. I would give this book a 4.5/5 rating for a couple of reasons. The first is some of the background psychology I thought was boring compared to hearing about the serial killer's behavior. However, this book was written by a professor of psychology, so what else would you expect? The other thing I didn't like was it seemed like some chapters there was too many serial killers mentioned. Some chapters would mention 10+ serial killers that were all basically the same. I think I would have rather the author really concentrate on 2-3 killers per chapter and go into depth with each one. Highly recommended for anyone into Mindhunter or serial killers in general!

[Mark Noonan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is not for the squeamish. There is very graphic detail of rape, torture, and murder. However... it is also very informative, and I could not put it down. I look forward to reading more from Katherine Ramsland.

[TANYA BASTIAO · Rating 5 out of 5]

Didn’t know how detailed this book was but very interesting to read

[Onyx Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting and informative. Wish it had gone more into some suspected theories with potential scientific basis though as all this info is already available

[Nadia · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was an interesting read. Nothing shockingly new, but it was put together pretty nicely. Most of the stuff I knew from different series and movies related to serial killers theme, but it was nice to see that they actually were pretty well grounded. If you want to know more details you should probably read other more specific books, but this one was pretty good in summoning things up. Why person have urges, why he starts acting on them, why relatives don't suspect anything or why they occasionally participate, what drives them and what is MO :)
IDK, i probably would like to read more about Ted Bundy or BTK or some other organized serial killer. It's creepy how many of them there are. And they need to be really smart to pull that of nowadays with all tech police and FBI have. I guess the smartest are never caught...

[mars · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly the best truecrime book ever written, I’m not easily freaked out, but I had to pause multiple times when reading this. What an amazing woman. She tells it in such a confronting manner. A lot of truecrime writers try to romanticise/dehumanise the killers, because it is confronting that it’s the work of a human being. Well, she doesn’t. So much information, so interesting.

[Meaghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A decently written and researched study, covering all different types of serial killers including some obscure ones. I did notice a few minor errors, but nothing serious. This book would be suitable for the intelligent layman and has a good bibliography.

[Lindsay · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has some interesting insights and has categorized serial killers by type--lust, greed, psychosis, etc.
I think I enjoyed reading the bibliography most of all. The book as a whole can't decide if it's academic or not.
Hence the skimming.

[Stacy Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love all Katherine Ramsland's books. She does a great job of telling us about the psychology without overwhelming readers with technical terms. Definitely recommend.

[Linh Pham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sickening and exciting at the same time.
Better understanding about the creature like us