Serial Killers: The Minds, Methods, and Mayhem of History's Most Notorious Murderers

by Richard Estep

Pain, torment, and torture. Cruelty, brutality, and violence. The twisted psyches, murder. and yes, even the ability to charm people. Take a deep dive into the terrifyingly real serial murderers, spree killers, and true faces of evil! They prey on the innocent with a malicious desire to inflict damage and harm. They hunt and stalk misfortunate victims in the dark, in broad daylight, in quiet neighborhoods, and in the local woods. Their bloodthirst isn't satisfied after their first kill. Or their second. Or third. Serial The Minds, Methods, and Mayhem of History's Most Notorious Murderers delves into the global phenomenon of serial and spree murderers.

This chilling book looks at the horrifying stories of forty malevolent killers and hundreds of innocent victims, including such notorious homicidal maniacs as John Wayne Gacy, Ted Bundy, and Jeffery Dahmer, but it also looks at lesser-known and overlooked murderers like Herbert Baumeister, America’s I-70 Strangler; Japan’s “Anime Killer,” Tsutomu Miyazaki; Russia’s “Rostov Ripper,” Andrei Chikatilo; the “Giggling Granny,” Nannie Doss; and many more. It journeys to 16th-century Scotland to meet a clan of cannibals whose existence is still debated by historians today, and to the fog-shrouded alleys of Whitechapel, London, where Jack the Ripper earned his grisly namesake. Along the way, we’ll meet the Dating Game Killer, the Milwaukee Cannibal, the Acid Bath Murderer, and other monsters.

Serial Killers also asks the questions …

What makes a seemingly ordinary person stalk, torture, and murder their fellow human beings? Are serial killers born or made? What is the difference between a serial killer and a spree killer? What were the identities of Jack the Ripper and the Zodiac Killer? Was Albert DeSalvo really the Boston Strangler? Is it possible that you could know a serial killer? Caution is advised before entering the alarming world of twisted psychos and sociopaths! With more than 120 photos and graphics, this fright-filled tome is richly illustrated. Its helpful bibliography and extensive index add to its usefulness.

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

618 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 1, 2021

About the author

I'm a 48-year-old child who has no plans to ever actually grow up.

I make my living as a paramedic, clinical educator, for a busy hospital system and work as a street medic in a 911 system.

In my free time, I serve as the director of the Boulder County Paranormal Research Society, and investigate claims of haunted properties, people, and objects on both sides of the Atlantic. I love to read, particularly SF/Fantasy, history and historical fiction, the paranormal, and basically anything that piques my interest. I appear on the TV shows Haunted Hospitals, Paranormal 911, Paranormal Night Shift, Haunted Case Files, and several others.

I am an avid video gamer, table-top gamer, and love to build Lego. My wife and I are the proud humans of five adopted rescue cats and one smelly but adorable dog.

Reviews

[Michelle Callaghan · Rating 3 out of 5]

More fact retelling than looking into the minds of those that commit such evil acts. Also knew of most of the cases. Never the less it was an ok read.

[Cheryl Locke]

Ugh. Too much killing. lol. I couldn’t finish

[Briana Gagnon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not going to lie, towards the end of my time finishing this book, I definitely felt super sad just knowing what the victims of these monsters went through. That being said, this book was so well done and thoroughly researched. Sometimes I caught myself forgetting what I was reading was fact and not fiction (which can be debatable because many of these SK’s were unreliable sources). I learned so much and think any true crime fan should read this. This book also serves as the perfect gateway into true crime as well.

[Wyndham Chalmers · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a lover of crime and mystery novels who also happens to have a background in psychology, I thought this would be an interesting sidestep into the world of true crime. I was curious to hear the author's insight into the psyche, but unfortunately that's not really what this was.

As a whole the book felt very flat and after a while the details of these gruesome cases was overwhelming. While there was some overarching commentary on the similarities between these infamous killers, I don't think this was enough ot classify this book as a look into their minds. Estep focused more on laying out the facts of each case rather than providing a look at the minds of these killers as the title would have suggested.

2 stars: ⭐⭐

[Caroline 'relaxing with my rescue dogs' · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this very complex and well written and explored the themes well. It isnt an entertaining book so I did find the last sentence by the narrator quite off - hope you enjoyed the book. I appreciate that it is a standard line but perhaps sometimes some thought should happen.

There were some stories that I hadnt heard off, the cinema one especially so that was interesting. It did cover all the famous ones though.
Another interesting point on the book when it referred to the children of the victims and how no-one thinks about the impact on them.
The narration suited the style of the book,

[River Scott Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've finished this book and I rate it 4 stars.. This is a book of multiple stories of serial killers and their crimes.


This is very interesting and gets right to the point, it also goes into the minds of killers and why they kill. Even tho these are short stories on each case it does go in depth I really enjoyed it, it was very chilling hearing they ways these different killers kill.

This book is very well researched and written,if you are a fan if true crime then this is the perfect book for you.

[betsy]

i don't feel right rating a non-fiction book, especially one that deals with such serious topics but this was pretty good!

i do wish that more emphasis had been put on the victims themselves, maybe if there had been less criminals focused on more analysis could have been put into the individual killers and the victims could have been looked at a bit more.

other than that, this was good. each chapter felt like it's own podcast episode

[Tana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read. It was free on audible and I decided to give it a try. Narration was very good, each chapter discusses a different person and the info was well researched, although there are more complete encounters recorded in other books. I would imagine that this book gives a summary and introduction for each case discussed.

[Mishon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a book I could read straight though. I’d read a chapter or two then take a break and read some in another book. Then back to this one and so on till I finished.
Each chapter was on a different serial killer and I found some written better than others. There were several people I was familiar with and lots that I wasn’t.

[JadeDakini · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were a couple of serial killer stories I am more familiar with and I felt like important details have been left out of those which could have a serious impact on the narrative and understanding. Overall I enjoyed it, but won't listen to it again.

[Adri G.M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and scary at the same time 🤯😢💀

[Jessica Weida · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provides an overview of various serial killers and a brief glimpse into the psychology of what made them kill.

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's not very in depth but it doesn't really need to be, the facts are really all that is needed when it comes to these atrocities.
A few I've not even heard of before.

[Sheila · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great listen with interesting facts of some famous and not so famous cases.

[Matea Eastland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scratched the True Crime itch well.

[Mahayana Dugast · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative (author research) if sickening ... God forbid any of us ever fall in the hands of such monsters. I had to pause in the middle of it and read another book to stomach the end of it!

[Arjun · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a real page-turner. Estep takes us on a journey through the twisted minds of some of history's most infamous serial killers, and it's a wild ride. The research is top-notch, and the writing is both informative and entertaining. Estep really gets into the heads of these sick bastards. If you're into true crime and want to learn about the depravity of the human mind, this book is a must-read. Just don't get any ideas, folks.