Inside the Minds of Serial Killers ─ Why They Kill

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 the variety of serial killer types, illustrating that it is difficult to accurately depict these elusive, intriguing, and dangerous killers.

Katherine Ramsland has a masters degree in forensic psychology from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, a masters degree in clinical psychology, and a PhD in philosophy. She has published twenty-seven books, including Inside the Minds of Mass Murderers, The Science of Cold Case Files, The Criminal Mind: A Writers Guide to Forensic Psychology, The Forensic Science of CSI, and The CSI Effect. With former FBI profiler Gregg McCrary she coauthored The Unknown Darkness: Profiling the Predators among Us, and with law professor James E. Starrs, A Voice for the Dead. In addition, Ramsland has published over three hundred articles on serial killers, criminology, and criminal investigation and was a research assistant to former FBI profiler John Douglas for The Cases that Haunt Us. She writes forensic articles for Court TVs Crime Library and teaches forensic psychology as an assistant professor at DeSales University in Pennsylvania.