The Encyclopedia of Serial Killers - Hardcover

Newton, Michael

4.16

2,694 ratings by Goodreads

9780816039784: The Encyclopedia of Serial Killers

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 081603978X ISBN 13: 9780816039784

Publisher: Facts on File, 1999

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A comprehensive reference to serial killings offers case studies of notorious murderers and articles discussing the psychology of serial murder, law enforcement techniques used to catch serial killers, and famous unsolved cases.

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From Library Journal:

Arranged alphabetically to include case histories of individual serial killers and essays on general topics, this reference work would appear to be the perfect companion to Jay Robert Nash's Encyclopedia of World Crime: Criminal Justice, Criminology and Law Enforcement (1989. o.p.). However, close examination reveals several flaws. The first is that Newton (Serial Slaughter) never explains his criteria for inclusion--a serious problem, in that he includes people like Josef Mengele (generally considered not a serial but a mass murderer). The second, related problem concerns the way he defines serial killer. By FBI standards, a serial killer is a person who murders three or more people. But Newton doesn't define his terms until two-thirds of the way into the book--and then he uses the National Institute of Justice's definition (that is, a person who murders two or more people) and argues that this should be the accepted one. Unfortunately, until someone else writes a better book on this topic, Newton's will have to do. Purchase cautiously.
-Michael Sawyer, Northwestern Regional Lib., Elkin, NC
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review:

.,."a good source of general information on the topic from a reputable publisher ...an excellent choice..."

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