Killer by Design : Murderers, Mindhunters, and My Quest to Decipher the Criminal Mind

Written by the forensic nurse who transformed the way the FBI profiles and catches serial killers, this thought-provoking book takes an intimate look at the creation of the Behavioral Science Unit–the inspiration for Hulu’s Mastermind documentary.

In the 1970s, the FBI created the "Mindhunters" (better known as the Behavioral Science Unit) to track down the country's most dangerous criminals. In A Killer By Design, Dr. Ann Wolbert Burgess reveals how her pioneering research on sexual assault and trauma helped the FBI capture some of history’s most violent offenders, including Ed Kemper (The Co-Ed Killer), Dennis Rader (BTK), Henry Wallace (The Taco Bell Strangler), and Jon Barry Simonis (The Ski-Mask Rapist).

This book pulls us directly into the investigations as she experienced them, interweaving never-before-seen interview transcripts, crime scene drawings, and her personal insight about the minds of deranged criminals and the victims they left behind.

Haunting and deeply human, A Killer By Design forces us to confront the age-old question that has long plagued our criminal justice system: "What drives someone to kill, and how can we stop them?"

As Featured on ABC 20/20 

One of Amazon's "Best True Crime" Books

A "Best Book of the Month" Pick for Amazon (December 2021)

An Apple Audio "Must-Listen" (December 2021)

Dr. Ann Wolbert Burgess, DNSc., APRN, is a leading forensic and psychiatric nurse who worked with the FBI for over two decades. She is currently a professor at the Boston College Connell School of Nursing, and she lives in Boston, MA.

Steven Matthew Constantine (cowriter) is the assistant director of marketing and communications at the Boston College Connell School of Nursing. He holds an MFA from the Bennington Writing Seminars and lives in Boston, MA.