By Reason of Insanity

A demented young man who believes he is the son of Caryl Chessman, Thomas Bishop escapes from a mental institution and launches a murderous reign of horror until a brilliant young reporter, Adam Kenton, vows to get Bishop at any cost

Back in the '70s, when the term "serial killer" wasn't yet popular, Shane Stevens wrote this long, exquisitely detailed novel about a psychopathic murderer. Thomas Bishop escapes from an insane asylum at age 25 and begins what he fully intends to be a historic career as a multiple murderer. He is meticulous, intelligent, conscious of what he is doing, and utterly amoral. And we are inside his head, every step of the way--a welcome approach compared to contemporary works that focus on a detective or reporter protagonist. The New York Times called it "violent realism . . . extremely effective."