I Have Lived in the Monster: A Report from the Abyss

The man who coined the phrase "serial killer" shares not only his experiences on recent international cases, but also his efforts to understand criminal minds around the globe, and explains why serial murder is happening in previously unaffected countries. 40,000 first printing. Tour.

More of the gory details from the former FBI profiler who coined the phrase ``serial killer.'' Among the other murderers he examines here, Ressler continues from Whoever Fights Monsters (1992) his discussion on John Wayne Gacy and includes new information on Jeffrey Dahmer. He reconstructs his interviews with the two; they're tough going, yet fascinating: Both men express having experienced real surprise when they--as they put it--``[woke] up next to a dead guy,'' and both insist that they don't remember what really happened. Gacy even asserts that his construction crew did most of the killings. But it's clear they do remember, and Ressler, a master of the interview, gets them to admit exactly what they did (for the tenacious, strong-stomached reader only) and, less clearly, why. Ressler is not so much interested in what made these men start killing as in the origins of the feelings of exuberance and omnipotence that wouldn't let them stop. He clearly and persuasively outlines the beginning of Dahmer's and Gacy's careers as killers, but does not provide an adequate explanation as to why these men, suffering deeply from anomie, killed others rather than commit suicide. Ressler's understanding of his subjects, however, is genuine, and he creates convincing portraits of them as evil, cruel, yet somehow pitiable. While the book also deals with some international cases (South Africa's ABC Murders, the Wimbledon Commons murder in England, the Aum cult in Japan), it's obvious that Ressler's heart--and massive ego--belongs to American killers, who started the whole serial-killer industry in the first place. A disturbing catalog of facts lacking a strong context but terribly jarring just the same. (Author tour) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Nothing beats a good romp through the world of serial killers. Ressler and Shachtman's is based on the former's experience and research as developer of the FBI's system of psychological criminal profiling. Most chapters present expository analyses of particular cases, but the sections on John Wayne Gacy and Jeffrey Dahmer consist largely of Ressler's interviews with them and afford provocative portraits of each man. According to Gacy, he was a victim of (unbelievably) bad luck. A heavy-drinking workaholic, he went to bed or passed out while others killed young men in his house; not knowing (or, apparently, caring) how they died, he simply disposed of the bodies. Dahmer, for his part, tried "going to church with Gramma" to attain a state of "celibacy, no sexual activity at all," and thereby free himself from his hellish urges. Well written, scary without quite being gruesome (there is a certain restraint in the description of murder scenes), this book would do any true-crime collection proud. Mike Tribby

Ressler, a former FBI profiler who is currently an analyst of the JonBenet Ramsey case for Good Morning America, presents here his work in several international cases, including the sarin bombings in Japan, the South Africa ABC murders, and England's Wimbledon Commons murder. His writing is crisp and well paced, and Ressler presents his methods and his successes objectively, without sounding overly impressed with himself. Although the text contains graphic details, they are presented only in the context of how Ressler developed profiles. Especially harrowing are his interviews with John Wayne Gacy and Jeffrey Dahmer. An absolutely chilling look at the evil that is the mind of a serial killer.?Christine A. Moesch, Buffalo & Erie Cty. P.L., N.Y.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.