The Serial Killer Files : The Who, What, Where, How, and Why of the World's Most Terrifying Murderers

Rating:
Summary: "...everything you ever wanted to know about SK and more"
Review: "The Serial Killer Files: The Who, What, Where, How, and Why of the World's Most Terrifying Murderers," Harold Schechter, New York, Ballantine Books, 2003 ISBN 0-345-46566-0 (ppk) is by an established author of 10 prior books, 7 on serial killers.
The book's 402 pages of text are conveniently divided into 9 chapters plus 7 pages listing a rather thorough true-crime bibliography for about 100 individual cases, mostly SK-loners but perhaps 10% SK-couples or "family".
If this book is read cover-to-cover the reader encounters moderate redundancy -- but this is a literary devise seemingly required for the book's division into chapters which nicely explore all those elements of the lengthy sub-title (who, what, where, how and why) plus intriguing chapters on sadism, extreme perversions as cannibalism, methodology, profiling, and an exceptionally spirited coverage of SK culture.
This book is a treatise with cross-referencing of "everything you ever wanted to know about serial killers," with lots of gruesome details on lust-killers, torture, etc. Were one to choose a single book on SK, this one by Schechter stands out, and the price is right. The only technical error I noted was the name of the acids hydrochloric vs sulfuric (HCl page 265, and H2SO4 page 334) used by J. G. Haigh, the "Acid-Bath Killer".

Rating:
Summary: Disturbing but indespensible.
Review: For those interested in serial killers or in understanding the human condition in some of its darkest forms, this book offers a number of wonderful insights. Details from interviews with many notorious killers including John Wayne Gacy, Ted Bundy and Karl "Kropsey" Morgan, make this book both a fascinating and truly repulsive read.

Rating:
Summary: Verdict: Terrific
Review: I have been a reader of Mr. Schechter's non fiction for three or four years now. One of my first books on serial killers in general (as opposed to books on individual serial killers) was A to Z Encyclopedia of Serial Killers, so I didn't know about this book. But, well, the subject matter is too tantalizing, so I went for it. Was I glad I did. The most valuable thing about this book for me were the updates. We get the Green River Killer update, The Railway Killer, and the Beltway Snipers, to mention only a few. The format here is interesting, and while I read it from page one all the way straight to the end, with its terrific index, its a reference or a "snack" of infomation, however you wish to use it. It has a place of honor on my shelf.

Rating:
Summary: Verdict: Terrific
Review: I have been a reader of Mr. Schechter's non fiction for three or four years now. One of my first books on serial killers in general (as opposed to books on individual serial killers) was A to Z Encyclopedia of Serial Killers, so I didn't know about this book. But, well, the subject matter is too tantalizing, so I went for it. Was I glad I did. The most valuable thing about this book for me were the updates. We get the Green River Killer update, The Railway Killer, and the Beltway Snipers, to mention only a few. The format here is interesting, and while I read it from page one all the way straight to the end, with its terrific index, its a reference or a "snack" of infomation, however you wish to use it. It has a place of honor on my shelf.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent--a necessity
Review: I previously bought "A to Z Encyclopedia of Serial Killers" and liked the flow of that book. When I seen this one at my local book store, I purchased it thinking it would be kinda the same. I was wrong. I didnt like the layout of the book. It was kinda hard to read. Alot of topics were repeated throughout, I just didnt like the "flow"...I felt the "A to Z" book was a much better read on the history of serial killers, and a more fun read also.

Rating:
Summary: Thorough, fun, fascinating
Review: It's a reference book but reads well cover-to-cover, or you can just look up the specific topics you're interested in. But you'll end up reading the whole thing. Covers all the basics (Gacy, Bundy, Dahmer. . . . and the difference between serial killers and mass murderers) plus a hundred other things I'd never heard of (African American serial killers, or weirdest ways of dumping the bodies). . . . also has a whole comic book about a serial killer named Panzram.

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Summary: Excellent Serial Killer "Text Book"
Review: So many true crime books are sensationally written, poorly researched tabloid type renditions of serial murder. Harold Schechter, however, has literally written a text book of murder. This book is well written, organized, and provides an interesting historical overview of serial killers...from the "Bluebeard" killers, to the Black Widows, to the sexual sadists, he covers them all. Schechter also provides insight into the empty soul of the sociopath. I highly recommend this book!

Rating:
Summary: GREAT BOOK
Review: This book included everything i ever wanted to know about serial Killers. Fasinating, intriging, and led me to read more and research more on certain killers after having read the case studies on certain killers. I recommend to everyone who has the guts to deal with that tiny part of them that is fasinated with this kind of stuff.