The systematic killing of a succession of victims, often over a period of many years, is not a modern phenomenon, but it has increased alarmingly over the past 50 years, particularly in the United States. Psychopathic individuals have discovered the pleasure - most frequently sexual - of meaningless murder, and the resultant publicity that their cases often provoke has caused the FBI to be concerned that a growing number of incidents are 'copy-cat' crimes. "Serial Murders" details several typical cases - historical and recent - from the 15th-century French killer, Gillesde Rais (the original 'Bluebeard'), to Englishman Dr. Harold Shipman. The author investigates the root causes that led to the development of the killers psychopathic personalities - often deprivation and abuse in childhood - and describes the gathering of evidence that eventually led to their identification and arrest. This book covers the following fascinating and gruesome cases: Jack the Ripper, who terrorized London in the 19th century; Peter Kurten, the 'Monster of Dusseldorf'; George Joseph Smith, the English 'brides-in-the-bath' murderer; the Boston Strangler; Ted Bundy; John Wayne Gacy; Charles Manson; and, the Yorkshire Ripper.

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