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This study provides a rich description of male perpetrator characteristics (criminal history, age, and ethnicity), killing career characteristics (number of victims, length of career, solo or team killer, venue, weapons, and murder rate), and victim characteristics (relationship to killer and victim sex). The A to Z Encyclopedia of Serial Killers. A steady stream of horrific crimes have made serial murder a subject of both tabloid attention and serious study. With hundreds of entries spanning the entire spectrum of serial murder, this comprehensive resource examines these shocking crimes, and their infamous practicioners, from every angle.
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Dec 10, 2013 For information contact: Facts On File, Inc. An imprint of Infobase Publishing 132 West 31st Street New York NY 10001 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Newton, Michael, 1951– The Encyclopedia of serial killers / by Michael Newton.—2nd ed. Includes bibliographical references and index. Serial killers are hunters, and their prey is human. They seek, stalk, and slay their victim, then start looking for another. Over the past twenty-five years, serial killers—both real and fictional—have assumed a major role in America's nightmares. The encyclopedia of serial killers. The victims included his fourth wife, Zella, who collapsed two months after their marriage, on July 25, 1956; a teenaged nephew, Burney Archerd, dead at Long Beach on September 2, 1961; and wife number seven, author Mary Brinker Arden, who died on November 3, 1966.
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Serial killers have never enjoyed a firmer grip on the nation's imagination. A steady stream of horrific crimes have made serial murder a subject of both tabloid attention and serious study. With hundreds of entries spanning the entire spectrum of serial murder, this comprehensive resource examines these shocking crimes, and their infamous practicioners, from every angle.
Published November 1st 1997 by Pocket Books (first published October 1st 1996)
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Mar 21, 2014Kate rated it it was ok · review of another edition
I have previously enjoyed other crime books from Harold Schechter, I found 'Deviant' and 'Bestial' to be fascinating reads that gave a lot of background on the subjects.
This encyclopedia falls far short of his other work, the main reason being the format in which the information is given. I expected an A-Z of serial killers by name not by headings such 'ads', 'partners' or 'x-rated'. This made the read very difficult to engage with as Schechter trots out the same information pertaining to the ki..more
Sep 30, 2014Mauoijenn rated it it was amazingThis encyclopedia falls far short of his other work, the main reason being the format in which the information is given. I expected an A-Z of serial killers by name not by headings such 'ads', 'partners' or 'x-rated'. This made the read very difficult to engage with as Schechter trots out the same information pertaining to the ki..more
Shelves: dying-dead-death, ghosts-spirit-ghouls, wacky-bizarre-weird, horror-gore-bloody, serial-killer-psychopath, tid-bit-facts, true-crime-who-dunit, true-story-swear, freaks-4all-ages, kill-kill-killers
This book by far is one of the most information packed books on serial killers. Stuff about them, their crimes and small tid-bits you may not have known. Great informational read, if you like true crime stuff.
Firstly, I expected the list goes on with the names of the serial killers, not with their m.o's. Because of this, the writing got repetitive. As repetitive as it becomes dull at the end and there might be a chance you'll be reading about some killer for the fifth time or more.
It introduces us to some disturbing serial killers like Ted Bundy, Wayne Gacy, Albert Fish and more throughout history. It is so informative that it must have barely missed any details, but could have been better and shorte..more
It introduces us to some disturbing serial killers like Ted Bundy, Wayne Gacy, Albert Fish and more throughout history. It is so informative that it must have barely missed any details, but could have been better and shorte..more
Sep 13, 2009Amanda rated it liked it
This is a nice read if you're into this kind of stuff. However, it is also often very repetitive. You'll find the same killer, and his story, listed in four, five, or sometimes more areas of the book. For ex: William Heirens, the Lipstick Killer, was quoted to have said-- 'For heaven's sake catch me before I kill more. I cannot control myself.'-- in 9 different areas of the book. With that sentence was a mini repeat of his transgressions. If you took out the repeated parts of the book it wouldn'..more
Oct 31, 2012Juanita rated it it was amazing
Well, this man is such an awesome writer that I had to start a shelf of ONLY his books!!! I plan to read each book that Mr. Schechter writes and am currently reading both Deviant and Psycho USA - Famous American Killers you Never Heard Of. This man, Schechter, has a way of uniting you with eras long lost and forgotten. You empathize with the murdered, revolt at the very thoughts of the killer, and just wish it were all set to music.
I think that, as a student of psychology, this is a must read!..more
I think that, as a student of psychology, this is a must read!..more
Jan 20, 2008Patrick rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Gives you the meat and potatoes on the heavy-hitters of this delightful topic, but doesn't get the 5th star because of the weird choices he made on picking words to alphabetize. You can't just look up certain killers by name, because some are listed under different topics, like alligators and lime and stuff. That's kind of annoying, but it's good otherwise, and has plenty of non-extraneous information.
• This was a really nice change from all the fiction I’ve been reading lately. Now, the subject matter of this book was a little odd, but it was still very interesting. I like it because first and foremost, it didn’t try to glorify serial killing. It did tell of some gory details but it always made sure to treat them simply as fact and not objects of sick fascination. There was also a ton of information in this book. I was always able to read it at a pretty steady pace when I had time to read be..more
May 10, 2018Justin Evert rated it it was ok · review of another edition
A decent read overall, but rather poor as far as non-fiction goes. Illuminating for casual crime buffs, but quickly overpromises on its underperformance. By turns gaspingly lurid and lazily vague, it has all the redundant filler, shallow analysis, and utter paucity of source citations of a middle-school term paper.
One of my favorite books of all time. I have read this book so much over the years it is falling apart. This is one of the authors responsible for my obsession with serial killers. If I could give this book 10 our of 5 stars I would.
Dec 26, 2018laqueus rated it did not like it
I'm so glad I've finally finished this book, I didnt like it at all, for many different reasons. I hated the format, it was not organized as an a to z list of serial killers by name as i had expected. Instead it had bizarre headings such as 'ads', 'bathtubs', 'alligators' (which are apparently interchangeable with crocodiles), 'blasphemy', 'board games', 'cards, comics and collectables', 'Xerox', and both 'X' and 'Y' 'chromosomes'. Pretty weird. Because some/most serial killers come under more t..more
May 31, 2015Mel rated it liked it
This was interesting I guess. It's not that it was bad, it's that it wasn't what I was expecting.
This book is exactly what it sounds. You go from A to Z and they give you stats regarding a certain word. So for example under Q they have the word 'Quicklime' and then they give you stats about all the serial killers who used quick lime and its purpose.
Which means that it is extremely repetitive. Ted Bundy came up at least 50 times in just the things I read. Ed Gein as well. It just got a little re..more
This book is exactly what it sounds. You go from A to Z and they give you stats regarding a certain word. So for example under Q they have the word 'Quicklime' and then they give you stats about all the serial killers who used quick lime and its purpose.
Which means that it is extremely repetitive. Ted Bundy came up at least 50 times in just the things I read. Ed Gein as well. It just got a little re..more
Feb 09, 2012Lady*M rated it liked it · review of another edition
3.5 stars
Certainly not spectacular, but excellent reference book/starting point for those interested in true crimes and their further exploration. The occasional anecdote about killer/police/etc. gave the book additional color. I liked the story about the man/profiler who correctly predicted every single detail about the killer down to the type of suit he wore.
While I was reading it, I couldn't help thinking that horror and thriller writers could never surpass the real murderers, whose imagina..more
Certainly not spectacular, but excellent reference book/starting point for those interested in true crimes and their further exploration. The occasional anecdote about killer/police/etc. gave the book additional color. I liked the story about the man/profiler who correctly predicted every single detail about the killer down to the type of suit he wore.
While I was reading it, I couldn't help thinking that horror and thriller writers could never surpass the real murderers, whose imagina..more
Not bad for what it is, great range of serial killers throughout history. Although brief descriptions on some leave you wondering what else is known about the crimes and killers. Not necessarily for the faint of heart since this is real crimes commited against real people not just something an author with an excellent immagination brewed up.
Jun 04, 2012Krystle rated it it was amazingRecommends it for: anyone who likes serial killers
The Serial Killer Files Pdf
LOVED IT!!!!!!! serial killers are so fascinating to me can't get enough!
Nov 25, 2013Diana Qureshi rated it really liked it
Loved it! It was slightly repetitious at times, stating facts in some entries that were previously stated in previous entries, but it was still very good! A nice handy serial killer reference!
Feb 02, 2018Declan McHugh rated it really liked it
A friend of mine once took umbrage with Mr Schechter, and let him know face to face in no uncertain terms that he thought he was an unpleasant human being. Why? My friend, who happened to be working at his publishing company, thought Schechter was coldly unfeeling with his choice of some of the photos he includes.
As someone who does what is essentially a serial killer tour myself, my friend's anger made me re-examine the ethics of books and tours on serial killers. I think such spin-offs can be..more
As someone who does what is essentially a serial killer tour myself, my friend's anger made me re-examine the ethics of books and tours on serial killers. I think such spin-offs can be..more
I enjoyed this book. It took me a long time to get through, as I was compelled to do some research on my own. I actually like the book by Brian Lane and Wilfred Gregg a bit better. I feel as though it has more in depth info about the individual serial murderers whereas Schecter's book offers just a brief view of the notorious killers. An added bonus of Schecter's, though, is his insight into aspects of serial murder such as 'groupies' and 'disposal.' In his book, I was a bit bothered by his over..more
I expected an A-Z of serial killers by name not by headings but this encyclopedia is like a lexical field of serial killing and killers. For example:
A: axe murderers
B: Body
C characteristics
D : Definition
E: execution
etc..
the book contains also a briefing about the most notorious serial killers : Ted Bundy, Albert Fish, Jack the ripper ..
As a first encounter with books of crime, the book could be an entry to the world of crimes and serial killers.
A: axe murderers
B: Body
C characteristics
D : Definition
E: execution
etc..
the book contains also a briefing about the most notorious serial killers : Ted Bundy, Albert Fish, Jack the ripper ..
As a first encounter with books of crime, the book could be an entry to the world of crimes and serial killers.
This encyclopedia contains a lot of interesting information. However, the writers spend way too much time on Albert Fish and Ed Gein, but end up just kind of repeating the same information over and over about other killers. I'd also be interested to see what an updated version of this would look like, as so much has changed in the world of true crime since the late 1990s.
Aug 30, 2017Sarah rated it liked it
Very easy read with great tidbits of information. However more often than not it also felt incomplete and left you searching for additional information that may or may not be included in any of the later letters. The repetition of the included stories gets tiring real quick and gives you the feeling they were running out of material or were padding for length. The layout, while initially interesting, would have been better suited to a magazine.
Too many specific details about cannibalism, it was overwhelming and I couldn't finish it.
Jul 30, 2018Karina Beltran rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
It was very entertaining to read; it had me investigating certain cases I wasnt aware of. ..more
this was a very very general encyclopedia of serial killers. it was interesting but was familiar with most all of the serial killers talked about in it
Mar 08, 2017Robert H Martin rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
More than you want to know.
Schecter and Everitt serve a smorgasbord of serial killer knowledge that you may find poorly organised, but this is in fact its strength. An alphabetically arranged reference on serial killers might be a good thing, but wouldn't be so enjoyable readable. Instead, the authors arrange their facts under a series of nearly-random headings that serve little purpose other than to keep the reader ghoulish entertained.
Schecter and Everitt serve a smorgasbord of serial killer knowledge that you may find poorly organised, but this is in fact its strength. An alphabetically arranged reference on serial killers might be a good thing, but wouldn't be so enjoyable readable. Instead, the authors arrange their facts under a series of nearly-random headings that serve little purpose other than to keep the reader ghoulish entertained.
The book I read was The A to Z Encyclopedia of Serial Killers by Harold Schechter and David Everitt. I think Schechter and Everitt wrote this book to both inform and entertain. It being an encyclopedia means they gave definitions and examples of things related to serial killings and killers. They explained the theories behind serial killer pathology, the details of the crimes and what happened to these killers, and it all made for an entertaining read. A theme wasn’t all that easy to discern in..more
Was not impressed. Written on lower elementary school level, I found this book to be very surface level and not very interesting or original. Serial killers has long since been an interest and I've read quite a bit on the topic yet I don't claim to be an expert. I can honestly say I didn't learn or discover anything new from this book. The contents were very repetitive in what seemed to be an effort to do nothing more than fill up pages because the publisher had a deadline that was in danger of..more
Interesting, but very repetitive.
Jan 17, 2014Heather Winstead rated it it was amazing
I love this book. I love this book. I love this book.
I seriously can't stress how much I love this book.
I know, it's really awkward to admit to or explain to my friends but I adore books on serial killers. This was a great primer for me starting out. It gives just enough taste of some of the big names and the interesting things about them so you can figure out what you really like. It's like a big, pretty tray of finger sandwiches.
Except, you know, it's a book about serial killers. So, those..more
I seriously can't stress how much I love this book.
I know, it's really awkward to admit to or explain to my friends but I adore books on serial killers. This was a great primer for me starting out. It gives just enough taste of some of the big names and the interesting things about them so you can figure out what you really like. It's like a big, pretty tray of finger sandwiches.
Except, you know, it's a book about serial killers. So, those..more
Dec 14, 2014Jess rated it it was amazing
This is exactly what it says on the tin. A long time ago, 6 years, I wanted to be a forensic pathologist. Which of course means I had to have this book. Don't let the word, encyclopedia, turn you away from this book. It is rather magnificent. If you ever wanted to learn more about serial killers or you think their stories are interesting you need this book like a fish needs to be in water. (hint: that is a large need.) I learned so much about different serial killers and what makes them tick fro..more
Dec 14, 2012Kristin Snow rated it it was ok Shelves: probably-won-t-finish, serial-killers, books-i-own
This book is a great reference if you're writing a paper or have some the lesser known serial killers mixed up, and as an introductory book for someone curious. But I got bored quick, and ended up skipping sections at a time. The level of repetitiveness got on my nerves, but I guess you aren't supposed to read an encyclopedia cover to cover, right? There is some great information in here though, I would probably recommend this book to someone like my boyfriend, who just looks at me with a blank..more
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Aka Jon A. Harrald (joint pseudonym with Jonna Gormley Semeiks)
Harold Schechter is a true crime writer who specializes in serial killers. He attended the State University of New York in Buffalo, where he obtained a Ph.D. A resident of New York City, Schechter is professor of American literature and popular culture at Queens College of the City University of New York.
Among his nonfiction works are..more
Harold Schechter is a true crime writer who specializes in serial killers. He attended the State University of New York in Buffalo, where he obtained a Ph.D. A resident of New York City, Schechter is professor of American literature and popular culture at Queens College of the City University of New York.
Among his nonfiction works are..more
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