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Anyone read this yet? I've ordered it on Amazon.co.uk. I have his last book and this one looks more comprehensive.
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Interesting
Seems interesting, a book about serial murders that span from Jack The Ripper to today.
yours trulyWashington Irving:
"To a homeless man, who has no spot on this wide world which he can truly call his own, there is a momentary feeling of something like independence and territorial consequence, when, after a weary day's travel, he kicks off his boots, thrusts his feet into slippers, and stretches himself before an inn fire. Let the world without go as it may; let kingdoms rise and fall, so long as he has the wherewithal to pay his bills, he is, for the time being, the very monarch of all he surveys. The arm chair in his throne; the poker his sceptre, and the little parlour of some twelve feet square, his undisputed empire. "
Stratford-on-Avon -
It's not a bad read, I ordered it at the same time as A Rough Guide to True Crime by Cathy Scott, and 501 Most Notorious Crimes. Should keep me out of trouble over Christmas!
Regards Mike
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Got it today.
Well done to Wilson - he's expanded his sample of serial killers somewhat. It's not complete, however, and he's included some people who are not serial killers (although they "qualify" based on the quantitative definition alone), such as Hall/Kitto.
His argument has been refined but his outright rebuttal of the medico-psychological tradition is a little polemic. He could merely have argued that the field is repleat with argument and focuses almost entirely on the killer rather than the victims - which it is - but instead he almost mocks the tradition with the old chestnut "loads of people have rough childhoods, etc., but do not become serial killers." It's a bit of a thin argument which flies in the face of psychology and sociology in my opinion.
He rectifies some mistakes made in his first serial killer book (Hunting Britons and their Victims 1960-2006), such as placing so much significance on the numbers of elderly serial murder victims when in fact, most of those victims were killed by one man who just happened to be well-placed not to get caught for decades.
It is, however, not a book to read if you're new to the field. It's high-brow stuff for any criminology buff, and requires a decent background knowledge before you can engage with many of the arguments in this book and the previous one - although this one is the superior of the two.
I'll give it 7/10 - but I'm tight as a bee's arse.Comment
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