A killer by design: murderers, mindhunters, and my quest to decipher the criminal mind
A breathtakingly vivid behind-the-scenes look into the creation of the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit and the evolution of criminal profiling, written by the pioneering forensic nurse who transformed the way the FBI studies, profiles, and catches serial killers.
Lurking beneath the progressive activism and sex positivity in the 1970-80s, a dark undercurrent of violence rippled across the American landscape. With reported cases of sexual assault and homicide on the rise, the FBI created a specialized team—the “Mindhunters” better known as the Behavioral Science Unit—to track down the country’s most dangerous criminals. And yet narrowing down a seemingly infinite list of potential suspects seemed daunting at best and impossible at worst—until Dr. Ann Wolbert Burgess stepped on the scene.
In A Killer By Design, Burgess reveals how her pioneering research on sexual assault and trauma caught the attention of the FBI and steered her right into the middle of a chilling serial murder investigation in Nebraska. Over the course of the next two decades, she helped the budding unit identify, interview, and track down dozens of notoriously violent offenders, including Ed Kemper (“The Co-Ed Killer”), Dennis Rader (“BTK”), Henry Wallace (“The Taco Bell Strangler”), Jon Barry Simonis (“The Ski-Mask Rapist”), and many others.
As one of the first women trailblazers within the FBI’s hallowed halls, Burgess knew many were expecting her to crack under pressure and recoil in horror—but she was determined to protect future victims at any cost. This book pulls us directly into the investigations as she experienced them, interweaving never-before-seen interview transcripts alongside her own vivid recollections to provide unprecedented insight into the minds of deranged criminals and the victims they left behind.
Along the way, Burgess also paints a revealing portrait of a formidable institution on the brink of a seismic scientific and cultural reckoning—and the men forced to reconsider everything they thought they knew about crime.
Haunting, heartfelt, and deeply human, A Killer By Design forces us to confront the age-old question that has long plagued our criminal justice system: “What drives someone to kill, and how can we stop them?”
Autobiographies
Biographies
Burgess, Ann Wolbert
Criminal behavior, Prediction of
Criminal behavior, Prediction of -- United States -- History
FBI Academy. -- Behavioral Science Unit -- History
FBI Academy. -- Behavioral Science Unit -- Officials and employees -- Biography
Forensic nursing
Forensic nursing -- United States -- History
History
Officials and employees
Psychiatric nurses
Psychiatric nurses -- United States -- Biography
Psychology
Serial murderers
Serial murderers -- United States -- Psychology
Serial murder investigation
Serial murder investigation -- United States -- History
9781668604106
Grouping Information
Grouped Work ID | c2d81c50-326d-9ec9-1d7f-a8598075fe48 |
---|---|
Grouping Title | killer by design murderers mindhunters and my quest to decipher the criminal mind |
Grouping Author | ann wolbert burgess |
Grouping Category | book |
Grouping Language | English (eng) |
Last Grouping Update | 2024-04-22 20:10:36PM |
Last Indexed | 2024-04-24 04:55:03AM |
Solr Fields
Zackman, Gabra
Zackman, Gabra,narrator
CD Unabridged
Books
9781668604106
BOOK - HARDCOVER
Hachette Books
Autobiographies
Biographies
Burgess, Ann Wolbert
Criminal behavior, Prediction of -- United States -- History
FBI Academy. -- Behavioral Science Unit -- History
FBI Academy. -- Behavioral Science Unit -- Officials and employees -- Biography
Forensic nursing -- United States -- History
Psychiatric nurses -- United States -- Biography
Serial murder investigation -- United States -- History
Serial murderers -- United States -- Psychology
A killer by design: murderers, mindhunters, and my quest to decipher the criminal mind / Ann Wolbert Burgess and Steven Matthew Constantine
Criminal behavior, Prediction of
Forensic nursing
History
Officials and employees
Psychiatric nurses
Psychology
Serial murder investigation
Serial murderers
Solr Details Tables
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ils:.b21005011 | Book | Books | First edition | English | Hachette Books | 2021 | ix, 308 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 24 cm |
scoping_details_ashland
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ils:.b21005011 | .i34566259 | On Shelf | Available | false | true | true | false | false | false | 9999 | ||
ils:.b21005011 | .i3452616x | On Shelf | Available | false | true | true | false | false | false | 9999 |