Extreme Killing: Understanding Serial and Mass Murder [Hardcover]

James Alan Fox (Editor), Dr. Jack Levin (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0761988564 | ISBN-13: 978-0761988564 | Publication Date: February 7, 2005 | Edition: 1

In Extreme Killing: Understanding Serial and Mass Murder, renowned experts James Alan Fox and Jack Levin examine the theories of criminal behavior and apply them to a multitude of well-known and lesser-known cases from around the world. The authors draw upon research from two large data sets - one comprised of serial killers and the other of those who have committed massacres. Extreme Killing is a fascinating introduction to an extreme set of homicidal behaviors for any interested reader.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Northeastern University criminal justice professors Fox and Levin distinguish serial murder from mass murder and note five distinct motives: power, revenge, loyalty, prfit, and terorr.  [They] discuss all of this in some detail, but the main impression they leave is that it is difficult to generalize about serial killlers orm ass murderers  Recommended." (D. Harper Choice Magazine )

"The authors provide a well-constructed introduction to the plethora of subjects that attribute to the multifaceted extreme types of murder...In sum, this book provides a comprehensive overview of multiple homicide and provides case examples to illustrate commonalities between types or as a means of differentiating between forms of extreme killing" -Laura Barrett, Sam Houston State University (Laura Barrett )

About the Author

Jack Levin is the Irving and Betty Brudnick Professor of Sociology and Criminology at Northeastern University, where he co-directs its Center on Violence and Conflict and teaches courses in the sociology of violence and hate. He has authored or co-authored 30 books, most recently Serial Killers and Sadistic Murderers-Up Close and Personal and The Violence of Hate. Levin has also published more than 100 articles in professional journals and books and more than 150 columns in major newspapers, such as The New York Times, The Sunday London Times, The Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, and USA Today. In 2009, he received a major award from the American Sociological Association for his contributions to the public understanding of sociology. Also in 2009, he received the Apple Award from the New England Sociological Association for his contributions to teaching. Levin has spoken to a wide variety of community, academic, and professional groups, including the White House Conference on Hate Crimes, the National Organization of Hostage Negotiators, and the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

James Alan Fox is the Lipman Family Professor of Criminology, Law, and Public Policy at Northeastern University. He has written 18 books, including his newest, Violence and Security on Campus: From Preschool Through College. He has published dozens of journal and magazine articles, as well as hundreds of freelance columns in newspapers around the country, primarily in the areas of multiple murder, youth crime, school and campus violence, workplace violence, and capital punishment. He also writes an online column for the Boston Globe’s website. Fox often gives keynote talks and testimony before Congress and in court. He has briefed various leaders here and abroad, including President Clinton, Attorney General Reno, and Princess Anne of Great Britain. He has worked on criminal investigations surrounding serial and mass murder cases and served as a visiting fellow with the Bureau of Justice Statistics focusing on homicide patterns and trends. Finally, Fox was honored in 2007 by the Massachusetts Committee against the Death Penalty with the Hugo Adam Bedau Award for excellence in capital punishment scholarship and by Northeastern University with the 2008 Klein Lectureship.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Sage Publications, Inc; 1 edition (February 7, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761988564
• ISBN-13: 978-0761988564
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,799,423 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

James Alan Fox is the Lipman Family Professor of Criminology, Law and Public Policy, holding a joint faculty appointment in the College of Criminal Justice and the Law, Policy and Society Program at Northeastern University. He has written 18 books, including The Will to Kill: Making Sense of Senseless Murder (Allyn & Bacon), Extreme Killing: Understanding Serial and Mass Murder (Sage) and a forthcoming title, Violence and Security on Campus: From Preschool through College (Praeger). He has published dozens of journal and magazine articles, primarily in the areas of multiple murder, youth crime, school and campus violence, workplace violence, and capital punishment. He has also published nearly 200 op-ed columns in newspapers around the country, including the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe and USA Today, and wrote a bi-weekly column in the Boston Herald in 2006-2007. As an authority on homicide, he frequently appears on national television news programs, including the Today Show, Meet the Press, Dateline, and 20/20, and is regularly interviewed by the press. He was profiled in a two-part cover story in USA Today, in feature stories in the New York Times and the Scientific American, as well as in other media outlets. He also served as a consulting contributor for Fox News following the 9/11 terrorist attack and as an NBC News Analyst during the DC Sniper case. Fox often gives lectures and expert testimony, including over 100 keynote or campus-wide addresses around the country, 16 appearances before the U.S. Congress, White House meetings with President and Mrs. Clinton and Vice President Gore on youth violence, private briefings to Attorney General Reno on trends in violence, and a presentation for Princess Anne of Great Britain. He served on President Clinton's advisory committee on school shootings, and a Department of Education Expert Panel on Safe, Disciplined and Drug-Free Schools. He chaired a blue ribbon panel for the city of Seattle investigating the March 2006 Capitol Hill massacre, and has been a visiting fellow with the Bureau of Justice Statistics focusing on the measurement of homicide trends. Finally, Fox was honored in 2007 by the Massachusetts Committee against the Death Penalty with the Hugo Adam Bedau Award for excellence in capital punishment scholarship and by Northeastern University with the 2008 Klein Lectureship.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Why quote James Dobson as a source?, July 23, 2007

By 

R. Blazak "Sociologist" (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Extreme Killing: Understanding Serial and Mass Murder (Paperback)

Fox and Levin are leading authors in the field of criminolgy. Jack Levin's books on hate crimes are among the best academic work on the subject and I assign them to my students. That's why I was surprised at the non-academic tone of this book. It utilizes some research but reads more like a true-crime book, full of all the gory (and super-gory) details. It's too much to ask students to read (although the sections on profiling are very good). The sources used are also questionable. Dr. Joyce Bothers? The worst is James Dobson, right-wing homophobe for Jesus and leader of the quasi-hate group, Focus on the Family, as an "expert" on the impact of pornography. Dobson has no place in an acedemic text, unless it's one of Levin's books on hate.

The "Massacres" section of the book has lots of valuable insights on mass murders and my students are reading it now, but if you are looking for the definitve research on serial killers, I would suggest Eric Hickey's "Serial Murderers and Their Victims." And hopefully the second edition of "Extreme Killing" will focus on the research.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars So so, May 15, 2009

By 

Sam Germana - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Extreme Killing: Understanding Serial and Mass Murder (Paperback)

Dated (BTK was not yet caught when written) and manages to make a fascinating subject almost boring. Still, if you can get for a low price worth a look.