The Killers Among Us: Examination of Serial Murder and Its Investigations (2nd Edition) [Paperback]

Steven A. Egger (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 24, 2001 | ISBN-10: 0130179159 | ISBN-13: 978-0130179159 | Edition: 2

For undergraduate/graduate-level courses in Special Topics in Criminal Justice, Deviance, Criminal Investigation, Special Topics in Policing, and Advanced Criminology. Explicit in detail, yet sensitive in perspective, this text describes and analyzes the phenomenon of serial murder and discusses why these killers kill as well as various methods of identifying and catching them. It provides vital and up-to-date information to criminal investigators, criminologists, crime writers and anyone interested in the phenomenon of serial murder. Detailed case studies of seven infamous serial killers are presented-Henry Lee Lucas, John Wayne Gacy, Kenneth Bianchi, Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, Joseph Miller, and Jerry Marcus-with an in-depth cross-analysis of these cases. An exploration of the history and challenges related to the investigation of serial murder is also included.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Definition of a Serial Killer: A series of two or more murders, committed as separate events usually, but not a/ways, by one offender acting alone. The crimes may occur over a time ranging from hours to years. Quite often the motive is psychological, and the offender's behavior and the physical evidence observed at the scene will reflect sadistic and sexual overtones.
– The Definition of a Serial Killer (Brooks et al., 1988)

This book takes the reader into the complex world of serial killers by providing a detailed account of seven up-to-date cases, the myths surrounding serial murderers and the reasons why they continue to kill, the seven major problems of investigating a serial murder, and an analysis of the fourteen different law enforcement agencies who respond to a serial murder.

New to the second edition:

• An expanded chapter on how the media treats the phenomenon of serial murder
• An essay on victimology
• An expanded chapter on the victims of serial killers
• Three new cases
• Numerous examples of serial killers, both on a national and international basis
• A discussion on the concept of "the less dead" or how victims of serial killers are devalued

About the Author

Steven A. Egger is professor of Criminal justice at the University of Illinois at Springfield. He was formerly interim dean of the School of Health and Human Services at the University of Illinois. He was project director of the Homicide Assessment and Lead Tracking System (HALT) for the state of New York. HALT, which was the first statewide computerized system to track and identify serial murderers, has become the model for the development of a number of other statewide systems.

Dr. Egger has been conducting research on serial murder since 1983. He holds B.S. and M.S. degrees from the School of Criminal Justice, Michigan State University. He has a Ph.D. in Criminal Justice from Sam Houston State University, where he completed the first dissertation on serial murder in the world. He has worked as a police officer, homicide investigator, police consultant, and law enforcement academy director. His other research interests include the epistemology of criminal investigation, police interagency networking, and the future predator.

He is the author of Serial Murder: An Elusive Phenomenon (Praeger, 1990), editor of a series of monographs entitled Criminology and Crime Control Policy for Praeger, and series editor of a series entitled Issues in Criminal Justice Controversy, under contract to Allyn and Bacon. He has lectured on serial murder in England, Canada, the Netherlands, and Spain.

Dr. Egger and his wife, Kim, are currently working on an encyclopedia of serial murder, which will include entries on over seven hundred serial killers.

Kim A. Egger studied at Purdue University and has a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Illinois at Springfield. She is currently pursuing a master's degree in Law and Psychology. She has co-authored, with Steven Egger, a chapter on the victims of serial murder in a monograph on victimology. For the past ten years she has been developing a database on serial killers, which currently holds information on 1,246 serial murderers. She has lectured at Purdue University, the University of Illinois at Springfield, and Brazosport College, Texas.

Don Larsen is a detective with the Springfield, Illinois, -Police Department. He holds a B.S. in Criminal Justice from the University of Illinois at Springfield.

Linda Kreuger was formerly a part-time patrol officer with the Sangamon County Sheriff's Office. She is currently employed in Rehabilitation Administration for the state of Illinois. She holds a master's degree in Rehabilitation from Southern Illinois University.

Both Don and Linda were previously enrolled in Steven Egger's course on serial murder at the University of Illinois at Springfield.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 348 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall; 2 edition (July 24, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0130179159
• ISBN-13: 978-0130179159
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #709,346 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A rare achievement, January 16, 2001

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Killers Among Us: An Examination of Serial Murder and Its Investigation (Paperback)

This study of serial murder has been acclaimed as both scientifically sound and reliable. Dr. Egger puts down numerous myths that have confused and bedeviled the study of serial killers for decades. A noted authority, a strong academic voice on the subject of criminology. A fine work. Includes studies of John Wayne Gacy, Ted Bundy, the Hillside Stranglers and Henry Lee Lucas. Dr. Egger spent more than 50 hours with Lucas who managed to fool everyone in authority by retracting his early confessions. The damning factor about Lucas is that teenage girls are no longer disappearing from the highways of South Texas like they did for the past 30 years.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A rare and important work, April 30, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Killers Among Us: Examination of Serial Murder and Its Investigations (2nd Edition) (Paperback)

As a researcher, writer and student of serial murder, I believe that Dr. Egger's work is important for three reasons. #1- He writes for the average person who wants to know more about serial murder. He attempts to dispel some of the myths about these people. He gives the average interested person a standard to judge media coverage and the facts in a more informed way. #2- He writes for the person in the criminal justice system whose job it is to deal with the Killers Among Us. His observations and suggestions are helpful and succinct. #3- Dr. Egger is one of the few "experts" in this field who is a voice for the victims and encourages and demands that we do not forget the many victims who have died at the hands of a serial killer.
Dr. Egger was the first person in the world to deal with the investigation of serial murder as a PhD student. His understanding of this phenomenon is enormous.
This book is used in universities throughout the world to introduce students to serial murder and to critically look at this field beyond the pop culture symbolism that it is usually looked upon. This second edition showcases three student contributors. Dr. Egger's motives are to inform, educate, and contribute to apprehending these killers as he said in his PhD dissertation, "so that lives can be saved."
I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants an accurate overview of the subject.

4 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Another example of opinion without knowledge., June 22, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Killers Among Us: An Examination of Serial Murder and Its Investigation (Paperback)

When Mr. Egger tries to validate the investigation of Henry Lee Lucas and terms him one of the most brutal serial killers, he is a fool. He was given access to the Texas Rangers' investigation of Lucas, which has been refuted by solid media reporting, an attorney general's investigation and the governor of Texas (who commuted Lucas' death sentence). If Eggers was as good a reporter as promoter, this might be worth something. And he never even met Bundy.