Murder in America [Paperback]

Ronald M. Holmes (Author), Stephen T. Holmes (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0761920927 | ISBN-13: 978-0761920922 | Publication Date: November 17, 2000 | Edition: 2nd

This volume presents an examination of both the common and unusual acts of murder in light of society's changing norms, values, attitudes, and customs. Each chapter explores a specific type of murder by examining trends, methods, motives and statistics, and concludes with suggestions aimed at prediction and prevention.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This book is an informative and easy-to-read account of different aspects of murder in the United States. It covers a wide range of topics, from several killings to terrorism, but concentrates mainly on the perpetrators of  homicide rather than the victims of such crime. The book provides a good introduction to the subject."

(Robert Gibb Criminal Behavior and Mental Health )

About the Author

Ronald M. Holmes is Coroner, in the Jefferson County Coroner's office and Professor Emeritus of Justice Administration at the University of Louisville. He is the author of several books, among them Profiling Violent Crimes, Sex Crimes, and Serial Murder. He is also the author of more than 50 articles appearing in scholarly publications. He is Vice President of the National Center for the Study of Unresolved Homicides and has completed more than 500 psychological profiles for police departments across the United States. He received his doctorate from Indiana University.

Stephen T. Holmes is Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at the University of Central Florida. Prior to this position, he was a social science analyst for the National Institute of Justice in Washington, D.C. He has authored 6 books and more than 15 articles dealing with policing, drug testing, probation and parole issues, and violent crime. He received his doctorate from the University of Cincinnati.

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: Sage Publications, Inc; 2nd edition (November 17, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761920927
• ISBN-13: 978-0761920922
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 6.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #769,653 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent textbook and interesting reference., June 9, 2002

By 

Ben Chroneos (Louisville, KY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Murder in America (Paperback)

I've attended a class (and probably will attend another) that uses this textbook (Which happens to be taught by Ronald Holmes). This book serves as a good textbook for classes, it has good reading text, not awkward. Also serves as a good reference for those interested in the subject with its statistical charts.

In short, one of the more interesting books used in school.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Look at "Murder in America", April 30, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Murder in America (Paperback)

Holmes and Holmes (1994) do a great job of outlining a truly complex phenomenon, homicide. While homicide is not a subject matter we enjoy scrutinizing, it is a subject matter we enjoy as entertainment. However, once homicide is understood at any level, it can then be appreciated as the ugly crime that it is. Holmes and Holmes outline the different degrees and types of homicide in such a manner that is logical and understandable. They then break down the phenomenon by types and report specific characteristics and statistics regarding that particular area. The only flaw that I encountered was the out-of-date statistics. Although, it must be said that this has nothing to do with the authors themselves, but rather the fact that the book was published some six years ago. Overall, Holmes and Holmes do a good job of putting homicide into perspective.