Customer Reviews

Serial Murderers and their Victims

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Just when you thought you were inside the mind of a serialkiller...Hickey lets you know just how close or far away you reallyare. This book goes in depth when explaining the symptoms, mechanics, responses, and composure of a serial killer. Equipped with psychological and criminal definitions once thought were out of the realm of understanding, Hickey gracefully applies them to the common persons understanding. The one thing better than reading his material is actually attending one of his seminars, interviews, or better yet his criminology class (153)...Beware of what you read at NIGHT!!!

I read the 1991 edition of this book,but I am sure the current edition is just as good, if not better. Now I am aware of it, I am eager to read it. This book changed the way I thought about serial killers. The value of Hickey's book stems from its lack of lurid sensationalism. He looks at the offenders with unflinching honesty, while profiling victims with touching deference to their suffering. The letter from a victim's mother is quietly heartbreaking. His statitics and research are invaluable tools. I have done three research projects on serial killers,and this book is always my primary source. It is a must read for law and justice personnel.

Dr. Hickey's hard work is proven in this book. The serial profiling that he has done has made this book outstanding reference material. I have had the good fortune of meeting this man and I think anyone who has anything to do with any type of law work should read this.

Of the many, many books I have read on this topic (which is one of my areas of interests) this is book is by far the best one I have read. This would be, in my opinion the most complete, informative and unbiased work on the subject.
The book covers just about everything most readers would like covered on Serial Murder. It covers fact, fiction, history, definitions, in fact everything you could imagine. I could not believe just how much is packed into the 380 odd pages.
Not only is the book a wealth of knowledge on the subject (and many related areas eg Stalking, Insanity Defences) but is also loaded with 'Profiles' of many individuals (and teams) to illustrate the area under discussion. Many tables also provide interesting reading.
The book also looks at the phenomina of Serial Murder in countries other than the USA.
Another thing I really like is the way Hickey presents various aspects and theories. Hickey discusses all the theories, views etc along with their apparent strenghts and weaknesses. For example, other authors I have read flatly dump the FBI Psychological Profiling Model. Hickly presents all the pros and cons on the topic in a very unbiased manner.
This book is not just a good book, it is a great book. It is a 'must have' in your collection, if this is your area of interest or you really want to learn about it. If someone asked me for just one book to read on Serial Murder, this would be the one. It covers so many topics within a topic, yet it is concise and very readable. The average person with no knowledge on this topic would walk away with a good 'working knowledge'.
I have read the book twice and have now been drawn back to a third read.
I will now be searching for other works by this author and congratulate him on a 'classic'.

My teacher had us use this book for my class Murder in America. I really don't like to read, especially textbooks, but I had no problem reading this. It is a great book. I usually sell all my textbooks after class to get money for new textbooks but I kept this for my personal library (of what little there is). I is good reading. Eric Hickey has been on many documentaries about his work and is a professor at CSU Fresno. He also is the director of the largest forensics studies program in United States. He definitely knows his stuff and loves it. I actually wrote him an email to tell him how much I loved this book and he wrote me back in less than 24 hours. He is very nice too. He said that he loves what he does. I think he is a great author and I want to buy more of his books.

Hickey has written one of the most comprehensive books on this enigmatic phenomenon. Based on empirical research, instead of sensationalism and myth, Hickey has set the example of what future books on serial murder must live up to.If you are serious about learning more about this area or are doing research - start here.

I am a graduate student of Dr. Hickey's at California State University, Fresno. I came to this institution specifically as a matter of curricula, and I must say that after a review of the literature both broad and exhaustive Dr. Hickey's book is the closest thing we have to the reality of our special killers' doctrine. What is most compelling about this piece of literature is the open mentality that is greatly lacking in nearly every other book out there. We have relied to a great extent on the works of the FBI and, in a much more aniquated way, the works of Freud and the general positivists.

This text is certainly a sociological treatise, but even more so it underlines the issues inherent in both criminology and a general study of human nature. What should be garnered from this read is what we DON'T know as compared to what we do. One must applaud Dr. Hickey for his ability to admit that the evaporative quality of this field of study is prevalent and must be dealt with.

Of particular interest is the discussion of the mythology surrounding "serial killers" and the true affect with which they operate. Take these things for what they are worth and you are left with many questions. I have no doubt in my mind that this was the objective of Dr. Hickey, and is ideally the objective of any social scientist. Those who wish to comprehend the nature of serial killers will not find all their answers here, but they may find some questions that our humanity dearly needs to be addressed; the most important part.

This textbook is amazing. I had the pleasure of being in Dr. Hickey's class, so that made it even more great. It is useful, easy to read and SO interesting. It arrived quickly, in perfect condition.

This book was a requirement to have in a Sr. class I took. This was the only book that I actually read in college period. Details of the book are written so well that it takes you in the mind set of a murder.

I am not a student but I find all forensic sciences fascinating. This book has many case studies that include both male and female serial killers. Most interesting and disturbing are the interviews with the killers. While most blame everyone else for what they did, they still provide insight into who they really are and what drives them. I believe this book is an excellent source of information for students and non-students alike.