The A to Z Encyclopedia of Serial Killers-By Harold Schechter and David Everitt
Cruel & Unusual - By Patricia D. Cornwell
Deja Dead - By Kathy Reichs
>From Potters Field - By Patricia D. Cornwell
Mind Hunter - By John Douglas and Mark Olshaker
Ok, it isn't really an encyclopedia, more like a disgusting compilation of all the monsters that have ever existed in the world; but it's still highly amusing. From Animal Torture to Zombies, this book lists everything imaginable you could know about serial killers. The only drawback is that they use the same notorious serial killers as examples for everything, which leads me to believe that the authors were lazy and didn't do their research properly. If your a budding fan of "serial chic", then I recommend this book as a general overview of the topic. But if your looking for something more in-depth, look somewhere else.
If you're not familiar with Patricia Cornwell, YOU SHOULD BE! She's the best author I've ever read. She's most famous for her "Scarpetta Series" in which she features a forensic pathologist, named Kay Scarpetta, who gets personally involved in cases involving serial killers. In "Cruel and Unusual", her fourth book in the series, Dr. Scarpetta must solve a baffling case in which an executed man's fingerprint shows up at a crime scene. The heroine herself is being accused of the crime and she must clear her name and uncover the real killer before he gets away with murder (tee hee hee...get it?). The only thing I didn't like, was that the author barely explained the ending, only making me more confused. I recommend reading the previous Scarpetta novels before starting this one.
Kathy Reichs, featured in Elm Street Magazine, is a forensic anthropologist in real life. She uses her knowledge of the crime scene to write her debut novel, "Deja Dead". Set in Montreal, Director of Forensic Anthropology, Temperance Brennan, is working on numerous cases in which decomposed bodies, wrapped in garbage bags, are uncovered in secluded areas. Dr. Brennan is convinced these murders are not sporadic, but the work of a serial killer. But it will take more victims to persuade her police colleagues. Can Dr. Brennan prove the cases are related and stop the killer before he claims another victim? Because the next victim could be Tempe herself.
Her Sixth (I think) novel in the Scarpetta series, Patricia Cornwell continues with her favourite serial killer personality named Temple Gualt Brooks. More about Temple's background (who was first encountered in "Cruel & Unusual") is revealed. Kay Scarpetta must solve a murder in which an unidentified homeless woman is brutally murdered in New York's Central Park. She takes her friends Lieutenant Marino, FBI Agent Benton Westely, and her 17 year-old niece computer whiz, Lucy along for the ride. Get ready for shocks, twists and turns in this thrilling novel.
This true story takes us inside the FBI's elite Investigative Support Unit (formerly known as the Behavioral Science Unit) made famous by the movie "Silence of the Lambs". John Dougals leads a team that tackles the most baffling and senseless of unsolved violent crimes, by creating "profiles" for serial killers. The book is interesting, in that John Douglas takes us into the mind of a serial killer and shows us some of the concepts of profiling. But he is also egotistical, and for the first 4 chapters, talks of nothing but himself. I would think that anyone buying this book would be more interested in the Investigative Support Unit and not John Douglas himself.
Ok...that's all for my special section on CRIME for this issue. If you have a particular type of novel you would like me to review, or have any suggestions on how I can improve this, drop me a line at Dharman@netcom.ca