Extreme Killing: Understanding Serial and Mass Murder

"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

Extreme Killing: Understanding Serial and Mass Murder provides a comprehensive, fascinating overview of multiple homicide, including both serial and mass murder. Adopting a unified conceptual framework for understanding these divergent forms of extreme killing, this book illustrates the many violent expressions of power, revenge, terror, greed, and loyalty using contemporary and classic case studies in multiple murder.

In Extreme Killing, 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. The book presents the many commonalities among multiple murders and also focuses on the varieties of serial and mass killing. The authors address the characteristics of both killers and their victims, and, in their concluding chapter, discuss the special concerns of multiple murder victims and their survivors.

Key Features

• Written by world-renowned authors and experts in the field of multiple homicide
• Uses an engaging writing styleand incorporates a multitude of interesting case studies
• Includes many photos of offenders and crime scenes

Extreme Killing is a fascinating introduction to an extreme set of homicidal behaviors for any interested reader. It could also be used as a supplementary textbook for undergraduate and graduate students studying homicide, serial murder, violence in America, and deviance.

Jack Levin is the Irving and Betty Brudnick Professor of Sociology and Criminology at Northeastern University. He has authored or coauthored a number of books, including Elementary Statistics in Social Research, The Functions of Prejudice, Gossip: The Inside Scoop, Hate Crimes: The Rising Tide of Bigotry and Bloodshed, and Overkill: Mass Murder and Serial Killing Exposed. Levin's work has appeared in professional journals, including Youth & Society, Criminology, The Gerontologist, and Sex Roles, as well as in the New York Times, the Boston Globe, the Dallas Morning News, the Chicago Tribune and USA Today. He has lectured on campuses around the country about serial murder, hate crimes, and domestic terrorism. A dedicated educator and social advocate, Jack Levin received Northeastern University's Excellence in Teaching Award and was honored by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education as its Professor of the Year in Massachusetts.

James Alan Fox is The Lipman Family Professor of Criminal Justice and former dean at Northeastern University in Boston. He has published fifteen books, including his two newest, The Will to Kill: Making Sense of Senseless Murder, and Dead Lines: Essays in Murder and Mayhem. He has also published dozens of journal and magazine articles and newspaper columns, primarily in the areas of multiple murder, juvenile crime, school violence, workplace violence, and capital punishment. As an authority on homicide, he appears regularly on national television and radio programs, including the Today Show, Dateline, 20/20, 48 Hours and Oprah, and is frequently interviewed by the press. He was also profiled in a two-part cover story in USAToday, which dubbed him "The Dean of Death," in a Scientific American feature story as well as in other media outlets. Fox often gives lectures and expert testimony, including over one hundred keynote or campus-wide addresses around the country, ten appearances before the United States 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. Finally, Fox is a visiting fellow with the Bureau of Justice Statistics of the U.S. Department of Justice.