The Human Predator: A Historical Chronicle of Serial Murder and Forensic Investigation

When we think of serial killing, we tend to think of it as a perversion of contemporary society. The Human Predator makes an eye-opening case for the existence of serial killers throughout time—the motives and methods, the societies that spawned them, and the historical periods in which they lived . . . and killed.

From Ancient Rome and the Dark Ages to the open roads of America, from the exploits of French religious zealot Gilles de Rais to such high-profile monsters as Jeffrey Dahmer and Aileen Wuornos, Katherine Ramsland offers a complete chronological record of the serial-killer phenomenon—and the parallel development of psychology, forensic science, and FBI profiling in the serial killer’s evolving manifestation throughout human history.

INCLUDES PHOTOGRAPHS

Dr. Katherine Ramsland has master’s degrees in forensic psychology, clinical psychology, and criminal justice, and a Ph.D. in philosophy. She has published forty-three books, including SNAP:Seizing Your Aha! Moments, The Forensic Psychology of Criminal Minds, The Mind of a Murderer, and The Forensic Science of C.S.I. With former FBI profiler Gregg McCrary, she coauthored The Unknown Darkness: Profiling the Predators Among Us; with Dr. Henry Lee, she coauthored The Real World of a Forensic Scientist; and with Professor James E. Starrs, A Voice for the Dead. She wrote biographies of Anne Rice and Dean Koontz, and her Crimescape e-book, Psychopath, was a #1 Wall Street Journal nonfiction bestseller. In addition, Ramsland has published over 1,000 articles on serial killers, criminology, and criminal investigation. She is a professor of forensic psychology at DeSales University in Pennsylvania, appears on numerous true crime documentaries, and writes a regular blog for Psychology Today.