Modern-Day Serial Killers

Raul, Don. Modern-Day Serial Killers. Part of the Psychology of Serial Killers series. 2016. 144p. ISBN 978-0-7660-7298-5. Available at 364.15 RAU on the library shelves.

The FBI define serial killers as individuals who kill three or more victims at three or more locations with a span of time in between. Serial killers have always haunted the cultural consciousness of the nation since the days of Jack the Ripper, but in the last fifty years there have been many serial killers who have been arrested and prosecuted by law enforcement. These modern-day serial killers commit their crimes for many reasons. Some enjoy the power they have over their victims. Other kill to gain sexual gratification. There are those who kill for the thrill of taking away a human life. Others hope to gain money, fame, or recognition, while some kill with a distorted sense of ending suffering or cleaning the streets. All are people who have killed multiple times in multiple locations.

This volume explore the lives of several types of killers in the last half of the 20th century and at the beginning of the 21st. These are divided into eight categories, from psychotic killers to sexual predators, charmers, and angels of death. The biograpies of several infamous individuals like the Green River killer, Ted Bundy, the Son of Sam, the Killer Clown, and former nurse Kristen Gilbert are all discussed, and their common traits examined. Fans of the morbid will appreciate the probing of the serial killer’s mind in this book.

Other books in the series include Medical Serial Killers, Cannibal Serial Killers, Female Serial Killers, and Historical Serial Killers.

Medical Serial Killers

Latta, Sara L. Medical Serial Killers. Part of The Psychology of Serial Killers series. 2016. 144p. ISBN 978-0-7660-7296-1. Available at 364.15 LAT on the library shelves.

There have always been people who kill others for thrill, power, lust, or greed. Individuals who kill three or more people at three or more different times in different locations are labelled serial killers by the FBI. Of all the serial killer types, the medical serial killer is by far the most chilling kind, for doctors and nurses are dedicated to preserving life, not ending it. Medical serial killers act within the confines of hospital, hospice care, and retirement facilities and are able to hide their dastardly deeds behind an environment that is often affected by death.

This book examines the most prolific medical serial killers in the United States and around the world. A profile of each killer is presented, along with how they eventually were caught and what the consequences were on the families of their victims and on themselves. These creepy individuals will make you think twice about going to the hospital.

Other books in the series include Cannibal Serial Killers, Female Serial Killers, Historical Serial Killers, and Modern-day Serial Killers.

Afterworlds

Westerfield, Scott. Afterworlds. 2014. 599p. ISBN 1481422340. Available at FIC WES on the library shelves.

Two stories converge together into one book. Well, that’s not entirely accurate. This is the story of Darcy Patel, who is a young adult novelist. Back in November, Darcy wrote a whole book and sold it and an unwritten sequel for $150,000 a piece. In her book Afterworlds, Elizabeth was the victim of a terrorist attack and was the only survivor. She managed to slip in the Flip Side by preventing to be dead, and she met Yamaraj, a 3,000 year-old Flip Side traveller.

This book chronicles both stories, that of Darcy as she becomes an adult, falls in love, and struggles with putting the finishing touches to her book. Lizzie, meanwhile, learns to cope with her new gift as well as survivor’s guilt. As Darcy grows, the Lizzie chapters show a growth as well. The suspensefulness of the “fiction” of Afterworlds has nothing on the suspense reflected in Darcy’s life. Will her book ever come to fruition? Will she survive her fractious relationship with Imagine Gray, her girlfriend and fellow writer? And what about Liz? Will she remain unscathed from her trips to the other side, or will she be irrevocably affected?

Fans of paranormal activities will adore Liz and her attraction to mysterious and powerful Yamaraj. Those who are interested in the writing process will enjoy reading this book and witness how Darcy adapts her book to the suggestions provided by the editor. Can she nail that killer ending?

The Naturals

Barnes, Jennifer Lynn. The Naturals. The Naturals Series, Book 1. 2103. 308p. ISBN 9781423168232. Available as an eBook on Overdrive.

At seventeen, Cassie has spent the last five years living with her father’s Italian relatives, ever since her mother was brutally murdered and her father, in the Air Force, has been posted overseas. She’s able to read people with a simple glance. She can tell what they like or don’t like, how they think, and what motivates them.

When a teenager about her age comes to the restaurant where she is a waitress and leaves her a cryptic business card, Cassie is intrigued. Special Agent Briggs, from the FBI, wants to meet with her. That boy looked too young to work for the FBI, but Cassie still calls, and she arranges a meeting with Briggs.

Special Agent Briggs is in charge of a unit called “The Naturals,” a group of teenagers who possess special abilities that it can take decades for adults to learn, if they ever manage to master it. Cassie is a natural profiler, and, if she’s willing, she would join the team whose task is to comb through cold cases and discover new information that can lead to arrests.

Cassie joins Michael, who reads emotions; Lia, who reads lies and tells them better than anyone; Sloane, expert at numbers and patterns; and Dean, another profiler and the son of a prolific serial killer.

As Cassie begins to train with the other teens and with her handlers, a current case spills into their lives, and Cassie becomes the target of a serial killer who appears fascinated with her and might even have committed her mother’s murder. Can she help her team find the killer before she becomes the next victim?

Read other reviews of The Naturals on Goodreads.

Official site of Jessica Lynn Barnes.