Abstract
Over the past two decades, what has become almost de riguer concerning issues related to aberrant violent crimes and particularly murder in my own publications has been a reference to Serial Murderers and Their Victims by Hickey (1997). Consequently, when I learnt that this seminal piece of literature was into its sixth edition, it was plainly apparent that a book review by this journal was in order.
The sixth edition is a substantial update and features 12 chapters that collectively make the current text more than double the size of its earlier 1997 incarnation. In Chapter 1, the reader is first introduced to the concept of serial murder and through this exposition to the diversity and thus the complexity of both conceptualising and defining the phenomenon of individuals who perpetrate multiple murders. Indeed, one of the most incisive facets in this opening chapter is its clear illustration of the many myths surrounding the concept of serial murder and in particular the individuals who perpetrate such crimes. Thereafter, Chapter 2 explores the concepts and relevance of cults, occultist activities, and the notion of “evil” as related to serial murder. This chapter makes the reader plainly aware that, while intuitively appealing, the intersection between murder, cults, and the notion of evil is not as straightforward as one may initially presume.
Chapter 3 skilfully traverses the terrain of various etiological factors that may present as constituent elements among serial murderers as well as pertinent legal principles such as insanity and competence. This material then leads into an exposition of the key mental disorders that are often observed among such offenders, culminating with a focus upon psychopathy. Indeed, a commendable emphasis is placed upon explaining the scientific realities, as opposed to media portrayals, of psychopathy as well as new research in this domain and its relevance to aberrant crimes. The text moves beyond the disciplines of psychiatry and psychology by adopting a multidisciplinary perspective as evidenced in Chapter 4, which examines a number of sociological and biological dimensions to these crimes and their offenders. The culmination of this material is Professor Hickey’s “Trauma-Control Model” that poignantly illustrates one of his most erudite observations: that serial murder is not an act but rather a process.
Chapter 5 extensively examines the paraphilias that may be encountered in violent and frequently sexually orientated offenders. Within this chapter, the importance of various psychological mechanisms incumbent to these crimes such as fantasy and signature patterns is also discussed. Chapter 6 introduces the reader to a broader understanding of serial murder by highlighting the phenomena of “Healthcare Killers” and the most perplexing circumstance of health care professionals such as doctors and nurses who perpetrate multiple murders. Chapters 7 through 9 present Professor Hickey’s hallmark analysis of serial murder within the United States. Specifically, Chapter 7 examines “The Male Serial Murderer,” Chapter 8 considers “Team Killers,” and Chapter 9 examines The Female Serial Murderer. The data informing these chapters have been revised from previous editions and now extend up to 2011 with varying sample pools consisting of more than 300 documented cases. In this context, the results of the various undertaken analyses are not simply presented as abstract tables of statistics but are instead accompanied and illustrated throughout the text by a plethora of case studies and vignettes.
Another hallmark of this text and Professor Hickey’s examination of the serial murder phenomena is Chapter 10 and his analysis of “Victims.” Through this single chapter, Professor Hickey astutely demonstrates that some of the most valuable insights into the dynamics of serial murder are not only to be found and defined by the constituent elements incumbent to the offenders themselves but also in the unfortunate victims who are either routinely chosen or circumstantially targeted. Chapter 11 offers an international perspective by clearly demonstrating that the phenomena of serial murder are not merely confined to the United States by presenting analysis of offenders from the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Germany, Russia, South Africa, and Japan. Finally, Chapter 12 concludes the book in considering differing avenues of investigative response to serial murder, including forensic sciences and criminal profiling, as well as computer-based tracking systems.
Professor Hickey is a renowned scholar who has devoted a large part of his career to the systematic study of this comparatively rare, but unquestionably most repugnant, form of murder. His work in this area has not only grown in volume but also in the breadth and depth of his analysis, which extends to the numerous dimensions of aberrant crime that are often associated with serial murder, such as rape and stalking. In short, this text in its sixth edition represents a tour de force on the topic and is highly recommended to any reader who wishes to learn about what is arguably the darkest manifestation of human nature.