A Killer by Design
Murderers, Mindhunters, and My Quest to Decipher the Criminal Mind
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4.3 • 28 Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
Written by the forensic nurse who transformed the way the FBI profiles and catches serial killers, this thought-provoking book takes an intimate look at the creation of the Behavioral Science Unit–the inspiration for Hulu’s Mastermind documentary.
In the 1970s, the FBI created the "Mindhunters" (better known as the Behavioral Science Unit) to track down the country's most dangerous criminals. In A Killer By Design, Dr. Ann Wolbert Burgess reveals how her pioneering research on sexual assault and trauma helped the FBI capture some of history’s most violent offenders, including Ed Kemper (The Co-Ed Killer), Dennis Rader (BTK), Henry Wallace (The Taco Bell Strangler), and Jon Barry Simonis (The Ski-Mask Rapist).
This book pulls us directly into the investigations as she experienced them, interweaving never-before-seen interview transcripts, crime scene drawings, and her personal insight about the minds of deranged criminals and the victims they left behind.
Haunting and deeply human, A Killer By Design forces us to confront the age-old question that has long plagued our criminal justice system: "What drives someone to kill, and how can we stop them?"
As Featured on ABC 20/20
One of Amazon's "Best True Crime" Books
A "Best Book of the Month" Pick for Amazon (December 2021)
An Apple Audio "Must-Listen" (December 2021)
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Forensic and psychiatric nurse Burgess debuts with an affecting memoir about her crucial if largely unknown role in helping the FBI develop criminal profiling tools. In 1974, Burgess, who had long worked with sexual assault and trauma victims, published a groundbreaking paper demonstrating that "sexual violence was more about power and control than the act of sex itself." Burgess's discoveries attracted the attention of the FBI, which had been noting an uptick in sex crimes, and resulted in an invitation from agent Roy Hazelwood, the pioneer of profiling sexual predators, to lecture on the topic. She soon assumed a formal role as the head of a criminal personality study dealing with apparently motiveless crimes and serial killers, which would help build a foundation for the creation of accurate profiles. Burgess, who worked for the FBI for decades, was involved in high-profile cases, such as that of the BTK Killer, and concludes that the criminal mind is "simultaneously foreign... while being so disturbingly close to our own." Admirers of John Douglas's The Killer Across the Table: Unlocking the Secrets of Serial Killers and Predators with the FBI's Original Mindhunter will be riveted.
Customer Reviews
Page Turner
Very simply, a great book that is well written on a woman who’s a true pioneer in research related to dark topics. I will read it again.
Living Legend
Dr. Ann Wolbert Burgess is someone we all should strive to be. She has changed the world with her work. I love that there is finally a women’s point of few as I have read many of the other Agents book during this time. Thank you for all you have done, you are a true inspiration.
Difficult to get through
The book was surprisingly difficult to get through, despite the fascinating topic and the BSU’s amazing and groundbreaking contributions to law enforcement.