Why We Love Serial Killers

The Curious Appeal of the World's Most Savage Murderers

By: Scott Bonn

Narrated by: Keith Szarabajka

Length: 8 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

For decades now, serial killers have taken center stage in the news and entertainment media. The coverage of real-life murderers such as Ted Bundy and Jeffrey Dahmer has transformed them into ghoulish celebrities. Similarly, the popularity of fictional characters such as Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lecter or Dexter demonstrates just how eager the public is to be frightened by these human predators.

But why is this so? Could it be that some of us have a gruesome fascination with serial killers for the same reasons we might morbidly stare at a catastrophic automobile accident? Or it is something more? In Why We Love Serial Killers, criminology professor Dr. Scott Bonn explores our powerful appetite for the macabre, while also providing new and unique insights into the world of the serial killer, including those he has gained from his correspondence with two of the world’s most notorious examples, David Berkowitz ("Son of Sam") and Dennis Rader ("Bind, Torture, Kill"). In addition, Bonn examines the criminal profiling techniques used by law enforcement professionals to identify and apprehend serial predators, he discusses the various behaviors - such as the charisma of the sociopath - that manifest themselves in serial killers, and he explains how and why these killers often become popular cultural figures.

Groundbreaking in its approach, Why We Love Serial Killers is a compelling look at how the media, law enforcement agencies, and public perception itself shapes and feeds the "monsters" in our midst.

©2014 Scott Bonn (P)2014 Audible Inc.

Brain food for the guiltily obsessed.

I’m one of those freaks who can’t get enough of serial killer talk, but to have a book explain why I am the way I am, and why they are the way that are is akin to holding the Boogeyman Bible in your hand. This book analyzes not only the “rockstar” killers that we know (and feel guilty for love-hating so much), but turns its psychoanalytical eye on us, the public, society if you will, and exposes our culpability in the creation of the monsters we fear, yet obsess over, so much.

This Guy Must Be a Real Buzzkill at Parties

I give this book two stars for the interesting and little-known stats the author shares about serial killers in the first few chapters, although as a true crime aficionado, there were many that I could have guessed without having to read them (e.g. that serial killers are truly rare phenomena). But to suggest that the average citizen has some kind of “moral responsibility” to “understand the true motivations” of serial killers—especially after we have just been informed that there are only “25 of them operating in the US at any given time”—is a bit vapid. I can think of at least 4 or 5 legislative changes we could shoulder a “moral responsibility” for in the US that would make victims *less vulnerable* to murderous maniacs like Gary Ridgeway (hello, legalizing sex work?) but as far as the true motivations behind the behavior of that most minuscule percentage of the population, well, I’m glad they’re rare, and grateful they’re being studied by criminal profilers. This book is pedantic and repetitive, and the author’s insistence that the “blurring of fact and fiction” by the “news and entertainment media” is somehow harmful to society when it comes to serial killers—a claim that he makes repeatedly without ever really fleshing out his argument—gives me the sense that he’s the type of dude who likes to bore you by knowing too many irrelevant details and fancy academic terms related to an otherwise really fascinating subject. Unless you’re like me and get this book for free with your Audible sub, save your money for this year’s round of Halloween flicks instead. ;)

Re-hash of Vronsky’s Serial Killers: Methods and Madness of Monsters

Seriously, it reads like a book report of Vronsky’s book and references it *all the time*. It opens with stopping “SK myths” that are 20++ years out of date and essentially claims that the world only identifies white women as victims. He’s going to share the shocking truth!!

Bonn clearly has 4 favorites and good grief does he mention Bundy, Gacy, Rader, & Berkowitz. I get that he had some sort of contact with 2 of them, but they come up in every chapter… even when they don’t apply (“…unlike Bundy, Gacy did THIS”).

I don’t mind the attempt at ‘academic’ perspective, but I do loathe the insistence on “Tell them what you’re going to say, say it, then tell them what you said”. Each chapter ends with a recap of *In this chapter, I covered XYRader.”*

The title isn’t delivered. What I wanted from someone in the “murdertainment” industry was an discussion of MEDIA regarding serial killers and the various ways they have been covered in the last 140 years. If you want to go way back to the early coverage, try The Invention of Murder by Judith Flanders instead.

I found it interesting

Part of why I like true crime, is trying to figure out why people do these things.

Recommend

It is a very informative book on why we love Serial Killers. Easy to understand and so very interesting. Great book for any s k buff

Interesting material but...

The title of the book should be the title of maybe one of the chapters. The book is primarily about the psychology of the killers, not so much about the psychology of why they intrigue the rest of us.

Interesting

Most info already known to true crime fans, but interesting none the less. Two things that was a bit irksome…first there was definitely an underlying political bias but worse than that was the ridiculous attempt as using accents to verbalize interviews. It was worth the time since it was included in the membership. I used it to listen to before I fell asleep.

Answer to the question is obv and barely explained

Seems like the first half of the book was just to set up the author's low key brag about his interviews with some of the killers.

good book . no new information though

I finished this book pretty fast . first it's a quick read ( listen) . second I'm very familiar with the subject. I did enjoy the psychological part of the book. but most of the other parts were old news.

In-depth but informational

This was a great book that unpacked our fascination with serial killers. He provided the psychology about people and them that ties us to her hidden desires to read, watch, and listen to the horrors they reach.