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

PRAISE FOR

The Human Predator

Extraordinarily well-researchedIf youre looking for the perfect gift for someone whos riveted to television shows like CSI, you wont find a better one than Dr. Katherine Ramslands The Human Predator. Youll not only learn about serial murder but also the historical background of forensic science. This book is unique in the field.

truTV Crime Library

By demonstrating how ignorance, fear, class structure, superstition, war, and religion all play a part, Ramsland presents the compelling argument that society has played a pivotal role in the development of such extreme antisocial behavior and will continue to do so. Although this is very well written, some readers may find themselves squirming as the darkest side of human nature is revealed. It was fascinating to see how what we think of as modern day forensic science developed in pace with serial killing and makes one wonder whats in store for the future. Anyone with interest in criminal investigation or psychology is sure to enjoy this.

Monsters and Critics

Katherine Ramsland, holding a masters degree in forensic psychology, is one of the most knowledgeable, as well as prolific, writers on the subjectproviding colorful (and devious) accounts of characters as far back as the Dark Ages, pinpointing the evolution of forensic science along the way. Her prose does not just educate her audience, but draws them in to the lurid details of the crime. It is highly recommended.

Examiner.com

Ramsland tracks killers throughout history. She discusses the social implications behind the killings as well as the forensic challenges and responses to the killers. [She] discusses, with research to back up her positions, the reasons why such killers exist, [and] the forces which contribute to their creationA very informative bookA good resource for writers looking to understand the mind-set of serial killers.

ReviewingTheEvidence.com

FURTHER PRAISE FOR THE WORKS OF

Katherine Ramsland

The Unknown Darkness:
Profiling the Predators Among Us

Coauthored with Gregg O. McCrary

This is a must-read for true crime fans. A beautifully written expert analysis of high-profile killers.

Ann Rule

One of the most intensely readable and gripping accounts of serial murder I have ever read.

Colin Wilson, author of Manhunt:
A Study in Detection: Tracking Serial Killers

Combines engrossing writing with seasoned insight.

Publishers Weekly

Many of us may think we know quite a lot about FBI profilers, butour knowledge comes almost entirely from fictionalized portrayals in films like Silence of the Lambs and television series like Profiler. The truthis rather different from fiction[The Human Predator is] surprisingly lively and will captivate true crime fans with a yen to know more about profiling and related investigative practices.

Booklist

A must-read for those who are interested in the investigative and forensic aspects of major murder cases. Ramslands experience with the techniques of narrative nonfiction helps to set this book apart by taking readers right into the crimes and crime scenes so they can experience a profilers feelings and perceptions, and also see the actual steps taken to make crucial crime-solving decisions. This is a book to buy.

truTV Crime Library

The Forensic Science of C.S.I.

Fascinating[A] must for anyone who wonders how the real crime solvers do it.

Michael Palmer

With the mind of a true investigator, Ramsland demystifies the world of forensics with authentic and vivid detail.

John Douglas

Piercing the Darkness:
Undercover with Vampires in America Today

[A] riveting read, a model of engaged journalism.

Publishers Weekly

TITLES BY KATHERINE RAMSLAND

The Forensic Psychology of Criminal Minds

The Devils Dozen

True Stories of C.S.I.

Beating the Devils Game

The C.S.I Effect

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

Inside the Minds of Mass Murderers: Why They Kill

A Voice for the Dead:
A Forensic Investigators Pursuit of Truth in the Grave

(with James E. Starrs)

The Science of Cold Case Files

The Unknown Darkness: Profiling the Predators Among Us

(with Gregg O. McCrary)

The Science of Vampires

The Criminal Mind: A Writers Guide to Forensic Psychology

The Forensic Science of C.S.I

Cemetery Stories:
Haunted Graveyards, Embalming Secrets,
and the Life of a Corpse After Death

Ghost: Investigating the Other Side

Bliss: Writing to Find Your True Self

Piercing the Darkness:
Undercover with Vampires in America Today

Dean Koontz: A Writers Biography

Prism of the Night: A Biography of Anne Rice

The Witches Companion:
The Official Guide to Anne Rices Lives of the Mayfair Witches

The Vampire Companion:
The Official Guide to Anne Rices The Vampire Chronicles

The Anne Rice Reader

The Art of Learning: A Self-Help Manual for Students

Engaging the Immediate:
Applying Kierkegaards Indirect Communication
to the Practice of Psychotherapy

NOVELS

The Blood Hunters

The Heat Seekers

A Historical Chronicle of Serial Murder
and Forensic Investigation

K ATHERINE R AMSLAND , P H .D.

BERKLEY BOOKS, NEW YORK

THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP

Published by the Penguin Group

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The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any
responsibility for authors or third-party websites or their content.

THE HUMAN PREDATOR

A Berkley Book / published by arrangement with the author

PUBLISHING HISTORY

Berkley hardover edition / October 2005

Berkley trade paperback edition / March 2007

Berkley premium edition / February 2013

Copyright 2005 by Katherine Ramsland.

Interior and cover photographs copyright by AP/World Wide Photos.

Cover design by Erica Tricarico.

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the authors rights. Purchase only authorized editions.