Extreme Killing: Understanding Serial and Mass Murder

Extreme Killing offers a comprehensive overview of multiple homicide, including both serial and mass murder. Filled with classic and contemporary case studies, this fully updated Fourth Edition reflects a growing concern for specific types of multiple homicides—indiscriminate public massacres, terrorist attacks, hate crimes, and school shootings—as well as largely debated issues such as gun control and mental illness.  Renowned experts and authors in the field, James Alan Fox, Jack Levin, and Emma Fridel bring their years of research and experience to create distinctions between serial and mass murders, address characteristics of both killers and their victims, and recognize the special concerns around multiple murder victims and their survivors. Students will examine the latest theories of criminal behavior and apply them to mass and serial murderers from around the world, such as the mass shooting at a country music festival in Las Vegas,  the Grim Sleeper in Los Angeles, the Pulse nightclub massacre in Orlando, the shooting of nine African Americans by a white supremacist in a Charleston church, and more.

Table of Contents:
Preface About the Authors PART I. MULTIPLE MURDER CHAPTER 1. America’s Fascination With Multiple Murder The Gein Legacy Multiple Murder in Popular Culture The Selling of Multiple Murder Craving Attention Killer Communication Killer Groupies The Impact of Celebrating Murderers Sensitize, Not Sanitize CHAPTER 2. Defining Multiple Murder Mass, Serial, and Spree Mass Confusion Counting Victims of Serial Murder Typologies of Multiple Murder CHAPTER 3. Theories of Multiple Homicide Sociological Theories Psychological Theories Biological Theories PART II. SERIAL MURDER CHAPTER 4. An Anatomy of Serial Murder Prevalence of Serial Murder A Profile of the Serial Killer Extraordinarily Ordinary Compartmentalization Rehumanizing the Victims CHAPTER 5. With Deliberation and Purpose When Killing Is Thrilling On a Deadly Mission of Terror or Revenge Killing for Expediency For Love and Loyalty CHAPTER 6. Partners in Murder Insanity in the Relationship Partners for Profit Partnerships of Men and Women All in the Family CHAPTER 7. Killing for Company Placing the Blame Killing for Companionship The Functions of Cannibalism Desire for Total Control and Ownership CHAPTER 8. Fantasyland Keeping Souvenirs Normal and Abnormal Fantasies The Impact of Pornography CHAPTER 9. The Making of a Serial Killer Childhood Suffering Testimony Under Hypnosis Child Abuse and Murder Inordinate Need for Power Animal Cruelty and Violence Against Humans Challenges of Predicting Serial Murder Blaming the Family CHAPTER 10. Nonsexual Control Power Over Patients Female Serial Killers Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy CHAPTER 11. Killing Cult Killing for a Cause The Appeal of Dangerous Cults Suicide or Homicide? Satanism and Serial Murder CHAPTER 12. Catching Serial Killers Vulnerable Victims Preferred Catching the Serial Killer PART III. MASS MURDER CHAPTER 13. For Love, Money, or Revenge Relative Obscurity Trends in Mass Murder Profile of Mass Murderers and Their Crimes Characteristics of Mass Murders Selective and Methodical When Love Kills Sweet Revenge Profiting From Mass Murder Explaining Mass Murder Warning Signs of Mental Disturbance Contributing Factors CHAPTER 14. Family Annihilation A Profile of the Family Annihilator Impact of Unemployment Murdering Moms The Defiant Son CHAPTER 15. Firing Back Profile of the Workplace Avenger Mixed Motives Workplace Murder by Proxy Romantic Obsession Externalizing Responsibility Social Isolation Screening Out Problem Workers Going Postal CHAPTER 16. Well Schooled in Mass Murder Disgruntled Students Addressing the Risk The Worst Laid Plans A Global Perspective On to College The Role of Violent Video Games The Copycat Effect CHAPTER 17. Fighting City Hall Attacking the System Legal Battles Filing a Grievance Increasing Alienation Close Call CHAPTER 18. Hate Motivated Mass Murder Choice of Victims The Killer as Victim The Growth of Defensive Hate Attacks Mission Hate Crimes Targets Not Included in Hate Crime Legislation Organized Hate Crimes Identifying Hate Crimes CHAPTER 19. Political Terrorism as Tactic Hate Crime or Terrorist Act? Trends in Domestic Terrorism Trends in Global Terrorism Vehicular Terrorism Lone Wolves Reducing Terrorist Violence CHAPTER 20. Going Berserk Paranoid Thinking Confused State of Mind Long-Standing Mental Illness Civilian Battlefields Brain Abnormalities Deadly Weapons CHAPTER 21. Weapons of Mass (Murder) Destruction Mass Shootings and Gun Legislation School Shootings and Political Will/Won’t Expanded Background Checks The Assault Weapon Debate Concealed Carry Armed Faculty and School Security A Final Shot PART IV. EPILOGUE CHAPTER 22. Remembering the Victims References Index

About the Author :
James Alan Fox is the Lipman Family Professor of Criminology, Law, and Public Policy at Northeastern University. He has published 18 books, dozens of journal and magazine articles, as well as hundreds of freelance columns in newspapers around the country, primarily in the areas of multiple murder, youth crime, school and campus violence, workplace violence, and capital punishment. As a member of its Board of Contributors, his opinion column appears frequently in USAToday. Fox led the investigation of Seattle’s Capitol Hill mass shooting and was part of the task force investigating the serial murder of college students in Gainesville, Florida. He also served on President Clinton’s advisory committee on school shootings, and a Department of Education Expert Panel on Safe, Disciplined and Drug-Free Schools. In addition, he has been retained as an expert witness/consultant in several mass shooting cases, including the recent massacres at the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, Texas, and the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Fox is one of the principals in maintaining the Associated Press/USA Today/Northeastern University Mass Killing Database. Finally, he has received several awards and honors for his work, including the Hugo Adam Bedau Award for excellence in capital punishment scholarship.     Jack Levin is the Brudnick Professor Emeritus in the Department of Sociology at Northeastern University, where he codirects its Center on Violence and Conflict. He has authored or coauthored more than 30 books, most recently The Violence of Hate: Understanding Harmful Forms of Bias and Bigotry and The Allure of Premeditated Murder: Why Some People Plan to Kill. Levin has also published more than 250 articles and columns in professional journals, books, magazines, and newspapers, such as The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Dallas Morning News, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Christian Science Monitor, The Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, and USA Today.  Levin was honored by the Massachusetts Council for Advancement and Support of Education as its “Professor of the Year” and by the American Sociological Association for his contributions to the public understanding of sociology. He has also received awards from the Eastern Sociological Society, New England Sociological Association, Association of Clinical and Applied Sociology, and Society for the Study of Social Problems. Moreover, he has spoken to a wide variety of community, academic, and professional groups, including the White House Conference on Hate Crimes, the Department of Justice, OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (a membership of 59 countries), and the International Association of Chiefs of Police. Emma E. Fridel is an assistant professor in the College of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Florida State University. She primarily studies the intersection of lethal violence and community context, focusing specifically on homicide, homicide-suicide, gun violence, serial and mass murder, intimate partner violence, and police use of lethal force. Her work has recently been published in Criminology, Social Forces, the Journal of Quantitative Criminology, Justice Quarterly, the Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, Homicide Studies, Criminal Justice and Behavior, and Significance Magazine.

Review :
“This is the best single volume text for the coverage of both mass murder and serial homicide at the undergraduate level and as an introductory text on the subject matter.” “Fox and Levin are the best in the business at interpreting these rare, but tragic, multiple murder events. Accessibly written, yet analytically rich, Extreme Killing provides critical insight into subject matter that typically elicits a response between fear and fascination and is sensationalized and politicized in equal measure. For the cold hard facts on murder in cold blood (or otherwise), look no further.” “Excellent overall—engaging cases and yet stays on making important analytic points or generalizations without getting overly bogged down by case details (although many often horrific facts related to crimes are noted in a very matter-of-fact way)  The authors manage to make their points while citing grisly case details in a very professional way without appealing to any sensationalism for its own sake. They navigate this fine line and manage a balancing act between sharing case details while also keeping a theoretical and conceptual focus. Superb job and the best of the three editions by far.” “Extreme Killing offers a succinct  and fascinating  overview  of historical and contemporary serial and mass murder addressing known prevalence, demographic characteristics, motives, and etiological factors associated with the perpetrators of the crimes. Additionally, the role of the victims and their families are discussed in relation to the high profile nature of these types of multiple murders especially in relation to role of the media, fascination by the public, and the seemingly motiveless nature of these types of crimes. James Allen Fox and Jack Levin use engaging case studies, illustrations, photos and commentary in their book, which no doubt students will find extremely interesting.” “The writing style of all of the chapters is excellent and will truly capture the interest and imagination of students. The book could easily be used in either an upper level undergraduate or a graduate level course (as a supplemental text). It is versatile. The photos are quite interesting and will keep the student engaged.” “This is a well-written organized text on serial killing and mass murder. Content is appropriate and presented in a way that would be understandable to the average college student…” “This text will provide your students with a comprehensive overview of serial and mass murder. This is a student-friendly text that is well-written and organized.” “It is a well thought out, put together book for this type of class because it touches on all aspects of both the organized and disorganized SK as well as delving into the mind of the mass murderer.”