Serial Killers: Hunting Britons and Their Victims, 1960-2006 (Paperback)

This eagerly awaited book examines serial killings that took place in Britain from 1960-2006, including the 'Ipswich Murders' of late 2006. Serial Killers is a ground-breaking work that looks at these events from victim-related and wider social perspectives. Criminologist and former prison governor David Wilson - who has direct experience of working with several of the offenders concerned - analyzes the existing literature before concluding that it is not everyone that is at risk from 'Hunting Britons.' It is people from vulnerable groups who are targeted, mainly the elderly, women involved in prostitution, gay men, runaways, throwaways, and children and kids moving from place to place. Serial Killers looks at every serial murder in Britain from the 'gay murders' of Michael Copeland in 1960 to the Ipswich murders of 2006 and from a victim-related perspective. Informed by direct experience of his work with serial killers, David Wilson's investigations identify people from vulnerable groups as being most at risk from Hunting Britons: elderly people, women involved in prostitution, gay men, runaways, throwaways, and children and kids moving from place to place. His book also looks at the phenomenon of serial killing in the context of 40 years of change in social attitudes, public mores and working methods and cultures across the criminal justice process. 'Lifts the lid on the social, institutional, political and economic contexts that make serial killing possible': John Muncie 'Reflects on serial homicides in ways which go beyond the usual focus of ... clinical characteristics. David Wilson paints on a much wider canvas': Keith Soothill 'Tackles the subject ... from a fresh perspective... Serial Killers will undoubtedly stir up a great deal of debate': Roger Hood 'Perceptive and accessible ... and David Wilson offers a new analysis on how to understand the failure ... to stop the Ripper killings': Douglas Sharp 'A timely - and because of its quality - a significant contribution to the field': Homicide Studies