A Killer By Design

Murderers, Mindhunters, and My Quest to Decipher the Criminal Mind

A Killer By Design
Ann Wolbert Burgess, Steven Matthew Constantine
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Paperback
h234 x 153mm - 320pg
9 Dec 2021 UK
International import eta 7-19 days
9781802790825
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Directly beneath the progressive activism and sex positivity of the 1970s, a dark undercurrent of violence rippled across the American landscape, resulting in the alarming rise of sexual assault and homicide cases nationwide. Under a shroud of secrecy, the FBI created a specialized, top-secret team - the Behavioral Science Unit - to track down the country' s most dangerous and violent criminals and bring them to justice. But narrowing down a seemingly infinite list of potential suspects seemed daunting at best and impossible at worst - until Dr Ann Burgess stepped on the scene. In A Killer By Design, Burgess reveals - for the first time - how her pioneering research into the assessment and treatment of trauma and sexual abuse victims caught the attention of the FBI, and launched her right into the middle of a pivotal murder investigation in Nebraska. As the brilliant mind behind the now common practice of criminal profiling, she teamed up with the BSU and helped them identify, trace, and interview hundreds of terrifying serial killers and notoriously violent criminals, including Ed Kemper (' The Co-Ed Killer' ), Dennis Rader (' BTK' ), Henry Wallace (' The Taco Bell Strangler' ), Jon Barry Simonis (' The Ski-Mask Rapist' ), and many more. Featuring never-before-seen interview transcripts and crime scene drawings, A Killer By Design pulls us directly into the investigations as Burgess experienced with them, providing readers with unprecedented insight into the minds of these deranged killers, the victims they left behind, and the agents who were forced to reconsider everything they thought they knew about crime. As one of the first female consultants for the FBI, this memoir also sheds light on the evolving culture of not just the agency itself, but the criminal justice system nationwide. Thanks to her keen observations and invaluable intuition, Burgess became one of the most sought-after experts, male or female, in a male-dominated field, breaking through the bureaucratic glass ceiling and clearing the path for generations of talented women to follow in her wake. Combining a riveting personal narrative of fearless feminism and ambition, bone-chilling encounters with real-life monsters, and a revealing portrait of our ever-evolving criminal justice system, A Killer By Design will inspire, terrify, and enlighten you in equal measure - and begs the question, ' What drives someone to kill, and how can they be stopped? '
' Of all the colleagues I' ve worked with, Ann is one of the sharpest - and one of the toughest. Ann' s behind-the-scenes work had a profound impact on the FBI' s Behavioral Science Unit, since she taught us how to harness the chaos of serial killers' minds and helped us decipher the undecipherable. I' d recommend that everyone read A Killer By Design; not only is it a great page-turner, but it' s about time Ann' s story was heard' -- John E. Douglas, former FBI criminal profiler and bestselling author of Mindhunter ' My career was shaped after reading the seminal text on sexual homicide co-authored by Dr. Ann Burgess - one of the original Mindhunters. Now, in A Killer By Design, Burgess shows how she helped refine the criminal profiling process, with an acute eye for detail and heartwarming compassion for the victims. This book has quickly become a permanent fixture on my bookshelf and is a must-read for anybody who wants to understand the history of exploring the predator' s mind. Burgess is truly a hero in the fight against evil' -- Paul Holes, FBI Task Force Officer, retired cold case investigator, and co-host of Jensen and Holes: The Murder Squad podcast ' I will never forget the first time I heard Ann Burgess speak about her work to a large audience at Penn. We all were mesmerized. Ann brought forensic nursing and her ground-breaking research on crime victims and trauma to the university. She completely upended how law enforcement thinks about victims of trauma and abuse, all while challenging long-held assumptions of American culture. Her story needs to be heard' -- Claire M. Fagin, Former Dean, Professor Emerita of the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing and Interim President 1993-1994 ' As a young FBI criminal profiler walking the halls of the renowned FBI Behavioral Science Unit, I quickly realized that to be successful it was critical to identify professional mentors who possessed the knowledge, skills, and abilities that I aspired to. Ann Burgess was then and still stands out as an icon for me' -- Gregory M. Cooper, Executive Director of the Cold Case Foundation, Former FBI Profiler ' As the FBI Behavioral Science Unit (BSU) grew and evolved in the late 1970s, Ann Burgess led the way for the Unit' s training, research, and operational work to reach out to mental health professionals beyond the typical investigative/prosecutive perspective. She helped the BSU to add this new perspective and insight to its understanding of the behavior of both offenders and victims. Ann' s new book, A Killer By Design, tells the behind the scenes story of her long term work with the BSU from her unique perspective. I highly recommend this book' -- Kenneth V. Lanning, 20-year member of the FBI BSU and author of Love, Bombs, and Molesters: An FBI Agent' s Journey ' Countless investigators and detectives around the world do work every single day that is based on the research and discoveries of Dr. Ann Burgess - myself included. But here, for the first time, we are able to experience the fascinating - and often heart wrenching-stories behind these facts, figures, and procedures alongside Ann as she worked the cases that would serve as the foundation of criminal profiling. This is a riveting book and will become a staple on the shelves of both experts, and armchair detectives' -- Sarah Cailean, Criminal Behaviorist ' With her keen insight, decades of groundbreaking research in a male-dominated field, and relentless commitment to the victims of the worst imaginable crimes, Dr. Burgess has been a bona fide trailblazer in the forensic arena. This poignant, gripping, and long overdue account will soon prove a classic of the true crime genre' -- Michael H. Stone, M. D. & Gary Brucato, Ph. D. , authors of The New Evil: Understanding the Emergence of Modern Violent Crime ' One of my jobs at the BSU was to get the data that Dr. Burgess was analyzing in Boston to my Police Fellowship Program. I' d compare what the police fellows said on cases with what Dr. Burgess said. The foundational profiling tools we brought into the mix - which helped develop a well-defined, disciplined, and logical approach to the field of criminal profiling - stood the test of time. In A Killer By Design, readers get a behind-the-scenes look of what it was like to be at the forefront of such important work, and it' s a must-read for anyone who wants to know what criminal profiling is really like, outside of movies and tv shows' -- Judson M. Ray, M. S. , M. Ed. , FBI Profiler (ret. )
Dr Ann Burgess, APRN, FAAN, is a leading forensic and psychiatric nurse who worked with the FBI for over two decades. She is currently a professor at the Boston College Connell School of Nursing, where she teaches graduate courses in forensic nursing. She has received countless honors and accolades for her groundbreaking research, including the ' Living Legend' award from the American Academy of Nursing. She lives in Boston, MA.
Status: Active
ISBN-13: 9781802790825
Published: 9 Dec 2021
Published In: United Kingdom
Imprint: Welbeck
Publisher: Welbeck Publishing Group
Format: Paperback
Height: 234mm
Width: 153mm
Pages: 320

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