Serial Killers

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

'The clue to this very well written book is on the front cover. Across it is a list of victims, some named, others identified by description only, who have suffered at the hands of British serial killers since 1960': The Justices' Clerk'This book is a stunning success, managing to both advance academic debate whilst at the same time, making the reformist agenda more accessible and attractive to a wider audience': Prison Service Journal'A timely - and because of its quality - a significant contribution to the field': Homicide Studies (USA)'Lifts the lid on the social, institutional, political and economic contexts that make serial killing possible': John Muncie, Professor of Criminology at The Open University. 'An interesting and very readable book that usefully reflects on serial homicides in ways which go beyond the usual focus of the clinical characteristics of such offenders. David Wilson paints on a much wider canvas reminding us that the common feature of British serial killing is the vulnerability of the victims. This leads to the ... message that 'Britain is inadequate in providing social and economic protection for the poor and vulnerable': Keith Soothill , Lancaster University. 'Very well written ... tackles the subject ... from a fresh perspective... It will undoubtedly stir up a great deal of debate': Roger Hood, All Souls College, Oxford University. 'A timely contribution to the literature ... perceptive and accessible to a wider audience than that normally addressed in criminological discourse ... David Wilson offers a new analysis on how to understand the failure of the police to stop the Ripper killings': Douglas Sharp, University of Central England.

David Wilson is professor of criminology at the Centre for Criminal Justice Policy and Research at the University of Central England in Birmingham. A former prison governor, he is editor of the Howard Journal and a well-known author, broadcaster and presenter for TV and radio, including for the BBC, C4 and Sky Television. He has written three earlier books for Waterside Press: The Longest Injustice: The Strange Story of Alex Alexandrowicz (with the latter) (1999), Prison(er) Education: Stories of Change and Transformation (with Ann Reuss) (2000) and Images of Incarceration: Representations of Prison in Film and Television Drama (with Sean O'Sullivan) (2004).