Programmed to Kill The Politics of Serial Murder, David McGowan

The specter of the 
marauding serial killer has become a relatively common feature on the 
American landscape. Reactions to these modern-day monsters range from 
revulsion to morbid fascination-fascination that is either fed by, or a 
product of, the saturation coverage provided by print and broadcast 
media, along with a dizzying array of books, documentary films, 
websites, and "Movies of the Week". The prevalence in Western culture of
images of serial killers (and mass murderers) has created in the public
mind a consensus view of what a serial killer is. Most people are 
aware, to some degree, of the classic serial killer 'profile.' But what 
if there is a much different 'profile'-one that has not received much 
media attention? In Programmed to Kill, acclaimed and always 
controversial author David McGowan takes a fresh look at the lives of 
many of America's most notorious accused murderers, focusing on the 
largely hidden patterns that suggest that there may be more to the 
average serial killer story than meets the eye. Think you know 
everything there is to know about serial killers? Or is it possible that
sometimes what everyone 'knows' to be true isn't really true at all?