Just as Deadly

A riveting scientific account of why and how female serial killers commit murder-and often get away with it.

You've heard of Ted Bundy and John Wayne Gacy. But have you heard of Amy Archer-Gilligan? Or Belle Gunness? Or Nannie Doss? Women have committed some of the most disturbing serial killings ever seen in the United States. Yet scientific inquiry, criminal profiling, and public interest have focused more on their better-known male counterparts. As a result, female serial killers have been misunderstood, overlooked, and underestimated. In this riveting account, Dr. Marissa A. Harrison draws on original scientific research, various psychological perspectives, and richly detailed case studies to illuminate the stark differences between female and male serial killers' backgrounds, motives, and crimes. She also emphasizes the countless victims of this grisly phenomenon to capture the complexity and tragedy of serial murder. Meticulously weaving data-based evidence and insight with intimate storytelling, Just as Deadly reveals how and why these women murder-and why they often get away with it.

Autorentext
Dr. Marissa A. Harrison is a research psychologist, author, and associate professor at Penn State Harrisburg. Her studies on serial murder and human sexuality have been covered in popular media such as The Washington Post, The New Yorker, and Time.

Klappentext

A riveting and meticulous account of why and how female serial killers commit murder. Drawing on original scientific research and various psychological perspectives, Dr. Marissa A. Harrison illustrates how female serial killers differ from their male counterparts and why society is so fascinated by their grisly crimes.

Inhalt
Preface; 1. Introduction: what is a serial killer?; 2. Why are we interested in serial killers?; 3. The lives in female serial killers (FSKs); 4. Mental health and substance use among FSKs; 5. FSK crimes and outcomes; 6. FSK motives and profile; 7. Comparing FSKs and MSKs: backgrounds and mental illness; 8. Comparing FSKs and MSKs: crimes and victims; 9. The behavioral neuroscience of serial murder; 10. Pyschosocial factors that make a serial murderer; 11. Evolutionary and converging perspectives of serial murder; 12. Our understanding of serial killers evolves.