truTV: Not Reality. Actuality.

From Jack the Ripper to the FBI's Violent Criminal Apprehension Program (VICAP), The Encyclopedia of Serial Killers gives readers an exhaustive overview of what is undoubtedly the most macabre and fascinating branch of crime and modern criminology. The book details individual cases of serial murder, law enforcement agents and their techniques, the factors that contribute to the development of a serial killer, and how society chooses to deal with and punish these vicious criminals. In-depth coverage is provided on the realities of serial murder versus popular myths depicted in film and television, key figures on both sides of the law, pivotal cases and events, and criminal activities that have shaped law enforcement responses.

Rope is the story of Harvey Glatman, a shy young man with few social skills, who raped and strangled women in California in the 1950s. It is a meticulous account of Glatman's life, from the paraphilia of his youth to the depravity of his adulthood. Michael Newton's telling of Glatman's story shows as much fastidiousness as the killer did in committing his crimes, with every detail painstakingly recounted: from what Glatman wore to what he ate to where he parked his car on the days of his crimes. The book also contains many disturbing posed photographs that Glatman, an amateur shutterbug, took of his bound victims before raping and murdering them. --Lisa Higgins

A lexicon of murders attributed to instructions from deities, whether committed by unstable loners, organizations, or armies. As demonstrated by the atrocities enumerated within this book's pages, religion is among the oldest and most persistent motives for murder throughout human history. Millions, perhaps billions of victims have suffered and died throughout the ages, all in the name of one god or another.

Guns are pretty common in mysteries. Unfortunately, so are the mistakes writers make in describing a firearm, its use, or effect. Avoid making such embarrassing gaffes by reading Armed and Dangerous: A Writer's Guide to Weapons.

Profiles the life of serial killer Eddie Cole, who slew his first victim before he was ten and who killed fifteen others over thirty years in pursuit of kicks.