Serial Killers 101

I’ve always been fascinated with the subject of serial killers. I’m most interested in “why” they do what they do; what causes a human being to become a monster? It’s a question of nature vs. nurture. Was it the fault of their upbringing and/or society or were they “born” to be serial killers? 

The more I read about them as I did research for my first Malone mystery, Mixed Messages, the more intrigued I became. Here's a brief overview of what I learned. There are four types of serial killers:

·       Visionary  killers

·       Mission killers

·       Pleasure (Hedonistic) killers 

·       Power/control killers

Keep in mind: there’s a difference between mass murderers and serial killers. Mass murderers kill their victims all at once. They choose a killing field and attempt to take as many victims as possible. They do not hunt, torture and then kill their victims. Serial killers do. One definition of a serial killer is “someone who commits three or more murders over an unspecified period of time.” 

It’s virtually impossible to distinguish serial killers from the rest of society. They look just like you and me (yes, there have been many female serial killers) and they're everywhere. The FBI can’t give us actual statistics; no one knows for sure how many are out there, targeting their next victims. Estimates run anywhere from twenty to thirty to the thousands! 

There are three predatory types:

·   territorial killers who hunt within a specific area

·   nomadic killers who travel extensively on their killing sprees

·   stationary killers who prefer to commit murders in their own homes or places of employment

Serial killers are categorized as “organized” or “disorganized.”

·   Organized killers are the most difficult to identify and capture because they’re highly intelligent. They plan each and every detail, often stalking their victims for long periods of time to determine the best time to strike.

·   Disorganized killers are usually of lesser intelligence and don’t plan their attacks in advance. Their victims are usually people who are in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Most serial killers have a “preference.” For example, Albert DeSalvo, the Boston Strangler, was sexually obsessed with the elderly. Some serial killers take “souvenirs” from their victims: a lock of hair, a piece of jewelry or a body part and many serial killers have bizarre fetishes like Ed Gein, the role model for Hitchcock’s Psycho, who collected corpses for a variety of sick purposes. 

Until next time, be wary of strangers and people you know. Remember, anyone could be a serial killer – even the boy next door.

A Blast from the Past

Marilyn Meredith

I see mystery everywhere

  by Marilyn Meredith

Yes, I really do see mystery everywhere. The question, “What if” is always forefront in my mind. I think “what if” when I’m reading any intriguing article in the newspaper. When driving down the road, a gathering of vehicles, someone getting a ticket, lots of tents at the campground, an interesting conversation at a nearby table in a restaurant, something someone tells me, and I could go on and on.

For my Rocky Bluff P.D. series, I’ve gotten ideas from law enforcement professionals who’ve spoken at my Sisters in Crime chapter. I’ve also been piqued by things I’ve seen or heard when visiting the coast. (RBPD mysteries take place in a fictional small beach town.)

For my Deputy Tempe Crabtree series, other things will trigger a story idea. When I first began thinking about the plot for Raging Water, which didn’t have a title at that time, it was raining a lot where I live. Tempe lives in Bear Creek which is much like the place where I live, though 1000 feet higher in the mountains. Locals were discussing how much the river was rising and remembering past flooding. 

As the rain kept coming down, mud slid down and blocked parts of the road that leads to town. H’mmm, what if after lots and lots of rain, not only would the river flood and send folks who lived along the river finding shelter elsewhere, but a mud slide could make it impossible to leave Bear Creek.

All that could certainly make a mystery interesting, but I needed a murder.

Not too long ago two women who went to our church died under what I and a few others considered suspicious circumstances but our local law enforcement did not. Our deputies are also deputy coroners and can pronounce someone dead. In the case of these two women, both with serious chronic illnesses, no autopsies were performed. Both women were poor and didn’t have any family to demand an autopsy. I decided to include their deaths in the book. 

One more ingredient came along. A good friend of mine and a fan of the Deputy Tempe Crabtree mysteries asked if I’d put her in one of my books. I agreed. Though the character has a new name, I used her physical description and some of her personality attributes—though I’d rather say that it is her essence in the character. I did use her two dogs though, including their breed and names, and they become quite important to the plot.

Raging Water Blurb: Deputy Tempe Crabtree’s  investigation of the murder of two close friends is complicated when relentless rain turns Bear Creek into a raging river. Homes are inundated and a mud slide blocks the only road out of Bear Creek stranding many—including the murderer.

Marilyn Meredith is the author of over thirty published novels, including the award winning Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery series. She also writes the Rocky Bluff P.D. crime series as F. M. Meredith. Marilyn is a member of EPIC, three chapters of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and on the board of the Public Safety Writers of America. 

Since this original post in 2012, Marilyn has gone on to write several new books in both of her series. You can read about them and/or order them at https://tinyurl.com/y7js5q3j.

Mystery without Murder

I’ve always been an avid mystery reader. Growing up, I read Nancy Drew mysteries like most other girls my age but my favorite books were the Judy Bolton mysteries written by Margaret Sutton. Titles like The Midnight Visitor, The Mark on the Mirror, and The Forbidden Chest fascinated me. Each book held a mystery for Judy to solve and, if memory serves, there were no murders in any of the books. Just an intriguing mystery.

Of course, those books were written for young girls, not adult women, so there were limits on the subject matter and graphic nature of the published material. Understandable. Although I love a good murder mystery, I also like the idea of mystery without murder, which I attribute to all the hours I spent with Judy Bolton. 

There are no murders in Secrets in Storyville. Only mystery. 

Kate Morgan, a single mother, lives in the small town of Storyville, Ohio where she grew up. A want-to-be author, she works as a sales clerk in the town’s only department store doing what she describes as “a job a monkey could do.” Although she’s bored with her job, she’s reluctant to consider making any major changes in her life. However, she’s about to find out that change is inevitable.

When Kate’s ten-year-old daughter, Mandy, tells the family she plans to do a family tree for a school project, the negative reaction of Kate’s parents and grandmother shocks her but also arouses her curiosity. Why are they so against Mandy’s project? Surely her family is too “normal” to have any skeletons in their closet.

Kate decides to support her daughter even if that means defying her parents. As she searches for the truth, she discovers some long buried secrets that, if she decides to reveal them, will change her life and the lives of the people she loves - forever.