Foreword

Dirk Gibson is a unique individual. His research is meticulous, his topic alluring, and his writing witty with a dose of hip. This is an extremely interesting combination considering he is writing about the topic of international serial murder. You got that right, readers, international serial killers. These specters that fill our news programs, glut the bookstores with true crime, and intrigue us beyond all reason are not solely an American phenomenon. In fact, they are not even new, having been with us for ages in virtually every country. With this book as his itinerary, Dirk serves as a tour guide through the geography of death, taking us from England to Japan. From South Africa to Belgium. From Italy to Pakistan, Peru to Australia. Each chapter is a tour stop in hell.

Professor Gibson takes a list of international pattern slayers, some well known like the king-of-allkillers, Jack the Ripper, others are lesser known having been relegated to the dark, bloody pages of history and opens their psyches inviting us to look in. This is his knack, his forte, taking obscure killers, bringing them to life, introducing us to them, then leaving us alone in a room with each of them, getting to know each more intimately. Dirk takes the well-known concept of profiling and uses it to breathe life into each terrible entity, each, as Count Dracula offered, “children of the night”. They are no longer simply on a page. They are, as Nietzsche stated, part of the abyss that looks into us, as we look into it The book breaks chapters into easy to read, digestible, well-documented case studies. Each murder, each murderer is dissected so the reader comes away with a thorough understanding of each killing, and the circumstances surrounding it. Like modern investigators, Dirk addresses the method of operation (MO) of each killer, as well as the ritual and signature. Victimology is offered to allow readers to understand how killers choose their prey; the typology Each chapter is a detailed case study that could stand-alone.

This is a book that can be used by criminal justice, forensic history, and psychology professionals to lay a foundation for use in their work. Researchers and students can dig further into what made the early serial killers tick, and true crime buffs can simply grab a cup of coffee, lock the doors and windows, kick back and be treated to murder with a twist.

Dirk has written numerous books on the topic of serial murder, each bringing new information to the forefront. This book is no different. It is a tour through the decades of death, one killer at a time. He takes us, the readers on a collective walk through the maze of murder, mayhem and misery. Enjoy the trip.