The Science of Serial Killers: The Truth Behind Ted Bundy, Lizzie Borden, Jack the Ripper, and Other Notorious Murderers of Cinematic Legend

In The Science of Serial Killers, podcast hosts Meg Hafdahl and Kelly Florence look at the many killers and serial killers that have inspired many movies and other media. They break up their book into different sections to focus on killers from the past as well as the present, those never caught, women killers, and those who’ve never been caught, among others. Their main focus is for each chapter is the movie, documentary, or book that was inspired by that particular killer. You will learn about thirty different killers in this book, that if you weren’t nervous before, will certainly give you pause now.

The idea of this book was great and while I overall enjoyed it, I found the title to be very misleading. There is very little science in this book and they mostly talk about fictionalized versions of the killers, then of the crimes themselves. Many times, I had to look things up because I had never heard of that killer and the authors didn’t elaborate at all. The chapters read more like a podcast than an actual book and a majority of them are just interviews with directors or authors. Interesting, but not what was expected.