Serial Killer Books and Movies

 

Dexter Series on Showtime - i know they aren't following the book, but the show is great.

I second Seven the movie. 

I love Criminal Minds the series.

 

I third the movie Se7en. I love that movie.

I like Saw II a lot.

Can anyone suggest any good books? I like reading true stories about serial killers.

Anything by Anne Rule.  Not always serial killers, but  she did write about Ted Bundy and the Green River Killer.

Zodiac is pretty good.

I 4th Se7en.  And I second Dexter and Criminal Minds.  Michael C Hall makes a great Dexter!

Also, on Investigation Discovery, they have a couple of really good shows that follow serial killers and other similar crimes.  Most Evil, Crime Stories, Notorious, Deranged, and Wicked Attraction.  (I think a couple of these are actually on BIO). 

Although watching these shows is kinda freaky...I have discovered that WAY too many serial killers have a connection to WA state...especially the Seattle area.  Including Ted Bundy, Westley Allen Dodd, and the Green River Killer.

 

I have a book at home called "Dreaming The Dark", forget the name of the author but essentially he did forensics and psych profiling of serial killers for the FBI. It's very fascinating stuff. When I get home from work and the gym I'll dig it out for the author's name. Sometimes I'll look at true crime websites and read accounts of various ones, Ed Gein or Albert Fish or whoever.

Yeah, I think I've mentioned how much I love Dexter before. Though I know he's totally a fantasy/"wish fullfillment" type character ,especially when compared to true accounts of serial killers.

I forgot about CSI (only Las Vegas) they have some pretty great shows with serial killers. Once again I must concur with what was written above. 

Iris Johansen writes some pretty good serial killer books, if you don't mind a little romance and psychology thrown in. 

Dean Koontz writes a pretty good thriller.  James Patterson's older stuff was pretty good.  His current books are good, quick, easy reads if you don't mind some fluff.  I am trying to think of the name of a husband and wife team that both write some pretty good books,  I will have to check the names when I get home. 

How does everyone like the Patricia Cornwell books?   I read her first half dozen or so, they were really good, but then I lost interest when they started to seem like they dealt more & more with the characters issues than the actual cases.   Have her recent ones been better?      Maybe I should give them another go...

 

I love the entire Saw series. Same with Se7en, the Hannibal series... the newer CSI ones are good too. Criminal Minds, Cold Case...

Can't forget Dexter!

As far as serial killers the only books I've read are about Torso Killer here in Cleveland.  2 of the more recent books about the case are "In the Wake of the Butcher: Cleveland's Torso Murders" by James Badal and Torso: The Story of Eliot Ness and the Search For a Psychopathic Killer" by Steven Nickel.  There's also a graphic novel about the case called "Torso" that was written by Brian Michael Bendis and put out by Image Comics.

Moon, since you're in northern ohio you might want to check out the series of books by John Stark Bellamy II about NE ohio disasters, murders, etc.

Ok. I'm home now, I misremembered that book title. It's actually "Dark Dreams" by Roy Hazelwood & Stephen G. Michaud, who worked for the FBI. "Dreaming the Dark" is the title of an entirely different book I own, about Paganism and left wing activism, by Starhawk.

Neither is to be confused with "Darkly Dreaming Dexter", which is a fictional book about a serial killer by Jeff Lindsay.

 

Jonathan Kellerman is good I think his wife is Faye Kellerman who also writes a good thriller. 

 

Off topic sorta - I need a good book suggestion for this weekend.  I am currently in the mood for a good sci-fi book but can't come up with anything.  All suggestions welcome.  I am an avid reader and nothing is really off limits.  Except please don't recommend anything by Stephanie Myers.  I am completely Twilighted Out.  I read the series before I let my daughter.  I don't know they just weren't "real" vampires to me. 

Theresa, Earth by David Brin.  Probably not the type of sci-fi you're looking for but it's a great read.

Theresa - have you read Dune?

The Executioner's Song by Norman Mailer. It's an account based on the prison interviews of Gary Gilmore before he was put to death in Utah back in the70's. Rather lengthy, but something of a classic.

 

I love Dexter also, and Se7en. 

Ok off the top of my head...

Books... The Making of a Serial Killer, Zodiac, The Stranger Beside Me, mostly any books about Ted Bundy and Jeffrey Dahmer...

Helter Skelter (movie too)

Movies... Dahmer, Gein, Copycat, From Hell, the one about John Wayne Gacy i think is called Gacy, also the Saw movies for sure...

 

I have read Dune - the prequels the sequels the whole nine yards.  I scoured books sales until I had most of them in hardback.  My husband thought  I was obsessed.

I will look into Ringworld and Earth.

Thanks

 

 

The newer Harlen Coben are awesome, you spend your whole time saying I know who did it and when you get to the end you are like "I didn't see that coming"