How to Spot a Serial Killer

You might think serial killers are a modern-day phenomenon.

Think again!

They actually date back to the Roman Empire and these first serialists were WOMEN- part of the Female Poison Ring of 331BC.

Back then, little was known about the psychology of serial killers. Now though, thanks to authors like Mark Olshaker and John Douglas who wrote the seminal work, MINDHUNTER, we have a much better idea of what drives a person to kill stranger after stranger until they are caught- and how to spot them.

Read on to discover 5 tell-tale signs of a serial killer…

1. Serial Killers Like To Brag

Dr Elizabeth Yardley, Director of the Centre for Applied Criminology at Birmingham City University, says:

‘Egoistical serial killers often can’t help but brag about the atrocities they’ve committed, whether it’s aimed at their accomplices, the next victim, law enforcement, or just themselves.

‘Take Brady and Hindley for example. They revisited the burial sites on Saddleworth Moor often, taking ghoulish trophy shots of the desolate landscape as a memento of their horrendous crimes.

‘Of course, these helped incriminate the pair and lead the police to the three bodies eventually found on the Moor.’

2. Serial Killers Are Power Hungry

Serial killers, almost without exception, have deep underlying feelings of inadequacy. As a result, the thrill of murdering someone is about the power they are able to exert over their victims. Even after they have been caught and the game is up, they still play games with the police in order to gain a sense of control- one of the reasons killers like the Zodiac and BTK taunted the police prior to their arrest.

3. Serial Killers Can Be Superficially Charming

Despite their underlying insecurities and inadequacies, many serial killers come across as rather charming. Ted Bundy is possibly the most famous example of this. During his trial, the courthouse was filled with female fans he’d charmed into believing he couldn’t be guilty of the terrible crimes he was charged with- because he ‘didn’t look like a killer’.

4. Serial Killers Are Skilled Manipulators

Most serial killers are skilled manipulators largely because they are both good at reading people and lack the normal fear response which makes them cool and collected under pressure.

Jeffery Dahmer, for instance, was so good at pulling the wool over people’s eyes and talking his way out of a hole, police believed the story he told them after one of his victims escaped from his house. Dahmer told them the victim was his boyfriend and high on drugs- even though he was only fourteen and had a hole drilled in his head. The police bought Dahmer’s version and released the boy back into his care. Minutes after they left, Dahmer killed him.

5. Serial Killers Come From Troubled Backgrounds

Although (as serial killer expert, Robert Ressler explains) not all children who are abused go on to become serial killers- nearly all serial killers experienced some sort of abuse during their upbringing and frequently their mothers were cold and distant.

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Truly Darkly Deeply

My latest novel, the Sunday Times bestseller, TRULY DARKLY DEEPLY explores a serial killer’s legacy through the eyes of his daughter- who, 20 years after his incarceration, still can’t be sure whether he’s actually guilty,

Available in the UK via Amazon, Waterstones, WH Smith and Tesco

Coming to the US in June 2023 and available to pre-order here: