It describes the investigative techniques used by the police and forensic psychologists and the impacts on the victims' families and friends as well as on the attitudes and activities of the residents of the area. It focuses on the role of John Philpin, a psychologist whose hobby of studying murderers evolved into a central role in the police search for the perpetrator. Philpin focused on the characteristics of the victims, the circumstances of the crimes, and the possible motives. The victims were all stabbed and were found on the surface of ground in remote wooded areas. All but one had been alone on the road before the murderer transported them to the places where they would die. Photographs and index (Publisher summary modified)