The book is divided into five chapters: The Nature of Serial Murder; Female Serial Killers; Why Do Serial Murderers Kill?; The Struggles of Surviving Victims and Family; and Public Reactions to Serial Killers. Twenty-two subchapters discuss, among other topics: (1) defining serial murder; (2) understanding and identifying serial killers; (3) organized and disorganized serial killers; (4) the signature of serial killers; (5) gender differences in serial murderers; (6) an evolving criminality; (7) patterns of childhood neglect; (8) executing the murderer; (9) when justice is not served; (10) discovering a serial killer in the family; (11) images of the serial killer in popular culture; (12) censoring a serial killer website; and (13) ensuring that crime will not pay. The book reviews law enforcement problems in apprehending serial killers, and includes brief case studies of several serial killers. Notes, table, references, bibliography, index