I purchased this book at the same time that I purchased John Douglas's "Journey Into Darkness". I thought both books were highly informative and fascinating reads.Keppel does a great job profiling the killers. He discusses several killers, their signatures, and, most interesting to me, how they got that way. I cannot stress enough how critical the early childhood years and development issues are for these killers. Here's the recipe for disaster: abandonment/neglect/bad parenting, poor social skills, lack of boundaries, and an uncontrollable rage in their miserable lives.Keppel even outlines how some people suffer from these issues, yet never reach the point of these signature killers. Keppel makes it easy to identify these personality types and you can apply it to any weirdo you've ever met. This book could be very helpful to human resources directors, school counselors, community counselors, teachers, parents, and anyone interested in why these people go so horribly wrong. They should pass this book out in the maternity ward and during parent-teacher conference night.Keppel gives great details - whether you want them, or not, about the murders and the killers. The section on Jeffrey Dahmer is the most horrifying and most fascinating look into a signature killer's mind -- well worth the price of the book. You will ask yourself over and over how in the heck these people were undetected for so long and, moreover, how their parents live with themselves for creating these monsters.