Lee Mellor

Joan Swart

A Forensic Psychology Casebook

Homicide

Uncover the twisted tales that inspired the big screen's greatest screams. Which case of demonic possession inspired The Exorcist? What horrifying front-page story generated the idea for A Nightmare on Elm Street? Which film was based on the infamous skin-wearing murderer Ed Gein? Unearth the terrifying and true tales behind some of the scariest Horror movies to ever haunt our screens, including the Enfield poltergeist case that was retold in The Conjuring 2 and the serial killers who inspired Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs. Behind the Horror dissects these and other bizarre tales to reveal haunting real-life stories of abduction, disappearance, murder, and exorcism.

True Stories That Inspired Horror Movies

Behind the Horror

True stories that inspired horror movies

For too long awareness of serial murder in Canada has been confined to the likes of Clifford Olson, Paul Bernardo, Karla Homolka, and pig farmer Robert Pickton. However, there have been more than 60 serial killers in Canadian history, and Cold North Killers is a wake-up call.

Canadian Serial Murder

Cold North Killers

Enter a hidden world of mysteries, scandals, secrets, and lies Perhaps it is human nature to believe there is more to the world than meets the eye - that the greatest secrets and truths are hidden from us. Whatever the reason, conspiracy theories are a global phenomenon. Conspiracies Uncovered delves into some of the most pervasive theories, from the "The assassination of John F. Kennedy" to the moon landings, showcasing the evidence for and against each one, revealing the surprising truths behind some and the bizarre inspirations for others.

Cover-ups, Hoaxes and Secret Societies

Conspiracies Uncovered

Forensic psychology plays an increasingly important role in criminal investigations and legal decision-making. Homicide: A Forensic Psychology Casebook guides readers through the practical aspects of homicide cases across the entire criminal justice system, from the investigative process to the criminal trial process, and beyond. Each chapter contains a description and analysis of selected cases and offenders, and provides a crime narrative and offender narrative to illustrate the underlying theory and practical considerations of homicide investigations. Criminal justice students and practitioners alike will benefit from the comprehensive scope of this text. In order to ensure fair and efficient criminal justice practices in the field of forensic investigation, there is still a need for conformity and standardization of sound protocols and approaches based on improved knowledge and education. This book is part of that effort to understand homicidal behavior and offenders better in order to prevent similar crimes.

Harold Schechter

Michael Newton

Kim Cresswell

Aaron Elliott

Robert Hoshowsky

Another triple feature! “Unsolved in North America” - the third issue of Serial Killer Quarterly - focuses on 6 American and 2 Canadian cases of multiple murderer in which the slayer has eluded justice. Three years before Jack the Ripper stalked the streets of Whitechapel, a bold and barefoot killer was slipping into Austin's outbuildings to murder and rape black servant girls, sometimes after death. In his Servant Girl Annihilator, acclaimed true crime writer Harold Schechter drags this gruesome piece of Texan history back into the light for modern eyes to behold. 2500 miles north as the crow flies, and 20 years later, a series of bizarre decapitation/arson murders commenced in the gold-gutted Yukon. Canadian serial murder specialist Lee Mellor takes a look at these slayings, along with providing nail-biting articles on America's most infamous unsolved serial murder case, the Zodiac Killer of San Franscisco, as well as the Montreal Child Murders: a spate of tragic pedophile killings which plagued the city throughout the Eighties. Another Franco-American cultural centre was shaken to the core between 1918-1919, when the shadowy Axeman of New Orleans slashed and bludgeoned unsuspecting Italian couples in their beds. Grinning Man Press co-founder Aaron Elliott tells of this jazz-happy native of Tartarus, and his possible (but improbable) connection to organized crime. The mob also appear as unlikely suspects in prolific author Michael Newton's The Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run. Set against the backdrop of prohibition-era Cleveland, a seemingly-bisexual butcher left at least 10 victims dismembered and disfigured in and around the city while legendary detective Eliot Ness faltered in his attempts to capture the perpetrator. In more recent events, Robert Hoshowsky and Kim Cresswell reveal the details of intriguing serial murder mysteries on America's two coasts: California's menacing Golden State Killer (aka the Original Night Stalker) and New York's Long Island Serial Killer. Considering how many of these offenders may still be at large and lurking in a community near you, Grinning Man Press warns that “Unsolved in North America” may destabilize your sense of personal security, result in intense fear and paranoia, and lead you to invest great quantities of money in alarm systems, intricate locks, and firearms.

Serial Killer Quarterly Vol.1 No.3 “Unsolved in North America”

Profiles more than twenty-five of Canada's most lethal mass and spree killers.

Canadian Mass Murder and Spree Killing

Rampage

A definitive compendium of Canada’s mass murderers and spree killers. Rampage: a state of anger or agitation resulting in violent, reckless, and destructive behaviour. In 1989, Marc Lépine mercilessly executed 14 female students at Montreal’s École Polytechnique to become Canada’s most notorious mass murderer. The following year spree killer Peter John Peters roamed from London, Ontario, to Thunder Bay, leaving a trail of bloodied bodies, broken dreams, and stolen vehicles. Both men experienced the same devastating destiny – they embarked on homicidal rampages that shook their nation to the core. Lee Mellor has gathered more than 25 of Canada’s most lethal mass and spree killers into a single work. Rampage details their grisly crimes, delves into their twisted psyches, and dissects their motivations to answer the question every true crime lover yearns to know: why? If you think serial killers are dangerous, prepare for something deadlier ...

Canada is seen as a peaceful place, but this wake-up call shows us that there have been more than 60 serial killers in our history. Limited time offer. There are more than 60 serial murderers in Canadian history. For too long awareness of serial murder in Canada has been confined toWest Coastbutcher Clifford Olson and the "Schoolgirl Murderers" Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka, along with the horrific acts of pig farmer Robert Pickton. Unlike our American neighbours, Canada has been viewed as a nation untouched by the shadow of multiple murder. Then came Colonel Russell Williams and his bizarre homicides and serial home invasions, which were sensational news worldwide on the Internet and television and in scores of newspapers and magazines. The reason for Canada’s serial killer blackout is clear: until now such information has never been compiled and presented in a single concise work. ColdNorth Killers is a wake-up call. This detailed and haunting account of Canada’s worst monsters analyzes their crimes, childhoods, and inevitable downfalls. It is an indispensablecompendium for any true crime lover, criminologist, or law-enforcement officer.

Judith A. Yates

 Kevin M. Sullivan

 Karen D. Scioscia

Dane Ladwig

 Joan Swart

With nearly 200 victims between them, the seven compulsive killers in Serial Killer Quarterly’s special Christmas 2014 issue, “Body Harvest: Prolific American Serial Killers,” not only destroyed countless lives and families, but Thanksgivings, Christmases, and New Year’s. Author and criminologist Judith A. Yates attributes a minimum of 20 victims to America’s first serial killers, Micajah & Wiley Harpe, who rather than bringing “peace on earth and good will to all men,” sought to exterminate the entire human race. Similarly, whenever Ted Bundy went “walking in a winter wonderland” it was in the snowy mountains of Washington or Colorado – landscapes strewn with the ravaged corpses of his 30+ female victims. Kevin M. Sullivan – author, Bundy researcher, and retired preacher – looks at arguably the most infamous serial slayer in American history, and his victims – known and potential. In her true crime debut, forensic psychologist Joan Swart goes above and beyond to tell us the tale of America’s most prolific homosexual sadist. With possibly a higher body count than Bundy and the Harpes combined, Randy Kraft may have actually rung in the New Year by torturing, killing, and mutilating several of the over 60 young men whose lives he appears to have extinguished. Lee Mellor, author, criminologist, and SKQ editor-in-chief, writes of the 22 strangulation-slayings and post-mortem rapes perpetrated across the USA and in Canada by “Gorilla Murderer” Earle Leonard Nelson during the mid-1920s, as well as 10+ cold-blooded murders linked to “Coin-Shop Killer” Charles T. Sinclair throughout the Eighties. Spokane prostitute killer Robert Lee Yates – another necrophile – has admitted to shooting 16 victims and defiling their bodies, but author and journalist Karen D. Scioscia asks: were there more? Are you full of holiday cheer yet? Well, at least we know that Christmas was truly a time for family in the Bender household – even if their feasts were purchased with the money they stole from the people rotting under their floorboards. Dane Ladwig looks at the more than 20 hammer murders believed to have been committed by The Bloody Benders in the mid-nineteenth century. Cuddle up with a nice piping mug of hot chocolate, because after reading “Body Harvest” there isn’t a blanket in the world that will stop you from getting the chills. ‘Tis the Season to be Grinning.

Lee Mellor

Books

Your next favorite book is out there