Gibson (communication and journalism, Univ. of New Mexico, Albuquerque) analyzes 15 of history's most violent and notorious criminals in order to demonstrate that serial murders are not a recent criminal phenomenon. He argues that so-called "monsters," from vampires to werewolves, were humans who acted within a definable pattern of cruel, often sadomasochistic, behavior towards their victims. Gibson lays out the chapters as historical forensic case studies, looking at killers such as Vlad the Impaler. The author describes the types of crimes committed and then considers information about the perpetrators, such as transcripts of court cases, to identify the motivations behind the crimes and offer explanations about the identity of the criminals. This is a popular version of books such as Mark Jenkins's Vampire Forensics: Uncovering the Origins of an Enduring Legend (2010), or Claude Lecouteux's The Secret History of Vampires: Their Multiple Forms and Hidden Purposes (2010). Much of Gibson's research on serial killers comes from such sources as popular Internet websites and public television programs, making it inappropriate as a resource for scholarly research. An entertaining book for general readers interested in legendary human-monsters. Summing Up: Recommended. Public and general collections. B. Blessing University of Vienna