This is a collection of true-life stories of the most brutal and depraved of killers, the men and women whose crimes have shocked the civilized world and for whom killing has become an end in itself. The book is divided into three parts. First there are the classic cases from history, such as Jack the Ripper, Belle Gunness ("The Female Bluebird" from La Porte County, Indiana) and Peter Kuurten, the Vampire of Dusseldorf. The second and longest section is devoted to the serial killers, a sadistic and cold-blooded group which seems to have developed since World War II. Typical examples are Albert DeSalvo "The Boston Strangler" David Berkowitz the "Son of Sam" and Ted Bundy, who killed 40 women during his bloody career in the USA in the 1970s. Lastly, there are the mass murderers, those who seem to lose their grip on reality and despatch one victim after another in quick succession before nemesis finally catches up with them.