Just as Deadly: The Psychology of Female Serial Killers

by Marissa A. Harrison

Overview

You've heard of Ted Bundy and John Wayne Gacy. But have you heard of Amy Archer-Gilligan? Or Belle Gunness? Or Nannie Doss? Women have committed some of the most disturbing serial killings ever seen in the United States. Yet scientific inquiry, criminal profiling, and public interest have focused more on their better-known male counterparts. As a result, female serial killers have been misunderstood, overlooked, and underestimated. In this riveting account, Dr. Marissa A. Harrison draws on original scientific research, various psychological perspectives, and richly detailed case studies to illuminate the stark differences between female and male serial killers' backgrounds, motives, and crimes. She also emphasizes the countless victims of this grisly phenomenon to capture the complexity and tragedy of serial murder. Meticulously weaving data-based evidence and insight with intimate storytelling, Just as Deadly reveals how and why these women murder—and why they often get away with it.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781009158206
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	02/09/2023
Series:	Cambridge Studies in Graphic Narratives
Pages:	280
Sales rank:	652,319
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Dr. Marissa A. Harrison is a research psychologist, author, and associate professor at Penn State Harrisburg. Her studies on serial murder and human sexuality have been covered in popular media such as The Washington Post, The New Yorker, and Time.

Table of Contents

Preface; 1. Introduction: what is a serial killer?; 2. Why are we interested in serial killers?; 3. The lives in female serial killers (FSKs); 4. Mental health and substance use among FSKs; 5. FSK crimes and outcomes; 6. FSK motives and profile; 7. Comparing FSKs and MSKs: backgrounds and mental illness; 8. Comparing FSKs and MSKs: crimes and victims; 9. The behavioral neuroscience of serial murder; 10. Pyschosocial factors that make a serial murderer; 11. Evolutionary and converging perspectives of serial murder; 12. Our understanding of serial killers evolves.

Editorial Reviews

12/05/2022

In this engrossing account, research psychologist Harrison (Judging a Book by Its Cover: The Connection Between Physical Traits and Psychology with Susan M. Hughes) draws on 64 case studies, including that of Patty Cannon, who 200 years ago became the first known female serial killer in the U.S., to examine the similarities and differences between male and female serial killers. Unlike their male counterparts, female serial killers tend to be caregivers, nurses, and parents, the author notes. Such was the case of nurse Kristen Gilbert, who murdered at least four disabled patients at a U.S. veterans hospital in the 1990s. Gilbert enjoyed the thrill of medical emergencies, so she created them, but Harrison suggests most female serial killers are motivated by financial gain, like Dorothea Puente, who murdered her elderly boarders for their Social Security checks, or Cannon, whose gang enslaved and murdered for profit. Harrison also posits that female serial killers are less likely to sexually defile their victims, and they tend not to travel as far as male serial killers in search of victims. While highly clinical, this is well worth reading for anyone wanting to understand how female serial killers work. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

‘Dr Harrison has clearly demonstrated her expertise on female serial killers. Her seminal work will stand the test of time, scrutiny, and reliability. Her scholarship, insightful analysis, and penchant for detail make this book the best on the market. Excellent reading for those interested in why and how women become serial killers.’ Eric W. Hickey, author of Serial Murderers and their Victims, 7th Edition

‘Dr Harrison’s masterfully crafted book is a comprehensive, engaging, and thought-provoking insight into female serial homicide. Through the interesting case studies provided, the reader gets an in-depth understanding of the factors that can contribute to serial homicide in females.’ Clare S. Allely, author of The Psychology of Extreme Violence

‘Fascinating, ground-breaking, and long overdue. Harrison fills the inexcusable gap in the serial murder literature with her own original research on female killers, in what is sure to become a seminal work in criminology. A must-read.’ Patricia Pearson, author of When She Was Bad: How and Why Women Get Away with Murder and Wish You Were Here: A Murdered Girl, a Brother’s Grief and the Hunt for a Serial Killer

‘There are countless books on male serial killers but very little on female serial killers. Using a range of perspectives, Dr. Harrison’s book corrects this deficiency and documents the similarities and differences between male and female killers. Highly accessible, extensively researched, and valuable to professional and lay reader alike.’ Frederick Toates, author of Understanding Sexual Serial Killing

‘Just as Deadly: The Psychology of Female Serial Killers firmly establishes Dr Marissa Harrison as the preeminent authority on the female serial killer. As an evolutionary psychologist, Dr Harrison brings a much-needed perspective to understanding the inner workings of a subset of serial murderer who have been underacknowledged for centuries. To gain such insight, Dr Harrison compiled decades’ worth of data and discerned the who, what, when, where, why, and how related to female serial murderers by giving attention not only to their lives and crimes but also to the often misunderstood psychosocial and behavioral drives behind their motivation. Dr Harrison’s research proves how ill-equipped typologies are to classify female serial murderers, given that those systems were designed by men who were interested only in the mindset of the male serial sexual killer. Among other important findings, Dr Harrison draws an interesting distinction between the victim acquisition tactics of both genders: female serial murderers maintain a ‘gatherer’ style, while their male counterparts adhere to their ‘hunter’ nature. Just as Deadly is a welcome and necessary addition to the small but growing body of literature that scrutinizes age-old preconceptions about serial murder.’ Enzo Yaksic, author of Killer Data: Modern Perspectives on Serial Murder

From the Publisher