Every major murder case this century is examined in this book in the light of its investigative, forensic, social or legal significance. The names and the crimes include Dr Crippen, Bonnie and Clyde, the Yorkshire Ripper, Charles Manson, the Kray Twins, and the Moors Murderers. Also included are the cases of Dennis Nilsen, an American murderer, John Thaw and Ruth Ellis, whose execution hastened the abolition of the death penalty in Britain. This edition has been updated to cover cases from 1993 and 1994, including the Waco massacre and the Beverley Allitt case. The book is a survey of this century's killer's and society's attempts to capture and comprehend them. Brian Lane is the author of The Butchers and the Encyclopedia of Cruel and Unusual Punishment.