American Murder

America has long had the reputation as the most violent and murderous of modern industrialized nations. Even while violent crime has dropped in recent years, our murder rate is still incredibly high. Since the beginning of the 20th century, our society has undergone profound changes. Our technologies have advanced, but the motives and methods for murder and escaping the "long arm of the law" have kept pace, often capitalizing on available technologies. In addition, as the century progressed, the media became an integral part of murder in America, helping investigations, glamorizing murder, and bringing it into our homes on a daily basis. Here, Scott examines the changing face of murder in the context of societal changes and traces the advances in investigative techniques and technologies. Each chapter offers vivid accounts of the most notorious and representative murders for each time period, focusing especially on those murderers who have had the edge on their pursuers, even escaping detection to this day.

Gini Graham Scott is a professional writer with over 40 books to her credit includingHomicide by the Rich and Famous: A Century of Prominent Killers, (Praeger, 2005),Disagreements, Disputes, and All Out War, and A Survival Guide for Working with Humans, among others.