1. The lure and the law of homicide -- Fascination with murder -- Selling evil -- Homicide law -- Murder -- Manslaughter -- Defenses to criminal homicide -- Homicide law in practice -- Endnotes -- 2. Explaining the will to kill -- The devil made me do it -- Back to the classics -- Using science to explain violence -- Biology then and now -- Psychological causes of violence -- The social sources of murder -- Strain, frustration, and murder -- Cultural deviance -- Learning to kill -- Self-control, social control, and murder -- A word of caution about cause -- Endnotes -- 3. The killers and their victims -- Race differences -- Gender differences -- Age differences -- Differences by location -- The geography of meth -- The role of firearms -- Breaking the mold -- Endnotes -- 4. Intimate and family murder -- Killing for profit -- Obsession and jealousy -- Power, control, and abuse -- Family annihilation -- Infanticide -- Motherhood by proxy -- Killing for love? -- Murder-suicide -- Endnotes --

5. The young and the ruthless -- An "epidemic" of youth homicide -- Explaining the 1990s decline -- Dial M for media -- Looking ahead -- Endnotes -- 6. Well-schooled in murder -- Blaming parents -- Copycat shootings -- Explaining school massacres -- Trends in school shootings -- Responses to school shootings -- Healthy and safe schools -- On to college -- Endnotes -- 7. Serial killers -- A profile of serial killers -- The murdering mind -- Childhood origins -- Victim selection -- Endnotes -- 8. Medical murder -- Counting medical murders -- Motives and types of medical murderers -- Munchausen syndrome by proxy -- Administrative facilitators -- Prevention and intervention -- Endnotes -- 9. Rampage -- Methodical and selective -- Losses and frustrations -- Profile of the workplace avenger -- Murderous customers and clients -- Endnotes --

10. Hate homicides -- Characteristics of hate homicide -- Types of hate homicide -- Organized hate groups -- Current state of hate crime laws -- Endnotes -- 11. Murderous terror -- Hate homicide and domestic terrorism -- International terrorism -- Homegrown terrorism -- Left-wing vs. right-wing terrorists -- Single-issue terrorism -- The impact of murderous terror -- Endnotes -- 12. Cult killings -- Dangerous cults -- The appeal of cults -- Charismatic leaders and their followers -- Needs fulfilled by cults -- Normal people in abnormal situations -- Suicide or homicide? -- Endnotes -- 13. Catching killers -- Science of the lambs -- Clearance rates -- VICAP and profiling -- Sightings and visions -- Working a homicide in the media spotlight -- Endnotes -- 14. Getting away with murder, or not -- The insanity defense -- Justice for juveniles -- Capital punishment -- Epidemic thinking and overresponse -- Endnotes -- A note on data sources.