Publisher's Synopsis
If death is an art then 1978 is a masterpiece.The most notorious murderers made infamous in pop culture and history were associated by just one year; 1978. In a decade of glam rock, big hair, celebrity idols, questionable fashion, political movements and VHS video tapes, it was the rise of the serial killer that captured the public's attention.Ted Bundy. Jeffrey Dahmer. Harold Shipman. Richard Trenton Chase. The Hillside Stranglers. John Wayne Gacy. Dennis Nilsen. Andrei Chikatilo. Pedro Lopez. Denis Radar, Fred and Rose West. Rodney Alcala. Peter Sutcliffe. Randy Kraft. Joseph James DeAngelo. Samuel Little. Gerald and Charlene Gallego. Angus Sinclair. Charles Ray Hatcher. Henry Lee Lucas.The above and hundreds more are connected by 1978.The book is full of details on famous serial killers and contains encyclopedic information on over 100 more who were active in 1978 alone. There are also another 250 events that have been added to the 1978 timeline for reference and cultural significance.It's not only serial killers that took 1978 by storm. You'll also find snippets and facts on unsolved murders, cold cases, mysterious disappearances, mass murders, spree killers, national disasters, assassinations, hitmen, mob wars, robberies, revolutions, conspiracies, and the nuke that fell from the sky. Along with so much more.So then the question becomes; why 1978?Inside are 12 reasons why serial killing increased dramatically in the late 1970s. There is one reason given for every month of the year with a large bibliography at the end of the book.The reasons provided reflect cultural, environmental, social and economic factors in the decades before and during the 1970s. From the perspective of an author involved in the psychology of mental health disorders.There is also a speculative section entitled; 2028: Rise of the Serial Killer. It takes some of the reasons given in the book and corresponds those with similar modern factors to show how we might be moving towards a new wave of serial killing.How well do you really know your neighbours?
