Books on mass murder

I'm ready to go on a spree. A spending spree that is.

Currently have a few books on Columbine. Those being:

Columbine: A True Crime Story by Jeff Kass
No Easy Answers by Brooks Brown
Walking in Daniels' Shoes by Tom Mauser
Rachel's Tears by Beth Nimmo and Darrell Scott
She said yes by Misty Bernall
Columbine High School Massacre: The FBI Files
A Mothers Reckoning by Sue Klebold.
Columbine by Dave Cullen

I also have Far from the Tree by Andrew Solomon. I purchased this before I knew Sue was even announcing she was writing a book (and also before the Klebolds got divorced. That's weird to think about..)

Aaaand your average SPREE KILLERS encyclopaedia, which is waaaay out of date now. Weird as I only bought in 2011..

Oh! And I have this book I got real cheap called The True Crime Casefile, which has like pull out bits in, like Eric's "Guns in School" essay and Dylan's diversion report.

ANYWAY. Recommend me some books! What should I steer clear from? What's the most informative?

Oh, I'm kindaaa looking for another Columbine book, but really anything. Martin Bryant, Seung Hui Cho, Adam Lanza, James Holmes.. You get the idea.

Go go go go go!

04daviszoe wrote:

I'm ready to go on a spree. A spending spree that is.

The ten secret FBI agents stalking this forum just let out a collective groan of frustration. Damn, all it would take is nabbing one lunatic on here to get a raise.

I very much enjoyed American Terrorist, which focuses on Timothy McVeigh if you're willing to branch out from mass shooters. I've also heard good things about Why Kids Kill: Inside the Minds of School Shooters, and in fact I own an electronic copy, but I've yet to actually read it.

I'm a huge fan of Langman, so I would recommend his books School Shooters and Why Kids Kill.
You can find the former (as well as several other books) here:
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I second American Terrorist. The writing style isn't particularly compelling but the best part is that McVeigh is an interesting character and there is a lot of first person information in the book. It's worth learning about how McVeigh is similar in personality and lifestyle to many mass shooters. There also seems to be a tendency in the mainstream to misconstrue McVeigh's history and motives. I guess you can't exactly trust everything that McVeigh says but the authors tried to corroborate his claims whenever they could.

I really enjoyed and will always recommend One of Us by Asne Seierstad, which is about Anders Breivik. The narrative style is engaging and it goes into detail about Anders' family life, the day of the attack, the lives of some of the victims and even a bit about the political climate of the country for context. It's very well done.

For Adam Lanza, the only official book that I know of is Newtown: An American Tragedy by Matthew Lysiak. I'm not crazy about it. It's decent but I'd skip it if Sandy Hook isn't particularly interesting to you. If you do read it, I'd take any uncorroborated facts with a grain of salt. Obviously, I'm not a fan but you specifically mentioned Lanza so I thought I'd point out that it exists.

I started reading a book called Last Day on Earth by David Vann a little while ago but I haven't finished it. It's about Steven Kazmierczak, the NIU shooter. I'm not sure that I love (or even like) the writing style but it includes a lot of detail so if you're interested in his life, it would be worth it. The author also includes stories from his own life because he seems to see parallels between Steven's life and his own. I'm actually not fond of the personal anecdotes but he writes with understanding. There is an article that (I think) consists of excerpts from the book if you want to check that out before you commit.
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sscc wrote:

[...]
I really enjoyed and will always recommend One of Us by Asne Seierstad, which is about Anders Breivik. The narrative style is engaging and it goes into detail about Anders' family life, the day of the attack, the lives of some of the victims and even a bit about the political climate of the country for context. It's very well done.
[...]

Oh, yes, I listened to an interview with the author! I've been dying to get my hands on a copy of One of Us, but unfortunately I can only seem to find it sold online. I've become rather interested in the 2011 Norway attacks and right-wing extremism in general as of late. Well, I'm at least glad to hear it's a compelling read.

Helter Skelter if you haven't already.

Its a must read for any true crime aficionado.

Massoccur wrote:

04daviszoe wrote:

I'm ready to go on a spree. A spending spree that is.

The ten secret FBI agents stalking this forum just let out a collective groan of frustration. Damn, all it would take is nabbing one lunatic on here to get a raise.

Imagine planning a killing spree for ages then announcing it on a fucking Columbine forum  

Quote :

I very much enjoyed American Terrorist, which focuses on Timothy McVeigh if you're willing to branch out from mass shooters. I've also heard good things about Why Kids Kill: Inside the Minds of School Shooters, and in fact I own an electronic copy, but I've yet to actually read it.

I watched that new(ish) documentary about Tim McVeigh & was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Although it was more prior to the killing so I would be interested in learning more about the *actual* event.

STK wrote:

I'm a huge fan of Langman, so I would recommend his books School Shooters and Why Kids Kill.
You can find the former (as well as several other books) here:
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Thanks! I knew that book might pop up when I asked, just wanted to double check it was worth while before spending cold hard cash on it.

sscc wrote:

I second American Terrorist. The writing style isn't particularly compelling but the best part is that McVeigh is an interesting character and there is a lot of first person information in the book. It's worth learning about how McVeigh is similar in personality and lifestyle to many mass shooters. There also seems to be a tendency in the mainstream to misconstrue McVeigh's history and motives. I guess you can't exactly trust everything that McVeigh says but the authors tried to corroborate his claims whenever they could.

I really enjoyed and will always recommend One of Us by Asne Seierstad, which is about Anders Breivik. The narrative style is engaging and it goes into detail about Anders' family life, the day of the attack, the lives of some of the victims and even a bit about the political climate of the country for context. It's very well done.

For Adam Lanza, the only official book that I know of is Newtown: An American Tragedy by Matthew Lysiak. I'm not crazy about it. It's decent but I'd skip it if Sandy Hook isn't particularly interesting to you. If you do read it, I'd take any uncorroborated facts with a grain of salt. Obviously, I'm not a fan but you specifically mentioned Lanza so I thought I'd point out that it exists.

I started reading a book called Last Day on Earth by David Vann a little while ago but I haven't finished it. It's about Steven Kazmierczak, the NIU shooter. I'm not sure that I love (or even like) the writing style but it includes a lot of detail so if you're interested in his life, it would be worth it. The author also includes stories from his own life because he seems to see parallels between Steven's life and his own. I'm actually not fond of the personal anecdotes but he writes with understanding. There is an article that (I think) consists of excerpts from the book if you want to check that out before you commit.
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It's so hard to find a decent book on Adam to be honest. All the ones I've seen are full of conspiracys (one even used a picture of Ryan Lanza for the cover, I mean COME ON, really?! I might give the Newtown one a shot. Hopefully I won't get too annoyed with it

I saw another book (don't think it's the same one?..) called Massacre in Newtown: Adam Lanza's dark passage to madness by Henry Berry. I'm not so sure it'll be any good though.

Last day on earth sounds awesome. Will probably purchase that one hands down.

W.A.R. wrote:

Helter Skelter if you haven't already.

Its a must read for any true crime aficionado.

I take it that's a book that covers most kinds of murders? Do you happen to know what year it was released?

Oh sorry to keep bumping this thread but has anyone here read the following:

Bullet Riddled: The first SWAT Officer inside Columbine and beyond by Grant Whitus

The journals of Taylor Hart: Inside the mind of a School Shooter by Dan Andrews

Hearts of Darkness by John Liebert

Mass Murder: Martin Bryant case re-examined book 2 by Keith Noble

Only asking because I know I'll buy one and someone will be all "nooo that's like the Dave Cullen of Port Arthur!!"

04daviszoe wrote:

W.A.R. wrote:

Helter Skelter if you haven't already.

Its a must read for any true crime aficionado.

I take it that's a book that covers most kinds of murders? Do you happen to know what year it was released?

It covers the Manson murders. It was released in '74 and was written by the prosecutor of the case.

Really in-depth book on the murders and case.

Did someone read Going postal written by Mark Ames? Is It worth to buy and read?

One Of Us - Book about Anders Breivik and the Utoya Massacre, Its a good book it goes into vast detail about Breivik and describes every single one of his kills in detail aswell as witness reports and survivor stories. You should check it out.

Murakami "Underground" - Book about The 1995 Tokyo Subway attack and Aum SHinrikyo, Part of Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami's book series. I haven't read this one but it would be good to check out if you are researching Aum Shinrikyo.

TheyAllFloatDownHere wrote:

One Of Us - Book about Anders Breivik and the Utoya Massacre, Its a good book it goes into vast detail about Breivik and describes every single one of his kills in detail aswell as witness reports and survivor stories. You should check it out.

Murakami "Underground" - Book about The 1995 Tokyo Subway attack and Aum SHinrikyo, Part of Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami's book series. I haven't read this one but it would be good to check out if you are researching Aum Shinrikyo.

where can i get a free pdf of one of us

eldigato wrote:

TheyAllFloatDownHere wrote:

One Of Us - Book about Anders Breivik and the Utoya Massacre, Its a good book it goes into vast detail about Breivik and describes every single one of his kills in detail aswell as witness reports and survivor stories. You should check it out.

Murakami "Underground" - Book about The 1995 Tokyo Subway attack and Aum SHinrikyo, Part of Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami's book series. I haven't read this one but it would be good to check out if you are researching Aum Shinrikyo.

where can i get a free pdf of one of us

Is there any book about Adam Peter Lanza specifically ?

CALU wrote:

Is there any book about Adam Peter Lanza specifically ?

"Newtown" by Matthew Lysiak is the only one I'm aware of.

[quote="STK"]

CALU wrote:

Is there any book about Adam Peter Lanza specifically ?[/qu"ote]
"Newtown" by Matthew Lysiak is the only one I'm aware of.

I find it bizzarre that there aren't many books on Sandy Hook, it's such a complex and interesting case in my opinion;
Much more than Columbine.

I want to find the book on Martin Bryant, but you cannot get it anymore.

eldigato wrote:

TheyAllFloatDownHere wrote:

One Of Us - Book about Anders Breivik and the Utoya Massacre, Its a good book it goes into vast detail about Breivik and describes every single one of his kills in detail aswell as witness reports and survivor stories. You should check it out.

Murakami "Underground" - Book about The 1995 Tokyo Subway attack and Aum SHinrikyo, Part of Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami's book series. I haven't read this one but it would be good to check out if you are researching Aum Shinrikyo.

where can i get a free pdf of one of us

Im not sure if there is a PDF online, i have a physical copy of the Book

TheyAllFloatDownHere wrote:

eldigato wrote:

TheyAllFloatDownHere wrote:

One Of Us - Book about Anders Breivik and the Utoya Massacre, Its a good book it goes into vast detail about Breivik and describes every single one of his kills in detail aswell as witness reports and survivor stories. You should check it out.

Murakami "Underground" - Book about The 1995 Tokyo Subway attack and Aum SHinrikyo, Part of Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami's book series. I haven't read this one but it would be good to check out if you are researching Aum Shinrikyo.

where can i get a free pdf of one of us

Im not sure if there is a PDF online, i have a physical copy of the Book

Probably not as I imagine it's a rare book. It's always a pain trying to find a free pdf when everything else is trying to get you to "sign up" so they can hack your email or get to your credit card. Yeah no thanks.

eldigato wrote:

TheyAllFloatDownHere wrote:

eldigato wrote:

where can i get a free pdf of one of us

Im not sure if there is a PDF online, i have a physical copy of the Book

Probably not as I imagine it's a rare book. It's always a pain trying to find a free pdf when everything else is trying to get you to "sign up" so they can hack your email or get to your credit card. Yeah no thanks.

This should work.
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It's an epub though.

sscc wrote:

eldigato wrote:

TheyAllFloatDownHere wrote:

eldigato wrote:

where can i get a free pdf of one of us

Im not sure if there is a PDF online, i have a physical copy of the Book

Probably not as I imagine it's a rare book. It's always a pain trying to find a free pdf when everything else is trying to get you to "sign up" so they can hack your email or get to your credit card. Yeah no thanks.

This should work.
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It's an epub though.

I converted it to PDF.
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For anyone who wants to easily read it.

Does anyone know any books that are fictional diaries of school shooters? I found one some time ago that I was interested in but forgot it.
Also The Triflers is good.

04daviszoe wrote:

Oh, I'm kindaaa looking for another Columbine book, but really anything. Martin Bryant, Seung Hui Cho, Adam Lanza, James Holmes.. You get the idea.

I did read a book called "Newtown School Shooting" which is about Sandy Hook

InsaneIntruder wrote:

Does anyone know any books that are fictional diaries of school shooters? I found one some time ago that I was interested in but forgot it.
Also The Triflers is good.

Do you know if there's a pdf of The Triflers anywhere out there?

QuestionMark wrote:

InsaneIntruder wrote:

Does anyone know any books that are fictional diaries of school shooters? I found one some time ago that I was interested in but forgot it.
Also The Triflers is good.

Do you know if there's a pdf of The Triflers anywhere out there?

No, I don't sadly.

InsaneIntruder wrote:

QuestionMark wrote:

InsaneIntruder wrote:

Does anyone know any books that are fictional diaries of school shooters? I found one some time ago that I was interested in but forgot it.
Also The Triflers is good.

Do you know if there's a pdf of The Triflers anywhere out there?

No, I don't sadly.

Damn. Alright, I'll keep looking.

I found an interesting comic book about the November 2015 Paris Attacks.

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Trollhättan school attack:
''Det som aldrig fick ske'' by Åsa Erlandsson.

It’s not really a book, but on December of 2018 someone started selling an E-book of Randy Stair. It was been sold on Amazon. Then someone made a youtube video about it, accusing him of making a poor job, and wanting to profit of a tragedy.
After this, the author deleted his youtube account, and took down the page on Amazon.

Screenshot of the Amazon page, taken from Kiwifarms:
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Moved.

Emsdetten school shooting:
''Die Columbine Erben: Wie Bastian B. den Freitod wählte'' by Christoph Szumelda and Yvonne Behling.

Colegio Cervantes de Torreón shooting:
''Nueve disparos: Crónica del tiroteo escolar que sacudió a la nación'' by Javier Garza Ramos.

I have SCHOOL SHOOTERS by Peter Langman

There is a nice quantity of manga about mass murderers and the like.
For starters, there is two about and or inspired by the 1979 Mitsubishi Bank hostage crisis (I shall consider mass murder since he killed 4 people, also I have interest in the case), appaering in 現代猟奇伝 (Modern Hunting stories or something like), which is an anthology series with eroguro elements about crimes, and basically the stories there have sex scenes, these include of course the hostage crisis stories, the really only notable thing that isnt sex is the fact that in the second story about the hostage crisis, which is in volume 7, the character uses an AR style rifle for some reason, instead of the double barrel shotgun, used in the real hostage and the first story, that appaers in volume 2. Also there is references to 120 Days of Sodom, like the titles of the second story is roughly translated "The City of Sodom".
There is also an anthology series called 凶悪犯罪ファイル (roughly translated as Archives of Violent Crimes) which is a manga series that tell the stories of sereval notable Japanese murderers, including some mass murderers, like Tomohiro Kato, Mutsuo Toi and Mamoru Takuma. You can find some videos of that on nicovideo.

35 Minutes and Counting The Life Story of Micky Oldham, a survivor of the Von Maur massacre who passed away in 2016.

Alex213 wrote:

It’s not really a book, but on December of 2018 someone started selling an E-book of Randy Stair. It was been sold on Amazon. Then someone made a youtube video about it, accusing him of making a poor job, and wanting to profit of a tragedy.
After this, the author deleted his youtube account, and took down the page on Amazon.

Screenshot of the Amazon page, taken from Kiwifarms:
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

I often wonder what a seriously done book on randy stair would look like.

April 16th : Virginia Tech Remembers

margaflor wrote:

I often wonder what a seriously done book on randy stair would look like.

Personally, I would like to see a doctor trying to diagnose Randy. Langman did mention him, but on one of his short articles (it was about columbine copycats)

Alex213 wrote:

margaflor wrote:

I often wonder what a seriously done book on randy stair would look like.

Personally, I would like to see a doctor trying to diagnose Randy

Close enough?

Some books in STK's killing folder:
Killing in general:
James Alan Fox and Jack Levin - Overkill: Mass Murder and Serial Killing Exposed
John E Douglas, Ann W. Burgess, Allen G. Burgess, and Robert K. Ressler - Crime Classificiation Manual

Mass murder (more applicable to this forum's interests):
Gary M. Lavergne - A Sniper In The Tower: The Charles Whitman Murders
Marcel Lebrun - Books, Blackboards, and Bullets
Åsne Seierstad - One Of Us
Lee Mellor - Rampage: Canadian Mass Murder and Spree Killing
Ron Franscell - Delivered From Evil
Katherine S. Newman - Rampage: The Social Roots of School Shootings
Peter Langman - School Shooters
Nils Bockler, Thorsen Seeger, Peter Sitzer, Wilhelm Heitmeyer - School Shootings
John A. Liebert, William J. Birnes - Suicidal Mass Murderers
Laura C. Wilson - The Wiley Handbook of the Psychology of Mass Shootings
Peter Langman - Why Kids Kill

There's also Matthew Nolan - The Sheltered Storm.

The bolded ones are the one's I've read (or read most of) and would recommend.
There might be some in STK's serial killing subfolder, but I'm not interested in that so you'll have to look for yourself if you are.

More a short story, but here's Jo Ann Beard's "The Fourth State of Matter" about Gang Lu and the 1991 University of Iowa shooting. Worth checking out, although much of it is about her own life.

Deadly Lessons: Understanding Lethal School Violence is excellent and has a lot of in-depth case studies of incidents I can find very little information on elsewhere (Westside, Michael Carneal, Andrew Wurst, Tilden High, Anthony "T.J." Solomon, Thomas Jefferson High School, and more.)

Enesbrietchvonfrederitch made me aware of this:
Aleksey Rakitin's  “SOCIALISM DOES NOT GENERATE CRIMINALITY” (Serial Crime in the Soviet Union: Historical and Forensic Analysis) (or, in the original Russian, Алексей Ракитин's СОЦИАЛИЗМ НЕ ПОРОЖДАЕТ ПРЕСТУПНОСТИ.)
It's in Russian, but it might be of interest to native speakers or data hoarders out there.

Spree Killers - Nigel Cawthorne

Here's a PDF of Sue Klebold's A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy.
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I wish people posted more PDFs here. I guess piracy is questionable, but this whole forum is questionable.

I'm afraid I don't have a PDF for this one, but Peter Langman credits Eric Hart's "Does Anyone Like Mondays? The Brenda Spencer Murder Case" as one of the most comprehensive sources on the incident.

Die Columbine Erben - Christoph Szumelda

Just found this. A bit academic, but very good if that's what you're looking for, plenty of unheard quotes and quantitative analyses - School Killers Speak: A Comprehensive Examination of Perpetrators, Events, and Characteristics of K-12 School Violence in America by Gordon Arthur Crews.

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