Book Review: Encyclopedia of Murder and Violent Crime

• Date: 01 June 2006
• Author: Matt Delisi
• DOI: 10.1177/0734016806291172
• Published date: 01 June 2006
• Subject Matter: Articles

As the book continued, more case studies were added to each chapter, which was also

overkill. Each chapter should have maintained only one case study.

This book is very educational for those interested in criminals and profiling. I feel that this

book would be considered an easy read though graphic at times. The majority of the book

describes terminology, so even a reader unfamiliar with criminal justice could understand its

contents.

Catherine Boal

Lynchburg College

Encyclopedia of Murder and Violent Crime, by Eric Hickey. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage,

2003. pp. xxxv, 603.

DOI: 10.1177/0734016806291172

Eric Hickey’s Encyclopedia of Murder and Violent Crime is a comprehensive reference

book that covers a range of important theoretical, empirical, applied, and public policy topics

in criminology and criminal justice. Hundreds of entries are organized under 24 general top-

ical categories. These are aggression, criminal investigation, cults, death penalty, family vio-

lence, forensic science, gangs, government-sanctioned violence, homicide, juvenile crime,

kidnapping, legal response to violence crime, mass murder, motives for violence, organized

crime, police and violence, psychological theories and diagnoses for violent behavior, serial

murder, serial murderers, sex crimes, terrorism, victimology, vigilantism, and violent crime.

In addition to a voluminous 540 pages of encyclopedia entries, the Encyclopedia of

Murder and Violent Crime contains four appendices and a glossary. Appendix 1 is a con-

cise yet complete chronicle of criminological theorists from John Locke to the present and

contains information on the era and time period, theory, and basic tenets of the theoretical

ideas. Appendix 2 is a compilation of serial killers and provides information on the offender’s

name, moniker, motive, location of crimes, dates of offenses, number of victims, and legal

disposition. Appendix 3 is a compilation of domestic organized crime figures and contains

the offender’s name, organization and organizational position, period of activity, major

crimes, and disposition. Appendix 4 is a table of international organized crime figures and

contains the offender’s name, country, affiliation, major crimes, time period, and outcome.

The user-friendly glossary provides thorough definitions of words relating to violent crime

and criminal justice responses to violent crime.

Hickey assembled an international and interdisciplinary group of 116 contributors for

the edited volume. These authors have demonstrated an impressive body of academic and

applied scholarship from diverse disciplines, such as forensic psychology, criminology,

clinical psychology, law enforcement, probation, criminal justice, women’s studies, sociol-

ogy, anthropology, criminalistics, law, and corrections. The result is a topnotch reference

book that will serve the needs of teachers and researchers, graduate students, undergradu-

ates, practitioners, consultants, true-crime buffs, and general readers who are intrigued by

the material. In short, the Encyclopedia of Murder and Violent Crime is simply too handy,

complete, and scholarly to pass up.

172 Criminal Justice Review