Psychology
The Riverman gives a detailed description of the amount of psychological work that went into the apprehension of a man responsible for a series of serial murders. This man came to be dubbed as the green river killer. The Riverman gives a vivid description of Robert Keppel’s twenty-year pursuit and ultimate apprehension of this criminal. This particular killer was suspected of at least forty-nine homicides and to call him a public nuisance would be perhaps the biggest understatement of the years. Clever and cunning was this killer that law enforcement authorities found it increasingly harder, near impossible, to bring him to justice and make him atone for his transgressions. The Riverman gives a detailed step-by-step description of the gruesome planning and activities that went into the apprehension of the green river killer and the aversion of many more homicides at his already overwhelmingly bloody hands.
The book begins with a quotation from the famous and perhaps the greatest investigator of all time Sherlock Holmes. Sherlock Holmes primarily talks about the devil lying in the details. He stresses the tremendous amount of extremely useful and highly informative details that can be found in the most simplest and unsuspecting places, for example a shoelace. The author then swiftly proceeds to draw the very thick line between his investigative work in the real world and Sherlock Holmes’s award deserving work in the fictional world. The author stresses on how things are not as black and white in his world as they always are in Sherlock Holmes’ world. Moreover, the author stresses on how a happy ending is not always guaranteed for him as it is for Sherlock Holmes. Investigative work and solving significant criminal cases is not as simple as looking at someone’s sleeves, their buttons, or their shoelaces. Actually, it requires a great deal of hard work and determination, which can prove very strenuous and without the right tactics in place, often prove futile.
Set a thief to catch a thief. The most elaborate and clear cut example of this age-old saying in actual practice and fruition comes out in the Riverman. Ted Bundy is a death row inmate whom himself orchestrated a series of cross-country killings before his apprehension highly attributed to Robert Keppel. In an unexpected and unprecedented turn of events ted Bundy offers to divulge his expert opinion and aid in the apprehension of the green river killer. However, there is a twist. Ted Bundy will only talk to Robert Keppel, the man who played the pivotal in his apprehension and the man responsible for his current disposition. Indeed Bundy proves himself to be very resourceful. He offers key insight into the mind of a serial killer. He enables Robert Keppel to think in the same dimension as most serial killers would and this proves instrumental in predicting the course of action of the green river killer. Ted Bundy reveals the motivations behind your typical serial killers and the reasons for their adoption of a particular course of action. Bundy reveals the trends to look out for when dealing with a particular serial killer and the various signatory styles left behind by a serial killer perhaps in an attempt to let the world know that it was them and no one else who performed particular heinous acts. Analysis of the activities of Ted Bundy enables Robert Keppel to exist in the same realm of existence as the green river killer and all other serial killers in general. In addition, this proves very useful in apprehension of the green river killer and the aversion of further loss of very innocent lives certainly undeserving of such cruelty and inhuman treatment.
The Riverman delves deep into the psychology of a serial killer. Ted Bundy reveals key elements that are somehow universal in the mind of all serial killers and the psychological mind games that serial killers often like to play with the authorities in their hot pursuit. Ted Bundy reveals that all serial killers tend to follow a particular trend in their selection of victims. He reveals that serial killers do not just randomly attack people but that attack and eventual execution of a person is a well thought out process that involves to the detail planning. Bundy reveals that, for a particular serial killer, all his victims will tend to have certain similar either physical or otherwise traits that tend to attract the serial killer to them and single them out from an endless number of potential victims. He reveals that all of his victims were females, considerably young and indeed very beautiful and attractive. This is what drew him to all those innocent women he murdered in the most inhumane of ways. He also revealed the general demeanor when approaching g and dealing with the potential victim for the first time. He reveals that in his case, he portrayed himself as the perfect gentleman and very charming, and this helped draw his victims to him, perhaps with a more sensual notion. This helped him lure his victims to secluded areas or his respective bases of operation where he would proceed with his heinous acts of some of the most grueling murders ever documented in recent history.
The Riverman indeed opens the door into the psychological realm of a serial killer and is pivotal in understanding the motivations and mode of operation of serial killers in general. The book gives all its readers the unique ability to think like a serial killer and to see things the way a serial killer would.it e4nhances understanding as to why perfectly decent people would suddenly dive off the deep end and start killing innocent and undeserving people.
References
Keppel, R. D., & Birnes, W. J. (1995). The Riverman. London: Constable.
