Philosophy
Like a large number of people I thought that serial killers were just Ramon people who lose their minds and start committing violent acts of random murder. The River man by Robert Keppel went a long way in enlightening me and changing my mind about the mindset of a serial killer and the reasons why serial killers do what they do. The book tells the story of the investigations that led to the capture of the serial killer that came to be known more famously as the green river killer.in order for Keppel to fully understand the things that motivate serial killers to do what they do and to be able to predict the next move by this elusive killer he seeks the help of ted Bundy who happens to be an inmate on death row for a series of serial murders. The interesting part is that Keppel was the chief investigator in Bundy’s case and is the man who led to his capture and prosecution. Bundy helps Keppel think like a serial killer. He tells him all the things that influence the way a serial killer acts as well as all the things that motivate a serial killer to act in a particular way.
Personally I like the degree of honesty about the persona of a serial killer that is brought out in this book. The book helps the audience to understand the mindset and the way of thinking of a serial killer.it also helps the audience to make some sense of the actions of a serial killer which most people think are attributed to being crazy or having an emotional imbalance. The book reveals just how complicated the world of a serial killer really is. A good example is the way that a serial killer chooses his victims from a very large group of potential victims. According to Bundy each particular serial killer looks for a particular physical trait in all their potential victims.it might be the height of the victim or the type of hair the victim has or the skin complexion of the victim. This is very important in understanding the psychology behind the actions of a serial killer. Obviously the serial killer may have had an experience in the past with a person with the exact physical trait that the serial killer uses to hand pick their victims. This physical trait initiates some sort of very strong emotional wave in the serial killer whenever he comes across a person with that exact physical trait. This explains why serial killers pick out a particular person from a large group and leaves all the rest.
I also like how the book brings out the particular pattern of behavior of each serial killer. According to Bundy each serial killer has a mark or a signature that ensures that the authorities investigating the case know exactly who is committing the murders. This is again very important in understanding the way a serial killer thinks. The audience is forced to ask why a person committing such a grave crime would leave a clue on purpose that will enable the authorities investigating the case to know who they are after. This again helps to understand the very complicated and mysterious mind of a serial killer. Perhaps the serial killer is proud of the action of violent murder and wants the world to know exactly who is responsible. An equally likely explanation is that serial killers find thrill in being chased by the authorities and playing mind games with the authorities. This might explain why a serial killer would leave a clue that tells the authorities who committed the crime after committing the crime in an area with no witnesses which lessens the chances of the serial killer being caught by the authorities and being brought to justice.
I however have a problem with how the book makes the assumption that all serial killers think in more or less the same way and behave in a similar way when it comes to their acts of killing. The author fails to address the possibility that perhaps the similar courses of action applied by Bundy and the green river killer were just coincidental. The fact that two serial killers behave in the same way does not provide enough information to make the conclusion that all serial killers will tend to follow the same pattern of actions.in order to make such a conclusion further investigations into the matter have to be made. Two serial killers acting in the same way can be as a result of a pure coincidence. It is fascinating that the author was able to use the actions of one serial killer to predict the actions of another serial killer but in my opinion it is yet to be established that all serial killers share the same train of thought and act in a similar way. The evidence in the book is not enough to make that kind of conclusion with absolute certainty.
The river man opens the door into the mind of a serial killer.it helps the audience understand the actions of a serial killer and why most serial killers perform their crimes in a ritualistic manner as opposed to random acts of murder. He audience also gets an understanding of the motives of a serial killer and their mindset as well.
References
Keppel, R. D., & Birnes, W. J. (2003). The Riverman. London: Constable.
