'Whodunnit' doesn't matter so much, not to a forensic psychiatrist. We're more interested in the 'why'. In his 26 years in the field, Richard Taylor has worked on well over a hundred murder cases, with victims and perpetrators from all walks of life. In this fascinating memoir, Taylor draws on some of the most tragic, horrific and illuminating of these cases - as well as dark secrets from his own family's past - to explore some of the questions he grapples with every day: Why do people kill? Does committing a monstrous act make someone a monster? Could any of us, in the wrong circumstances, become a killer? As Taylor helps us understand what lies inside the minds of his patients, using their own words to tell their stories, he presents us with the most important challenge of all: how can we find common humanity, even in the darkest of human deeds - and why it is so vital that we try? The Mind of a Murderer is a fascinating exploration into the psyche of killers, as well as a unique insight into the life and mind of the doctor who treats them.

Introduction -- Sexual homicide -- Psychotic homicide -- Women who kill children -- Men who kill their partners -- Women who kill their partners -- The murderer who forgets -- Financially motivated murder -- Terrorism -- Sentencing, treatment, recovery and release -- Afterword -- Appendix.