The Devil’s Dozen

What led authorities to the murder castle of H. H. Holmes? What cast a cloud of suspicion over cannibal Albert Fish? What drove Russia’s Killer X to confess? How many victims were actually buried on that Vancouver pig farm? In The Devil’s Dozen, Katherine Ramsland explores the true stories of twelve of the most notorious serial killers of the last century and the cutting-edge forensics that delivered their downfalls. Through their compelling case histories, she traces the fascinating evolution of forensic investigation. What clues did these killers unwittingly leave behind? How were the unpredictable twists and turns of their criminal behavior thwarted by the weapons of science and logic? From the developing stages of the nineteenth century’s earliest investigative tools and ingenious police procedures to the first DNA dragnet to the remarkable twentieth century CSI advances, The Devil’s Dozen provides a fascinating window into the world of those who kill—and those who dedicate their lives to bringing them to justice.