A behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the FBI's Behavioural Science Unit, written by the pioneering forensic nurse who transformed the way the FBI studies, profiles, and catches serial killers.

Directly beneath the progressive activism and sex positivity of the 1970s, a dark undercurrent of violence rippled across the American landscape, resulting in the alarming rise of sexual assault and homicide cases nationwide. Under a shroud of secrecy, the FBI created a specialized, top-secret team to track down the country's most dangerous and violent criminals and bring them to justice. But narrowing down a seemingly infinite list of potential suspects seemed impossible until Dr. Ann Burgess stepped on the scene. As the brilliant mind behind criminal profiling, she helped the FBI identify, trace, and interview hundreds of terrifying serial killers and notoriously violent criminals.

Combining a riveting personal narrative of fearless feminism and ambition, bone-chilling encounters with real-life monsters, and a revealing portrait of our ever-evolving criminal justice system, A Killer By Design will inspire, terrify, and enlighten you in equal measure - and begs the question, 'What drives someone to kill, and how can they be stopped?'