I Am a Killer: What Makes a Murderer, Their Shocking Stories in Their Own Words

This thought-provoking true crime collection from the producers of the Netflix series I Am a Killer takes a deeper look at 10 cases from the show’s first two seasons. Through interviews with convicted killers (most on death row or serving life sentences), their families, and law enforcement officials, Tipping and Parker attempt to pin down their subjects’ motives and determine how their crimes did or didn’t change them. Interviewees include David Barnett, who was horrifically abused as a child and killed two innocent relatives of his abuser, and career criminal James Robertson, who strangled his prison cellmate to death in a bid to be executed. While the tone skews lurid, Tipping and Parker are fastidious reporters; they note whenever forensic evidence or witness testimony credibly conflicts with a killer’s own account. Armchair detectives won’t find any real-life whodunits to solve here, but intriguing existential mysteries abound, including questions about which factors in a killer’s life might shoulder partial responsibility for their crimes. Readers with an interest in criminal psychology will wolf this down. Agent: John Mitchell, Pan Macmillan. (Sept.)