The specter of the marauding serial killer has become a relatively common feature on the American landscape. Reactions to these modernday monsters range from revulsion to morbid fascinationfascination that is either fed by or a product of the saturation coverage provided by print and broadcast media along with a dizzying array of books documentary films websites and Movies of the Week. The prevalence in Western culture of images of serial killers and mass murderers has created in the public mind a consensus view of what a serial killer is. Most people are aware to some degree of the classic serial killer profile. But what if there is a much different profileone that has not received much media attention In Programmed to Kill acclaimed and always controversial author David McGowan takes a fresh look at the lives of many of Americas most notorious accused murderers focusing on the largely hidden patterns that suggest that there may be more to the average serial killer story than meets the eye. Think you know everything there is to know about serial killers Or is it possible that sometimes what everyone knows to be true isnt really true at all