Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

  • The Serial Killer Files

  • By: Paul Simpson
  • Narrated by: John Banks
  • Length: 12 hrs and 25 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (129 ratings)
Offer ends May 1st, 2024 11:59PM GMT. Terms and conditions apply.
£7.99/month after 3 months. Renews automatically.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
The Serial Killer Files cover art

The Serial Killer Files

By: Paul Simpson
Narrated by: John Banks
Get this deal Try for £0.00

Pay £99p/month. After 3 months pay £7.99/month. Renews automatically. See terms for eligibility.

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £13.00

Buy Now for £13.00

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Listeners also enjoyed...

The Big Book of Serial Killers cover art
Serial Killers cover art
Serial Killers True Crime Box Set: 6 Notorious True Crime Murder Stories cover art
The Ultimate Serial Killer Collection cover art
True Crime: British Killers - A Prequel cover art
Twelve from Hell cover art
True Crime UK cover art
The Evil Within cover art
True Crime Stories Boxset: 48 Terrifying True Crime Murder Cases cover art
Face to Face with Serial Killers cover art
The Serial Killer Books cover art
The Mammoth Book of Bizarre Crimes cover art
I'm the Yorkshire Ripper cover art
The World Encyclopedia of Serial Killers, Volume One A-D cover art
The Deadly Daughter-in-Law cover art
Serial Killers Rage and Horror cover art

Summary

There are many myths about serial killers: that they are all dysfunctional loners; all white males; only motivated by sex; that they all travel and operate across a wide area; cannot stop killing; are all insane, or evil geniuses; and that they all want to get caught. 

Of course, there are some serial killers who fit into these categories, but the married Green River Killer was not a dysfunctional loner; there are plenty of female and non-Caucasian serial killers; Dr Harold Shipman was certainly not motivated by sex; many serial killings (such as the Ipswich prostitute murders carried out by Steve Wright) happen within a confined area; and the BTK Killer, Dennis Rader, stopped killing in 1991 but wasn't caught until 14 years later. Many serial killers may have a low animal cunning or be 'street smart', but few of them are Mensa-level geniuses. 

Each of the 30 cases covered here is unusual in some respect, perhaps in the way in which the killer carried out their crimes, the choice of victims, the way in which they were apprehended, or the method of their execution. 

The cases are presented alphabetically by country - from Australia via Colombia, Great Britain, Indonesia, Iran, South Africa and elsewhere to the United States - and then chronologically. They come from across history and from all over the world. The author has gone back as far as possible to contemporary source material - newspaper accounts, trial evidence, interviews with perpetrators or survivors - rather than rely on the increasingly blurred truth to be found online and in far too many collections. 

©2018 Paul Simpson (P)2018 Little, Brown Book Group

What listeners say about The Serial Killer Files

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    82
  • 4 Stars
    28
  • 3 Stars
    14
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    4
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    77
  • 4 Stars
    16
  • 3 Stars
    6
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    3
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    69
  • 4 Stars
    25
  • 3 Stars
    6
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    2

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Well...

It is hard to say that I have enjoyed the story. it is very heavy subject and I can't imagine a normal person enjoying such things. However it was fascinating from psychological point of view. It must have been a tough job to research for all the information. Well let's summarise the whole thing.
Brilliant writing. Well done piece of macabre reading. Narrating very good. Kept me hooked the whole 12 hrs and 25 min. The story - it is absolutely terrifying to realize that those (for lack of better word)- "things" actually exist and they are the same species as me. I wouldn't call them a monsters or animals because it would be an insult to the latter.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Superb Reference Book

Well narrated and wonderfully graphic. Great insight into the mind of serial killers.

Only criticism is that it would be better if it showed names rather than chapter numbers so that it was easier to find and revisit your favourite cases

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Good narrator, overall meh

It's not a bad book at all but there's not much I hadn't read before somewhere else. Super brief chapters on lots of different killers, done by country. Still a huge preponderance of American and UK killers and some obvious others from around the world missing

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

great presentation

All you ever wanted to know about Serial Killers told in a way that's interesting

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

excellent

excellent narrator
great detail in all stories
really helped me with my criminal profiling course.
Thanks!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

must read

i thought this was a fantastic piece or work by the author. well read and you can tell he has put alot of homework into the individual's involved

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Killer Compilation...

Really informative recount of some of the worst people to ever exist. You can't really 'enjoy' something like this, but it does feed your curiosity about who these people were and why they did the things they did.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Bit disappointed

I knew most of the info in this book as most of them are well known..Gacy, Sutcliff, the Wests etc…pity there wasn’t lesser known psychos…small chapters, knowledge you can get from wiki…don’t spend a credit..

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great Introduction

This was a great introduction to serial killers most the UK and American ones are well known if you’re into True Crime genre or serial killers in general.

There were cases I’ve never heard of and have looked into their stories more. The stories do mention each victim where it can ( some were unrecognisable due to decaying etc ).

Each section is divided into countries, each chapter a serial killer which was a great was to write this book / audiobook.

The narration was spot on and even the accents put on for each country were great and didn’t distract you from listening.

I’ll definitely listen to this one again possibly more than twice….something to help me sleep ( not that it’s boring, I just enjoy falling to sleep listening to serial kill / true crime stuff ).

Highly recommend for all true crime buffs and anyone wanting an intro into serial killers.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Good insight

knew of most of the killers from documentaries, but you don't get the real brutality of what goes through these killers minds. some parts may be difficult to hear, but overall a good listen.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!