Oxygen Book Club's August 2022 Pick Is By One Of The First Female 'Mindhunters'

Oxygen Book Club highlights books in the crime sphere each month and features exclusive interviews, guided discussions, and more.

Anyone with even a passing interest in true crime has likely heard about the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit, which transformed the way we understand serial killers and even inspired the hit Netflix series "Mindhunter." That's why Oxygen Book Club is excited to announce "A Killer by Design: Murderers, Mindhunters, and My Quest to Decipher the Criminal Mind" by Dr. Ann Wolbert Burgess, one of the initial people working for it, and Steven Matthew Constantine, as our August 2022 book.

"A vivid behind-the-scenes look into the creation of the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit and the evolution of criminal profiling," "A Killer By Design" describes how Burgess, at the time a forensic nurse, joined the "Mindhunters." It also dives into the first serial murder investigation she worked as well as the dozens of interviews conducted with infamous criminals like Ed Kemper, Dennis Rader, and more.

The book also narrows in on her experiences as one of the first women to act in this kind of capacity for the FBI, documenting the pressures and sexism of the time as well as her will to succeed and help protect other women through her work.

"A Killer By Design" also include "never-before-seen interview transcripts and crime scene drawings" as she tells the story about what she went through in the Behavioral Science Unit — and what she learned about what drives someone to kill.

Read along with Oxygen Book Club, and keep an eye out for our video interviews with the author, as well as guided discussion questions. Happy reading!