How did a piece of wood lead investigators in the Lindbergh kidnapping case to Bruno Hauptmann? Who, besides O. J. Simpson, knows something about the death of his ex-wife? And just who was the "Vampire of Dusseldorf"? These are just some of the questions Mark Benecke explores in this compelling and surprising history of criminal investigative methods and techniques. Benecke, a leading forensic scientist who is frequently called upon to help solve crimes throughout the world, takes the reader through some of the most infamous and intriguing murder investigations in the United States, Germany, and Canada. In discussions of the cases against O. J. Simpson, and others, Benecke carefully explains the ways in which police and forensic scientists gather and analyze evidence. Going beyond the media frenzy that surrounded many of these investigations, Benecke considers how science, intuition, and an occasional lucky break can lead police to the guilty party. He describes the history of forensic technology as well as forensic scientists' tricks of the trade, including DNA fingerprinting, soil analysis, and the use of facial reconstruction and pollen analysis to learn more about unidentified corpses. Murderous Methods is peppered with other fascinating stories that bring the reader closer into the minds of criminals and the ways in which criminal investigators work. Benecke introduces readers to bizarre and horrifying criminals such as Peter Kurten, "The Vampire of Dusseldorf"; Karl Denke, a cannibal and one of the earliest known serial killers in modern history; and Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka, a Canadian couple who committed a series of brutal rapes. Benecke shows that even as scientific scrutiny helps investigators to understand more about crimes and the criminals who commit them, whenever humans are involved events may go in unpredictable directions. In particular, he looks at how unreliable eyewitness accounts and public fears and prejudices have led investigators down the wrong path.

馬剋•貝內剋（Mark Benecke），生於1970年，是一位世界著名的昆蟲學傢，擁有法醫與生物學博士學位。他不僅在美國、英國、菲律賓、越南、哥倫比亞等國的數所大學擔任客座講師與教授，同時也經常在美國聯邦調查局FBI培訓學院與“屍體農場”實驗室為警察講課。他在刑偵科學領域的突齣成績已被多傢國際性研究學院認可。

目前，貝內剋已經獲得瞭俄羅斯政府的批準，可以前往俄羅斯檔案大樓，親自驗證存放在這裏已逾半個世紀的希特勒頭骨。他希望能夠證實頭骨是否屬於希特勒本人，並解開他的死亡之謎。