Why do outwardly normal people commit horrendous crimes? In this collection of incisive profiles, a veteran crime writer turns the spotlight on men and women from respectable backgrounds who crossed the line into depravity. Whether a model pupil, a trusted member of the clergy or the chief of police, these otherwise ordinary people revealed their hidden capacity for the darkest crimes. Over 35 profiles, including the Sunday school teachers who killed their spouses in order to be together, the nurse who wanted a baby so badly that she cut one from another woman's womb and the trainee vet who tried to kill his ex-girlfriend's entire family out of jealousy.