South Africa may be grappling with many challenges, but there’s one surprising area where we’re world-class — catching serial killers. That’s one of the compelling insights behind Killer Stories, the gripping true crime book co-authored by podcaster Nicole Engelbrecht and criminologist Dr Bryn Hodgkiss, who will appear at this year’s Kingsmead Book Fair.

The book is the result of a unique collaboration. Nicole, host of the True Crime South Africa podcast, stumbled across Dr Hodgkiss’s PhD thesis from the 1990s — research that involved direct interviews with 13 convicted South African serial offenders. Inspired by the depth and nuance of the work, Nicole reached out, and the partnership was born.

Rather than rehashing crimes, Killer Stories explores the psychology and patterns behind the murders — offering readers a deeply researched, fresh perspective. To keep the focus on the insights rather than the headlines, all subjects are given pseudonyms. “We didn’t want readers projecting what they already think they know,” Nicole explains. “The goal was to let the stories speak for themselves.”

The book also challenges widely held assumptions shaped by American true crime media. “South African serial offenders operate in a completely different context,” Nicole says. “Their crimes are shaped by our unique social and economic realities.”

Despite its under-resourced police force, South Africa is recognised internationally for its skill in identifying and apprehending serial killers — thanks in part to pioneers like Mickey Pistorius and Dr Gérard Labuschagne, and the establishment of the Investigative Psychology Unit.

Engelbrecht and Hodgkiss’s session at Kingsmead Book Fair promises to be an eye-opening journey into the dark recesses of the human mind — and the science behind uncovering it.

Catch Nicole Engelbrecht for what promises to be an eye-opening journey into the dark recesses of the human mind — and the science behind uncovering it.