A profile of the world's first known Internet serial killer seeks to demonstrate how mainstream Americans can become victims of cybercrime, explains the psychological factors of physically devoid online relationships, and how the case reflects a growing pattern of Internet sex and violence. 100,000 first printing. The Internet has made many enterprises easier since its rise to popularity in the mid-90s: book sales, personal correspondence, and, in the case of John Robinson, serial murder. Even before he ever went online, Robinson had forged a life consistent with a killer's profile. Despite being fired and arrested numerous times for fraud and theft, he wriggled out of serious trouble thanks to a smooth charm and cunning intelligence. For decades, Robinson's more sinister activities escaped the notice of nearly everyone, including law enforcement and, incredibly, his own wife. But what makes Robinson's story, as told here by John Douglas and Stephen Singular, uniquely disturbing is the presence of the World Wide Web and the ease with which a murderer can use it. Online, Robinson frequented chat rooms and sites dedicated to the lurid underground world of bondage and sadomasochism. In this anonymous space, he was free to assume honey-tongued new identities that he used to lure women, especially those in vulnerable situations, to Kansas with promises of employment, protection, or sex. Their subsequent disappearances were explained away with letters that appeared to be written by the victims but were actually typed by the killer on pieces of paper the women had previously signed. Ultimately, dogged law enforcement officials were able to catch up with Robinson and put him on trial after finding gruesome evidence of his deeds. While they are skilled true-crime writers, Douglas and Singular occasionally stray into hyperbole, which is far from necessary given the elements already present in Robinson’s horrifying story. It is likely that any reader will walk a little more warily by their computer after reading this book and getting an idea of who might be hiding behind a given nickname. --John Moe Douglas, a well-regarded FBI profiler, and Singular, a journalist, explore the chilling personality behind the Internet's first serial killer. John Robinson was a bright, personable businessman, husband, father, coach, and Sunday-school teacher in the small town of Olathe, Kansas. He was also a career criminal who graduated from fraud and forgery to sexual predation and murder over a 20-year period. His charm and personality allowed him to escape punishment for many of his earlier crimes, and it was while serving short stretches in jail that he learned of the powerful criminal potential of computers. Through the Internet, Robinson met women desperate for attention and financial security and lured them into sadomasochistic relationships. Through interviews with law-enforcement specialists, psychologists, Internet experts, and others, Douglas and Singular chronicle Robinson's criminal career, sexual misconduct, and the brutal murders he committed. They also offer a cautionary look at the dark world of cybercrime. Vanessa Bush Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved "Anyone You Want Me to Be" is a riveting story. -- The Washington Post, June 10, 2003 Douglas's methodical pace and his careful accretion of detail is reminiscent of the work of true crime writer Ann Rule. -- Publishers Weekly, May 26, 2003 John Douglas is the bestselling coauthor of the nonfiction Mindhunter series. An air force and FBI veteran, Douglas is a renowned expert in personality profiling and investigative analysis. He lives in Washington, D.C. Chapter 1 In 1919, Al Capone had first arrived in Chicago from Brooklyn. He'd been sent there by Mafia boss Johnny Torrio, who wanted him to take over the rackets in the Windy City. The following year Prohibition was instituted across the United States, and Capone seized this opportunity to turn illicit booze into an empire. His home base was Cicero, a western suburb of Chicago, and prostitution rings, gambling, and bootleg-liquor operations were run from his headquarters in the Hawthorne Arms Hotel on Twenty-second Street. If Cicero had long been known for its buying and selling of police and politicians, the action inside the Hawthorne Arms solidified its reputation for Mob corruption. At the same time, clean cops were aggressively starting to pursue Capone and his gang. Five years after coming to Chicago, Capone got into a gun battle with the authorities on Cicero Avenue, which left his brother Frank dead. John Robinson's father, Henry, was eight when the violence erupted. The image of Frank Capone getting killed in the neighborhood -- and then Al Capone repaying the favor the next year by dumping the corpse of Assistant State's Attorney General William H. McSwiggin on a Cicero street corner -- was extremely vivid in the memories of local people. They often talked about the