Known as the 'Ken & Barbie Killers' thanks to their youthful good looks, Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka were a husband and wife serial killing team who plagued Canada in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Bernardo began by committing a series of brutal rapes, and then graduated to murder once he met Homolka. They are known to have killed three women, although it is possible that their total number of victims is larger than that. After they were caught, Homolka struck a plea bargain that limited her prison time; she served 12 years, and has since been released. Bernardo was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

The True Crime Shorts series is intended to give the reader a short, concise account of some of the most gruesome crimes in modern times. Each book provides the reader with the essential facts concerning a serial killer, along with analysis that tries to comprehend their motives; no distractions, just the essential facts, allowing the reader to master the case in the shortest time possible.