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Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit

(Mindhunter #1)

John E. Douglas,

Mark Olshaker

4.07 · Rating details · 34,328 ratings · 2,557 reviews

He has hunted some of the most notorious and sadistic criminals of our time: The Trailside Killer in San Francisco, the Atlanta Child murderer. He has confronted, interviewed and researched dozens of serial killers and assassins, including Charles Manson, Richard Speck, John Wayne Gacy, and James Earl Ray - for a landmark study to understand their motives. To get inside th ...more

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Paperback, 397 pages

Published August 1st 1996 by Pocket Books (first published October 31st 1995)

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Oct 12, 2012 Lightreads rated it liked it

Shelves: nonfiction, crime

So John Douglas is great when he’s talking about serial rape and child murder, and then he’s intensely obnoxious when he’s talking about anything else. So I guess it’s a good thing he mostly talks about rape and murder?

And when I say “John Douglas,” by the way, I mean John Douglas or his co/ghost writer, because who knows who wrote what. All I know is when this book talks about crime, it’s focused and intelligent and compassionate. And when it’s talking about anything else – the FBI, his home li ...more

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Nov 21, 2017 Kemper rated it liked it

Shelves: non-fiction, serial-killers, crime-mystery, 5-0, 2017-reread

This review is going to be as much about comparing it to the new Netflix series as it is the book itself. You have been warned.

John Douglas was a FBI agent who spent most of his career working for its Behavioral Science Unit. Along with other agents Douglas interviewed a wide variety of violent offenders including such notorious figures as Charles Manson, Richard Speck, and David Berkowitz, and then he tried to apply what they learned to develop criminal profiles of active unsolved cases. If you This review is going to be as much about comparing it to the new Netflix series as it is the book itself. You have been warned.

John Douglas was a FBI agent who spent most of his career working for its Behavioral Science Unit. Along with other agents Douglas interviewed a wide variety of violent offenders including such notorious figures as Charles Manson, Richard Speck, and David Berkowitz, and then he tried to apply what they learned to develop criminal profiles of active unsolved cases. If you’ve ever read the books of Thomas Harris like Red Dragon and The Silence of the Lambs or seen the movies or TV show based on them then you might be familiar with the character of Jack Crawford who was based on Douglas. Over the course of his career he worked on famous cases like the ‘80s Atlanta child murders and the Green River Strangler.

This is your basic true crime stuff written by a law enforcement professional. Douglas gives us his background as a fairly aimless youth who ended up as an FBI agent by pure chance and found that he had a taste and talent for digging into the history of criminals to see what made them tick. The book mixes his war stories of cases he worked along with a fair amount of bitching about the criminal justice system, and a little griping about he sometimes felt ill-treated by the FBI. He sprinkles his story with tidbits of his meetings with serial killers, and brags a fair amount about how accurate his profiles turned out to be for several cases he worked. In fact, you sometimes get the impression that the only reason that there are active killers who haven’t been caught was because someone failed to heed his advice.

In fairness, Douglas does spread a lot of credit around to his fellow agents and local cops he worked with over the years, and he goes out of his way to note that the agents of his department are essentially consultants who don’t catch criminals themselves. The guy did dedicate his professional life to studying the worst of the worst in the hopes of finding better ways to identify and catch them in the future. While that’s obviously a noble calling you do get a sense of smugness and self aggrandizement from him at times. You can tell that he gets a huge kick out of playing Sherlock Holmes and dropping predictions on people that turn out to be right, but there’s a notable absence of him ever being wrong about any of them other than minor discrepancies.

What’s most interesting about this book is how it was adapted into the a TV series. The first season of the show is about the early days of the Behavioral Science Unit when they were still coming up with the terminology and methodology they’d use to research and study violent offenders in prison. Douglas and fellow profiler Robert Ressler have been turned into fictionalized characters, but the killers and their crimes are historically accurate. Many of the scenes and stories are drawn from this book, but using created characters as the leads frees them up to add more drama as well as pick and choose their spots on the non-fiction bits.

So while Douglas certainly has had a colorful career and has many interesting things to say I found it a lot more satisfying as a TV show than a book.

Also, if you’re watching and liking Mindhunter be sure to check out Zodiac which producer/director David Fincher also did. ...more

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Jan 27, 2018 Johann (jobis89) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

“Behavior reflects personality. The best indicator of future violence is past violence. To understand the "artist", you must study his "art". The crime must be evaluated in its totality. There is no substitute for experience, and if you want to understand the criminal mind, you must go directly to the source and learn to decipher what he tells you. And, above all: Why + How = Who.”

Special Agent John Douglas is the man who helped usher in a new age in behavioural science and criminal profiling. W “Behavior reflects personality. The best indicator of future violence is past violence. To understand the "artist", you must study his "art". The crime must be evaluated in its totality. There is no substitute for experience, and if you want to understand the criminal mind, you must go directly to the source and learn to decipher what he tells you. And, above all: Why + How = Who.”

Special Agent John Douglas is the man who helped usher in a new age in behavioural science and criminal profiling. With 25 years of experience and having hunted some of the most notorious criminals of our time, Douglas has a unique insight into the minds of serial killers.

True crime is my thing. If someone can hold a conversation with me based on murder and serial killers, you are automatically my new best friend. So excitement was at an all-time high starting Mindhunter. I’m not one for binging TV shows, I usually like to prolong my enjoyment for as long as possible, but I just couldn’t help myself with Mindhunter on Netflix. The book had been on my wishlist for a while, but the show was the excuse I needed to finally get my hands on a copy. And the book really delivers!

There’s a lot of murder within these pages. A lot. And no details are spared. Douglas covers a range of different topics related to criminal profiling – whether it be his thoughts on why there aren’t really many female serial killers, or if such monsters can ever really truly be rehabilitated and let back into society. There isn’t really a distinct structure to the book, the first 100 pages are basically a background to his career and how he got to be at the forefront for the initiation of what is now known as the Behavioural Analysis Unit. I mean, I guess the rest of the book is semi-chronological, but he will often discuss similar crimes together.

This brings me to John Douglas himself. He is clearly a genius when it comes to his area, he knows what he’s doing, and I’m pretty sure there aren’t many who have a better insight into the minds of serial killers. However, he is a bit arrogant at times and I found myself rolling my eyes - “yeah John, you’re always right. Uh huh. If you had been involved they would have caught him sooner. Yep. You’re right.” Off the top of my head, I can’t think of any scenario in which Douglas admits he was wrong about something? I discussed this with Matthew and he said about how he read somewhere that often these kinds of people who spend a lot of time in the company of serial killers often begin to take on some of their traits – so perhaps this helps explain his arrogance. Or maybe you just gotta be like that in this line of work – I don’t know, but it was my nitpick for this book.

At the time of writing, BTK and the Unabomber, along with a few others, had yet to be caught, but my edition had a new introduction at the beginning wherein they discuss these arrests and any other relevant updates. So if you’re interested in reading Mindhunter, I’d suggest trying to find an edition with this introduction.

I’m actually surprised at how long it took me to read Mindhunter, I thought I’d just race through it, but it’s definitely the kind of book that you need to savour slowly. There’s a lot of detail and so much that I was trying to take in that I needed to really focus on what I was reading. Ultimately, it was worth it. I have a slight book hangover in that I miss ALL THE MURDERS *cries* but I guess I’ll just get my fix from podcasts for the foreseeable future. 4 stars from me! If you love true crime, this book is a must. ...more

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Apr 01, 2019 Carol rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, true-crime, detective-crime, book-club-selection

If you’re a true crime reader in the US, Mindhunter is a must-read of greatest hits. Be forewarned, though, that Douglas is an almost unbearable horse’s a$$, lacking even the slightest self-awareness, and with a zeal for capitol punishment* (and arrogant dismissal of those who disagree with him) that twice came close to provoking me to throw Mindhunter across the room. Props to his (credited) ghost writer who no doubt toned down some of Douglas’ even more obnoxious takes.

Also note that the utter If you’re a true crime reader in the US, Mindhunter is a must-read of greatest hits. Be forewarned, though, that Douglas is an almost unbearable horse’s a$$, lacking even the slightest self-awareness, and with a zeal for capitol punishment* (and arrogant dismissal of those who disagree with him) that twice came close to provoking me to throw Mindhunter across the room. Props to his (credited) ghost writer who no doubt toned down some of Douglas’ even more obnoxious takes.

Also note that the utterly fantastic Netflix series is a different experience from the book. I’ve seen it. It's can't-miss-tv. Read the book.

*The Capitol Punishment Rabbit Hole: I am editing this review to be substantially longer than it was in order to provide more context on my CP statement, because it's too important a topic to treat casually or ambiguously. My view on CP isn't relevant to my criticism. What I found offensive about Douglas' ranting on the topic is that he repeatedly insults and demeans anyone who has thoughtfully reached an opposing view from his. And, yes, I would be equally offended if he held the opposing view and was similarly insulting and demeaning to death penalty proponents.

He first describes a Road to Damascus experience with himself, Douglas, in the role of God, converting the previously-labeled "liberal" Scott Glenn, an actor he met while consulting on the Silence of the Lambs film, from death penalty opponent to proponent by spending 30 minutes detailing a series of appalling criminal behaviors to educate Glenn on the bad acts bad guys commit. As if a grown American man in 1995 or so wasn't aware of the crimes committed by Charles Manson, Ted Bundy and others, and as if anecdotal details of specific acts of brutality alone answer the pre-eminent moral, public policy question of our time. Douglas' lip curl rises from the pages later again as he uses the statements of a pair of survivors of an attack - where the husband shot and killed the perpetrator during the event, so no trial occurred and no penalty was ever imposed by a jury -- to support his position, bolstered with a victims-first-and-only mentality. But to double-down on the belief that anyone who opposes the death penalty does so not because of moral repugnance for the death penalty or the overwhelming data of the racial and geographic arbitrariness of the federal death penalty in practice in the US, or even because it causes countries with whom we have extradition treaties to decline to extradite bad guys to the US for trial if their crimes could be subject to the death penalty, but because he or she isn't aware of the details of rape, torture, sodomy, kidnapping, intentional infliction of pain and agony, etc. committed by these perpetrators against children as well as adults? That's a belief unsupported by any data and it defies common sense.

The childish need to insult and demean everyone on the other side of complex, moral issues simply has no defense and is the crutch of the thoughtless. Hence, I found Douglas' approach to CP to be flag-worthy for other readers that it's just part of the Douglas' schtick you have to accept as table stakes for the opportunity to read an otherwise highly-informative, well-written (by true crime standards) book. If it's going to ruin your enjoyment of Mindhunter, read something else. Hopefully, forewarned is forearmed. ...more

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Nov 21, 2016 ☘Misericordia☘ ~ The Serendipity Aegis ~ ✺❂❤❣ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Ok, this is pure wow. The fact that the author doesn't adopt the 'holier than thou stance' so common with law enforcement makes this an extremely enjoyable as well as worthwhile read.
Q:
In high school, I was already six foot two, which I used to my advantage. Talent-wise, we were a so-so team in a good league, and I knew it was up to the pitcher to try to be a field leader and set a winning tone. I had pretty good control for a high schooler, but I decided not to let the opposing batters know thi Ok, this is pure wow. The fact that the author doesn't adopt the 'holier than thou stance' so common with law enforcement makes this an extremely enjoyable as well as worthwhile read.
Q:
In high school, I was already six foot two, which I used to my advantage. Talent-wise, we were a so-so team in a good league, and I knew it was up to the pitcher to try to be a field leader and set a winning tone. I had pretty good control for a high schooler, but I decided not to let the opposing batters know this. I wanted to appear reckless, not quite predictable, so the batters wouldn’t dig in at the plate. I wanted them to think that if they did, they risked being brushed back or even worse by this wild man sixty feet away.
Hempstead did have a good football team, for which I was a 188-pound defensive line man. Again, I realized the psychological aspect of the game was what could give us an edge. I figured I could take on the bigger guys if I grunted and groaned and generally acted like a nut. It didn’t take long before I got the rest of the linemen to behave the same way. Later, when I regularly worked on murder trials in which insanity was used as a defense, I already knew from my own experience that the mere fact that someone acts like a maniac does not necessarily mean he doesn’t know exactly what he’s doing.
In 1962, we were playing Wantagh High for the Thorpe Award, the trophy for the best high school football team on Long Island. They outweighed us by about forty pounds a man, and we knew chances were good we were going to get the crap knocked out of us before a full house. So before the game, we worked out a set of warm-up drills whose sole objective was to psych out and intimidate our opponents. We formed up in two lines with the first man in one line tackling—practically decking—the first man in the other line. This was accompanied by all the appropriate grunts and groans and shrieks of pain. We could see from the faces of the Wantagh players that we were having the intended effect. They must have been figuring, "If these jokers are stupid enough to do that to each other, God knows what they’ll do to us."
In fact, the entire episode was carefully choreographed. We prac ticed wres tling throws so we could appear to hit the ground hard, but without getting hurt. And when we got into the actual game, we kept up the general level of craziness to make it appear we’d only been let out of the asylum for this one afternoon and were going straight back as soon as the game was over. The contest was close all the way, but when the dust finally settled, we had won, 14-13, and captured the Thorpe Award for 1962.
(c)
Q:
We come to St. Rita’s Church together, only she goes in to see the priest by herself first. It reminds me of the police station back when I was in college in Montana, when they separated all of us to check our stories. I’m sure they’re planning the conversion strategy. When they finally call me in, the first thing I say is, "What do you two have in store for the Protestant kid?"
The priest is young and friendly, probably in his early thirties. He asks me these general questions, such as "What is love?" I’m trying to profile him, trying to figure out if there’s a particular right answer. These interviews are like the SATs; you’re never sure if you’ve prepared properly.
We get into birth control, how the kids are going to be raised, that sort of thing. I start asking him how he feels about being a priest—being celibate, not having his own family. The priest seems like a nice guy, but Pam has told me St. Rita’s is a strict, traditional church and he’s uncomfortable around me, maybe because I’m not Catholic; I’m not sure. I think he’s trying to break the ice when he asks me, "Where did you two meet?"
Whenever there has been stress in my life, I’ve always started joking around, trying to relieve the tension. Here’s my opportunity, I think, and I can’t resist it. I slip my chair closer to him. "Well, Father," I begin, "you know I’m an FBI agent. I don’t know if Pam told you her background."
All the while I’m talking I’m getting closer to him, locking in the eye contact I’d already learned to use in interrogations. I just don’t want him to look at Pam because I don’t know how she’s reacting. "We met at a place called Jim’s Garage, which is a topless go-go bar. Pam worked there as a dancer and was quite good. What really got my attention, though, was she was dancing with these tassels on each of her breasts, and she got them spinning in opposite directions. Take my word for it, it was really something to see."
Pam is deathly quiet, not knowing whether to say anything or not. The priest is listening in rapt attention.
"Anyway, Father, she got these tassels spinning in opposite directions with greater and greater velocity, when all of a sudden, one of them flew off into the audience. Everyone grabbed for it. I leaped up and caught it and brought it back to her, and here we are today."
His mouth is gaping open. I’ve got this guy totally believing me when I just break up and start laughing, just as I did for my phony junior high school book report. "You mean this isn’t true?" he asks. By this point Pam has broken up, too. We both just shake our heads. I don’t know whether the priest is relieved or disappointed.
(c)
Q:
Then there was the Japanese police officer who had dutifully asked one of the other cops the protocol for greeting instructors one holds in high regard. So every time I saw him in the hallway, he would smile, bow respectfully, and greet me with, "Fuck you, Mr. Douglas."
Rather than getting all complicated, I’d bow back, smile, and say, "Fuck you, too."
(c) ...more

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Jul 30, 2018 Maria Espadinha rated it really liked it

Think Like One and Get Them

What's that "thing" that thinks like a criminal, walks like a criminal, talks like a criminal, but doesn't (hopefully) act like a criminal ?

????????????????

???????????????

???????????????

It's an FBI Criminal Profiler, what else?!... 😜

GREAT BOOK 👍

In a Nutshell:
Outside of a killer, a book is a great friend. Inside of a killer it’s too dark to read (unless of course you can find a match there — BOOOOOMMMM💀💀💀 (Gosh!... These books bring out the worst in me 😜))

P.S.: As you p ...more

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Oct 17, 2017 Wendy'sThoughts rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: Serial Killer series

9/2/19-UPDATE-Woo Hoo Mindhunter's Second Season Happening Now on Netflix-9 Brand New Episodes!!!! New York Magazine has an interesting article about the Real Take on the Atlanta Murders-https://www.vulture.com/2019/08/mindh...
●•●•●•●•●•●•●•
6/4/2019-UPDATE ‘Mindhunter’ Season 2: Charlize Theron Says August Debut, Plus Son of Sam Confirmed to Appear
Charlize Theron is one of the Executive Producers of Mindhunter and during an interview with Howard Stern, she revealed the second season of Mindhunte 9/2/19-UPDATE-Woo Hoo Mindhunter's Second Season Happening Now on Netflix-9 Brand New Episodes!!!! New York Magazine has an interesting article about the Real Take on the Atlanta Murders-https://www.vulture.com/2019/08/mindh...
●•●•●•●•●•●•●•
6/4/2019-UPDATE ‘Mindhunter’ Season 2: Charlize Theron Says August Debut, Plus Son of Sam Confirmed to Appear
Charlize Theron is one of the Executive Producers of Mindhunter and during an interview with Howard Stern, she revealed the second season of Mindhunter was returning on August 2019. Although Netflix has not confirmed any specific date, August 2019 seems to be pretty solid with all of the news updates are using this information.

One of the main focuses will be the Atlanta child murders. There are rumors of other serial killers, however, this series has been very
cagy in not having any photos/articles/teasers out. The two articles below have a bit more information. Will be counting the months till August.
https://www.indiewire.com/2019/05/min...
https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2019...
●•●•●•●•●•●•●•
10/17/2017
A Heads Up for the New Netflix Series, Mindhunter
* * * * * Spoiler Free-Update- Netflix picked up this series and hopefully will arrive in the first half of 2019.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I am always looking for something to catch my interest... and from the start Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris did it for me back in the day... I read the book and was stunned... and then the movie came out.

It captured the feel of the book for me in so many ways. The all-star cast of Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, and Scott Glen will forever in our minds be the first to talk about and show what a serial killer can be...

There was something about trying to get into the head of these types of killers... trying to see the why... even with all the horror surrounding them. It turns out, the prototype for Thomas Harris' FBI characters came from John E. Douglas.

But like everything in this life... there has to be a start to a process and in the Netflix series, Mindhunter based on this series of books by John E. Douglas, takes us back to the beginning... How the FBI came to discover and then research this new type of killing... nothing predictable, nothing the law enforcement had ever experienced before. It went against all the "Normal Predictors" and also against any of the ways society classified killers.

These Real men (John E. Douglas and Robert Ressler) were treading new and undiscovered territory... learning and making mistakes but also new insights to how these killers came about.

This series is not the flash/ bam, lots of excitement genre... It is a series that builds. The first episode is the setup and has much to lay out- the politics of the times, 1970's... the way the FBI behaves and what it expects from their people. You have the intro of the two men who take this journey into the unknown... one, Holden Ford played by Jonathan Goff , who is feeling his way and knows from his gut, there is something to this researching and talking to these criminals like people... to get them to reveal the whys of their crimes.

The other man is the FBI's Behavioral Guy, Bill Tench played by Holt McCallany, a veteran who goes out across the country and teaches police departments the Who, What, Where of this new concept of the mind and how it is not "Just People Born Bad".

As the series goes on we also learn more about their personal lives, the different decades and how the changes all around them impact everything. After a few entries, we met a Dr. Wendy Carr of Criminal Pathology, played oh, so well by Anna Torv of Fringe. She brings the added understanding of these men are on to something big... and works to develop a standard questionnaire for these killers.

And here is the kicker... we go with these men when they interview these convicted killers. They are real cases...like Ed Kempler and Richard Speck. These exchanges are chilling yet also make one wonder how much is manipulated by these killers and how much is real... just like the characters in this series.

So this is my little shout out to something that might interest you if you like these types of reads...TV Dramas, etc...It is not a fast-paced series... but the details are there, the times of the '70s are there (I can say they held pretty true, as I lived them as a young teen...) and the lure of wanting to see how each of these men survive what they are experiencing.

For more Reviews, Free E-books and Giveaways

...more

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Jul 30, 2018 Maria Espadinha rated it really liked it · review of another edition

How to be a Criminal Profiler

Imagine yourself thinking like a criminal!
The moment you'll start doing it, it's like grabbing the key of the safe where he hides all his secret, devilish plans.
You're gonna know where the hell he's gonna be, and what the f*** he's gonna do. And you could use that valuable information to get near enough to help him burn in his own flames, or, if you prefer a more succint, concise sentence, you'll have all it takes for a quite functional setup.

So the question is, how ...more

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Oct 20, 2017 ✨ jamieson ✨ marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: random-choice-tbr

the mindhunter tv show on netflix has literally both made and ruined my life
i have so much uni work but all i can do is watch netflix

listen buzzfeed unsolves: true crime JUST ended and mindhunter comes into my life? its like the universe is enabling my true crime interests

naturally i have to further destroy my life and read the book

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Jun 14, 2015 Rebecca McNutt rated it it was amazing

Shelves: psychology, non-fiction, true-crime

This is probably the true crime novel of all true crime novels, the one every fan of this genre should add to the top of their reading list. Mindhunter covers the story of several infamous criminals from "The Killer Clown" (John Wayne Gacy), to the pseudohippie Charles Manson. It was detailed, well-written and it shows how this crime until brought these criminals and many more to justice.

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Dec 14, 2017 Gary rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I purchased this book recently having read the rave reviews received for the series of the same name on Netflix. I am an avid thriller reader and fascinated by most things related to crime so found this account by John Edward Douglas who is a former United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent and one of the first criminal profilers a very informative read. He recounts some of the cases he has dealt with, many of which are house old names such as Charles Manson and Ted Bundy and giv ...more

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Nov 17, 2017 Sara rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: true-crime, biographies-and-memoirs, non-fiction

When I started sixth form college to begin my A levels I had this strange idea that psychology would be amazing, and I'd get to learn all about the criminal mind and my inner self. Funnily enough, after a week I realised it wasn't about this at all and I transferred to Geography instead (wise decision).

I discovered this book, like most people at the moment, via the Netflix show of the same name, which I loved. And this book was similar in that it gave me everything I hoped I'd get out of that c ...more

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Nov 12, 2017 Paul rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Whew, a thoroughly taxing, but absorbing read. Certainly a lot of information to be processed, and most of it not very pleasant. John Douglas relates in an almost casual, understated style his lifelong hunt for serial killers, kidnappers and rapists. Chilling and consuming, it provides some sharp insight into not only deviant behaviour, but human nature itself.

Douglas is one of the fathers of modern day profiling. He was the model for Jack Crawford in The Silence of the Lambs. He interviewed and ...more

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Mar 08, 2020 Lori rated it liked it · review of another edition

I'm glad that Charlize Theron gave a copy to David Fincher because I like the show. Just make that your doors are locked and that your phone works.

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May 28, 2018 Jaya rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: mmxviii, tv-audio-adaptations, popsugar-18, history-nonfic, der-schrecken, high-octane, shinpi-surirā-sasupensu-hanzai, audio, cacao-72-percent, unitedstates

Wow!!!
This was insanely fascinating. As a kid I used to watch Medical Detectives a series on Discovery channel which would re-enact a few of the true crimes and how the perpetrators were caught owning to forensic proofs and other tactics of solving them, primary among them would be "profiling" the perpetrator (s). The various kinds and number of cases that Douglas discusses in this book is somewhat alarming. If one is to consider the sheer amount crimes that happens across the world on a single ...more

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Aug 18, 2019 Caro the Helmet Lady rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019-reads, non-fiction, bio, crime

I'm a huge fan of Mindhunter series. I watched first season on one breath and when I saw this book around of course I had to read it. Nonetheless it was stuck on my virtual shelf for more than a year after I purchased it... And shame on me for that, for I enjoyed the book a lot. And right now I can enjoy my second season of series with the peace of mind.

Despite that I rolled my eyes a little bit when reading, because J.E.'s ego was a bit of too much sometimes for my tastes, I found this book ver ...more

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Apr 25, 2019 Mariah Roze rated it it was amazing

Recommended to Mariah Roze by: Matt

5 Stars for sure!
This book is great for anyone that likes psychology, true crime, serial killers, etc. This was very eye-opening and definitely different than the Netflix show. If you did or did not enjoy the Netflix show, don't base this book from that. They are very different.

"He has hunted some of the most notorious and sadistic criminals of our time: The Trailside Killer in San Francisco, the Atlanta Child murderer. He has confronted, interviewed and researched dozens of serial killers and a ...more

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Jun 28, 2013 Steve Kemp rated it did not like it

John Douglas has one hell of an ego on him that is for sure ! He loves to take a lot of credit that is due a different person. Same goes for all of his other books. Usually some good stuff in his books ,but you have to wade through the ocean of bullshit to get to it.

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Aug 02, 2018 Passenger B. rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: serial-killers-nonfiction, own-print, psychology-nonfiction, criminology-and-forensics, edmund-kemper

I found this to be a surprisingly drawn out and narcissistic book.
For the first ca. 100 pages (in my edition) the author continued to talk about his childhood, college years, dating history, his countless brushes with the law and how well he could lie and manipulate others (there's someone you'd trust to be an FBI agent) and all of his more or less impressive achievements. The grandiosity was a bit much to stomach at times and I got the impression he just loves to hear himself talk, especially ...more

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May 25, 2018 Diane in Australia rated it liked it

Shelves: nonfiction-crime

John was one of the first agents to put together the skill of 'profiling' a crime in order to aid in catching the criminal that committed it. Very interesting stuff, and logical, too. You would think that cops, and others, would have 'seen' these patterns themselves. Maybe they did. But when the FBI moved the idea from a vague 'voodoo' kind of input to an actual crime solving tool, things began to gel into a fantastic weapon against killers/rapists/etc.

Concise writing made the book easy to read, ...more

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Jan 30, 2020 Kelly rated it really liked it

The pacing is different, but the book is packed with a lot of interesting info.
If you are a criminal minds fan, like I am, you’ll enjoy this (really reminded me of Rossi). You hear a lot about his journey and how the division faced skepticism and overcame it and is now seen as an invaluable part of the FBI.
Most of us true crime fans wonder “how can a person do that to another person” which I believe this book focuses on.
He covers famous and not so famous cases, I haven’t seen the series yet s ...more

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May 23, 2018 Michael rated it really liked it · review of another edition

It is no secret that I am a fan of crime and thriller reads and am as fascinated as the next man as to what makes a murderer tick. One of those who took that very interest to the extreme was former FBI agent and criminal profiler John Edward Douglas. Over a 25 year career, he would encounter some of America's most dangerous individuals including Ted Bundy, Ed Kemper, Charles Manson, Richard Speck, and David Berkowitz to name a few. His conversations would provide an unsettling look into the mind ...more

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Mar 25, 2020 Dennis rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, dark, non-fiction, crime-fiction

To be honest, the show is better! I hate saying that, but the way this book reads does not keep my interest. It took me almost a month to get through this audiobook because the writing style is very over the top and detailed, rather than straight to the point. I prefer non-fiction and crime-fiction to just focus on the conversation at hand. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it. I definitely think readers should check out the show, but if you haven't yet, then maybe pick up the book first. That ...more

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Jan 05, 2018 Caidyn (BW Reviews; he/him/his) rated it it was ok

Shelves: nonfiction, psychology, true-crime

This review and others can be found on BW Book Reviews.

I think a fun fact about me is that the first time I ever contemplated being a psychologist (of any type, too) was when I started getting into serial killers. God, I was such a nerd about serial killer facts. I could tell you all about Ted Bundy’s upbringing, John Wayne Gacy’s crimes, Jeffrey Dahmer’s near miss with the police. I wanted to be a criminal psychologist. I wanted to be a profiler.

Now, I see what John Douglas does as a whole bunc ...more

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Jun 05, 2008 Maureen rated it liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: no one in particular

Recommended to Maureen by: research

Shelves: crime

I must say, this book is a mixed bag. The story of the development of criminal profiling is certainly an interesting one, but I don't believe that Mr. Douglas deserves quite as much credit as he is willing to give himself. He also freely characterizes the killers in this book as monsters. Having worked with a number of this kind of person, I tend to see them more as broken human beings who deserve to be punished. The "monster" epithet implies that society has no responsibility in the way these k ...more

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Sep 11, 2019 Olivia (Stories For Coffee) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: memoirs, library-book, nonfiction, true-crime

An interesting, more in-depth look at the show I love. I loved seeing the similarities between John and Holden, on the show, and how the show writers were influenced by this book. This nonfiction had much more cases explained than in the show, which was really interesting. But, at some points, I skimmed some cases just because they didn’t seem to interest me as much, but overall it was interesting to read more about the behavioral science unit and how it was created and how it was developed thro ...more

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Jan 19, 2018 Cheese rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Ok so I’m obviously late to the party on this, 20 years late.

Like most people I heard about this after watching the Netflix show of the same name, directed by David Fincher (Se7en, Fight Club, Gone Girl and Zodiac). I really enjoyed the show and so I thought I’d give the book a go, to see how the facts match up from the show. Answer is the show is very accurate in most of it.

Before we start - This book is non-fiction and they based the movie Silence of the lambs from some of their work. So the b Ok so I’m obviously late to the party on this, 20 years late.

Like most people I heard about this after watching the Netflix show of the same name, directed by David Fincher (Se7en, Fight Club, Gone Girl and Zodiac). I really enjoyed the show and so I thought I’d give the book a go, to see how the facts match up from the show. Answer is the show is very accurate in most of it.

Before we start - This book is non-fiction and they based the movie Silence of the lambs from some of their work. So the book, errrr wow. I wanted this book to never end. Couldn't put it down.

So Mindhunter is written by an FBI agent who started a Behaviourial science programme within the FBI with a bunch of other agents in the late 70's to help deal with the increasing violent crimes in America. It was a very small team whom dealt with a very high workload. Their aim was to help local police in states all over America profile and prevent serious crime and often repeat crimes.

Profiling if you don't know is "the recording and analysis of a person's psychological and behavioural characteristics, so as to assess or predict their capabilities in a certain sphere or to assist in identifying categories of people." - It's basically the opposite of psychotherapy. It's where you look at a person using psychotherapy techniques and reverse it to decide what they are capable of. I've had some training in this myself and it's really good in helping you understand why people can be absolute dicks or why you warm to some people and not others, it can also more importantly tell you a lot about yourself.

So one day John Douglas (the writer) decided after speaking with his colleagues that instead of going by their experiences with murderers and rapists, why don't they go and interview these high profile killers/rapists to see what made them do it and why.

What ensued turned the FBI into one of the most successful law enforcement agencies in the world specifically consultation. John Douglas was even consulted on the Yorkshire Ripper case ere in the UK.

So John and his colleague interview, Ed Kemper, Charles Manson to name a couple and started building profiles of killers specifically SERIAL KILLERS. The more interviews they had the more breakthroughs they would have and Police all over the country started to get wind of their actions. Bear in mind this was in the late 70's the Police at first thought it was a load of 'Mumbo jumbo', but as time went on they started to make a huge difference in speeding up investigations and even help close old cases and help locate killers.

The book itself is written by John Douglas and early on in the book you get to know that John has a talent for writing and telling stories, he really knows how to keep you engaged in the story and manages to fit in a lot of cases all very interesting and different in their own right from the Unabomber, to stalking president Reagan, to the green river killer and summer of Sam to name a few. There was even a case of a woman who faked kidnapping of her own child and killed and buried him so she could enjoy her single life again. Some unbelievable people.

What this book does though is help you understand “why?”, which is a very important question. It also addresses the moral question of the death penalty and rehabilitation. If you're looking for cause, basically everything comes back to nurture NOT nature.

A fantastic read which I would recommend to anyone. ...more

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Dec 28, 2017 Laura rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: four-star

An interesting autobiographical type book detailing the authors career in the then new speciality of criminal profiling.

This was an intriguing and detailed read as the author examines how profiling is developed and used to study the most depraved crimes. Notes are made of more notorious crimes and criminals and many more that are less well known but equally important nonetheless.

Much of the writing is technical but still relatively easy to digest. As a reader from the UK, I found it particularl ...more

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Aug 23, 2015 Miz rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, crime-and-thrillers

As a fan of criminal behaviour studies and of the literature surrounding it (including Silence of the Lands and Criminal Minds), this was a fascinating read for me. I did feel like it read as a bit boastful but if I had set the department up then maybe I would boast about it :)

I want to know when this type of profiling DOESN'T work, but also more modern cases. Sequel please :)

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May 15, 2008 Terri rated it really liked it

I liked this book. John Douglas was one of the original profilers in the FBI and spent a lot of time interviewing these criminals and studying them. As well as getting gravely ill while working on the Green River Case. I think it would be really hard to separate from the evil they see.

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About John E. Douglas

John E. Douglas

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John Edward Douglas is a former United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent, one of the first criminal profilers, and criminal psychology author. He also wrote four horror novels in the mid 1990s. -Wikipedia

During his twenty-five year career with the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit, a name he later changed to The Investigative Science Unit (Douglas & Olshaker, 1995), John Douglas becam John Edward Douglas is a former United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent, one of the first criminal profilers, and criminal psychology author. He also wrote four horror novels in the mid 1990s. -Wikipedia

During his twenty-five year career with the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit, a name he later changed to The Investigative Science Unit (Douglas & Olshaker, 1995), John Douglas became the leading expert on criminal personality profiling and the pioneer of modern criminal investigative analysis. Through his research with serial criminal’s, Douglas learned how criminals think and what makes them do the things that they do, and why. Douglas can determine many personal traits and habits of an offender just by examining the crime scene; it’s evidence and victimology (Douglas & Olshaker, 1995). Interviews John Douglas has conducted hundreds of interviews with some of the world’s most notorious serial offenders, which include: - Charles Manson, and three members of the Manson clan. - Sirhan Sirhan, the assassin of Robert F. Kennedy. - John Wayne Gacy, the serial killer that killed 33 people. - David Berkowitz, the “Son of Sam”. - James Earl Ray, assassin of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. - Ted Bundy - Unsuccessful assassins of Gerald Ford and George Wallace (Douglas & Olshaker, 1995). Captured In addition, Douglas’s profiles aided in numerous arrests of serial offenders, some of which include: - Wayne Williams, the .22 caliber killer. - Carlton Gary, the stalking strangler. - Robert Hanson, the Anchorage Alaska baker who would kidnap, hunt, then kill local prostitutes. These are just a few of the cases that John Douglas aided in throughout his twenty-five year career as a profiler with the Behavioral Science Unit, which he later renamed the Investigative Science Unit (Douglas & Olshaker, 1995). Contributions to Psychology Douglas and his colleagues outlined in an article that explained the goals of a serial offender in the September 1980 issue of the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin. They are as follows: - What leads a person to become a sexual offender and what are the early warning signals? - What serves to encourage or to inhibit the commission of his offense? - What types of responses or coping strategies, by an intended victim are successful with what type of sexual offender in avoiding victimization, and - What are the implications for his dangerousness, prognosis, disposition and mode of treatment (Douglas & Olshaker, 1995)? ...more

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Mindhunter (2 books)

Books by John E. Douglas

The Killer Across the Table: Unlocking the Secrets of Serial Killers and Predators with the FBI's Original Mindhunter

The Anatomy of Motive: The FBI's Legendary Mindhunter Explores the Key to Understanding and Catching Violent Criminals

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“Behavior reflects personality.” — 18 likes

“Behavior reflects personality. The best indicator of future violence is past violence. To understand the "artist," you must study his "art." The crime must be evaluated in its totality. There is no substitute for experience, and if you want to understand the criminal mind, you must go directly to the source and learn to decipher what he tells you. And, above all: Why + How = Who.” — 13 likes

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