I Know You Are Lying: Detecting Deception Through Statement Analysis

by Mark McClish

Statement Analysis® is the process of analyzing a persons words to see if the person is being truthful or deceptive. There are usually several ways you can phrase a statement. People will word their statement based on all their knowledge. Therefore, their statement may include information they did not intend to share.  I Know You Are Lying  will show you what to look for in a verbal and written statement to determine if a person is telling the truth. The Statement Analysis techniques will also show you how to obtain additional information from a statement.

Also included is an analysis of eight high profile cases. An examination of these cases will help you review the Statement Analysis techniques, and it will show you who is being truthful and who is being deceptive in the following

- The Oklahoma City Bombing
- The O.J. Simpson Murder Trial
- Sexual Molestation Allegations Against Michael Jackson
- The Assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
- The Lindbergh Kidnapping and the Trial of Bruno Richard Hauptmann
- President Clinton and Monica Lewinsky Scandal
- The Murder of Marylin Sheppard
- The JonBenet Ramsey Murder

Whether you are conducting an interview or listening to a conversation, when you use the Statement Analysis techniques you will be able to determine who is being truthful and who is being deceptive.

Genres: Nonfiction, Psychology, Science, Linguistics

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[April Polubiec · Rating 1 out of 5]

While I’m sure Mark McClish is good at detecting deception, I have a hard time taking this book seriously. McClish claims to have done 9 years of “research” on deception & statement analysis, yet not once does he cite a single experiment, study, or statistical analysis to support his claims. It makes me wonder what his “internal dictionary” defines “research” as.

Instead, the entire book provides cherry-picked examples to support his claims. You can’t just take the statement of somebody who you already know was lying and then say “see look, he did the thing!” How do we know that’s an indication of lying or just a way that some people talk under pressure? He constantly says “an innocent person would’ve said ________”. How do you know that? He almost never shows an example of a truthful statement, just hypothesizes what somebody ~would~ have said if they were innocent. From time to time, he will briefly mention that you need to take a holistic approach, look at all the clues, probe some more and determine from there, but far too often he states “therefore, they are lying!”.

I’m not saying that his assertions are false, I’m sure there is validity to a lot of these ideas, but we can’t assume that without seeing statistical proof. These are some great ideas to think about and I’m sure linguists have taken some of these and done some solid research which I look forward to reading.

[Nate · Rating 1 out of 5]

There are ideas an concepts contained that are useful to think about in terms of interview skills and analysis of statements made by individuals to determine if they are lying. However, in many of the case studies McClish uses, the arguments and rational behind his justification for why a person is lying or why they are not saying everything is not based in solid evidence and research but his own views of how people should or shouldn't act and what they would or wouldn't say in a given situation. I think the fact that there isn't a solid scientific basis for his analysis and justifications make me skeptical of a lot of what he says and so I take broad ideas as being useful but by no means as beneficial as he claims.

[Jessica Munro · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could not put this book down. It is a must read for true crime buffs everywhere. Mark McClish is a genius!

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Statement Analysis is one of my favorite things to learn about and Mark McClish makes it very easy to follow in this book. I enjoyed the detailed breakdowns of the famous cases and now have a better understanding of how to spot deception.

[Michael Dundas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book as an introduction into statement analysis. I have found statement analysis to compliment my skill of understanding human behaviour. Especially at work where conference calls are now the norm, statement analysis is a great skill to help you navigate and understand people's desires and intentions.

[Glen · Rating 4 out of 5]

People like to tell the truth and avoid lying whenever possible. This book teaches methods of listening to what people are actually telling you rather than what they want you to believe. A must-read for anyone into learning about what makes people "tick."

[Warren · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first half of the book does a good job explaining active listening and the various mistakes that trip up liars. The second half of the book is the author showing examples of lying using famous cases. It seemed too easy to sit back and analyze these cases

[Becs Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having taken the course with Mark, I think this book is an invaluable backup for case study references. I think the processes taught can be misunderstood by some as an exact science when it is merely a detection point of where to further question.

[Heidi Scott · Rating 1 out of 5]

Uber-lame. There's a reason some people don't like cops. Oversimplification, superficiality, sexism, for starters.
No real reason to read tis book.

[Elvis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was very surprised of how good this book is. Even trough it is publsihed in 2001 and does not contain any research studies whatsoever, it still fits with the today's research / narrative of deception detection.

What I find more intriguing is that the author goes out of his way to conduct his own investigations of popular cases (based on his premised about detecting deception). He even touches on cases where people were proven not guilty (which nobody does, hence, it is easy to write about deception detection when you know for a fact that it did happen).

It is the best book written about deception detection and statement analysis by far, and you clearly see that the author has put much more effort than others who write similar books.

[Marie K · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, and am able to utilize the information learned. It is easily written and a pleasant, quick read. I have worked in the emergency room for years and after reading this book, can easily distinguish deception. I agree with Mark McClish, people don't lie but instead they deceive. Shreds of truth are often among the lies.

[Staci · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots to think about

I was surprised how much I learned about how to think like a detective. I'm a middle aged accountant so probably not his primary audience.

[Karan · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the most part he makes the cases he picks apart.

[Kimberly Tilley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book. McLish does a great job laying out various principles and then applying them to different high-profile cases. Very insightful and practical!

[Michael Blake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn't put the case studies down!

[gerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting

Another book to detect potential deception, just remember some people are just uncomfortable when they talk with someone, body language isn't a telltale sign of lying

[Wendi Bobby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always say, "Everyone lies." In law and law enforcement this is a sad fact. However, a colleague said, "Really, everyone wants to tell the truth," and gave me this book. He's a seasoned law enforcement officer, and I recommend this book for anyone that deals with interrogation or interviewing (civil, criminal, journalism, investigation). It's fascinating for anyone who wants a little insight on human nature. People do love to tell the truth, they love to confess. They don't always want to give it all away or get in trouble, but they are telling truth if you listen closely. It can be a little simplistic in parts because people do have different speech patterns even when being honest, but it's still very insightful

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book #29 of the year.

HOLY CRAP this book is amazing! How's that for a review? I knew before reading this book that I wanted to get into Statement Analysis, this book only reaffirmed my desire to pursue this career path.

[Eleanor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fascinating!

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

great read! very informative and interesting case analysis. very happy I have it available while working in law enforcement.

[May Ling · Rating 3 out of 5]

It had a lot of great information. Then it went into gross details on examples. That part is less well-written.

Hard to give it less than 3 stars. Good info and reasonably well written. I would recommend it as a book if you are interested in the topic.