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Broken Wings
An electrifying novel of intrigue, Broken Wings moves beyond the authors' New York Times best-selling nonfiction—and takes readers along on a furious psychological duel between the nation's top profiler and a ruthless criminal mastermind.
The director of the FBI is dead. Officially it's being called suicide; unofficially, it's a murder. On the first morning of his retirement as head of the FBI's Behavioral Science Profiling Unit, Jake Donovan is summoned back to Quantico—and into the most dangerous, volatile, and politically charged case of his career.
After suffering a brutal attack from assailants who may have been linked to the director's death, Jake enlists an elite team of "broken wings"—damaged-goods agents like himself who have been frozen out of the FBI. Equipped with a state-of-the-art airplane that serves as a mobile lab and headquarters, this secretly funded rogue squad of expert mindhunters is going to do what the Bureau can't or won't: follow the trail of evidence, no matter where it leads, no matter whom it implicates.
The director of the FBI is dead. Officially it's being called suicide; unofficially, it's a murder. On the first morning of his retirement as head of the FBI's Behavioral Science Profiling Unit, Jake Donovan is summoned back to Quantico—and into the most dangerous, volatile, and politically charged case of his career.
After suffering a brutal attack from assailants who may have been linked to the director's death, Jake enlists an elite team of "broken wings"—damaged-goods agents like himself who have been frozen out of the FBI. Equipped with a state-of-the-art airplane that serves as a mobile lab and headquarters, this secretly funded rogue squad of expert mindhunters is going to do what the Bureau can't or won't: follow the trail of evidence, no matter where it leads, no matter whom it implicates.
384 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
5 people are currently reading
883 people want to read
About the author
John E. Douglas
33 books2,927 followersJohn 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)?
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)?
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
December 28, 2008
An FBI thriller about, uh, FBI thriller things. The Director is murdered and there’s internal politics and a survivalist militia group and an international crime syndicate. You know.
Okay, just so we’re all clear. John Douglas is one of the authors of this book. He is also one of the founders of the FBI’s Behavioral Sciences Unit, and a groundbreaking profiler. He’s arrogant, self-righteous, and extraordinarily talented almost enough to justify both. He’s a legend in the field and to those of us who follow it closely. He once landed himself in a coma while tracking the Green River murderer due to viral encephalitis. (He’s also, incidentally, a strong influence on the creation of Criminal Minds’s Jason Gideon, whom I must confess to liking much more than his progenitor).
Jake Donovan is the protagonist of this book. He is also one of the founders of the FBI’s Behavioral Sciences Unit, and a groundbreaking profiler. He’s arrogant, self-righteous, and extraordinarily talented almost enough to justify both. He once landed himself in a coma while tracking the Black Diamond murderer due to viral encephalitis.
Got that? I know it’s hard to keep these things straight.
Anyway. This is a mildly amusing thriller, as thrillers go, with predictably hairpin plot twists, a boy’s wet dream sort of romance, and a hilarious movie cliché climax (cat on a plane! No, really!). I only read this book for Donovan's Douglas’s occasional digressions into past cases and profiles, and if you’re as interested in criminal behavior as I am, you’re much better off reading his nonfiction.
Okay, just so we’re all clear. John Douglas is one of the authors of this book. He is also one of the founders of the FBI’s Behavioral Sciences Unit, and a groundbreaking profiler. He’s arrogant, self-righteous, and extraordinarily talented almost enough to justify both. He’s a legend in the field and to those of us who follow it closely. He once landed himself in a coma while tracking the Green River murderer due to viral encephalitis. (He’s also, incidentally, a strong influence on the creation of Criminal Minds’s Jason Gideon, whom I must confess to liking much more than his progenitor).
Jake Donovan is the protagonist of this book. He is also one of the founders of the FBI’s Behavioral Sciences Unit, and a groundbreaking profiler. He’s arrogant, self-righteous, and extraordinarily talented almost enough to justify both. He once landed himself in a coma while tracking the Black Diamond murderer due to viral encephalitis.
Got that? I know it’s hard to keep these things straight.
Anyway. This is a mildly amusing thriller, as thrillers go, with predictably hairpin plot twists, a boy’s wet dream sort of romance, and a hilarious movie cliché climax (cat on a plane! No, really!). I only read this book for Donovan's Douglas’s occasional digressions into past cases and profiles, and if you’re as interested in criminal behavior as I am, you’re much better off reading his nonfiction.
March 9, 2020
Μια κλασική αμερικάνικη ιστορία με το FBI και όλα τα σχετικά,που διαβάστηκε εύκολα μεν,κάτι με "δυσαρέστησε" δε.Η αφήγηση ήταν λίγο παιδιάστικη,ας το πούμε έτσι,και επίπεδη,και μάλλον από εκεί ξεκίνησε να χαλάει αυτή η σχέση.Κάποιες στιγμές,μου έδωσε την εντύπωση ότι ένας "παροπλισμένος" Μπρους Γουίλις αφηγείται στιγμές από τα γυρίσματα του Die hard,πίνοντας τσαγάκι μπροστά από το τζάκι,μια κρύα χειμωνιάτικη νύχτα!😂
2⭐
2⭐
October 29, 2013
I believe if I could I would have rated this a 2.5 or 2.75. This is my second book by these authors, I believe they do a much better job at nonfiction then fiction. Great concept just seemed predictable, and very few grab your attention.
December 4, 2008
Anyone who is interested in criminal profiling knows who John Douglas is. And Mark Olshaker is the author who pulls Douglas’s stories together. But did you know they collaborated on a novel in 1999?
I read Mindhunter (1995) and couldn’t get enough. Then I read Journey Into Darkness (1997), and still was pretty impressed. Then came Obsession (1998) and Anatomy of a Motive (1999). I started thinking, gee, John Douglas had all these adventures in the FBI, but he seems to be telling the same stories over and over again. (Not to mention tooting his rather loud horn…) So when I saw Broken Wings, a novel by the two, I figured I’d read a new story. And granted, it is new, sorta. And sorta not.
If you’ve read any of the nonfiction books, you’ll know that Douglas spent some time in a coma. Hmmm, the lead character in Broken Wings, Jake Donovan was near-death in a hotel room once, earlier in his FBI career, too.
I have to point out here, before I go further, that Mark Olshaker’s author’s note at the beginning of the book says:
I want to stress that except when real names are used, all characters in this novel are completely fictitious and are not based on anyone.
That said, I want to point out that not only is Jake Donovan obviously based on Douglas, some of the cases Donovan worked on were awfully familiar to cased Douglas worked on in his books. Don’t get me wrong; I’ve enjoyed Douglas’s book for the most part.
And I don’t want to say that the novel was bad, because if you haven’t read any John Douglas, it’s pretty good, really. I like the main character, who is forced into retirement from the FBI and serendipitously falls into the hands of a philanthropic widow who offers to fund a private enterprise for him. Neat. There’s something for everyone in this novel: militia groups, suicides, forensics work, organized crime…
And the plotting is really smooth — I would have really enjoyed this book if I hadn’t had that other stuff jumping out at me all the time.
What stuff? Well, let me tell you. How about a partial list?
Donovan is called the Mindhunter. Boy, that’s subtle.
Jake Donovan is in the center of a picture that includes “some of the real legends of the unit before they had retired or moved on to other positions—people such as Jim Wright, Jud Ray, Roy Hazelwood, Jana Monroe, Greg Cooper, Gregg McCrary, Bill Hagmaier, and Steve Mardigan.” What? No John Douglas?!
Nosing around the home of the director of the FBI, Donovan finds a copy of a book called Journey Into Darkness.
Donovan interviewed killers and rapists in prison to develop the current profiling system. He taught profiling classes at Quantico, appeared on numerous television shows, and did a post-offense analysis of James Huberty, the shooter in the 1984 McDonald’s killing spree in San Ysidro, California.
You get the idea.
And there are a few spots the copy editor missed.
I would recommend this novel to someone who has read maybe one of the nonfiction books. For those who have already indulged in the series, maybe it will amuse you to look for the familiar stuff. I just found it annoying and distracting.
By the way, Mark Olshaker has writen four novels on his own. I recently read Unnatural Causes (1986) and wasn’t very impressed. In fact, I haven’t had the inclination to start Einstein’s Brain (1981) because Causes was so cheesy.
But hey, that’s just my opinion…
I read Mindhunter (1995) and couldn’t get enough. Then I read Journey Into Darkness (1997), and still was pretty impressed. Then came Obsession (1998) and Anatomy of a Motive (1999). I started thinking, gee, John Douglas had all these adventures in the FBI, but he seems to be telling the same stories over and over again. (Not to mention tooting his rather loud horn…) So when I saw Broken Wings, a novel by the two, I figured I’d read a new story. And granted, it is new, sorta. And sorta not.
If you’ve read any of the nonfiction books, you’ll know that Douglas spent some time in a coma. Hmmm, the lead character in Broken Wings, Jake Donovan was near-death in a hotel room once, earlier in his FBI career, too.
I have to point out here, before I go further, that Mark Olshaker’s author’s note at the beginning of the book says:
I want to stress that except when real names are used, all characters in this novel are completely fictitious and are not based on anyone.
That said, I want to point out that not only is Jake Donovan obviously based on Douglas, some of the cases Donovan worked on were awfully familiar to cased Douglas worked on in his books. Don’t get me wrong; I’ve enjoyed Douglas’s book for the most part.
And I don’t want to say that the novel was bad, because if you haven’t read any John Douglas, it’s pretty good, really. I like the main character, who is forced into retirement from the FBI and serendipitously falls into the hands of a philanthropic widow who offers to fund a private enterprise for him. Neat. There’s something for everyone in this novel: militia groups, suicides, forensics work, organized crime…
And the plotting is really smooth — I would have really enjoyed this book if I hadn’t had that other stuff jumping out at me all the time.
What stuff? Well, let me tell you. How about a partial list?
Donovan is called the Mindhunter. Boy, that’s subtle.
Jake Donovan is in the center of a picture that includes “some of the real legends of the unit before they had retired or moved on to other positions—people such as Jim Wright, Jud Ray, Roy Hazelwood, Jana Monroe, Greg Cooper, Gregg McCrary, Bill Hagmaier, and Steve Mardigan.” What? No John Douglas?!
Nosing around the home of the director of the FBI, Donovan finds a copy of a book called Journey Into Darkness.
Donovan interviewed killers and rapists in prison to develop the current profiling system. He taught profiling classes at Quantico, appeared on numerous television shows, and did a post-offense analysis of James Huberty, the shooter in the 1984 McDonald’s killing spree in San Ysidro, California.
You get the idea.
And there are a few spots the copy editor missed.
I would recommend this novel to someone who has read maybe one of the nonfiction books. For those who have already indulged in the series, maybe it will amuse you to look for the familiar stuff. I just found it annoying and distracting.
By the way, Mark Olshaker has writen four novels on his own. I recently read Unnatural Causes (1986) and wasn’t very impressed. In fact, I haven’t had the inclination to start Einstein’s Brain (1981) because Causes was so cheesy.
But hey, that’s just my opinion…
March 4, 2017
This book was in a box of thrillers given to me to pass on to my father-in-law and I pulled it out for myself. It was published in 1999, but didn't seem out-of-date. It was better than I expected, a decent mystery, interesting facts about profiling and cases.
October 27, 2013
Note to self: just because you like someone's non-fiction doesn't mean their fiction will be worth the three hours it takes to read a book like this...
November 16, 2013
Stick with the non-fiction. Douglas is not much of a writer. The non-fiction is enough to interest the reader, but the fiction is pretty awful.
April 7, 2024
This being the second to last book I need to read to have read all of the authors books I have to say, this was a bit disappointing. Throughout the book it felt very obvious, and it definitely didn’t drag me in like many of the other books they have written. Mindhunters by far is still the best written and approached one. This one is okay, but just that. Okay.
July 19, 2019
This book was okay. The authors are fascinating men with a fascinating job. This book, which they wrote together is good, but it seems stiff to me. The tools of the authors trade are interesting and fit in well with the story; but the writing seems flat.
January 6, 2019
I loved this book. I didn't want to put it down towards the end. whoever is into mysteries and intrigue would enjoy this book.
August 11, 2019
The story was good, but unfortunately, I couldn’t stand the narrator.
July 12, 2024
This was ok, but was fairly cliche and predictable. Douglas is better at nonfiction.
July 28, 2025
Okay, but do agents really get it on?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 12, 2024
The writer has a big ego and speaks highly about himself. This is entertaining and a good introduction but always stay on the surface.
November 5, 2013
This was OK. I found some parts ridiculously far -fetched but not bad overall.
Jake Donovan is an FBI profiler, after a botched raid which wasn't exactly his fault, he gets retired by the Director. Director then commits suicide - or did he?
A rich woman provides financial backing and equipment for a private specialist team, lead by Donovan to investigate the death and various other things -
Donovan's Flying Squad is awfully like The A-Team even down to one member having a fear of flying. Except they have a plane, not a cool van. And the FBI team of renegades have a cat that lives on said plane, named J.Edgar...Jake Donovan apparently runs a vintage Aston Martin and A Land Rover and two houses from 'media work', that's a lot of media money for somebody who doesn't appear to do any media...
Like I said, I found some bits a bit far fetched... (particularly the exhumation and body-snatching episode) but eventually they get the bad guy.
Jake Donovan is an FBI profiler, after a botched raid which wasn't exactly his fault, he gets retired by the Director. Director then commits suicide - or did he?
A rich woman provides financial backing and equipment for a private specialist team, lead by Donovan to investigate the death and various other things -
Donovan's Flying Squad is awfully like The A-Team even down to one member having a fear of flying. Except they have a plane, not a cool van. And the FBI team of renegades have a cat that lives on said plane, named J.Edgar...Jake Donovan apparently runs a vintage Aston Martin and A Land Rover and two houses from 'media work', that's a lot of media money for somebody who doesn't appear to do any media...
Like I said, I found some bits a bit far fetched... (particularly the exhumation and body-snatching episode) but eventually they get the bad guy.
April 24, 2015
Exciting thriller about an FBI profiler, Jake Donovan written by an actual profiler. Jake is the head of the profiler department until an incident involving a militia group puts him at odds with the FBI Director. Jake is fired, but the first day of retirement, he's called in to help investigate the FBI Director's apparent suicide.
The novel has a lot of action and delves into the world of profiling daily realistically, I'm assuming. My only issue is -- SPOILER ALERT -- even though it comes out in Jake's investigation that it wasn't a suicide from blackmail but a staged murder, that doesn't explain why the authors decided to have a Prologue showing the FBI Director contemplating a suicide he never contemplated. I'm not of fan of deliberate misdirection like that.
But overall, the rest of the book makes up for it.
The novel has a lot of action and delves into the world of profiling daily realistically, I'm assuming. My only issue is -- SPOILER ALERT -- even though it comes out in Jake's investigation that it wasn't a suicide from blackmail but a staged murder, that doesn't explain why the authors decided to have a Prologue showing the FBI Director contemplating a suicide he never contemplated. I'm not of fan of deliberate misdirection like that.
But overall, the rest of the book makes up for it.
October 31, 2015
Knowing who John Douglas is and having read some of the nonfiction he and Mark Olshaker have written, I knew how this fiction piece was going to read. I love their nonfiction and this book is a good first effort to take what John Douglas has seen and write a novel. It is an easy, fun, predictable read. This is not a book you can go into and expect something magical from. It is a fun retired FBI---let's get the bad guys story. I can't wait to read the other fiction they've written with these characters.
February 26, 2012
Another psycological duel but the last half is pretty good. The FBI director is dead supposedly a suicide. Jake Donovan retires (forced) but is secretly equipped with a plane, lab & headquarters and puts together a team of "broken wings" (damaged-goods agents like himself who have been frozen out of the FBI)to follow the trail as to why and how he was killed.
June 4, 2012
It was... OK. There were a couple parts where I might consider the book a "page-turner" but not enough to make it worthy of a re-read or to encourage others to read this book. I typically love books by John Douglas but this was my first time reading a fiction novel by him. I think I'll stick with his non-fiction books.
December 10, 2013
Not a bad first novel for Douglas. Obviously a wish fulfillment novel as the protagonist is a thinly veiled Douglas himself. And an obvious series opener. The plot was interesting and the writing good, but not great. I'll try the second (and only other) book in the series.
November 23, 2014
Jake Donovan is in forced retirement from The FBI's Profiling unit. In California a man is dead in bed, an apparent suicide. Davenport is recalled from retirement and sent to California to investigate in what will turn out to be his most dangerous case.
January 17, 2009
had to read it since i had read most of his nonfiction. it was fun.
August 11, 2009
A good FBI procedural,especially criminal profiling.
February 16, 2011
Good reading. Kept wanting to turn the page and keep reading.
March 26, 2013
I actually loved this book. I love the tough guy with the bag full of weapons and the idea of a modern day superhero team coming together to solve crimes.
June 2, 2015
Engrossing. Some bad language and behavior [even from the "heroes"]. Aside from that excellent! Gives insight into many aspects of crime fighting.
November 10, 2008
A lil different from what I'm used to, but enjoyed totally!
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews