“To understand the “artist”, you must study his “art”.”
People are obsessed with all things related to dangerous criminals. They want to know what, why, and how these people came from seemingly normal lives and became the sick and twisted individuals that commit murder, rape, and other acts of violence against others. In Mindhunter, John Douglas and Mark Oshaker reveal how they profile some of the world’s most notorious criminals and how the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit came to be. This book first came on my radar because of the Netflix series Mindhunter. Usually, I would argue that it’s better to read the book first before the on screen adaptation, but in this case, both the TV series and book were equally captivating and informative in their own ways. The Green River Killer, Atlanta child murderer, Charles Manson, Ed Gein, and Ted Bundy were all subjects of Douglas’s interviews in order to understand the behavioral aspects of criminals and the crimes they commit. A profile was created with the UNSUB’s (Unknown Subject) possible age, race, job, relationship status, and personality type just based on evidence gathered from victims and crime scene evidence. I think that the concept of criminal profiling as a whole has made a huge impact on the criminal justice system and how organizations like the FBI are able to determine the motive, plot the future moves, and hopefully catch the UNSUB before they strike again.
Yes, Ted Bundy is an interesting serial killer to learn about, perhaps, but there are so many criminals and victims that are forgotten about easily and this book shows all the sick and twisted individuals that don’t get all the glamour of Hollywood shone on them. It’s important to remember these criminals because it shows all kinds of evil that humankind was and is capable of.
I just recently started getting more into the genre of true crime and I would strongly recommend this book for anyone who wants to take a dive into the mind of serial criminals. However, beware some graphic details regarding murder and other violent crimes! This book is a fast page turner and Douglas’s and Olshaker’s writing style flows smoothly throughout all the cases mentioned.
John Douglas himself, though seemingly arrogant at times, created an essential part of the FBI that is still extremely useful today and revolutionized the whole organization of the FBI. His 25 year long career has helped solve many cases that still might have been unsolved to this day. He and the Behavioral Science Unit managed to become both the hunter and the hunted in order to decipher the mindset of some of the world’s most notorious criminals.
“To understand the “artist”, you must study his “art”.”
People are obsessed with all things related to dangerous criminals. They want to know what, why, and how these people came from seemingly normal lives and became the sick and twisted individuals that commit murder, rape, and other acts of violence against others. In Mindhunter, John Douglas and Mark Oshaker reveal how they profile some of the world’s most notorious criminals and how the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit came to be.
This book first came on my radar because of the Netflix series Mindhunter. Usually, I would argue that it’s better to read the book first before the on screen adaptation, but in this case, both the TV series and book were equally captivating and informative in their own ways. The Green River Killer, Atlanta child murderer, Charles Manson, Ed Gein, and Ted Bundy were all subjects of Douglas’s interviews in order to understand the behavioral aspects of criminals and the crimes they commit. A profile was created with the UNSUB’s (Unknown Subject) possible age, race, job, relationship status, and personality type just based on evidence gathered from victims and crime scene evidence. I think that the concept of criminal profiling as a whole has made a huge impact on the criminal justice system and how organizations like the FBI are able to determine the motive, plot the future moves, and hopefully catch the UNSUB before they strike again.
Yes, Ted Bundy is an interesting serial killer to learn about, perhaps, but there are so many criminals and victims that are forgotten about easily and this book shows all the sick and twisted individuals that don’t get all the glamour of Hollywood shone on them. It’s important to remember these criminals because it shows all kinds of evil that humankind was and is capable of.
I just recently started getting more into the genre of true crime and I would strongly recommend this book for anyone who wants to take a dive into the mind of serial criminals. However, beware some graphic details regarding murder and other violent crimes! This book is a fast page turner and Douglas’s and Olshaker’s writing style flows smoothly throughout all the cases mentioned.
John Douglas himself, though seemingly arrogant at times, created an essential part of the FBI that is still extremely useful today and revolutionized the whole organization of the FBI. His 25 year long career has helped solve many cases that still might have been unsolved to this day. He and the Behavioral Science Unit managed to become both the hunter and the hunted in order to decipher the mindset of some of the world’s most notorious criminals.