Mindhunter : Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit

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Summary: Mindhunter-A geat tool for detectives everywhere
Review: Speaking as a Police Detective in a municipal police department in New Jersey, I was very impressed by John Douglas' book "Mindhunter." It brought me to another level of "police education." It not only broadened my way of viewing cases and suspects but it also encouraged me to further pursue information on criminal profiling and related material. Job well done by Mr Douglas. "Another arrow in the quiver!" E.V.

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Summary: great book
Review: an excellent documentary on a man who seeks justice by catching the most feared beings of all

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Summary: Inside the mind of the real-life Jack Crawford
Review: You're more likely to have seen Silence of the Lambs than Manhunter, though it's Manhunter that is closer to the life Douglas has lived. Douglas hasn't had the benefit of a beachfront house and designer suits from the creator of Miami Vice. He's done much, much more. Joining the FBI in the last days of the Hoover regime, he has been one of those responsible for dragging it out a role as America's secret police. By recognising the motivations of serial killers and developing the science of describing them to narrow the suspect pool and predict their behaviour, he has added offender profiling to the weapons available to law enforcement. The cases described in the book are harrowing - Douglas hides no detail that helps the reader understand the techniques he uses, and makes no bones about his preference for the death penalty in such cases. He has long inhabited a world that most of us hope never touches our lives or those of our loved ones. He has emerged out of it sane and with clear-headed proposals for making our world safer. The writing style is clear, helped by Mark Olshaker, author of four crime novels. The book is already available in the UK in softcover.

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Summary: Good, but not the best.
Review: Although I enjoyed this book for the cases that John Douglas has worked on, I can't help but compare it to Robert Ressler's Whoever Fights Monsters. Monsters was better written, and ultimately more interesting. If you can only buy one, buy Monsters, but buy both if you want the whole story of the FBI's profiling unit!

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Summary: Overrated and VERY disappointing
Review: From the reviews I'd read about this book, this was a must read. After chapter 4, when he still hadn't mentioned anything of significance but his life growing up, I had to REALLY struggle not to close the book and either send it back or put it in a garage sale and charge nothing for it. He gave insight but not to the degree of what I had been led to believe and was expecting. All references were just that, made into a paragraph or two and then back to his own life. I am not impressed. I get more info from a newspaper article thank you

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Summary: What profiling really means.
Review: Although the authors occasionally jump on the soap box, this book truly shows the inside workings of one of the most interesting and least understood functions of the FBI. Mr. Douglas, one of the founders of the "profilers" unit, traces the origins of this unit interwoven with actual case profiles. A must read for true crime buffs as well as interesting to the general readership.

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Summary: Loved it - very interesting
Review: Thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was extremely interesting, if a little unnerving at times, but always fascinating. There seem to be so many creepy people out there, but as the author says there needs to be more prevention of crime rather than detection after the event, although obviously this is not always easy or possible. Still a great book. I would highyl recommend i

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Summary: I WISH I HADN'T READ IT!!!
Review: This book became a parody to me. I have not been so scared since I was a child, yet I couldn't put it down. Unfortunately, this is rigid confirmation that truth is stranger than fiction. This makes Silence of the Lambs look positively upbeat. It is a wonder that J.Douglas can function in society with the horrors he has seen. This is a must for those who query the mind mechanics of so-called human beings. Read it and feel vulnerable

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Summary: Vicious Circle
Review: I have always had an eerie fascination with the macabre that others find a bit, well, unsettling. So, when I happened across this book I was naturally intrigued. While it was interesting reading about the various crimes and killers, I found Douglas' rehashing of the profiling process to be tiresome and somewhat predictable. Each case had its variations and eccentricities to be sure, but it wasn't enough to distract me from the never-varying, formulaic approach to profiling. I'm not discrediting or simplifying Douglas' work at all. Don't get me wrong, he's a brilliant man who helped develop one of the most important and sophisticated crime-fighting/solving techniques we have. It's just that I found he didn't really have anything fresh to say or reveal after a few case examples. In short, if you're looking for over-the-top true-crime gore and nasty little details look elsewhere. If it's the subtle nuances of police work and crime scene analysis you're after you won't be let down. A guarded recommendation

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Summary: Superb!
Review: A truly good book. This one will keep you up late at night