Mindhunter : Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit

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Summary: From a Man Who Walks the Walk and Talks the Talk
Review: I was thoroughly impressed by this book, mostly because John Douglas does more than simply provide insider's information and gory details on his cases. He goes beyond this to share his philosophy of crime and punishment, which means that the book has a larger purpose, in that it helps readers decide how they want to attack the problem of violent crime in our society. To those who feel that the work reeks of "I, I, I."--most of Douglas's credibility comes from the fact that he bases his theories about crime and punishment on his experiences in the criminal justice system. In addition, he is in fact the "father" of criminal profiling--is he supposed to pretend that he hasn't committed his life to this battle?

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Summary: Frighteningly real look at the most dangerous killers
Review: This book tells the stories of some of the world's most horrifying serial killers. The only comfort in reading these gripping true stories is knowing that agents like the "Mindhunter" are working to stop the bad guys. This book not only presents the painful truth of what these killers have done, it also looks into their minds and the minds of those working to catch them, giving the reader a chilling look beyond what is covered in the headlines of such cases.

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Summary: Ego!
Review: Amazing look at the mind of serial criminals. But the biggest frustration is the constant use of "I", "I", "I..." John Douglas makes it seem like he was responsible for the creation of the world, Nixon's resignation and the end of the Cuban Missle Crisis. His narrative style is annoying, but filled with great insight. If he would show instead of telling and taking credit for all of it, it would be a much better book.

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Summary: Not all monsters are fictional.
Review: The power of the mind is truly awesome, and that fact is superbly demonstrated in this book. Mr Douglas and his team are a group of people, who for many years, have used brains and not brawn to capture criminals by delving into the minds of the evil creatures masquerading as humans, while fighting a constant battle to maintain their own sanity. He also feeds us with enough vital information about his most memorable cases to keep us interested, yet thankfully spares us the gruesome details of torture, rape, and murder, which would surely induce nightmares. John graphically illustrates to us the frightening reality that there are many wolves in sheep's clothing in this world, and acknowledges the sad fact that although he and his team are blessed with extraordinary powers of ESP, that even the most persistent hunters can be outnumbered by the most deadly kind of quarry - human predators. I strongly advise all prison psychiatrists and psychologists to read this book, as I feel it would give them greater insight into the types of individuals that they would recommend re-releasing back into society.

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Summary: READ THIS: VERY IMPORTANT!
Review: Mindhunter is an excelent story. BUT, if you want to read the exact same book without all the story-telling and B.S. read Whoever Fight's Monsters by Robert Ressler. If you read both books you may find out that someone takes credit for way too much! If you want a hint: John Douglas was Robert Ressler's understudy in the FBI's field of Criminal Profiling. Also you can thank Ressler for the phrase "Serial Killer", he coined it! It was also his idea to interview these killers. Don't get me wrong, Douglas was an important element, but his charismatic way of B.S.'ing makes him seem like he did everything all by himself, I just think he shouldn't steal the show from those who were as, if not more, important as he was. Anyway, great book!

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Summary: Interesting insight.
Review: Douglas states early on in the book that this book is not a how-to on profiling. Such a task would be far too complicated to ever put into a single book. What Douglas does give us, with enough detail to make things interesting, is a number of examples of how profiles are used, and how potent a weapon profiles can be against criminals. There is an ego issue; Mr. Douglas seems very proud of his achievements, but the real pride seems to be for all profilers, and how good they actually are. At times this attitude can be a little overbearing, but it's understandable. Those expecting a lot of esoteric and hitherto unrevealed knowledge about specific cases are sure to be disappointed, but all in all, this book is a very worthwhile overview of the discipline of profiling.

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Summary: Mind Hunter
Review: The book takes way too long to get into the specific details of how the FBI's elite, interesting unit investigates and solves crimes. Instead, the author uses the book as a means of illustrating how much of an expert he is and goes into boring details of his upbringing, with unnecessary stories of how atheltic and tough he is. Again, I felt that he used this book with the main priority to promote himself.

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Summary: captivating
Review: I am very interested in the criminology profetion. After reading this great book I know know so much more than i did before. I uses real events and explains what was going through the minds of the killer and how they were caught. I could never put it down.

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Summary: mindhunter
Review: Mind Hunter is a book that will open your eyes to a world most wish to forget is out there. when we tell ourselves there are no real monsters, we are making ourselves vulnerable to them. It forces you to think about your stand about what we should do with our current system of criminal justice in regards to these individuals. They prey on people due to their own need to control and destroy what makes them angry. It allows you to see into the years of research and sacrifice that was made to develope a way to get into the mindset of the serial killer. what motives them, who are the targets of their anger, what traits and characteristics do they usually have/share. I cried reading this book becuase it made me think about how I try to tell my children that their are no real monsters, just the ones that are in peoples hearts and souls. That they cannot understand what I mean by that. that to tell them about these people and what they have done to others is impossible at their age. I try everyday to teach them how to protect themselves from puttting themselves into danger, but the reality is that if they (the serial killers) want to get you bad enough they will wait for the moment when you cannot protect them or yourself. John Douglas gives so much of himself in this book. he tells you how he felt over the years of doing the work. He is very frank and gives some very insightful/honest opinions about his work and the individuals he dealt with. Please be sure to read the beginning of the book and learn something about John Douglas before thinking "when is he going to talk about the crimes?". This book is as much about him and the serial crime unit's early years, as it is about the crimes they have investigated/researched.

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Summary: FBI knows how to hunt
Review: After reading this book with great excitement, I understand that Sherlock Holmes is not a magician. And also there are several of him in FBI. The book begins as a breath taking novel, and you immediately get into criminal profiles with even disturbing crime scenes. Sometimes you are confused of dates of events, but in general you can feel like a crime specialist putting yourself into a serial killers' position. A great book for whom like pyscological investigations of criminals.