Mind Hunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit

This is Douglas' original book about becoming an FBI profiler; he was the basis for Scott Glenn's character in The Silence of the Lambs and the inspiration for the name-changed main character in Netflix's Mindhunter series. Per Douglas' memoir, he was interested in the psychology of people from his teens, and was studying industrial psychology when he was recruited by the FBI; one of a group of men (no women FBI agents back then, per J. Edgar Hoover) who pioneered the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit (the BAU portrayed in the series CRIMINAL MINDS), the people who examine the evidence, try to figure out the motives, and finally draw conclusions about the perpetrator of a crime.

The first part of the book discusses Douglas's life and the early portion of his career, where he discusses some of the criminals he interviewed to develop a systematic approach to profiling, like Ed Kemper, an otherwise affable man who murdered young women as well as his own mother; Charles Manson, who needed to be in control of his followers; and rapist and murderer Richard Speck. The second half of the book talks about the cases he worked on with the BAU and how they reached the conclusions they did about the suspects and how they went about assisting the local police in finding the perpetrators. Several times, as he reluctantly relates, no justice could be found.

This is my third Douglas book prompted by watching LAW & ORDER: CRIMINAL INTENT. Not pleasant reading, by any means, but interesting to know how real profilers work.

Well, I must be honest. I loved the book. I like the field of criminal profiling and think it deserves the attention. However, Douglas' books aren't really objectice science. They aren't really even psychology. Keep in mind that Douglas is an ex FBI agent, not a forensic psychologist. He probably has a rudimentary understanding, at best, of psychological principles. I'm not saying that's necessarily a bad thing, just know that he will look a a crime scene and give a very different "profile" of the killer than a forensic psychologist. Actually, I don't think forensic psychologists even examine crime scenes, the interview suspects and victims to gather evidence. So don't take anything in this book as law. Just because Douglas has the "Crime Classification Manual" doesn't make it scientific. Treat this book, and his others, for what they are, more of a biographical memoir of his days assisting in the investigations of serial murder, rape, child murder etc. And yes, he does like to take a lot of credit, but he also makes it clear in several of his cases how well the police and local authorities did their job and how the killer was brought to justice with "good, old-fashioned police work". He may have a bit of an ego, but he also has a great deal of insight and experience (from a law-enforcement perspective). Although his experience doesn't necessarily shed new light on the actually motives and psychology of serial murders and the like. An interesting and terrifying read? Yes. Objective behavioral science? NO.

I found this book deeply disturbing, terrifying, yet enlightening from the father of Profiling serial killers. Its amazing why these individuals kill people ...the psychological profiling, history, back ground and up bringing of some of these killers are astounding. Be ready for a tight stomach and the realistic idea that serial killers, about 100 of them are active in every part of the United States, some killing for years until they are caught, died, or were arrested. If you think this job has no effect on the strongest of men...after this read, you'll think again...

Received "Mindhunter" hardback copy listed as "brand new," but upon receipt found the spine cracked, and the pages at that point torn and separated from the spine. Not what I was looking for in a Christmas gift for my sister. Too late to replace it now. Needless to say I'm extremely disappointed in your product and won't be using your services again. Amazon is starting to go down hill lots. It is now like the new ebay it's getting that bad.

Mindhunter seemed promising at first, but in the end left much to be desired. The recounting of numerous cases was interesting, but where are the mechanics of the investigation? How were the profiles developed? John Douglas promises a look inside the "elite serial crime unit", but makes you look with one eye closed. He seems to be interested mainly in promoting himself, rather than the profiling science he claims to have developed. And how about failures? Are we to believe that John Douglas always gets his man? Show us some cases where the profile was drastically wrong. Show us what you learned from that. The first step in learning from a mistake is admitting that you made one in the first place. Don't just give us the profiles of past criminals, show us how you came up with it. This is an incredibly fascinating field, and John doesn't seem to be too interested in teaching even the basics of it to the average reader. And especially after he complains in the end of the book about not being able to stop the criminals until it's too late, you would think he would have an interest in educating the public about recognizing certain signs that could indicate a tendency toward future violent behavior. Unfortunately, after reading this book, I have no more useful knowledge than I did before I read it.

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.

This book was one of several that I ordered for someone who expressed interest in the topic.This book provides insight into the psyches of criminals presented in a fascinating way. The seller provided an accurate description of the condition of the book and sent the item way before its promised delivery date. Price was great. Thank you. It was a pleasure to deal with this seller.

I don’t consider a book to be “very good” when it contains underscoring and highlighting

Buy this book!
If you have any interest in criminology, or in the earliest foundations of the Behavioral Sciences Unit at the FBI,
or in the psychoses of serial murderers, this book is fascinating

Great read--informative and honest. I like the auto-biographical details--shows how you can never predict--the youngster of today, seemingly a poor performer, may quite easily turn around suddenly and get a PhD as this author did.