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Mindhunter : Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit
Mindhunter Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit
Author: John E. Douglas, Mark Olshaker
During his twenty-five year career with the Investigative Support Unit, Special Agent John Douglas became a legendary figure in law enforcement, pursuing some of the most notorious and sadistic serial killers of our time: the man who hunted prostitutes for sport in the woods of Alaska, the Atlanta child murderer, and Seattle's Green River kil...  more »
ISBN-13: 9780671528904
ISBN-10: 0671528904
Publication Date: 8/1/1996
Pages: 416
Rating:
  • Currently 3.7/5 Stars.
 153

3.7 stars, based on 153 ratings
Publisher: Pocket
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover, Audio CD
Members Wishing: 0
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

reviewed Mindhunter : Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit on
Helpful Score: 3
A very intriguing look inside the world of those who hunt serial killers. Many of the stories were familiar to me from the news, but this is the inside view of the story - the search for the "why" in these terrible acts. Very good book!
reviewed Mindhunter : Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit on + 36 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
AMAZON.COM REVIEW
Mindhunter enters the minds of some of the country's most notorious serial killers to tell the real-life story of the Investigative Support Unit (ISU) -- the FBI's special force that has assisted state and local police in cracking some of the country's most celebrated serial murder and rape cases. The unit specializes in understanding the chemistry and mechanical workings of the brain's of these serial criminals, and did its homework by interviewing such murderers as Charles Manson and David Berkowitz (the Son of Sam). John Douglas, who worked for the FBI for 25 years, is an authority on the unit, and his book combines the best of nonfiction with that of a murder mystery.
Lazeeladee avatar reviewed Mindhunter : Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit on + 87 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
This was a very good book! It takes you behind the scenes of some of the worst, most gruesome and frankly fascinating cases pursued by John Douglas, Special Agent with the FBI, and one of the leading pioneers in profiling.

On the back cover it says: As the model for Jack Crawford in The Silence of the Lambs, Douglas has confronted, interwiewed, and studied scores of serial killers and assassins, including Charles Manson, Ted Bundy, and Ed Gein, who dressed himself in his victims' peeled skin. Using his uncanny ability to become both predator and prey, Douglas examined each crime scene, reliving both the killer's and the victim's actions in his mind, creating their profiles, describing their habits, and predicting their next moves.
s actions in his ming, creating theur profi;ledds. describing their habits, and predicting their next moves.
CapeCodStacey avatar reviewed Mindhunter : Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit on + 60 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Great book! Really interesting - some graphic descriptions of crimes. The character Jack Crawford from Silence of the Lambs was based on John Douglas.
WMRod avatar reviewed Mindhunter : Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit on + 171 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Absolutely fascinating book! Well written and nearly impossible to put down, John Douglas describes how criminal profiling came to be, and how he helped catch several serial killers with his work inside the FBI's Serial Crime Unit. If you've ever watched "Criminal Minds" on TV (terrific series, and if you haven't seen it, you really should!), you've gotten a glimpse of what he does each and every day.
This book is not for the faint-of-heart, but I think it should be *Required Reading* for anyone who thinks there is no true evil in the world, or that if given enough therapy and "understanding," social psychotics will change their ways and be cured.
This book is an absolute keeper.
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Readnmachine avatar reviewed Mindhunter : Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit on + 1463 more book reviews
Straightforward memoir describing the development of the FBI's profiling unit, and describing some of the serial murder cases with which he was involved.
OhTQ avatar reviewed Mindhunter : Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit on
I never made it past 3/4 of the book - which says something in itself. I kept waiting for it to get better. Some of the cases were interesting but the author spent so much time patting himself on the back that it really grew tiresome. It seemed to be more about John Douglas than the profiling program.
reviewed Mindhunter : Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit on
I loved this book. It is a subject that I am very interested in and it is well written and easy to follow.
nightprose avatar reviewed Mindhunter : Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit on + 112 more book reviews
Upon retiring, Special Agent John Douglas was finally able to share his story. He is the elite pioneer of what we now know as criminal profiling. He is also the model for the chief male agent in the book and movie, Silence of the Lambs. In this book, Douglas takes us into the early days of the FBIs special unit for this highly specialized field.

Special Agent Douglas was involved in several notorious crimes, including John Wayne Gacy, the Tylenol poisoning case, the Atlanta Child Murders, and the Green River Killer. His profiling of the criminal mind was integral in solving these among other major crimes.

To hone his skills, Douglas studied and interviewed the likes of infamous serial killers Richard Speck, Charles Manson John Wayne Gacy and other serious offenders. This enabled him to understand the working of their mind, as well as what drove them to commit such heinous crimes.

A fascinating psychological read, this is also an excellent account of true criminal justice. Fans of the TV show Criminal Minds will certainly appreciate this compelling book.
reviewed Mindhunter : Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit on + 67 more book reviews
I am trying to read all of John Douglas' books. This one is so interesting how they started this whole unit. It has really helped find criminals.


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