Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit

Meh

I read this book. It had some interesting information in it. I like the book but it seems that the author John Douglas likes to take credit for a lot of things that Robert Ressler did before him. The Author comes across as certifiably narcissistic.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

If you like True Crime books, this is one of the best

The author is retired from Criminal Profiling at Quantico. He talks about his psychology and socialogy background is, discusses several past cases and how the profile was created.

The author

John douglas and the guys from quantico are my favorite authors. Interesting and fasinating!

If you are interested in serial crime, this is a must have

At the end of this book you come away feeling as though you have been through a lot of this with Mr. Douglas, and you have a strong since of who Mr. Douglas and his team are.

If at some point you are not disturbed by this book there is something wrong. You find yourself feeling for, and with, John throughout the book. To start you find yourself in the middle of something that had to leave him shaken and worried. Then you have to follow the hard work (mentally and physically) that John had to go through to hone his craft. He truly proves to be one of the best ever in the business.

This is the first of John Douglas' books that I have read and I can't wait to dive in to the next one I can put my hands on.

If you have interest in true crime, serial killers, violent crime, or the hard work and stress that profilers have to go through, make sure you have this book, and when you are done keep it for reference. This book is fully indexed so it is easy to find what you are looking for.

For either the veteran true crime enthusiast or your first look into the dark underbelly of human race, make sure to pick up this book.

So Interesting

Being a criminology major, loving true crime and interested in the mind of serial killers, this was a great read. I've heard of John Douglas in regards to his association with big profile serial killer cases but never really felt that I "got to know him" more.
Not only did you get to "get to know" John Douglas but you get to see more of how the FBI's elite serial crime unit grew into what it is today!

Not bad...

I liked the flow of the book and wished for more analytical and statistics in it.

don't read while home alone!

I read this book while home alone for a weekend while my husband was away...NOT a good idea! I just couldn't put it down and was scared. You'll never look at your neighbor or an unmarked white van again!

Mac Church's Wife Jennifer Here

Dear John, I just finished pouring over your book Mind Hunter, the one you signed and gave to Mac as a gift. Thank you for your pages of experience. Congrats on a well written book!! I just had to let you know how much I appreciate your line of work and the efforts of your investigative career path travelled.
I feel blessed as a citizen to know that there are agents like you and those you have trained and influenced, working hard to keep up with the increasing sophisication of criminals out there. You have am amazing thought process, and it is astonishing to read how you have broken down information to uncover criminals identities.
I am the daughter of a murderer, so it was why I picked up your book to read so that I would learn something about criminal minds. My father murdered my mother in 1979, in England in our home. I have spent my life agonizing over his act, and live through the damage he caused to our family, not to mention my mothers life being ended at age 36. Your book touches why he choce the method he used and on his personality type " if I can have her, know one can", my father would make such threats over the years and no one thought he would ever carry out his statement, he was perceived as a "salt of the earth type of guy" to outsiders, but inside our home I knew a different person. If you ever feel up to it, I would love to talk, there are aspects surrounding my mothers case I would love some answers on.
I want to send you a "Big" congratulations, on a superb book that enlightens the public on criminal conduct. I feel educated now to keep my wits about me when dealing with the public at large.
I can imagine the toll your job in the past took on you and your family. I hope now you are enjoying your retirement and are able to live a peaceful exsistance. Your life deserves a well earned rest.
We would love to have dinner sometime with you and Pam.
I'm going to research which one of your books I want to read next.
Bravo John Bravo.
Gratefully...
Jennifer Church

Amazing look into a specialized unit of the FBI

This is a great book. It is well written, detailed, and captivating. It is written by John Douglas, the man who in my mind really brought psychology into the world of law enforcement. The tv shows and movies that portray criminal profiling show some of what is is, but this book really explains and shows you the true aspects of it. The crimes he talks about are gruesome, but they happened. He paints a vivid picture of the inside the Investigative Support Unit in the FBI. The conversations he has with real killers and rapists bring to light a side of the crimes people rarely see. I would recommend this to anyone interested in the FBI and/or serial crimes.

In the evolution of crimefighting, this is a giant step

A real book from someone who has really been there. I found this book 6 years ago, and even though Douglas is not a stylish writer, I dont care. This book astonished me, I suppose I thought criminal profiling was a fiction. Douglas has helped bring crime investigation into the 21st century. Even though profiling doesn't work in every case, it's wins justify it's existence.

How can you get in their minds?

How To Get Into The Mind Of The Hunter: Mind Hunter by John Douglas and Mark Olshaker is a great book for those readers who enjoy reading about FBI cases and murders. It tells of the life on John Douglas who has become the head of the FBI elite serial crime unit set up to track down serial killers. You learn that since his beginning of school, John has been honing in his skills in reading people which he comes later to use in the FBI. John has interviewed many famous serial killers ranging from Ed Gein to Ted Bundy. Mind Hunter is definitely a book for people who enjoy FBI themed things, personally I didn¿t enjoy the fact that they didn¿t talk about some famous killers that he did interview more in depth which I believe would add a different view to the more sadistic killers. On the other hand if you just want to know more about how FBI agents can get into the heads of some very monstrous killers, this is the book for you. In the end, I would give this book a 9.1 out of ten, since the book has a way to keep you interested in how he does his work, but to get to the part where he even starts interviewing becomes a little stretched out.

An outstanding book!

Mind Hunter is a book that once your start you won't be able to put down and when I had to I could not stop thinking about it. The author does a great job in giving vivid details of his experiences as a forensic psychologist. Great book!

I love this book!

Mindhunter is an awesome book. I couldn't put it down! John Douglas is a great writer and the best profiler I have ever read about. He has inspired me to want to join the FBI! READ THIS BOOK!!

Gut wrenching!

Truth is indeed stranger than fiction.An incredible book by a terrific storyteller. This was my first book from Douglas, and absolutely won't be my last.

Lock the doors before reading!!!

I enjoyed the book in the sense that it was a wake up call. This world is full of so many sick and vile human beings. This book points them out. The "Profiling" work done by John Douglas and his colleagues is outstanding. I applaud all law enforcement for their work wherever they may be.

His books are an addiction!

This was the first time I had read about John Douglas and of criminal profiling. This was a very interesting read for me, I also like how John gave background on himself, the FBI and how this work can so affect a person's life. I have nearly all of his books, they are all good. I appreciate the way John is so straight up and tells it like it is. Big credit also to Mark Olshaker.

Well Written

This book was one of the best I have ever read. It gives the reader an indepth look into our serial crime unit. The great part about the book is the fact that it gives real life examples and shows exactly what it took to start the psychological profiling division. I would highly recommend this book to anybody even remotely interested in crime solving or learning why some people do the things they do. The only warning I give is that if you can't handle some of the hash realities of life you may not want to read it.

good book

I think this book starts off kinda slow since it is all about how he got started at the FBI and all about his past. I am sure he has to tell us this so we know that it isnt just a bunch of jiberish from some guy. After that part..I really enjoyed the book. I like how he doesnt just tell you what happened and give you the profile. I really appreciate the way he goes in depth about what things led him to pick those characteristics out about the UNSUB. The book goes very much in depth into so many of his cases and you really feel for these people when you read it. I have read Journey Into Darkness too and now I am on Anatomy of Motive.

Nothing short of riveting!

AFter reading this book, you can't help but applaud those who do such work as to dive into a murderers psyche(not to mention the fact of grieving over the evil that lurks in the world) in order to help stop the crime that plagues us all. I give great thanks to John Douglas, the Investigative Support Unit team, the co-Author Mark Olshaker, and the eye-opening experience this book brought upon me. What do I do now? Why read his other books, of course!

Outstanding

This was my first true crime book and I must say that I am hooked. I have gained the utmost respect for the FBI and people in it like John Douglas who sacrificed so much of their own personnel life, to help hunt down these monsters. Graphic details and Mr. Douglas tells it how it is.