The true crime genre is all the rage right now, from podcasts to television. However, most of the attention is trained on the killers that commit the crimes. One of the best true crime books out right now takes a fresh perspective by analyzing the psychological techniques used to catch the country’s most infamous serial killers.
First published in 1996, now back in print with a newly revised introduction, “Mindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit” by John Douglas and Mark Olshaker chronicles the early days of the famous Behavioral Science Unit and how it pioneered criminal profiling in the 1970s.
Told by one of the unit’s legendary founders, Special Agent John Douglas, the book serves both as an autobiography as well as slice of American true crime history.
Douglas dives headfirst into the abyss of the human mind by interviewing incarcerated killers and trying to understand why and how people can take the lives of others with no remorse.
The book spans his 20-year career interviewing some of the most heinous criminals, such as Charles Manson, and chasing active killers like the Greene River Killer.
The book may seem formulaic and even boring for some readers due to the scientific and academic approach Douglas takes in understanding these people, but really it is quite refreshing for those looking for a new angle on this grim subject.
Douglas’ unexpected honesty and empathetic nature makes this account personal.
Where he goes in depth about the aftermath of these crimes and its effect on surviving victims, families and communities.
This story doesn’t shy away from the personal problems his line of work caused him, both for his family and his health.
He does not paint himself as a super cop but a man wanting to help others in the best way he can.
Be warned though, this is a harrowing and graphic book which may be too much for some readers. When it comes to honesty and brutal detail, Douglas does not hold back.
Even after its first publication over 20 years ago, this amazing testament of groundbreaking police work and academic study continues to make waves.
Now the basis of “Mindhunter,” the popular Netflix show, this essential piece of non-fiction is now open to further discovery for a new generation of readers.
For those who are true crime fans looking to get past the sentimentalism of the headlines, this important work will leave you with a better appreciation and understanding of those who aim to catch the worst of mankind.
