Reviews (1)

very serious approach to the topic
His case studies are compelling examples of the mistakes that dominate the real work products of the field.I love the way at the start of each chapter he presents a reasonable sounding evaluation (unless you know from experience what mistakes to look for), and then by the end of the chapter you understand that it was meant as an example of what NOT to do, and you now have a deep understanding of why. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Administrative Law & Regulatory Practice    2. Child Advocacy    3. Custody of children    4. Domestic relations courts    5. Evidence, Expert    6. Forensic Psychology    7. General    8. Psychology    9. United States   

Subjects:  1. Criminology    2. Forensic Psychology    3. Murder - General    4. Psychological aspects    5. Psychology    6. Psychopathology - General    7. Psychosexual disorders    8. Serial murderers    9. Sex crimes    10. Crime & criminology    11. Criminal or forensic psychology    12. Psychology & Psychiatry / Forensic Psychology   

Reviews (1)

The Definitive Book
This book is clearly the definitive book on the subject. Extensively researched this book covers every aspect of enforced sex from the literature (going back to Greek times), from history as in the rape of Nanking and the Russian use of rape in Berlin almost as a matter of policy, and even in the animal kingdom.
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Subjects:  1. Criminal behavior    2. Criminology    3. Forensic Psychology    4. Genetic aspects    5. Human Sexuality    6. Personality    7. Psychological aspects    8. Psychology    9. Rape    10. Social Psychology    11. Sociology    12. Criminal or forensic psychology    13. Offenders   

Reviews (1)

Very misleading title
This tiny, 56-page booklet had almost nothing about the topic of handwriting analysis. The last two pages just mention that handwriting styles indicate personality traits. The booklet was really about FBItechniques for investigating check fraud. And it wasn't even veryinteresting material on that subject either. Overall, a waste of money. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Criminology    2. Forensic Psychology    3. Political Freedom & Security - Law Enforcement    4. Politics - Current Events    5. Social Science    6. Sociology    7. Criminal investigation & detection    8. Social Science / Criminology   

Reviews (2)

Review of CRIMINAL SHADOWS, INNER NARRATIVES OF EVIL
Having a strong interest in true crime, with an emphasis on the psychology behind the criminal mind, I found this book imformative and entertaining. Unlike many books in this gendre it does not explore extensive graphic crime detail, but sufficient to provide an example of a point being made. The book wonderfully details a very scientific approach to understanding the criminal mind and profiling. It is interesting how a strong emphasis is placed on geographic profiling, the book explains the reasons for this.
Highly Informative, Highly Recommended
Dr. Canter's book is the best book I have read on the subject of criminal profiling. Unlike most other books on the topic, like the ones written by former FBI profilers, Dr. Canter lucidly explains how to construct a profile of serial rapists and killers. This book is also an introduction to Investigative Psychology, a field of study developed by Dr. Canter et. al. Worth reading for anyone interested in serial murder and criminal profiling. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Forensic Psychology    3. General    4. Psychology    5. Crime Investigation/Research   

Reviews (1)

Good science about a hard topic
Review ofTerrorists, Victims and Society: Psychological Perspectives on Terrorism and its Consequences (Wiley Series in the Psychology of Crime, Policing and the Law) (2003).Andrew Silke, Editor.John Wiley & Sons: West Sussex, England, by Susan E. Brandon, Program Officer, National Institutes of Mental Health, Bethesda, MDRead more

Subjects:  1. Forensic Psychology    2. Political Freedom & Security - Terrorism    3. Psychological aspects    4. Psychology    5. Social Psychology    6. Terrorism    7. Terrorists    8. Victims of terrorism    9. Criminal or forensic psychology    10. Psychology & Psychiatry / Forensic Psychology    11. Terrorism, freedom fighters, armed struggle   

Subjects:  1. Forensic Psychiatry    2. Forensic Psychology    3. Great Britain    4. Insanity    5. Jurisprudence    6. Law    7. Mental Health    8. Mental Illness    9. Psychiatry - General    10. Psychology    11. United States    12. Criminal law    13. Criminal or forensic psychology    14. English law: criminal law    15. Forensic medicine    16. Jurisprudence & philosophy of law    17. Medical ethics    18. USA    19. United Kingdom, Great Britain   

Subjects:  1. Crime prevention    2. Criminal justice, Administration of    3. Criminology    4. Evaluation    5. Forensic Psychology    6. Great Britain    7. Psychology    8. Sociology    9. Causes & prevention of crime    10. Psychology & Psychiatry / Forensic Psychology   

Subjects:  1. Assessment, Testing & Measurement    2. Criminal Procedure    3. Diagnosis    4. Forensic Psychology    5. Forensic psychiatry    6. Insanity Defense    7. Legal Reference / Law Profession    8. Legal System    9. Legislation    10. Mental illness    11. Psychiatric Diagnosis    12. Psychodiagnostics    13. Psychology    14. Psychopathology - General    15. United States    16. Psychiatry    17. Psychological testing & measurement    18. Psychology & Psychiatry / Forensic Psychology    19. Law   

Reviews (7)

A long overdue fresh look.
Godwin deserves an A+ for giving a scientific look at the so-called "science" of criminal profiling.Criminal profiling, as practiced by the FBI, -- and as I had long suspected -- has gotten much more Hollywood hype than it deserves. This book is NOT written in the entertaining film noir narratives of John Douglas et al., nor is it a compilation of juicy murder cases. Rather, it is a scientific analysis of the profiling methods as they ought to be employed. Godwin exposes the statistical pitfalls and the wrong turns made by the current FBI profiling methods, and he suggests ways in which the profiling methods could be improved.Even if you aren't a statistician (with knowledge of cluster analysis and correlation coefficients), Godwin gives plenty of solid and readable introductory material and conclusions which can easily be understood by the interested layman.This is a must read for anyone considering a career in law enforcement and criminology.

Not easy to read
If Godwin wants to reach people, he is going to have to learn to write to the audience that needs this information. Based on this book, he seems confortable with data. There is a lot of it in this book. However, it is difficult to understand and follow the wayit is written. For that reason, I don't believe that many in law enforcement will find this book helpful.

Turning Profiling from an Art toa Science
I gleaned a totally difference opinion from Dr. Godwin's book, Hunting Serial Predators than the review by Pat Brown.First of all, I think that the book demolished more than a few specific myths about current profilingapproaches - Dr. Godwin covered a broad range of approaches and showedtheir weaknesses. Obviously the reader, Pat Brown, did not read the entirebook or fully understand what she was reading.Dr. Goodwin examined forthe very first time the consistency of serial killers' crime scenebehaviors from one offense to another and showed that they are veryconsistent on an empirical foundation.This very finding explodes themyths propounded in all the literature on serial murder. While others claimthis fact might be obvious, they have not provided the literaturedemonstrating this.In regards to the grouping of behaviors, the behaviorswere not done subjectively as is the case by individual profilers who usetheir experiences and gut feelings. Rather, the behaviors were group by thecomputer analysis and each classification was defended strongly with thesupport of psychological literature.For example, Dr. Godwin found a groupof crime scene actions that revealed the aspects of serial killers whospecifically targeted and murdered their victims indoors - no other serialmurder classification does this.He also showed what the dominant focus ofserial murder is - that it was not entirely sexual. Can't quite understandhow this Pat Brown misses these very important points in the book. Also,the four case studies in the book were just used for demonstrating purposesas I understand the reading of the book.I found the book to be a strongfoundation to built a computerized linking data system for law enforcementuse using the four classification types described.I also found the way inwhich Dr. Godwin used the information in his research to profile the serialmurder case in Raleigh, North Carolina helpful.I also found the book,considering the statistical nature of the book, an easy read. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Classification    2. Clinical Psychology    3. Criminal Psychology    4. Criminal behavior    5. Criminals    6. Criminology    7. Forensic Psychology    8. Forensic Science    9. Murder    10. Psychology    11. Serial murderers    12. Sociology    13. United States    14. Abnormal psychology    15. Criminal investigation & detection    16. Criminal or forensic psychology    17. Law / Forensic Science    18. Psychological testing & measurement   

Subjects:  1. Forensic Medicine    2. Forensic Psychology    3. Medical / Nursing    4. Mental Health    5. Personality    6. Personality assessment    7. Personality disorders    8. Personality tests    9. Psychology   

Subjects:  1. Female offenders    2. Forensic Psychology    3. Penology    4. Psychology    5. Rehabilitation    6. Women prisoners    7. Women's Studies - General    8. Psychology & Psychiatry / Forensic Psychology   

Subjects:  1. Assessment, Testing & Measurement    2. Criminology    3. Forensic Psychology    4. Handbooks, manuals, etc    5. Health and hygiene    6. Law enforcement    7. Police    8. Police psychology    9. Political Freedom & Security - Law Enforcement    10. Politics / Current Events    11. Psychological aspects    12. Psychology    13. Reference    14. Police & security services   

Subjects:  1. Criminology    2. Forensic Psychology    3. Forensic Science    4. Offenses And Offenders    5. Psychology    6. Recidivism    7. Recidivists    8. Social Science    9. Sociology    10. Criminal investigation & detection    11. Law / Forensic Science   

Subjects:  1. Criminals    2. Criminology    3. Forensic Psychiatry    4. Forensic Psychology    5. Mental Health    6. Mental Illness    7. Mental health services    8. Prisoners    9. Psychology    10. Offenders    11. Psychiatry    12. Psychology & Psychiatry / Forensic Psychology   

Subjects:  1. Communication    2. Criminal Investigation    3. Forensic Psychology    4. Interviewing in law enforcemen    5. Interviewing in law enforcement    6. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    7. Law    8. Police questioning    9. Psychology    10. United States   

Subjects:  1. Forensic Psychology    2. Forensic psychiatry    3. Health    4. Law    5. Legal status, laws, etc    6. Legal status, laws, etc.    7. Mental Health    8. Mental health laws    9. Mental health personnel    10. Michigan    11. Psychology    12. Psychology & Psychiatry Profession - General   

Reviews (1)

A first-rate introduction to the true nature of memory
Anyone who must deal with eyewitness testimony should read this book!It is both fascinating and disturbing. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Witnesses    2. Forensic Psychology    3. Nonfiction - True Crime / Espionage    4. United States    5. General    6. Civil Procedure    7. English legal system: courts & procedure    8. Criminal Evidence And Analysis    9. Law    10. Criminals    11. Evidence, Criminal    12. Eyewitness identification   

Editorial Review

What makes people kill? Specifically, what are the motivations behind serial, mass, and spree killings? Drawing from cases such as the mass murder in Dunblane, Scotland, in which a lone gunman mowed down 16 children and their teacher, the still-unsolved Tylenol poisonings, and the Unabomber, former FBI profiler John Douglas and coauthor Mark Olshaker try to explain the unthinkable. What sets Read more

Reviews (61)

Inside Smoldering Minds
This is an engrossing book that was ahead of its time in presenting the often seamy, often searching field of forensic science. Douglas brings us onto the crime scene, and gives us a view through the eyes of profilers, pathologists, analyzers, and detectives.
A trip to a very dark place
When it comes to bringing serial crime psychology and profiling to a level that a layperson can understand, Douglas is peerless.He identifies several different types of serial killers and includes true-life stories of a few he's dealt with in his decades with the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit.It's an engrossing, easily understandable and fascinating read.

Not as riveting as I expected
When I saw this book in a used book store, I thought the title was "Anatomy of Murder". Only later did I see that it was "Motive". Based on Douglas' other books about serial killers, I expected this book to deal strictly with serial killers. And it did not.
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Subjects:  1. Criminal investigation    2. Criminal psychology    3. Criminology    4. Forensic Psychology    5. General    6. Homicide investigation    7. Infamous Crimes And Criminals    8. Intelligence Agencies    9. Murder - General    10. Nonfiction - True Crime / Espionage    11. Psychopathology - General    12. True Crime    13. True Crime / Espionage    14. United States    15. Crime & criminology    16. Criminal or forensic psychology    17. Espionage & secret services    18. Political structure & processes    19. True Crime / General   

Subjects:  1. Forensic Medicine    2. Forensic Psychology    3. Medical    4. Medical / Nursing    5. Psychiatry - General    6. Medical / Psychiatry    7. Psychiatry