The Killer Across the Table by John Douglas
Calling all my fellow true crime fans! (Also fans of Criminal Minds!) This book was written by John E. Douglas, the pioneer of criminal profiling (and inspiration behind Mindhunter). Douglas has interviewed and studied killers like BTK (Dennis Rader), the Son of Sam Killer (David Berkowitz), and Charles Manson, and his research has shaped how we approach serial killers and the techniques the FBI uses to find and stop them.
The book covers four main cases but incorporates other tidbits throughout, offering readers an interesting look at Douglas's methods and the killers' minds.
From the publisher:
Twenty years after his famous memoir, the man who literally wrote the book on FBI criminal profiling opens his case files once again. In this riveting work of true crime, he spotlights four of the most diabolical criminals he’s confronted, interviewed and learned from. Going deep into each man’s life and crimes, he outlines the factors that led them to murder and how he used his interrogation skills to expose their means, motives, and true evil. Like the hit Netflix show, The Killer Across the Table is centered around Douglas’ unique interrogation and profiling process. With his longtime collaborator Mark Olshaker, Douglas recounts the chilling encounters with these four killers as he experienced them—revealing for the first time his profile methods in detail.
Verdict:
I loved the premise and content of this book. I am infatuated with true crime and spend my free time reading true crime books, listening to podcasts like The Last Podcast on the Left and My Favorite Murder, and watching all the documentaries I can find. I took quite a few psychology course in college and am always interested in the "mind of a killer," the psychology behind why these people do what they do.
This book fell short for me because I wanted more out of it. It's a nice dip into the subject and an accessible and insightful read for people who have not read much else on the topic. However, I wanted him to do into more details about his interviews and go beyond what can be found in the documentaries and TV shows about FBI profiling. The majority of this book was spend on the murderers and their murders (of course), but it felt a bit surface level.
I would definitely read more books from Douglas and his co-writer, Mark Olshaker, but I would do so with this experience in mind. I like his writing style and learning about his experiences, but I will definitely seek out more sources for a deeper dive.
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