The Anatomy of Motive : The FBI's Legendary Mindhunter Explores the Key to Understanding and Catching Violent Criminals
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 The Anatomy of Motive apart from so many of the theories about these horrific acts of violence is that Douglas and Olshaker have no obvious political agenda. They don't look for easy answers and they don't provide easy solutions. They do, however, offer some insight into the twisted kind of thinking that can lead a person to believe that the solution to his problems lies in bloodshed. They also provide some danger signs that may help to identify the potentially violent criminal before he has a chance to act out his morbid fantasies. While The Anatomy of Motive is undeniably horrifying, it is also illuminating, and Douglas and Olshaker approach their topic with grace and insight. --Lisa Higgins
From legendary FBI profiler John Douglas and Mark Olshaker -- authors of the nonfiction international bestsellers Mindhunter, Journey into Darkness, and Obsession -- comes an unprecedented, insightful look at the root of all crime.
Every crime is a mystery story with a motive at its heart. With the brilliant insight he brought to his renowned work inside the FBI's elite serial-crime unit, John Douglas pieces together motives behind violent sociopathic behavior. He not only takes us into the darkest recesses of the minds of arsonists, hijackers, bombers, poisoners, assassins, serial killers, and mass murderers, but also the seemingly ordinary people who suddenly kill their families or go on a rampage in the workplace.
Douglas identifies the antisocial personality, showing surprising similarities and differences among various types of deadly offenders. He also tracks the progressive escalation of those criminals' sociopathic behavior. His analysis of such diverse killers as Lee Harvey Oswald, Theodore Kaczynski, and Timothy McVeigh is gripping, but more importantly, helps us learn how to anticipate potential violent behavior before it's too late.
In this eagerly anticipated paperback release from the international bestselling authors of Mindhunter, legendary crime fighter John Douglas explores the root of all crime -- motive. Every crime is a mystery story with a motive at its heart. Understand the motive and you can solve the mystery. Here, Douglas offers a dramatic, insightful look at the development and evolution of the criminal mind.
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- ISBN: 9780671023935
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61 Reviews
| From: Amazon Posted: Dec 19, 2007 Type: User Review |
Well Done
Though repetitious in some parts (if you have read the author's other books), it is well put together and informative. Another job well done.
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 4.00/5 |
| From: Amazon Posted: Sep 04, 2006 Type: User Review |
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...
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 3.00/5 |
| From: Amazon Posted: Mar 17, 2006 Type: User Review |
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...
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4.00/5 |
| From: Amazon Posted: Feb 03, 2006 Type: User Review |
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...
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3.00/5 |
| From: Amazon Posted: Sep 18, 2005 Type: User Review |
The Best in the Series
Real info and facts on serial killers. The behind the scenes look at the killers that we don't get from the news. An excellent and well-written book. Also check out Robert Ressler's books.
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 5.00/5 |
| From: Amazon Posted: Mar 30, 2005 Type: User Review |
An intregueing read
The criminal mind is a mysterious thing. The anatomy of a motive is a look the mind of criminals. It goes thru cases in the career of John Douglass. This book explores the mind of everything from your serial arsonists to your serial killer....
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4.00/5 |
| From: Amazon Posted: Feb 27, 2005 Type: User Review |
Amusing
At first glance, profiling seems to be about someone trying to understand and decipher the mind of a person who kills. It's often promoted as entering the mind of this person and discovering why and how this person became and acts this way.
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 2.00/5 |
| From: Amazon Posted: Mar 19, 2004 Type: User Review |
Prompting your Sense of Insufficiency
I read this book back to back during the past few days and it was the first book by Douglas that I have read. While fairly impressed by the author's approach (both in theory and in practice), to some of the most notorious crimes and criminals,...
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3.00/5 |
| From: Amazon Posted: Jun 23, 2003 Type: User Review |
More on Motive
Douglas takes a stunning number of cases to portray his point that a killer is not born - a killer is made. However, almost all of the cases exemplified are those he himself has been a part of. Whenever the book becomes informative, he suddenly...
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3.00/5 |
| From: Amazon Posted: Feb 21, 2003 Type: User Review |
Anatomy of Motive - Super read!!
I'm a big fan of John Douglas. If you like to read True Crime books, this will be one you can't put down. I have all of his books, they are highly recommended. I read this book on a recent summer vacation in a little cabin in the woods. Don't read...
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5.00/5 |
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