The Anatomy of Motive

Very well written

Very interesting book, a true page turner.

i bought the hardcover version of this later, but this is smaller and more easily carryable in smaller bags

"The Anatomy of Motive" is a good mainstream read about forensic psychology for people who are inclined toward the subject. It works for both pop readers as well as those more deeply interested in the subject. Some people accuse the author of being self-lauding and egoistic. I disagree. He describes the cases as he experienced them. I think it's less bragging on his part and simply more first-person accounting. It offers interesting case studies as he examines different types of motives for different types of criminals. It's a good, informative, easy, and interesting read.

"The Anatomy of Motive..." by John Douglas and Mark Olshaker, ISBN 0-671-02393-4 (PB), Pocket Books 1999 - is a 393 page exposition by a seasoned writer (11 publications) and FBI's legendary profiler. It is a well-written and indexed (19 pp) mind-probing study of violent evildoers which seeks to observe why misdeeds are committed in especial ways and how that may indicate who (UNSUB) did the particular crime. Douglas had two decades with the FBI (with teaching and investigative assignments) Behavorial Science Unit (BSU) at Quantico and he discloses the field practice of applied criminal psychology to the crime scenes, forensic evidences and interrogation techniques. An extensive listing and/or recital of many high profile cases is looked to - including Manson, Berkowitz, Speck, Gacy, Zamora, Pierre & Andrew, Ross, Nickell, List, Coleman & Brown, Cunanan, and Kaczynski is but to highlight a few. I found his judgmental commentaries on these killer criminals were useful, and based on his personal thorough experiences. The final chapter includes 4 brief case studies where the reader is to provide the 'who' (suspect) utilizing the basics of 'why' and 'what' had occurred. This book is entracing and based entirely on true facts, raising the question of why one would want to read crime fiction in place of real people in real places.

Details were accurate. Condition was accurate. Shipping time was great.

Although I do like that show, the gore is just exploitative. This is the real thing; Douglas answers all the questions you've always wondered. There is also a chicken-molester story in here that is absolutely priceless; I haven't gotten that much laughs out of a non-fiction book, (ironically, one as dark as this) in ages. You also develop a real appreciation for the art form of profiling, which has sometimes been maligned as pseudoscience that is inaccurate at best. Obviously, it's like any other profession-- some do it brilliantly and some fail. Douglas obviously does it brilliantly. He was also the model for the "Jack Crawford" character in "Silence of the Lambs". Combining this with reading Dr. Dorothy Lewis & Dr. Johnathan Pincus is a good way to get all sides of forensic psychiatry and criminology. Lewis is more sympathetic, and Pincus brings neurology into the picture to give another scientific perspective.

In this book, as the title suggests, John Douglas gets into a bit of what makes certain types of criminal tick. For those who don't know, John Douglas is one of the guys who got FBI criminal profiling off the ground. His career is quite impressive and he can come across as arrogant (but when you've worked as many famous cases as Douglas has, it's hard not to). I disagree with Douglass on some political issues, but when it comes to profiling, he is spot on. This book will help make what sense can be made of the actions of mass murderers (such as Tim McVeigh, Charles Whitman, and the Newtown shooter), bombers, poisoners, and the various types of serial killer. I recommend this book to adults who are interested in psychology, criminals, forensic science, and those trying to understand why some tragedies like Newtown occur.

looks at things from an FBI lens, very interesting.

The FBI specialist tells us how he deciphered serial killers habits to try to catch them asap. A hard task.

Mitreissend und letztlich ja so etwas wie "Das Original", wenn man so will. Aus gutem Grund haben viele sich an den beiden Schreibern orientiert in den folgenden Jahren, um nicht gar zu sagen: Sie kopiert. Aber das Original hat einfach Kraft. Persönliche Betroffenheit, die hier schon fast bis zur Besessenheit gediehen war, ist eben nicht zu ersetzen

A must read for anyone with an ounce of sense.

Questo libro dovrebbe essere letto da chiunque sia SERIAMENTE interessato ad approcciare il mondo della criminologia e del criminal profiling. Douglas traccia interessanti fili rossi che collegano serial killer, spree killer, autori di stragi (anche familiari), avvelenatori, assassini politici, dinamitardi seriali, incendiari seriali e, per quanto possa sembrare pazzesco, perfino "urinatori" seriali. Un "must read" per gli amanti del genere e per chiunque voglia rispondere a domande come: cosa spinge un uomo a sparare al Presidente degli Stati Uniti? O a un famoso stilista? O a uccidere, sistematicamente, ogni membro della sua famiglia?