Customer Reviews

Closely Watched Shadows: A Profile of the Hunter and the Hunted

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Turco's book could just as well have been titled "All About Me." Psychiatrists and their brethren apparently cannot resist centering on the aches and pains of their profession, while the work they do and how they do it takes a poor second. If you are interested in his struggles -childhood, domestic, soul - this is the book for you. If you are interested in psychological profiling, perhaps now that Dr. Turco has gotten so much off his chest he will write that book.

What can I say about this book besides "DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME"? I was asked to read this book and to create a slideshow that would be presented across the country regarding serial killers, but this book is such a waste of paper. I can't even stress to you enough how irrelevant a generous portion of the information in this book is. After completing the job I was asked to do, I proceeded to flip through the book to see how much unnecessary information could have been excluded, and I'm certain we would have been left with two or three very short chapters. If you're looking for a biography that goes off on tangent after tangent then this is the book for you! If you're looking for a meatier text chock full of information and facts, look elsewhere. I can't even believe any publishing company would waste their time and money on this...who was the editor for God's sake?!
All in all, don't buy this book. Don't borrow it from a friend. Don't take it outof the library. Burn every copy you lay eyes on and run far, far away as quickly as your legs will take you.

I generally check the reader reviews here on Amazon before I buy a book because regular readers seem to be a better gauge than the blurbs on the book jacket.

In my opinion, though, Ronald N. Truco's book did far better here than it deserves.

The subtitle of the book is "A Profile of the Hunter and the Hunted." Add "and the Story of My Life" to that. After suffering through 37 pages, I could not stand to hear any more about why Turco became a psychiatrist, why or how he became a cop, or how close the police brotherhood is. I thought I was getting a book about criminal profiling; instead I seem to have stumbles on an autobiography of someone who happens to have been involved in some interesting cases - and it's a poorly written autobiography at that. The theme wanders all over the place, the author makes questionable claims ("The organized serial killer was originally an FBI concept, although I developed the idea in 1968 when I worked on a series of San Francisco homicides"), and frankly, I really don't care about a snowball fight Turco had with his brother Salvy. I want profiling, criminal minds, and investigation, as the book jacket promises.

Another reviewer wrote, "This is a highly recommended page-turner, a real psychological suspense-thriller." I have to disagree. The only page-turning suspense I felt was wondering when we were going to get to the good part, and the only thrill I felt was finding the book for a few bucks instead of the shelf price of $14.95.

As a reader, I expect good writing, accuracy, and for the author to keep his promises. As a writer, I understand how hard it is to write a decent book. After giving Turco my full attention for 197 pages, I present this book to you, true crime reader, as evidence that some people should be writers and others should stick to their paid professions as lawyers, physicians, or pro football players.

Let me begin by saying that I have always been a true crime/forensic detection fan, and have read about every book available on the subject. Shortly after moving to Vancouver, Washington, where the murders committed by Wesley Allen Dodd took place, I happened upon this book (ok, my husband works in a book store!). I was fascinated reading about these crimes committed in my own community, and I must say it was nice to read an intelligent study of forensic psychiatry/detection that was NOT written by Robert Ressler or John Douglas (though I do enjoy their works as well). This is not your typical true crime story, so if Ann Rule is more your style, you probably will not enjoy this book. It is much more of a study of the workings of the minds of the people who perpetrate these horrible crimes, which I find very intriguing!

This is an extraordinary account of a unique psychoanalyst's journey into police work. It would take a very special kind of person to be accepted into the police force as an unpaid expert in personality profiling. This is not your usual office-couch psychoanalyst, but one who uses his training in an area where psychoanalytic insights have practical consequences in tracking down, interviewing and prosecuting the most heinous of serial killers. What motivates a psychoanalyst to leave the comfort of his consulting room to enter the grisly world of police work? One can only guess as Dr. Turco reveals a personal psychobiography which is unique and fascinating, in and of itself. This is a highly recommended page-turner, a real psychological suspense-thriller. It also reveals existential and philosophical counterpoints, helping explain why people go into police work.