Customer Reviews

Killing for Sport: Inside the Minds of Serial Killers

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I have never written a review before and am sorry that I felt I had to write this one. After looking forward to this book I was greatly disappointed. I have read other profile books and always came away feeling like I learned something. The author seemed to have little to no use for law inforcement or profilers and made many of the profilers sound egocentric. It almost seemed like there was some hard feelings between them. I think I could learn more watching forensic files for an hour then reading this book. She tended to explain the most mundane words in the book so you felt almost as if she was talking to a child with the whole "SHE" examples. I felt it was poorly written. It did not give any information that I felt most people don't already know. It didn't seem to be written well. There really is much in the book to recommend. I would try other profile books out there first.

Having read this book, I will never listen to a thing Pat Brown has to say.

I purchased this book used for $8 from a local book dealer, and I can't remember the last time I felt more ripped off. Judging by the book jacket and introduction, it seemed like it may have been at least a decent introductory text on the subject. Instead, what I found was a book full of unsupported opinions with no research materials listed, no footnotes, and no indication of any actual, first-hand knowledge of the subject. Instead, the author makes constant, thinly-veiled attacks against the superstars of the profiling world--authors like ex-FBI profilers John Douglas and Roy Hazelwood--who DO have the decades of experience and research necessary to provide informed opinions about how serial killers and other violent criminals function. Pat Brown is a great example of the "Hollywood expert," those people that have no real credentials, but look good on camera (and make ample use of that fact.) For my money, I'll take the ACTUAL experts any day. I kept thinking, "What's the matter, Pat? Did the FBI turn you down for a job? Get over it already!"

Another thing that irked me about this book was the sheer amount of needless filler and bad formatting. At 194 pages (not including the ridiculously unnecessary "glossary"), it seems like there should be more material there than is actually present. Sometimes-large sections of each page are taken up with serial killer quotes, with no credit given to her sources (some of which are from interviews with the very same experts that she constantly slams). In fact, one of the "killer quotes" wasn't even from a murderer, but from a convicted necrophiliac. The Q&A formatting, while seemingly a good idea, just serves to take up more space, with each question in large, bold print. Essentially, it looks as though the book was designed to stretch a relatively small amount of information into a book-length manuscript. Since the primary purpose of the book is to pimp her own profiling agency, maybe she should have stuck with an advertising pamphlet.

Brown states in the introduction that she wants her readers to be offended, that the book is written from the perspective of the killers themselves. She certainly succeeded in offending me, but for all the wrong reasons. If you want to read a decent (if still flawed) book about serial killers from the perspective of a killer, try "The Gates of Janus" by Ian Brady. There's a guy who knows, from ample and grisly experience, exactly what he's talking about...

This is a streetwise no BS guide to the minds of serial criminals that shatters a lot of stereotypes. Though she finds common threads in the thinking of psychopathic minds, this is more of an anti-profiling book, as it points out some of the flaws in attempting to pigeonhole criminals into certain types.

On the negative side, the book suffers from awkward and sloppy writing, flippant and jokey descriptions ("bop-and-drop", "Smoke a Cigarette"), and her tendency to let her emotions get the best of her (referring to serial killers as "cowardly" and "wimps".) The book also suffers from a lack of scientific documentation and/or real-life examples-- in fact, she uses her own fictional examples, which only come off as absurd caricatures of real life.

Brown's main purpose, it appears, is to shock the reader out of his/her complacency, and this book is best read by women who are too cavalier or ignorant about their vulnerability to the sick and dangerous predators out there. Should be read by women everywhere, along with Gavin DeBecker's THE GIFT OF FEAR.

This a mildly interesting look at the concept of serial killers,
but the author tells us up front that it is not any kind of scientific look at the subject, but it is based on her personal
experience.
She is certainly correct about that.
The author has some experience with a serial killer, and she relates she became interested in the subject because she suspected the police weren't giving that case the proper amount
of attention. So she has studied cases of serial killers to become more acquainted with them and their profiles, and she
does present the reader with many instances of such killers,
but her presentation is not categorized at all, nor is there any
order to them. So we are left with reading a series of individual cases, with little connection amount them.
She does assert that the "scientific" approach to profiling isn't nearly as good as the FBI expects us to believe, and she
presents material showing that there is more in the way of "common sense" details in their profiling, and that regular
citizens can do about as well in that regard.
Plus, her study of individual cases tells her there are more
such cases than we tend to believe.
This is a fairly interesting series of stories, but it is mainly
the author's personal experience and her personal approach to
such complex problems, and, as a result, the book tends to make interested readers pursue the subject in a more serious fashion.
You won't find many answers here, only questions readers will
have to research elsewhere.

This book is written in a question and answer format. It may be helpful for someone that is looking for an INTRODUCTION to serial killers. It is devoid of detailed (or gory) case details. If you have already read other books about individuals like Ed Gein, Armin Meiwes, and John Wayne Gacy, this will not keep your interest.

Love this book. It was not written for a person that wants to have their ears tickled and that is what makes it so great! I bought it so my sister in law could read it on her long flight to Sweden, but so far the whole family has enjoyed discussing some of the points that Pat Brown makes about killers. The problem now is that we all suspect everyone of potentially being a killer....not really a problem though when you consider that it has caused us to be more aware of our surroundings and those in them. Can't recommend this book enough!

I read this book, then I gave it to my daughter to read. I felt it was important for her to have some ideas about personal safety. This book is an eye opener in many respects. Not only does Pat Brown write in an entertaining fashion (makes you want to keep reading), but she also has a deep understanding of her subject matter. In her profession, as she makes clear, it is crucial to have a sense of humor so the job of dealing with the murderer does not drive you to depression. Not only do you get an idea of the mind behind the killer, you get treated to the mind necessary to be a serial killer profiler.

In short, the book really gets a person interested in the field. My daughter is now hooked on this subject. I had no idea how fascinating it is reading about killers, and about Pat Brown herself, her amazing life. Yet that is not all, Pat makes it a point to let her readers know what to look for in a situation and how to be safe. The difference between real fear and imagined fear. In summary, a great read for teens and adults alike. Read it and have your kids read it too...for safety sake.

Pat Brown is a virtual fraud looking for easy money. She has no training and has never worked for any law enforcement agency. Her book (and television appearances) prove she knows nothing more than the average lay person and sometimes says/writes things that shows she knows less than the average person on the street. I quote Pat Brown in a recent appearance: The killer is in a rush to leave the area and wash the blood off his clothes." Anyone who watches Forensic Files or CSI knows that all blood does not wash off and can also leave traces in the sink, pipes, washing machine. Come on, people, do you really want to listen/read anything this con artist says? Waste your hard-earned money somewhere else.

Pat Brown might be the CEO of S.H.E but that does not mean that she knows anything. Watch any of her T.V appearances or read any of her books and you will see that she contradicts herself, she stumbles over herself, and she plain out-and-out is clueless in many of the areas of serial killing, homicide, profiling, et al. This book is no exception. Pat Brown has no schooling, education or degree in any of the areas that she "sells" in her "business". I have seen her give answers on I, Detective and get them wrong from what every single other law enforcement person has stated. This book contains mis-information, contradictions, and theory. Don't waste your time or your money, buy a book by someone who has the education and the knowledge to back up what they're saying. I have no idea why this book has so many "good" reviews. If I could have given it a Zero rating, I would have.

I enjoyed reading this book. I liked the question/answer format. It kept it light enough, yet very informative. Thank you Pat Brown for your honest, straightforward insight into the serial killers mind and actions.