Obsession [Mass Market Paperback]

John E. Douglas (Author), Mark Olshaker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1998

With a deep sense of compassion for the victims and an uncanny understanding of the perpetrators, Douglas exposes the chilling obsessions that compel the murderers, rapists, and stalkers of modern times.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

With the warmth and frank bias of a firsthand observer, Douglas, the founder and head of the FBI's Investigative Support Unit and the inspiration for the character of Jack Crawford in Silence of the Lambs and Red Dragon, here describes violent crimes and their consequences. With co-author Olshaker, with whom he wrote Mindhunter and Journey into Darkness, Douglas details the crimes and case histories of serial killers, serial rapists, child molesters, stalkers and others. Included are infamous killers such as Edward Gein, Ted Bundy and Robert Chambers, along with less publicized, though just as disturbing, purveyors of acts of fatal obsession. Asserting "that behavior reflects personality," Douglas shows how he and his colleagues can assess the different temperaments and motivations at work behind grisly acts. Rapists tend to fall into four basic categories, for example, the "power-reassurance rapist" (driven by feelings of inadequacy), the "exploitive" rapist (impulsive and overtly macho), the "anger" rapist (who uses sex to displace his rage) and, cruelest of all, the "sadistic" rapist, who "simply gets off on hurting people." What stands out in this eye-opening book is how Douglas's compassion for the survivors of violent crimes seems to equal his understanding of the criminals themselves. His description of the work of the countless people who counsel, comfort and fight for the rights of victims serves as a welcome reminder that horrific and isolated acts of darkness and coldness are counterbalanced by a warmhearted and, one hopes, more natural human determination to help.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

If you want to avoid stalkers or rapists, keep away from those with a history of bedwetting, pyromania, and cruelty to animals. Of course perpetrators will act long before their backgrounds are discovered, in which case follow your instincts. The authors went to a lot of trouble compiling this uninteresting volume. It's intended audience, apparently, are the perps and their victims. Its most unique aspect is not that it's read by coauthor Douglas but that he stumbles over his own words. Save your shelf space; not recommended.?James Dudley, Copiague, NY
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: Pocket (November 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671017047
• ISBN-13: 978-0671017040
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (53 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #608,586 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars had a personally emotional effect..., March 2, 2005

By 

Kristina Kemp - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Obsession (Mass Market Paperback)

I've been a fan of several of Douglas's books, finding them facinating. But I never thought I would relate to one of the stories directly....until i got to "Katie's Story". Destiny Souza was a classmate of mine, and a neighbor. It was emotional to read what happened to her, and the reactions of members of our community I looked up to as a child, because they were involved in my life also. When it happened, being a child, details were given to me pretty vaguely, but reading the story as an adult was a really good expirience for me. As with all his books, i've learned a great deal about how to observe and interact with people and keep myself safe in the process.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Very Informative Read, January 4, 2000

By 

Kat "Book Devourer" (Tacoma, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Obsession: The FBI's Legendary Profiler Probes the Psyches of Killers, Rapists and Stalkers and Their Victims and Tells How to Fight Back (Hardcover)

I have read all books by John Douglas and Mark Olshaker. I recommend them not only because they are an interesting read, but because they are on subjects that people need to be more aware of. In "Obsession," a main focus is on the different types of rapists. The authors inform us about how to keep yourself safe and how to defend yourself against them. I think this book needs to be read by any woman who wishes to learn ways to protect herself. The more informed you are, the more of a chance you have. I would recommend this book to anyone as a must read.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Indecent Obsession, August 16, 2000

By 

Becky - See all my reviews

This review is from: Obsession (Mass Market Paperback)

Yet another classic expose of the sadistic sociopath written by the man who knows them best - John Douglas. In this book, John meticulously describes 2 types of obsessions - the obsessions of the sociopathic sex criminals who prey on society, and the obsessions which drive law enforcement officials who, very often risk their own safety and sanity in order to capture these monsters and bring about justice.

Throughout his quarter century in the FBI, John gained valuable knowledge. He learned how serial offenders "profile" their potential victims to test their vulnerability. He learned what ruses they employ to lure unsuspecting victims away from areas of safety. And as he graphically illustrates in the tragic stories of Jennifer Levin, Katie Souza Hanley, and Stephanie Schmidt, he learned how sometimes we can unfortunately place our trust in the wrong person, a person who is quite literally "a wolf in sheep's clothing."

So instead of speaking disparagingly about John, we should realise that we have cause to be grateful to him. He has such great insight into the minds of these human demons, and because of his lecturing and writing, he has undoubtedly saved many lives. We should thank him in any way possible - one day his experience and insight might help save our own life or the life of a loved one. He has given us valuable advice about how to keep ourselves and our children safe. He has showed us how we can turn profiling to our own advantage, how we can use it and our own survival instincts to keep ourselves safe. Undoubtedly this type of knowledge is certainly just as important as the knowledge of how to perform adequate, life saving first aid treatment.