Customer Reviews

Obsession : The Fbi's Legendary Profiler Probes the Psyches of Killers, Rapists and Stalkers and Their Victims and Tells How to Fight Back (Abridged Edition)

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

John Douglas, a renown Behavioral Scientist, details and examines the characteristics and progressionary depravity of individuals that have....well....problems....to put it mildly.

Problems be they physiological and/or psychological. You think you're having a bad day? Try tapping into the minds, lives, and motivations of serial rapists.

The subject is not the most joyous nor enlightening but it is reality and many of the aspects of behavioral science is interesting. And, this field is relevant because it covers this realistic aspect of our society. There are many things to learn about in the general strategies behavioral scientists' use in "Obsession." Such commonly used terms in the media such as Modus Operandi (MO) and "signature" are defined, and explained, and real life examples are provided. What do signatures tell us? Why do these perpetrators leave them behind? Find out in this well-written and easy-to-read book, that does describe but doesn't not over-whelm you with the the gory details.

Behavioral Science is an interesting and solidly scientific field that compiles case histories, research and data, validity, psychological testing, and evidence collection. With the current knowledge John Douglas can often predict with tremendous accuracy several things with a mere profile.

He often accurately predicts what year, model, and make of car a particular Unknown Suspect (UnSub) would own and drive. The type of work he would do. The kind of work schedule he keeps. What industry he likely worked in, and what hours he probably kept. He often accurately predicts the UnSub's sexual and criminal history, and the types of relationships the UnSub has with friends and lovers. When the Unknown Subject is eventually identified, apprehended, charged, and convicted, Douglas is regularly proven to be accurate.

This book is primary based upon one type of particular crime.
However, it is written in an objective and professional manner based upon scientific evidence and expertise, case histories, and technological advancements used in this field. Several criminal case histories are noted from all over the world.

Serial criminals often exhibit the same symptoms all over the world, which transcend cultures, ethnicity, and geographical make-up. Check it out.

One year prior to this book being on the shelves I tried to explain to librarians what I meant by the very content of this book. Nobody could find anything or understood what I was talking about. Mr. Douglas you were the answer to it all. When you have lived as someone's obsession it is hard for anyone to relate to. Obsession explained from a professional in criminology what I had been talking about and nobody had a "clue". I own 2 copies of this book in case I lend one out and it does not get back to me. I had so many questions,but who could answer them if they had no idea what you were talking about. "Oh, he just really likes you". No, it's an illness and I felt at least Mr. Douglas understood as he described the dymanics so well. They never give up and Mr. Douglas had the victim profiled as to the extremes they would take to try to protect themselves from these predators. Personally, Mindhunter and Journey into Darkness should be read prior to Obsession so the reader has continuity and fully appreciates how Obsession relates to the other two. Mr. Douglas said, you had better have your stalker profiled because he has a profile on you, to understand how serious an issue this is for the victim. It would help if people who were close to the victim understood the reality also.
Mrs. Symmington

Without a doubt, John Douglas is extraordinary and a very dear man. He has dealt with, on a DAILY basis, for years, into the horrific and graphic details of the aftermath of serial killers, serial rapists, stalkers, mutilators. He has gotten into the minds of those criminals and looked at the crime through their point of view. Being able to do this process, called profiling, he has identified these killers and sexual predators. Still with all that he has seen, he has given so much compassion and empathy to the victims of these acts of violence. John Douglas has tried to also get the knowledge to the people so that we can all become more aware. He has traveled to hospital emergency rooms to inform doctors and staff about evidence needed for rape cases. He has also conducted seminars in colleges. This is an excellent book that John Douglas has written. Mr. Douglas is very respected by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, in which he worked for over twenty-five years. He became head of the Investigative Support Unit in 1979. May John's story go on. He's one of the real American heros. As a victim of attempted rape and child molestation myself and from all of the other victims in the U.S. that he has helped, I would like to extend a very heartfelt and deep appreciation to John Douglas.

Third in a series of criminal profiling by the best in the world. This edition is more how to survive and tips for defending against sexual assault, kidnapping and other violent offenses. Douglas takes one chapter to explain how the Hannibal character from Silence of the Lambs was created. Cases are introduced to illustrate point of safety. Well written and easily to understand, but much different from the previous two Douglas has written. If you are looking for case after case of gruesome crimes, this is not the book for you.

Love the author, loved Mindhunter....but...if you've already read Mindhunter, don't waste your money...a lot of the same stories and material. If you haven't read Manhunter, go for it.

Having read all of the books John Douglas has put out regarding his time as an FBI profiler, the first thing that came to mind is why he didn't crash and burn from the constant drumbeat of depravity. To say that we need someone of this level of commitment to stand between us and that kind of immorality is an understatement. I thought I would not like grim and graphic descriptions of his work. I was wrong. The book is taut, enlightening and scary, all at the same time. He cites specific cases including the preppie murder case and brought to the surface aspects of the case that I had been previously unaware. It is tough to make such a narrative read as a thriller but I think that Douglas and his co-author Mark Olshaker have done the best they can with the glut of the material. I highly recommend it to any and all who desire to make sense out of the senseless. Douglas and Olshaker do their best to make it understandable.

This is the fifth John Douglas book I have read. I have found Obsession to be the least interesting of the five. I love reading about actual cases and the hunt for criminals. This book lacks a lot of that and instead focuses more generally on the types and behaviors of offenders. The best part of the book focuses on the three real-life serial killers that were used as a basis for Buffalo Bill and Hannibal Lecter in "Silence of the Lambs". Overall, I would have to say that "Mindhunter" and "Journey Into Darkness" are definitely my favorites. This book, "Anatomy of Motive" and "Unabomber" were not quite as good although the unabomber's manifesto is really interesting.