OBSESSION

Rating:
Summary: Close those windows and Lock those doors
Review: ...because when you sit down to read this book it will give you a new awareness on just how safe (or unsafe) you are.

Douglas is brilliant! Those inclined to thoughts of fancy (and an over-active imagination) may want to stay clear of this subject matter, but if you're not feignt of heart then you'll definitely want to here what years of experience has taught this man. It's a must read for every woman out there.

Rating:
Summary: worth reading.. but not Douglas's best
Review: I am the Director of the Criminal Justice Department at dodge city community college and I have read all of John Douglas's books and even met him in person, and I believe this is one of his best books. Douglas is able to explain psychological and criminological theories in a way that the average person can understand.

One thing I really liked about this book was the attention he gave the crime victims. The victims of the crimes are usually overlooked by our system. It was through this book that I met the Schmidt family in Kansas City who lost their 20 yr old daughter to a sexual predator. They were the ones who introduced me to John Douglas. The book is an excellent book for explaining the motivation of rapists, and other sex offenders. This book has been very helpful to me, I have cited in many times in term papers I have written on psychopaths and other predators.

Rating:
Summary: On The Money
Review: I know people feel that the market has been flooded by former FBI Agents and their books about serial killers, but when you want on the mark conversations, ideas, thoughts, etc. you need look no further than John Douglas. He and Mr. Olshacker, have given us a deep insight to the people who commit horrific crimes and the whys, hows, and how they caught them. I felt that this book was more instructional than the previous ones and I feel that if people are only looking for gore this is not the book for you. But true students of the mind will find this an interesting read.

Rating:
Summary: Honors victims and homicide survivors (oxymoron)
Review: I wept, wept and in a way still weeping. John Douglas is masterful at profiling and gives us the knowledge and the warning signs of. Since murderers don't just wake up one day and decide to start killing. In this book I feel that he also challenges the murderers (probably ones operating right now if their pick up his book) to view their victims as human beings and not just object to be humiliated and controlled. I can hear the voices of the victims and their families crying out for justice no, demanding for justice against the "losers" that seek to control them. Highly recommend this book.

Rating:
Summary: Very Disturbing Look at the Criminal Mind
Review: In Obsession, John Douglas gives the reader a brief glimpse into the criminal mind and a short overview of the process of criminal profiling. I like the fact that he refuses to make any excuses for criminals (coming from a dysfunctional family, childhood abuse, insanity, etc.) He makes it very clear that regardless of a person's background or previous experiences, the execution of a crime is always voluntary....that the criminal made a choice to disregard the consequences of his actions, and inflict consequences on an innocent victim. The only thing I didn't really care for too much in this book was the fact that so little was devoted to actual criminal profiling. Most of the book is dedicated to victim's rights and how to prevent yourself from becoming a victim. While there is nothing wrong with such topics, and he does make some very excellent points, I felt a little bit shortchanged after becoming intrigued with the coverage of criminal psychology...intrigued enough to look into it further as a possible career, and then the rest of the book jumps into victim's rights and never looks back.

Rating:
Summary: Obsession
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Rambling presentation
Review: The most interesting information in this book was found on a few pages near the end- a description of the bizarre case that inspired the "Buffalo Bill" character in Silence of the Lambs and the famous movie Psycho. The rest of the book was a long presentation of classifications of types rapists, details of some cases, some law enforcement programs to work with victims, and some advice for victims- both past and potential. Contains editorial about how certain types of serial offenders cannot be rehabilitated- the ones who enjoy what they do and repeatedly decide to do it. Overall there was some intersting information here, but you have to labor to get to the end of this book.

Rating:
Summary: I Looked for this one year before it was out in print
Review: This book started out to be a really interesting book, but it was almost like reading a lecture. What could have been a real page turner was repetitive, dry, and boring. Actually, I got so bored with the book (unusual for me) that I didn't even finish it. I was prepared to not be able to put this book down, and I'm sorry to say that it was a real disappointment.

Rating:
Summary: Superman into Criminal Profiling? Apparently.
Review: Well this is a very unique book indeed. I bought it because I am a clinical psychology major with a special interest in forensic psych, and it seemed like an interesting topic to have an FBI profiler's opinions on. It started off wonderfully, but soon I noticed a disturbing trend. Time after time after time Douglas mentions his previous books by title, the same two books over and over again. Every other page makes reference to one or the other, and it's almost like an obvious plug or commercial every few pages. It gets really old really quick. The next thing I noticed was how the author mentioned time after time examples of extraordinary or unusual behavior that he performed, and he should receive glory for. Granted, he is an expert in this area, but the book was supposed to be about the psyches of killers, stalkers, and rapists, but is instead a book written with the underlying job of boasting this man's career and advertising his previous books. I'm not saying this because it was mentioned only a few times, I'm saying this because it took away from the book itself. These were repeated a dreadfully annoying number of times, and that was all within the first four chapters (where I decided to read another book instead.)

The technical aspects, however, were very good when they were actually given the spotlight for a few minutes.

Rating:
Summary: John Douglas- One of the Real American Heroes
Review: 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.