#everything is research

It's been a while since I binged through a John Douglas book. It was Mindhunter, passed to me by my Dad at 18, that got me interested in profiling and true crime. So, I have a special place in my heart for Douglas.

This book was a fascinating study of 4 different killers who don't quite fit the mold that Douglas interviewed and analyzed. I appreciated Douglas' take on our current True Crime craze: he thinks everyone ponders on nature vs. nurture and you don't see the extremes of that discussion anywhere like you do with murderes and their victims.

He also, on the side, said he doesn't think books like his makes killers smarter. At the same time, he hates the fame that lingers around them while the victims are forgotten.

I also found his section in the middle showing the banality of evil quite interesting.

As always, these books require a strong stomach and should probably be imbibed cautiously. There is a lot of evil and corruption in this world. This book doesn't beat about the bush about what one person can do to another, including to children.

As a writer, these types of books can be invaluable in constructing believable villains, but also heroes. You can use them for character studies, but also seeing how Douglas processes and reacts to his constant exposure to this level of darkness is amazing. The fact that this all turn his stomach, or that he's internally seething while externally calm are helpful for character building.

Earthquake, what earthquake? Even my cat slept through it. The hubby felt it at work, but nothing here.