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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
I enjoyed this, tho it was definitely dry at times. It was a really good intro into the history of profiling and criminal behavioral analysis. The guy is definitely using the book to pat himself on the back, but also it seems a lot of the time the pat on the back is deserved. And I agree with him that we shouldn’t execute people just to satisfy the desires of the public but rather keep obviously-unreformed violent offenders to study them to be able to help and prevent similar offenders in the future.
Some of the information is probably a little outdated, and the whole thing reeks of that particular FBI douchery, but it was a good read, especially for MFM fans and other true crime fanatics.
Some of the information is probably a little outdated, and the whole thing reeks of that particular FBI douchery, but it was a good read, especially for MFM fans and other true crime fanatics.
Matter-of-fact and chilling; an inside view on the FBI's establishment of the first personality profiling unit & the national databases used to hunt 'multiple murderers' - or, as Ressler named them, "serial killers".
Loved it. It’s from the Mindhunter guy!!! SSDGM referral.
A brilliant accounts of the inception and development of the field of profiling serial killers and the building of VICAP
Just a remarkable and absolutely fascinating book.
Just filled with amazing information and insight.
Just filled with amazing information and insight.
What an engaging read. I have read a book or two by Douglas, Ressler’s counterpart at the bureau, so I was excited to finally get a hold of this book. To hear the perspective of Ressler as the BAU was being developed as well as the start of VICAP was very interesting.
Whoever Fights Monsters: My Twenty Years Tracking Serial Killers for the FBI by Robert K. Ressler and Tom Shachtman is a pretty good book. It's like reading a book by John Douglas but without the ego.
However, my problem with all of these types of books (about the history of profiling and such) is they never seem to talk about their failures. Which is ridiculous because you know they've had them. Hell, they've had tons of them. It's critical to talk about them and how they adjusted for future profiles.
They way they (people like Douglas and Ressler) tell it, though, is they never got it wrong.
Also, this book is pretty dated. He mentions the Central Park 5 as if they were still guilty, and praises bite evidence (which is INCREDIBLY problematic).
However, the good does outweigh the bad, and if you like Mindhunter, you'll like this a lot. Some scenes are straight from this book.
However, my problem with all of these types of books (about the history of profiling and such) is they never seem to talk about their failures. Which is ridiculous because you know they've had them. Hell, they've had tons of them. It's critical to talk about them and how they adjusted for future profiles.
They way they (people like Douglas and Ressler) tell it, though, is they never got it wrong.
Also, this book is pretty dated. He mentions the Central Park 5 as if they were still guilty, and praises bite evidence (which is INCREDIBLY problematic).
However, the good does outweigh the bad, and if you like Mindhunter, you'll like this a lot. Some scenes are straight from this book.
It’s easy to understand how and why the title quotation appeals to the author, Robert Ressler, but it’s the second part of the quote that I feel gets over looked. “And when you gaze long into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you”, applies just as much. I’ve read a lot of True Crime books of this type and one thing I have noticed is that these profilers see serial killer traits everywhere. They’ve stared into the abyss so long that they can’t see anything but abyss everywhere. Every person who’s ever lit a match or looked at a Playboy pops onto the radar, “There is a potential killer.” That being said, I very much enjoyed this book.
Robert Ressler is a very interesting fellow. Ressler is very typical of the more ambitious FBI agents you hear about or see portrayed on TV. This makes sense as he is the basis for a lot of these characters. His Type A personality seeps into his writing and can come across as braggadocious, but that didn’t bother me as much as it did for many of the other reviewers. It is good to put into perspective when this all took place (the 70s and 80s) and when the book was written (the early 1990s). I imagine you weren’t going to make much of yourself in the FBI if you weren’t highly aggressive, ambitious and self-confident. Ressler possesses all of these traits in spades, but I think he doesn’t get enough credit for his forward thinking.
“Whoever Fights Monsters” by Robert Ressler and Tom Shachtman tells stories of Ressler’s time interviewing some of the most notorious killers as he developed the field of criminal profiling, especially as it related to serial killers. Each chapter often highlights a particular killer or particular trait, drawing from Ressler’s experience interviewing or actually working some of these cases. If you are interested in true crime these stories are immensely interesting. The stories can be very graphic though, so if true crime is not your thing, neither will this book be. A few of the killers spotlighted appear so frequently throughout the book they seem to be major characters…I’m looking at you Edmund Kemper.
It is easy to forget that at the time of this book a lot of these killers’ stories were not as well known as they are now, and the burst of popularity in profiling from Silence of the Lambs and Criminal Minds had not yet peaked. The novelty of this book is lost nowadays but the stories remain interesting. Reading this, I can readily imagine Robert Ressler telling these tales to his friends at gatherings and being quite the star of the party.
One aspect of this book and those like it that I don’t particularly like is the graphic details of the victims. I understand it is needed for the full picture, but I can’t help but feel sadness for the families of these victims. It can’t imagine the unbearable pain it would cause to be accosted somewhere in public by some ding dong proclaiming how they read all about some unspeakable act that happened to this person’s family member.
Overall, while I wouldn’t necessarily call this an “enjoyable” read per se, it is very interesting. I would give it a very solid four stars and say I really liked it. I have no hesitation recommending this book to anyone who may be interested in true crime or profiling.
Robert Ressler is a very interesting fellow. Ressler is very typical of the more ambitious FBI agents you hear about or see portrayed on TV. This makes sense as he is the basis for a lot of these characters. His Type A personality seeps into his writing and can come across as braggadocious, but that didn’t bother me as much as it did for many of the other reviewers. It is good to put into perspective when this all took place (the 70s and 80s) and when the book was written (the early 1990s). I imagine you weren’t going to make much of yourself in the FBI if you weren’t highly aggressive, ambitious and self-confident. Ressler possesses all of these traits in spades, but I think he doesn’t get enough credit for his forward thinking.
“Whoever Fights Monsters” by Robert Ressler and Tom Shachtman tells stories of Ressler’s time interviewing some of the most notorious killers as he developed the field of criminal profiling, especially as it related to serial killers. Each chapter often highlights a particular killer or particular trait, drawing from Ressler’s experience interviewing or actually working some of these cases. If you are interested in true crime these stories are immensely interesting. The stories can be very graphic though, so if true crime is not your thing, neither will this book be. A few of the killers spotlighted appear so frequently throughout the book they seem to be major characters…I’m looking at you Edmund Kemper.
It is easy to forget that at the time of this book a lot of these killers’ stories were not as well known as they are now, and the burst of popularity in profiling from Silence of the Lambs and Criminal Minds had not yet peaked. The novelty of this book is lost nowadays but the stories remain interesting. Reading this, I can readily imagine Robert Ressler telling these tales to his friends at gatherings and being quite the star of the party.
One aspect of this book and those like it that I don’t particularly like is the graphic details of the victims. I understand it is needed for the full picture, but I can’t help but feel sadness for the families of these victims. It can’t imagine the unbearable pain it would cause to be accosted somewhere in public by some ding dong proclaiming how they read all about some unspeakable act that happened to this person’s family member.
Overall, while I wouldn’t necessarily call this an “enjoyable” read per se, it is very interesting. I would give it a very solid four stars and say I really liked it. I have no hesitation recommending this book to anyone who may be interested in true crime or profiling.
The abyss
Although some aspects of this are dated, It still remains up fantastic and fascinating look into the mind of both behavioral science fed offices and the criminal mind. Just creepy enough to keep your interest but loaded with lots of facts and points of interest, this book is a pretty great way to start 2021.
Although some aspects of this are dated, It still remains up fantastic and fascinating look into the mind of both behavioral science fed offices and the criminal mind. Just creepy enough to keep your interest but loaded with lots of facts and points of interest, this book is a pretty great way to start 2021.
hate that this dude will give the full name and entire job history of every single cop that he breathed the same air as throughout his life but only names a handful of victims...lol