meganmalach 's review for:

Whoever Fights Monsters: My Twenty Years Tracking Serial Killers for the FBI by Robert K. Ressler

3.0

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I really think this book could have benefitted from a coauthor experienced in academic research to bolster some of the very bold claims this man makes with no evidence linked at all. There is a lot in here where he seems to insist that it’s All Mommy’s Fault (and when it’s Daddy’s Fault it’s based on a very dated idea of the 1950s nuclear family model; I realize this was published in 1992 but still) based on his own anecdotal evidence. I’d take some of that with a grain of salt. His description of the work he did and the cases he was involved in was interesting enough and I think the book would also benefit from a foreword with some updates on some of the cases or people mentioned.
Even some kind of re-publishing with editing to include links to any outside sources would really beef this up to make it a great book. Overall an enjoyable read with some considerable caveats. Very gruesome at times as well, so keep that in mind before beginning.