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Mindhunter cover art

Mindhunter

Written by: John E. Douglas, Mark Olshaker
Narrated by: Richard M. Davidson
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Publisher's Summary

Bonus material! Includes an excerpt from John Douglas and Mark Olshaker’s Obsession!

Discover the classic behind-the-scenes chronicle of John E. Douglas' 25-year career in the FBI Investigative Support Unit, where he used psychological profiling to delve into the minds of the country's most notorious serial killers and criminals - the basis for the upcoming Netflix original series.

In chilling detail, the legendary Mindhunter takes us behind the scenes of some of his most gruesome, fascinating, and challenging cases - and into the darkest recesses of our worst nightmares.

During his 25-year career with the Investigative Support Unit, Special Agent John Douglas became a legendary figure in law enforcement, pursuing some of the most notorious and sadistic serial killers of our time: the man who hunted prostitutes for sport in the woods of Alaska, the Atlanta child murderer, and Seattle's Green River killer, the case that nearly cost Douglas his life.

As the model for Jack Crawford in The Silence of the Lambs, Douglas has confronted, interviewed, and studied scores of serial killers and assassins, including Charles Manson, Ted Bundy, and Ed Gein, who dressed himself in his victims' peeled skin. Using his uncanny ability to become both predator and prey, Douglas examines each crime scene, reliving both the killer's and the victim's actions in his mind, creating their profiles, describing their habits, and predicting their next moves.

©2017 John E. Douglas & Mark Olshaker (P)2017 Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Featured Article: 20 Best True Crime Audiobooks for Your Inner Detective

There is nothing more thrilling than the unfolding tale of a true crime story. Whether an unsolved mystery, a deep dive into a criminal mastermind, or a look at an infamous serial killer, true crime is gripping, captivating, and engrossing. The best true crime audiobooks will have you on the edge of your seat, anxious for more. Add to that an emphatic and powerful narrator, and you simply won't be able to stop listening. Here are the 20 best true crime audiobooks to satisfy your inner detective.

What listeners say about Mindhunter

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Historic Profile cases the original Profiler !! Excellent

Incredibly written, detailed, informative & well paced!

John & Mark once again provide us with the story behind factual cases & the perpetrators behind the headlines!

Well well written & readable/listenable accounts

The Bestselling Netflix series based on this book! Look forward to the third season, Netflix!!

Narration is top notch and puts you right with them as they do the profiling

Bravo!!

Highly Recommend!!

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  • Overall
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    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing book

It was a very good book calming to listen to at work it’s a must read

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    4 out of 5 stars

A Realistic Look into Calling-Only Job

Mindhunter tells it like it was, and is today - a career only a certain type of person could withstand. It's fine to be an armchair detective of deviant killers, but quite another to emotionally handle that kind of darkness, day in and day out. Most of humanity couldn't perennially live in that world and withstand that level of stress.

I applaud Mr. Douglas and well appreciate his work, and the legacy of assistance profilers can offer to first, prevent disturbed people before they become serial killers, and second, incarcerate/put to death those who are too far gone.

Through this book, you get a glimpse of the down and dirty, and how killers CHOOSE to kill and not seek help. The debate over whether or not deviant murder is a sickness is moot. These killers only bemoan sickness after they're stopped.

I well appreciate how Mr. Douglas espouses the death penalty for said, or at the very least life without the possibility of parole, for these predators will never stop killing once that mindset is ingrained.

To anyone thinking Mr. Douglas's career was fun and adventurous, think again. He is a rare breed, and even he admits that job affected his personal life and health. I'm thrilled people like him exist, but as much as I'd like to think I could do that work, psychologically I KNOW I could not.

Mindhunter, a valuable read to get a glimpse into the reality over the film/TV hype. If it isn't already, it should be a mandatory read for future profilers.

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I loved i! the narrator was amazing so smart

the narrator was great and I learned alot about abnormal human behaviour I so much aware of my surroundings I am a fan and await the next book
the research was next level

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Really enjoyed this book

I really enjoyed this book and all the details it shared about how the fbi unit came about. I enjoyed the narrator he actually sounded like “a fbi guy”

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Amazing

Great book. Highly recommended for people who are interested in criminology and other crime prevention areas.

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Fascinating listen

Great read, amazing how they come up with profiles at the FBI. Excellent narration super easy voice to listen to.

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The Definitive Discussion of Criminal Profiling

'Mindhunter' easily fits into any all-time top 5 True Crime book list. Every fan of the genre needs to have this book in their library. John E. Douglas (with ghost-writer/co-author Mark Olshaker) describes vividly how the famed FBI Behavioral Science Unit - now the 'Investigative Support Unit' - in Quantico was developed.. and how Profilers get into the minds of criminals to provide Sherlock Holmes-quality advice to Law Enforcement. The book is well-paced (never boring), well-written (clear and engrossing), and full of exemplars to illustrate concepts Douglas and colleagues use to catch the worst Sociopaths that lurk and hunt among us.
A Legitimate Critique: This 15½ hour book could probably be delivered in 8. About half of it is a biographical exploration of the life of John Douglas (upbringing, schooling, professional career, health issues, etc): "Self-congratulatory" could be fairly charged.
..but Douglas makes it clear that heavily-detailed biography is an important tool that ISU uses to come to conclusions about UnSubs - knowing someone's life story intimately can imply a lot to the right investigator.. therefore listening to ridiculously irrelevant anecdotes (like those described for Douglas's life throughout this book) might actually yield valuable information. It's true this book is disappointingly about 50% arrogant "I'm never wrong" memoir.. but it's also an analogy for Profiler doctrine. Fascinating.

Richard M. Davidson was a great choice from Simon & Schuster Audio to read 'Mindhunter'. His tone is suitably serious, cadence and timbre are notable, and his pace of reading is flawless. I would listen to more from Davidson any time.

This book is an indispensable read for those who want to understand how profiling fits into the investigative arsenal (supplementing witness reports, CSI/forensics, interviewing, and good old-fashioned gumshoeing). Douglas's capacious ego is hard to stomach at times, but on the strength of captivating writing and creditable narration, this audiobook merits 9 stars out of 10.

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Captivating and great performance

I absolutely loved this book. The way the author describes his strategies for various cases is captivating and I couldn’t stop listening. The performance is great and the author does a great job at really pulling you in. If you like true crime, you’ll love this book!
#Audible1

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The narrator had the perfect performance

This narrator kept me enthralled the whole book. His voice was exactly what this book needed to bring it to life in an audio book

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