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Obsession: The FBI's Legendary Profiler Probes the Psyches of Killers, Rapists and Stalkers and Their Victims and Tells How to Fight Backby John E. Douglas
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Book DescriptionScribner, 1998-02-09. Hardcover. Very Good. Hardback Edition, Tight Binding,Dust Jacket some minor wear, No Writing. Book summaryThe founder of the FBI's Investigative Support Unit revisits some famous and not-so-famous cases, providing psychological profiles of stalkers, murderers, and rapists.Media Reviews"...OBSESSION is a high-caliber true crime read that touches on the most volatile area of prevention in dealing with stalking and other types of obsessive psycho-sexual behavior--as if one could actually prevent an attack from a serial-killing psychopath. If one could however, one feels that one would want to rely on the help and experience of Douglas to do it." -- Gary S. Kadet, Boston Book Review "Douglas is much better at the beginning, when he discusses a little-known killer who seems to have been the basis for Francis Dolarhyde in RED DRAGON (Thomas Harris fans, take note). Douglas's profile of this stalker and killer is illuminating, unlike too much of this book, which is merely titillating." -- Kirkus First LineThey were all dead. All four of them. The entire family. Publisher NotesWritten with Mark Olshaker, the coauthor of Douglas's previous books and an acclaimed novelist, journalist, and filmmaker, "Obsession" is vital reading for anyone seeking to understand and prevent violent crime. In "Obsession", Douglas once again takes us fascinatingly behind the scenes, focusing his expertise on predatory crimes, primarily against women. With a deep sense of compassion for the victims and an uncanny understanding of the perpetrators, Douglas looks at the obsessions that lead to rape, stalking, and sexual murder through such cases as Ronnie Shelton, the serial rapist who terrorized Cleveland; Joseph Thompson, New Zealand's South Auckland rapist; the stalking and killing of television star Rebecca Schaeffer; and New York's notorious "Preppie Murder." He plumbs the minds and motives of those who commit these terrifying and seemingly inexplicable offenses, using as examples his study of Ed Gein, Gary Heidnick, and Ted Bundy, the three obsessional killers who made up the composite character of "Buffalo Bill" in "The Silence of the Lambs". (Douglas himself was the model for Special Agent Jack Crawford.) In Obsession, Douglas takes us behind the scenes, focusing his expertise on predatory crimes, primarily against women. With a deep sense of compassion for the victims and an uncanny understanding of the perpetrators, Douglas looks at the obsessions that lead to rape, stalking, and sexual murder through such cases as Ronnie Shelton, the serial rapist who terrorized Cleveland; Joseph Thompson, New Zealand's South Auckland rapist; the stalking and killing of television star Rebecca Schaeffer; and New York's notorious "Preppie Murder". He plumbs the minds and motives of those who commit these terrifying and seemingly inexplicable offenses, using as examples his study of Ed Gein, Gary Heidnick, and Ted Bundy, the three obsessional killers who made up the composite character of "Buffalo Bill" in The Silence of the Lambs. (Douglas himself was the model for Special Agent Jack Crawford.). But Douglas also looks at obsession on the other side of the moral spectrum: his own career-long obsession with hunting these predators; the obsession of the directors of a model police department's victim's program in Virginia that has literally saved the lives of survivors; and the obsession of a brilliant young lawyer who has established an innovative school in Harlem to combat crime, drugs, and despair. Finally, there's the poignant and moving story of Gene and Peggy Schmidt and their daughter, Jennifer, whose sister, Stephanie, was viciously murdered by a paroled rapist in Kansas, and who channeled their grief and anguish into fighting for a milestone Supreme Court ruling. Douglas analyzes the critical lessons of the Stephanie Schmidt case, which demonstrates the new empowerment galvanizing the victim'srights movement. In a final section that serves as a call to action, Douglas shows us how we can all fight back and protect ourselves, our families, and loved ones against the scourge of the violent predators in our midst. ExcerptThough there were no bullet wounds on any of the bodies, I figured he had to have had a gun. Otherwise, he couldn't have controlled that many people at the same time, particularly when one was a former military man. But clearly, he never intended to use the gun except as a last resort to save his own life. He definitely went in intending to kill—no chance this was a burglary or robbery gone bad—but he wasn't interested in killing quickly and "cleanly" with a bullet. Other Recommended Books
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