A Look into the Mind of a Serial Killer Mindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit By: John Douglas and Mark Olshaker Copyright 1995 (Introduction Copyright 2017). The book Mindhunter is collaboratively written by John Douglas and Mark Olshaker. Mark Olshaker is an author who frequently works with FBI agent, John Douglas, to write books about criminal psychology. This book provides an in-depth look into Douglas’ life as he works his way up to becoming the Unit Chief of the Investigative Support Unit (ISU) for the FBI. This book is about the evolution of the technique called Behavioral Profiling. This method, developed by Howard Teten and Patrick Mullany, was then passed on to Douglas who played a large role in …show more content…
He also worked first-hand on these cases, which he was able to recount. Paired with Olshaker, this pair wrote an accurate, well-written account of Douglas’ work and findings. These authors wrote Mindhunter in a clear, concise manner. This book is nonfiction, and while many stories are woven throughout the book, it is very informative and to-the-point. The early chapters of this book are based on Douglas’ early life. They start by introducing the readers to Douglas. He was a struggling teen who had multiple close encounters with the law. After that, the chapters follow Douglas’ career development until he is chosen to become a special agent for the Bureau. As his life evolves, the readers are introduced to his wife, Pam, and their relationship. Once Douglas’ background is covered, the book starts introducing the method of catching serial killers that Douglas was interested in, behavioral profiling. Up until this point, behavioral profiling was not taken seriously by the FBI and was not a common practice in solving cases. Throughout Mindhunter, Douglas proves to be a pioneer, inventing techniques still used by behavioral analysts today. A large number of his