The power of the mind is truly awesome, and that fact is superbly demonstrated in this book. Mr Douglas and his team are a group of people, who for many years, have used brains and not brawn to capture criminals by delving into the minds of the evil creatures masquerading as humans, while fighting a constant battle to maintain their own sanity. He also feeds us with enough vital information about his most memorable cases to keep us interested, yet thankfully spares us the gruesome details of torture, rape, and murder, which would surely induce nightmares. John graphically illustrates to us the frightening reality that there are many wolves in sheep's clothing in this world, and acknowledges the sad fact that although he and his team are blessed with extraordinary powers of ESP, that even the most persistent hunters can be outnumbered by the most deadly kind of quarry - human predators. I strongly advise all prison psychiatrists and psychologists to read this book, as I feel it would give them greater insight into the types of individuals that they would recommend re-releasing back into society.

This is a superbly crafted account of the hideously tragic events perpetuated by two deranged individuals whose final act of suicide also took the lives of the two most innocent victims of all. The two killers,Fritz Klenner and Susie Lynch, can best be described as each being like a truck without brakes - out of control, mercilessly annihilating everything in its path, and showing, in Susie's case, that even the most beautiful and abundant of trees can beget sour fruit. No other author could have described the pathological obsessions that drove these two family scions in such a methodical, to the point, uncompromising, yet surprisingly unprejudicial way as Jerry Bledsoe. If I could have, I would have given it ten stars. Fantastic!

Although it is hard to believe, I feel that David Brown is just a sadistic a sociopath as Ted Bundy was, although, unlike Bundy, he did not commit murder with his own two hands. He violated the trust of a daughter in her father and with the sly wiliness of a cunning fox, manipulated her into committing the one deed that can never be undone - the act of murder. With lies and false promises, he turned his teenage sister-in-law into his lover,until she was so blinded by adoration for him that she reached the point where she conspired to kill her own sister and then concealed the true reason for the murder's commission afterward. The author takes us into the mind of a man whose selfishness, inhumanity and plots of murder did not stop with the slaying of his young wife, but merely started with it. With this book, Ms Rule does a fantastic job delving into the ocean of immorality. It's a deep ocean, so I would advise readers to bring some SCUBA gear.

If you have ever been in a large cathedral, you may have noticed a stained glass window depicting the Virgin Mary smiling benignly as she gazes with love down at the mortals who behold her serene image. Diane Downs had the same Madonna smile. But unlike the Virgin Mary, who sacrificed her son to save all mankind from sin, Diane sacrificed her children in a desperate attempt to regain the affections of her married lover, who had deserted her. In the first few pages of the bible, the list of the 10 commandments that God gave to Moses are displayed. Diane had her own version of these. "Thou shalt not worship anyone but me" "Thou shalt not covet anyone but me" and so forth. When Lew failed to abide by these tenets, Diane committed the ultimate act of evil - the shooting of her children. For the two most evil deeds in the world are the murder of a child and the destruction of a child's innocence, and Diane committed both of these. In this book, the author does not take an express journey through the mind of a sociopath to whom the needs of others were secondary to her own, but stops at every station and gives an in-depth analysis of the scenery surrounding it. Some sad stories do have a happy ending - Christie and Danny are now thriving. Christie has completely recovered from her wounds, and after graduating from the University of Oregon, now works with children. Danny attends a college outside of Oregon, and is a member of the swimming team - however, he remains paralysed from the chest down. God bless them both.

Dr Jeffrey MacDonald presented to the world the face of a charming, sensitive healer, but behind this mask was an arrogant individual who, from the time the murders were committed in 1970 until his final appeal was rejected in 1985, tried his utmost to avoid punishment for the horrific act he perpetrated. This story stands as a monument to the laudable persistence of MacDonald's parents-in-law, who refused to give up their crusade for justice until MacDonald was convicted, and the souls of his wife and children were finally at peace. It is also a tribute to the experts who by sheer talent and technology have advanced the field of forensic science to the degree where it is now viewed as indisputable evidence. This is by far McGinniss's best book, as his in depth analysis of the case also compels the reader to reach a guilty verdict. It is my wish that this man will never be paroled to administer his "deadly medicine" on a new generation of patients.

This is the book which launched Ann Rule's career as the doyenne of true crime writing, and it is easy to see why. What started out as just another "story" for Ms Rule became a journey of horror, as she came to recognise the seductive, horrifically destructive side of a man she thought she knew well - Ted Bundy. Rule draws us into this tragic saga with incisive, careful writing and probing analysis into the crimes, mind and motivations of a sociopath. What makes this such a compelling book is not only the author's fabulous writing, but her heartfelt compassion for the many victims, both living and dead, and although he is undeserving of it, compassion for Bundy himself. In my opinion, the most haunting question that has arisen from this book is: "How can we stop individuals from becoming the kind of sly, silent killer that Ted Bundy became?"

This is an extemely tragic case which chronicles the despicable actions of a truly diabolical individual. How so much evil can be concentrated into one man defies comprehension. A portion of the blame concerning the lack of resolution to the murder implications surrounding this man must surely lie with his kinfolk, since like a Mafia family, they have taken a vow of secrecy. Their co-operation with the authorities seems to be grudging and minimal, with little compassion shown toward the many victims. The best ticket ever written in the life of Robert Fioretti was written when he was sentenced to a substantial prison term. I was also surprised to read that even the infamous mob boss John Gotti, on whose orders many man have been executed, was as deeply offended by this wife beater, child molester, murderer and thief as all decent human beings are. Fortunately, in the end, Robert Fioretti, who once enforced the law as a police officer, eventually had the law enforced upon him.

This is not only the story of an avaricious sociopath, it is also the story of a woman who, for almost eight years, experienced and survived adversity most of us cannot even begin to imagine. This woman lost almost everything that mattered to her, but not for a moment did she lose hope, courage, or the sense of right and wrong. The villains in this saga possessed none of these values, and to those who say that this book is not objective, I will tell them that it is hard to be objective when you are writing about the senseless murder of such an obviously kind and generous man that most of us would have been proud to know.

This is a harrowing book. The naivete and innocence of Daryl and Jim is in sharp contrast to the violence and viciousness of the two predators. This story makes a powerful case for parents to warn their children to be careful of people they know nothing about and children not to be too trusting of people they meet. Kingsbury skillfully balances the suspense of the investigation with the desperation, grief, and anguish of the parents. Perfectly paced, this book masterfully demonstrates the frightening fact that there are many snakes and spiders in this world - and they don't always live in the wilderness.