The cases that haunt us
Ratings13
Average rating3.3
Violent. Provocative. Shocking.
Call them what you will...but don't call them open and shut.
Did Lizzie Borden murder her own father and stepmother? Was Jack the Ripper actually the Duke of Clarence? Who killed JonBenet Ramsey? America's foremost expert on criminal profiling and twenty-five-year FBI veteran John Douglas, along with author and filmmaker Mark Olshaker, explores those tantalizing questions and more in this mesmerizing work of detection.
With uniquely gripping analysis, the authors reexamine and reinterpret the accepted facts, evidence, and victimology of the most notorious murder cases in the history of crime, including the Lindbergh baby kidnapping, the Zodiac Killer, and the Whitechapel murders. Utilizing techniques developed by Douglas himself, they give detailed profiles and reveal chief suspects in pursuit of what really happened in each case. The Cases That Haunt Us not only offers convincing and controversial conclusions, it deconstructs the evidence and widely held beliefs surrounding each case and rebuilds them -- with fascinating, surprising, and haunting results.
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Popular Reviews
Reviews with the most likes.
In this book, the author takes us on a journey unlike many true crime novels. Here, each case is tackled with a precision unlike most. There is a clinical study done, a science that is not usually found. As a profiler, the author is able to look past some of the more circumstantial aspects of the cases, and look at the deeper motive, the unseen pieces that often allude others.
I was fascinated with this book, and the way that each case was broken down, analyzed, and then presented. It was hard for me to put this one down and walk away.
For those who enjoy true crime, and a bit more of the psychological science behind the perpetrator, then this is one book that will appeal to you! Highly recommend!
I really dislike the authorial voice. I have read two of his books now and it's the same. It's too cocky, not fun to read for hours.
Some of the cases were interesting, but the sheer bombast of the author was really off-putting. Especially in light of recent studies that have shown profiling, and particularly homology (the idea that similar people will commit similar crimes), is unreliable and not an effective law enforcement tool.
