Journey into Darkness, John E. Douglas
Journey into Darkness, John E. Douglas
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Journey into Darkness

Author: John E. Douglas, Mark Olshaker

Narrator: John E. Douglas

Abridged: 3 hr 4 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 02/01/1997


Synopsis

New York Times bestselling author of Mindhunter John Douglas reveals more unique cases from his time as head of the FBI's elite Investigative Support Unit.

In the #1 New York Times bestseller Mindhunter, John Douglas, who headed the FBI's elite Investigative Support Unit, told the story of his brilliant and terrifying career tracking down some of the most heinous criminals in history. Now, in Journey into Darkness, Douglas profiles vicious serial killers, rapists, and child molesters. He is straightforward, blunt, often irreverent, and outspoken, but takes pains not to glorify any of these murderers. Some of the unique cases Douglas discusses include:

-The Clairemont killer
-The schoolgirl murders
-Richmond's First Serial Murderer
-The brutal and sadistic murder of Suzanne Marie Collins
-Polly Klaas' abduction and murder by Richard Allen Davis,
-The tragedy that lead to the creation of Megan's Law

With Journey into Darkness, Douglas provides more than a glimpse into the minds of serial killers; he demonstrates what a powerful weapon behavioral science has become. Profiling criminals helps not only to capture them, but also helps society understand how these predators work and what can be done to prevent them from striking again. Douglas focuses especially on pedophiles and child abductors, fully explaining what drives them, and how to keep children away from them. As he points out, "The best way to protect your children is to know your enemy." He includes eight rules for safety, a list of steps parents can take to prevent child abduction and exploitation, tips on how to detect sexual exploitation, basic rules of safety for children, and a chart, based on age, which details the safety skills children should have to protect themselves.

In his review for Mindhunter in The New York Times Book Review, Dean Koontz said, "Because of his insights and the power of the material, he leaves us shaken, gripped by a quiet grief for the innocent victims and anguished by the human condition." Journey into Darkness continues this perilous trip into the psyche of the serial killer, but also offers a glimmer of hope that profiling may enable law enforcement to see the indicators of a serial killer's mind and intervene before he kills, or kills again.

About John E. Douglas

John Douglas is the legendary FBI criminal profiler and former Chief of the FBI’s Behavioral Sciences Unit where he researched, investigated, and conducted interviews of some of America’s most violent criminals. Over the past half-century, he either directly worked on or had overall supervision in over 5,000 violent crime cases. He is one of the foremost experts of the criminal mind, its methods, and motivations. Douglas is a veteran of the United States Air Force and holds a doctorate degree in Education, and lives with his wife, Pamela, in the Washington, DC, area.  

About Mark Olshaker

Mark Olshaker is an Emmy Award–winning documentary filmmaker and author of thirteen nonfiction books and five novels, including Einstein’s Brain and The Edge. His books with former FBI Special Agent and criminal profiling pioneer John Douglas, beginning with Mindhunter and most recently When a Killer Calls, have sold millions of copies and have been translated into many languages. Mindhunter was recently adapted by David Fincher into a critically acclaimed and award-winning dramatic series on Netflix. Olshaker and his wife, Carolyn, an attorney, live in the Washington, DC, area.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Sara on August 31, 2018

The subject matter was a little too dark for me here. Having read Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit, I was intrigued enough to look into some other true crime books by John Douglas. Journey Into Darkness claims to look into the why's of criminal deviant (mainly sexual) behaviour,......more

Goodreads review by Mizuki on June 19, 2021

Pre-review: It is a re-read (I first read it when I was a teenager)! So happy to see a Taiwanese publisher republished this series after the success of the Mindhunter TV series! (Link: [URL not allowed]-david-...) PS: I really like the part about Edmund Kemper although he is a mother frea......more

Goodreads review by Ellie on February 25, 2022

how has this man managed to get even more egotistical since Mindhunter......more

Goodreads review by ♥Milica♥ on June 02, 2023

I finished this yesterday, but just got around to reviewing it today. It was better than Mindhunter. Even though Mr Douglas repeated some cases he covered there (and generally repeated some things he already mentioned in this one). I like that this one focuses more on kids, and teaching them to spot......more

Goodreads review by Laur on March 31, 2023

What some deranged people with the most sickest of evil minds can do to other people, never ceases to amaze me. Even more amazing are FBI criminal profilers who hit the nail on the head to catch these individuals by profiling them so accurately that it’s uncanny! John Douglas is one such individual.......more