The Killers Shadow, John E. Douglas
The Killers Shadow, John E. Douglas
9 Rating(s)
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The Killer's Shadow
The FBI's Hunt for a White Supremacist Serial Killer

Author: John E. Douglas, Mark Olshaker

Narrator: Holt McCallany

Unabridged: 8 hr 7 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: HarperAudio

Published: 11/17/2020


Synopsis

The legendary FBI criminal profiler and international bestselling author of Mindhunter and The Killer Across the Table returns with this timely, relevant book that goes to the heart of extremism and domestic terrorism, examining in-depth his chilling pursuit of, and eventual prison confrontation with Joseph Paul Franklin, a White Nationalist serial killer and one of the most disturbing psychopaths he has ever encountered.Worshippers stream out of an Midwestern synagogue after sabbath services, unaware that only a hundred yards away, an expert marksman and  avowed racist, antisemite and member of the Ku Klux Klan, patiently awaits, his hunting rifle at the ready. 
 The October 8, 1977 shooting was a forerunner to the tragedies and divisiveness that plague us today. John Douglas, the FBI’s pioneering, first full-time criminal profiler, hunted the shooter—a white supremacist named Joseph Paul Franklin, whose Nazi-inspired beliefs propelled a three-year reign of terror across the United States, targeting African Americans, Jews, and interracial couples. In addition, Franklin bombed the home of Jewish leader Morris Amitay, shot and paralyzed Hustler magazine publisher Larry Flynt, and seriously wounded civil rights leader Vernon Jordan. The fugitive supported his murderous spree robbing banks in five states, from Georgia to Ohio. Douglas and his writing partner Mark Olshaker return to this disturbing case that reached the highest levels of the Bureau, which was fearful Franklin would become a presidential assassin—and haunted him for years to come as the threat of copycat domestic terrorist killers increasingly became a reality. Detailing the dogged pursuit of Franklin that employed profiling, psychology and meticulous detective work, Douglas and Olshaker relate how the case was a make-or-break test for the still-experimental behavioral science unit and revealed a new type of, determined, mission-driven serial killer whose only motivation was hate. A riveting, cautionary tale rooted in history that continues to echo today, The Killer's Shadow is a terrifying and essential exploration of the criminal personality  in the vile grip of extremism and what happens when rage-filled speech evolves into deadly action and hatred of the “other"" is allowed full reign.

About John E. Douglas

John Douglas, the legendary FBI criminal profiler and veteran author of true crime books, has spent over twenty-five years researching and culling the stories of America’s most disturbing criminals. A veteran of the United States Air Force, he has directly worked and/or had overall supervision in over 5,000 violent crime cases over the past 48 years. He is currently chairman of the board of the “Cold Case Foundation.” One of the foremost experts and investigators of criminal minds and motivations, he currently lives in the Washington, D.C. area. Mark Olshaker is an Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker and author of ten 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, Law & Disorder, have sold millions of copies and have been translated into many languages. Mindhunter is now a dramatic series on Netflix, directed by David Fincher. He and his wife Carolyn, an attorney, live in Washington, D.C.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Scott on May 14, 2023

Candace Owens, a conservative black pundit, recently (September 2019) tweeted that “White supremacy… is not a problem that is harming Black America” ([URL not allowed]) Ms. Owens is, of course, perfectly entitled to her opinion, but if she is going to make a statement of fact......more

Goodreads review by Valerity (Val) on September 19, 2020

If you like books about criminal profilers from the FBI, and the seriously twisted killers they are after, this book fits the bill. Back in the late 1970s, profiling was just beginning to get a start, with it getting a chance to be used outside the FBI by other agencies. This case would help to high......more

Goodreads review by Angus on February 22, 2023

The opening featured some rehash material if you’re a reader of Douglas’s previous books. Then it gets down to the data about capturing a white supremacist sniper who started in the 70s. The whole account in my opinion was a little anemic. The trial and everything was covered in very few pages. I ju......more

Goodreads review by Bianca on February 11, 2025

Im biased to anything John Douglas related and I am biased to anything that has to do with profiling murderers and serial killers Easy/ good read......more

Goodreads review by Noctvrnal on September 27, 2021

A typical Douglas book. Interesting enough case written in not so interesting way. And of course littered with Douglas self-masturbatory narrative that the reader can do well without. The case itself - a white supremacist serial killer - is not something you stumble upon very often, but something th......more