Into the Minds of Madmen: How the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit Revolutionized Crime Investigation

When law enforcement struggles to solve a serial murder, arson, rape, or child abduction, and is making little headway, it turns to the FBI's legendary Behavioral Science Unit (BSU) at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia. Over the past three decades, more than thirty members of this elite team have worked to capture countless elusive criminals. Rarely have they been appreciated. Never has their story been told. Now, at the suggestion of Stephen Band, the current Chief of the BSU, the inside story has been written by John Campbell, former BSU Chief (1989-1992), and Don DeNevi, author of many highly acclaimed true-crime books. In a fascinating account, full of quiet heroics and grisly criminal details, the authors describe the difficult work of the tireless professionals who have devoted their careers to investigating and analyzing the deeds and personalities of the macabre psychopaths who haunt our streets. In contrast to well-known fictional depictions, like Silence of the Lambs and The X-Files, DeNevi and Campbell's real-life perspective shows that the true story is more engrossing, indeed astonishing, than any movie or novel. The authors reveal how this crack unit developed a new technique, from a combination of psychological profiling and old-fashioned detective work, which succeeded in cracking a host of difficult cases, including serial murders, hostage taking, and terrorism. Readers experience what it is like to crawl into the twisted minds of notorious criminals, as psychological profilers must do to learn their motivations, patterns, and probable next move. This unique oral history will provide fascinating reading for fans of C.S.I., Profiler, and other similar dramas, and isalso a long overdue and fitting tribute to the heroic men and women of the Behavioral Science Unit, who fight everyday to keep Americans safe.

DeNivi, who teaches and counsels the condemned on San Quentin's death row, and Campbell (criminal justice, St. Cloud U., Minnesota), the Unit's chief from 1989 to 1992, tell how the Unit, based at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia, track down the perpetrators of such crimes as serial murder, arson, rape, and child abduction.
Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Includes bibliographical references (p. 399-413) and index.

In a fascinating account, full of quiet heroics and grisly criminal details, the authors describe the difficult work of the tireless professionals who have devoted their careers to investigating and analyzing the deeds and personalities of the macabre psychopaths who haunt the nation's streets.

Mindset of A Murderer — The Predecessors — Supersleuths or Crazy Caballeros? — Pioneering Criminal Profiling — The Nine — "Sir, we don't have spit." — Spawning a Nationwide System to Track Serial Killers — "VICAP? Why, we're the farthest planet out there!" — The Art and Science of Profiling — "Helping Hands" — Replacing an Icon — Rider's Reign — The Present and the Future.