The Evil That Men Do

The Book in 1 Sentence

A very clinical narrative of the case history of Roy Hazelwood as he followed serial predators.

Brief Review

This book was interesting without the gruesomeness that you get from other books about serial criminals. This is also a little more informative and clinical then other books as it is talking about what investigators should look for, the pitfalls of certain investigations.

Why I Read this book

One of the authors is part of the original "Mind Hunters" group from the FBI that do behavior analysis.

In-Depth Review

I mentioned earlier that this was a much more clinical book and I think that is probably the best description of this book. There are details of the crimes, which are most sexual deviations rather than outright killing, but I think that is what allows this book from falling into the need to be overtly gruesome.

The descriptions of the crimes are graphic, I won't lie. However, they are not so graphic that you wouldn't see it on TV if watching "CSI" or "Law and Order SVU". It isn't Game of Thrones. However, these graphic descriptions are a lot like the descriptions in [[American Sherlock]] where they all serve a purpose, and it is there to teach rather than force you to cringe or cower.

I think this book also does a great job of providing lessons in a story format from different cases rather than an in-depth analysis of different serial predators. It provides some fascinating side-by-side comparisons of what each predator does that is similar and what is different. We are talking about the statistical analysis of why they did what they did and their personal histories.

How my life / behavior / thoughts / ideas have changed as a result of reading the book.

Near the end of the book, it walks you through a case and naturally pauses asking you to think your opinion of what happened and what kind of predator this case represents. I know you are thinking, "How are you going to use this in your life" and the answer is, in teaching. Finding ways to have students or lay men to think through the events in the cyber cases I work when teaching will be a great way to present new information.

Rating

I really enjoyed this book. It was written so well, and I think that this should be the first book that people read when diving into the world of serial murderers and rapist. There isn't too much time put into each one that there is an entire book towards them (They for sure don't need it). Also, the way cases were added and near the end even cases that showed how sometimes public hysteria can play a part into serial crime. For an instructional book, which I don't think it was intended to be, but it is and is well done, this is an 8.

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