Любите ли вы сериал Criminal Minds, так люблю его я? А я его, признаюсь, очень люблю. Прекрасно снятый сериал, с замечательными актерами, да еще и про маньяков и серийных убийц! Прелесть! Речь в нем идет о команде агентов ФБР- профайлеров, которые охотятся на серийных убийц, насильников и других мерзопакостных персонажей, пытаясь проникнуть в мысли убийцы, понять его действия и предугадать его последующие шаги. Естественно, я не могла пройти мимо книги, написанной Джоном Дугласом - реальным профайлером ФБР. Более того, именно Дуглас является прообразом одного из главных героев сериала- спец. агента Дэвида Росси.Впечатления у меня смешанные. С одной стороны, я получила от книги именно то, чего ждала от нее. Дуглас рассказывает о серийных убийцах и маньяках, о том как именно профайлеры восстанавливают картину преступления и строят психологический портрет преступника. О том, что работа эта не всегда похожа на то, что нам показывают на телевидении. Например запомнился случай, когда преступник, у которого взяли пробу ДНК, еще более года разгуливал на свободе, из-за очереди в лаборатории, проводящей анализы. Как же так, в сериале анализ ДНК бывает готов раньше, чем герои успеют выпить кофе... А материала в этой книге было бы достаточно на еще пару сезонов моего любимого сериала. Язык у автора очень легкий и приятный, хотя скорее всего это заслуга соавтора- профессионального писателя и редактора, но в любом случае, книга получилась захватывающе интересной.Но вот с другой стороны...Прежде всего мне пришлось объяснить команде обвинителей то, что я и мои коллеги усвоили за долгие годы борьбы с насилием, с точки зрения определенных типов поведения преступника, а также назвать истинную цену, которую мы были вынуждены заплатить за это знание. Мне пришлось взять их с собой в мое путешествие во мрак.При всем моем интересе к теме, я не учла одного обстоятельства: при просмотре Criminal Minds, или любого другого похожего фильма или сериала, или же чтении художественной книги, у зрителя/читателя всегда имеется замечательный защитный механизм. Ты знаешь, что все это не настоящее- всего лишь плод фантазии писателя или сценариста. Вот после этой жуткой сцены в фильме маньяк и его жертва пошли вместе пить кофе. И кровь сделана из краски. "Поружение во мрак" такой защиты мне не предоставило. Здесь все реально: преступники и их жертвы. А Сюзанна Мэри Коллинз вовсе не плод чьего-либо воображения. Она была вполне реальной симпатичной 19-и летней девушкой. Ох, не зря Джон Дуглас обещал читателю "погружение во мрак"- слов на ветер он не бросает. И выбраться из мрака очень не просто. Может попробовать посмотреть на фотографии детенышей панды, как это делает Пелепе Гарсиа в сериале?
Journey Into Darkness sort of reads like a B-sides compilation of leftovers from Mindhunter, which Douglas/Olshaker published just a couple years earlier. This is not necessarily a bad thing, since Mindhunter was such a groundbreaking and damned interesting book.The first few chapters of the book are in the Mindhunter mold, with Douglas at times sharing a rapid-fire accounting of the interesting details from many of the serial criminal cases on which he consulted during his storied career, punctuated by explanations of the finer points of criminal profiling and the underlying psychology of serial offenders. Much of the material presented throughout the first half of the book focuses on offenders against children, including a detailed breakdown of the different types of people who exploit children and what their motivations and methods are. One chapter in the middle of the book is devoted to providing parents with the tools they need to protect their children from predators.The second half of the book diverges greatly from the first. Three chapters are dedicating to providing a breakdown of the victim's family's perspective in one particularly disturbing case; this section culminates with Douglas' observations and opinions of victims' rights groups and the increasing influence they have had on judicial policy in recent years. The next two chapters each break down single cases in a more detailed fashion than the brief case studies the author provided earlier in the book.The final two chapters of the book read more like one-off articles Douglas may have written for magazines or as conference presentations. In the next-to-last chapter the author offers his thoughts about the O.J. Simpson case and he presents a hypothetical profile of the murderer of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. Since this book was published just two years after the Trial of the Century, this chapter seems a little like a cash-in or a promotional stunt, especially considering that it does not really conform with any of the other themes of the book (except as a general explanation of some profiling techniques). Although there was some evidence in earlier chapters that he might have been building to this type of conclusion, the last chapter also feels a little incongruous with the rest of the book as Douglas abandons his case discussions and simply offers his strong opinions about the death penalty and the American justice system.As a whole, this book is not terribly cohesive, but the individual chapters are organized well and Douglas presents his stories and arguments logically. The book never ceases to be interesting and at times it is downright riveting. The Investigative Support Unit's achievements in classifying criminal behavior and the ways they have used their continuously changing data pool to assist law enforcement agencies over the past 30 years are nothing short of genius. Even though I'm not inclined to agree with all of Douglas' conclusions in the final chapter, especially regarding the death penalty and his characterizations of anti-death penalty advocates, I respect the care he has taken to develop and express his well-reasoned, nuanced views, which are certainly thought-provoking.I would highly recommend this book for fans of Mindhunter and for those interested in forensic psychology and criminal profiling, especially those who are willing to take some interesting detours along the way, since the book provides a mixed bag of content ranging from true crime memoir and case studies to parenting advice and discussions of the philosophies of jurisprudence.
What do You think about Journey Into Darkness (1997)?
My husband gave me this to read when I was 3/4 crippled (right leg, left leg and dominate right hand all encased in various enclosures). I read the part about the married Canadian couple who lured young girls into their home and kept them and raped them/tortured them until they had their fill and then killed them.I had nightmares for about 3 days straight and thought a serial killer would see me in my walker on the stoop, follow me inside and pull a Kathy Bates/Misery on me. Scared the crap out of me. Which is, I guess, an excellent sign of good writing.
—Annette
An interesting book about how the role of criminal profilers has evolved and effected results in fighting violent crime in the United States, but ultimately this book falls flat of the high benchmark John Douglas has set in some of his other books, such as Mind Hunters. I got the distinct impression that despite the title of the book, the author was not clear about what he was trying to achieve in writing it. There were lengthy passages devoted to the author's personal opinions on dealing with the victims of violent crimes, the need for reforms within the system, and capital punishment, which I only found vaguely interesting at best. This was a generally disappointing read from a usually fascinating author.
—Alice
There is no question that John Douglas was good at his job as a profiler at the FBI, and he helped develop a methodology for interviewing serial killers that has provided valuable data. That being said, I have a few points of contention. One is that there has been such an emphasis on serial killers, that everyone who murders someone is liable to be viewed in the same way. Most murderers kill people they know, and much of the time alcohol or illegal substances are involved, or mental illness, or similar mitigating circumstances. I am not trying to justify murder, but rather to say that it is not all black and white. There are many shades of gray.The extremity of the cases which Douglas depicts makes it easier to see the world in black in white. That attitude may assist him as a profiler, but it leaves a lot to be desired if the end question is one of trying to make the world a better place. After reading this book, I decided that I do not need to read any more books by this author.
—Maureen
