Talking with Psychopaths: A Journey into the Evil Mind

by Christopher Berry-Dee

A CHILLING EXPLORATION INTO THE PSYCHE OF REAL-LIFE KILLERS

For decades, renowned criminologist Christopher Berry-Dee has interviewed imprisoned, infamous serial killers and now he peels back the curtain, engaging with the psychiatrists tasked to understand their deviant minds.

As Berry-Dee dives deeper than ever before, he uncovers a disturbing the utter lack of remorse displayed by these individuals is often more horrifying than the crimes they’ve committed. Even more alarming, psychoanalysts admit that these murderers have an insidious ability to mask their true nature behind a facade of normalcy. Their behavior defies comprehension, even to the professionals who spend their livelihoods studying these aberrant minds.

  With gripping narrative and a wealth of research, Talking with A Journey into the Evil Mind analyzes the darkest corners of the human brain. As Berry-Dee recounts his interviews, he exposes each layer of deception, seeking the best path to find the truth behind a psychopath’s mask.

Genres: Nonfiction, Audiobook

304 pages, Paperback

Published February 29, 2024

About the author

Chris was a former Royal Marine intelligence officer. He is now a criminologist who has interviewed over 30 serial killers.

Reviews

[John Kendall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was a good book. Would’ve preferred more in depth analysis on the killers, but this was interesting. Also annoying to read when they’d be let go or released early.

[Chelsey Pryce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened to this one as an audiobook.
Describes interactions between the author and some truly horrific murders.

[Susan Blissett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this to be an interesting insight into the minds of various murderers. Christopher Berry-Dee is an author and criminologist who has spent many years interviewing murderers and serial killers, and in this book he shares some of his experiences and conversations with them.

The book begins with several introductory chapters exploring topics such as psychopathy, mental capacity and the concept of the “savage”, as well as looking at a test designed to assess whether someone could be considered a psychopath. The main part of the book then focuses on individual murderers, with each chapter looking at a different case.

I found the chapters quite varied in their approach. Some focus more on Christopher’s conversations with the criminals, while others concentrate on the murders themselves or explore how an individual’s offending developed from less serious crimes into more serious and ultimately deadly behaviour. I found this a little unusual at times, although it was interesting to see the different ways in which the cases were explored.

I particularly enjoyed the chapters where transcripts of conversations with the murderers were included. Hearing their own words gave a much clearer insight into their thoughts and attitudes, and I found these sections particularly compelling. I was also fascinated by Christopher’s ability to gain access to these men and get them talking. He seems to have a real skill for understanding how to approach each individual, often appealing to their egos and making them feel important enough to open up to him. I thought this demonstrated how intelligent and perceptive he is, and I found his approach to these interviews almost as interesting as the conversations themselves.

One thing I did find slightly odd was that, towards the beginning of the book, Christopher explains that his publisher wanted him to explore a range of psychopaths rather than focusing solely on killers. He mentions having to go back to the drawing board as a result, but the book ultimately still focuses almost entirely on murderers. There is a very short final chapter discussing several well-known people convicted of sexual offences, but I didn’t feel this added a great deal to the book or provided the broader exploration that had initially been suggested.

Overall, this was an interesting read and I enjoyed getting an insight into the minds of people who have committed such serious crimes. I particularly enjoyed the transcripts and hearing the murderers speak in their own words, and I was fascinated by Christopher’s ability to gain their trust and get them to open up. Although I found the chapters varied quite considerably in their approach, and I would have liked the book to explore a wider range of psychopaths as originally suggested, I still found it an absorbing read. I may look at some of Christopher’s other books, which he mentions throughout, as they sound as though they could offer even more depth on this fascinating subject.

[Pav · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m not sure what the point of writing this book was. The title is talking with psychopaths. There was not much of that. The book has no structure at all. Author keeps repeating some things and refers to his earlier books. Best part was in last main chapter about JR. We went through a bunch of uninteresting infos on how these murderers are caught etc., and then I was expecting to read how he and Prof Leigh were talking to this guy. And what do I read? Oh sorry. I cannot write more here due to word limit. 🧐
And there are often typos. No one seemed to bother proofreading this properly. I’d suggest you skip this book.

[Hannah Kemp · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good Information, Terrible Organization

The information was very interesting but the sequence of the chapters was very difficult to follow. Some of them do not have a linear timeline and end up jumping back and forth frequently. I think it reads more like a conversation with the author that has not been rearranged for a book’s layout. I found this distracting from the information and made it hard to remember what was happening.

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately, I found this book to be more of a platform for promoting the author's other works than a deep dive into the subject matter. Given the title "Talking with Psychopaths," one would expect a detailed exploration of the author's actual conversations with psychopaths, but instead, the book offers little more than a handful of quotations.

[Vicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting read. The disclaimer at the beginning is very true there is stuff that will really upset and in some cases probably sick due to some of the crimes committed. Certain parts did feel a bit like an advert for some of the authors other titles but still very interesting.

[Mariam Aslam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed how each chapter was devoted to a different serial killer but I felt that there should have been more detail on their childhood lives. I liked the emphasis on delving into narcissistic personality disorder.

[Joey Britnell · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Beverley Wardrope · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found there to be too much unnecessary author chat and not enough from the subjects he interviewed.

[Georgia Lamberton · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars