Killer Instinct: Having A Mind for Murder

by Donald Grant

Forensic psychiatrist Donald Grant asks what it is about murder that fascinates us. Is it a chill whisper of fear reminding us we too can kill?

Grant describes ten true murder cases, each different, each complex, each with unique triggers. Fact leaves fiction for dead. For those directly affected, murder is a sombre and scarring event. For most of us, murder is an arm’s length experience, close enough to frighten and fascinate yet far enough not to traumatise.

Grant proposes that our restless chatter about it, our state of heightened alert, our endless viewing, may be play therapy, reassuring us that our own killer instinct is under control.

Genres: Nonfiction, True Crime, Crime, Audiobook, Psychology

297 pages, Paperback

First published July 2, 2019

About the author

Donald Grant (1954)

Reviews

[Angelique Simonsen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not a great talent for writing. I found it really hard to get into

[Shelleyrae at Book'd Out · Rating 3 out of 5]

“The killer instinct is therefore alive and well—dormant and out of conscious awareness for the most part, but nevertheless exerting some influence over our attitudes and behaviour. At some deep level we are aware of our potential for violence.”

As a forensic psychiatrist, Donald Grant’s role is to assess the motives of an alleged offender and provide a report to the court on any relevant clinical issues that may affect trial, sentencing or parole. In Killer Instinct: Having A Mind for Murder, he presents ten murder cases in which he was involved, providing details of the crime/s, and his assessment of the alleged perpetrators state of mind based on case evidence and interviews.

All ten of the cases chosen for this book occurred during the last thirty years, and were tried in Queensland where Grant’s medico-legal practice is based. Given that in Australia the incidence of murder—the number of new cases per year—is relatively low (around one murder per 100 000 people) all of these cases have attracted media attention, so the reader may be familiar with the generalities, if not the details, though several were unknown to me.

Grant begins with arguably the most sensationalised case involving Tracey Wigginton, whom the media dubbed “The Lesbian Vampire Killer”. In 1989, Tracey stabbed Edward Baldock to death on the bank of Brisbane River, and claimed to have ‘fed’ on his blood. Identified and charged within days, questions quickly arose regarding Tracey’s mental health. Some months after her arrest, Grant was asked to provide his independent medico-legal opinion to the court, and shares his process as he determines if Tracey is entitled to a psychiatric defence relevant to the murder charge.

The other nine cases are presented in a similar fashion. Though the perpetrators in this book are all determined in a court of law to be responsible for the death of another, they are not all found guilty of murder. Some are ultimately convicted of manslaughter due to diminished responsibility, or are placed on a forensic order (ie. detained in a Secure Inpatient Psychiatric Service under the purview of The Mental Health Review Tribunal) due to a finding of unsoundness of mind. Grant has selected complex cases that illustrate murder committed for varying motives including Grant Meredith, who murdered at least one young woman to satisfy his sadistic sexual urges; Colin Wilson who ‘snapped’ and murdered his ailing mother before attempting suicide; and Melissa Englart who was suffering from an undiagnosed mental illness when she killed her husband.

Written in a straightforward and dispassionate manner, the author uses little in the way of jargon, though includes a glossary in case the need arises. Grant also includes some general chapters on the reasons why the public finds the details of crime entertaining (due to our suppressed killer instinct) and some information about the medico-legal distinctions of diminished responsibility and unsoundness of mind. I found these a little awkward, in both tone and placement.

However I found the cases, and Grant’s assessments, sufficiently detailed and interesting, providing intriguing insight into the actions of these killers. This book should satisfy those of us with a killer instinct, fans of the true crime genre, or those curious about the psychological motives of murder

[Srishti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Donald Grant’s insight into his work as a forensic psychiatrist is just amazing. This book is well written but at times can be perceived little complex to understand because of the legal jargon. Donald Grant gives an extraordinary details on the cases that he works on over the years with explanation on why and how a person commits certain crimes. He goes into the psychology of the triggers that makes us humans commit crime.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading his book Killer Instinct and how we all can have that instinct as well.

[Alayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating, horrifying and sad look at ten murderers in the author's experience as a forensic psychiatrist. I found the book to be eminently readable in spite of the subject and read it in a few hours. Recommended to those who are interested in the "whys" of murder.

[Clare Snow]

I read a lot of true crime, but the murders in this gave me nightmares so I had to stop reading.

Listening to the narrator, who also narrated the historical fiction The Ghost and the Bounty Hunter: William Buckley, John Batman and the Theft of Kulin Country, was strange. He's a very good narrator.

[Olwen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is dark reading - particularly as the people the author describes are quite real. You'll never walk down the street feeling invulnerable again.

[Bridget · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing is quite clinical and reads a bit like a medico-legal report at times, but it is nonetheless fascinating, if not a bit depressing.

[Nat PlainJanetheBookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. No surprise. It was informative, spoke my lingo, and was interesting. A couple of them were from my workplace. I see all sorts. All, sorts!

[Maureen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am very interested in the topic of what makes a murderer tick, but this was only a simple analysis of the 10 cases this former Forensic Psychiatrist dealt with. The book assumes no prior knowledge of psychology or psychiatry, the discussion is so basic as to make it less of a book than I had hoped for.
Top this off with the fact that the book needs a good edit and it was somewhat disappointing. In the space of a page the author goes into and out of subjunctive mood as if he were unsure whether to use 'if I were' or 'if I was' so he had a bet each way. However an editor should know! Couple that with some dodgy grammar and it makes the work off-putting. The report on one murderer sent to prison finishes with the comment that the author 'doesn't know what happened to him after he got out' but surely with all the resources of police, parole and government it wasn't too hard to find out?
Lastly, the use of information about the last words spoken by a woman to her murderer, and revealed in the book to the great distress of the young woman's mother at the book launch, makes me wonder about how someone who would do this could really be much use as a psychiatrist?

[Rhonda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I deliberately chose to seek out and read biographies and autobiographies of serial killers and murderers in an attempt to understand. I had a very hazy, awful awareness of their existence but it was in terms of their seperation from others. Plus fear. However, they are people, not aliens. The biographies bought each out of my shadowy sense and put them into sharper focus and helped me understand more than before. This book took it from individuals and put it firmly in the broader contexts of psychological theory, behaviour and physical characteristics of the human brain - and a detailed, step by step description of the police and legal processes that follow in the search for and legal consequences once caught. It takes the form of a collection of case studies interspersed with a psychological profile the person fitted, and a detailed description of what they did, how they were caught, what happened then, and a glimpse of their futures. Written by a forensic psychiatrist but at at an easy to understand and highly read able-bodied level for anyone who is interested in how and why people kill - even good people. And how we all have the capacity.

[Erinn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book offers a fascinating and insightful look into the minds of criminals through the lens of a forensic psychiatrist. Donald Grant takes readers inside the courtrooms and behind closed doors, where he examines individuals who have committed violent crimes and assesses their mental states for legal proceedings.

I found this book particularly valuable in understanding the perspective of those who have committed crimes and how forensic psychiatry plays a crucial role in the justice system. Grant breaks down complex psychological concepts in a way that’s accessible, making it easier to grasp the factors that contribute to criminal behavior.

It’s an eye-opening read that deepens your understanding of how and why people commit violent acts. Highly recommended for anyone interested in forensic psychology, criminal profiling, or the intersection of mental health and the law.

[Erinn Jarvis-McMahon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book offers a fascinating and insightful look into the minds of criminals through the lens of a forensic psychiatrist. Donald Grant takes readers inside the courtrooms and behind closed doors, where he examines individuals who have committed violent crimes and assesses their mental states for legal proceedings.

I found this book particularly valuable in understanding the perspective of those who have committed crimes and how forensic psychiatry plays a crucial role in the justice system. Grant breaks down complex psychological concepts in a way that’s accessible, making it easier to grasp the factors that contribute to criminal behavior.

It’s an eye-opening read that deepens your understanding of how and why people commit violent acts. Highly recommended for anyone interested in forensic psychology, criminal profiling, or the intersection of mental health and the law.

[Wendy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is written by an Australian forensic psychiatrist about ten of the murderers he assessed in his role in the court system.

The book is divided into 10 chapters with each being about a different murderer he has interviewed in his career.

The writing style is very clinical and detached. He just spouts out facts about the case, victim or killer without any sense of empathy for the victims or their families. There's something about his writing style that makes me feel like he lacks any sense of human emotion and could just as easily be writing out his shopping list rather than an overview of a criminal case and his assessment of the mind of the perpetrator.

[Brigit (Cosy.horror.corner) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Idk, I struggled with this one. True crime might not be for me. It dragged a lot. The extensive backstories of each client may be relevant in a psychiatric setting, not a literature setting (eg. The victims pre-incident events, the weather, the murderers early school and high school accounts when not particularly striking in relevance).

I appreciate the overall message being 'the switch to murderous intent could happen to anyone within the right circumstances and stressors, albeit a statistically rare occurrence' but I think the book needs a good edit to keep audiences glued better.

[Nicki Kendall · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating book featuring 10 Australian murders written from the perspective of a forensic psychologist. One of the best true crime books I have read in the way it delves into how mental illness can be a driving force in some murders. A must read for fans of true crime and anyone with an interest in criminal psychology. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ #donaldgrant #killerinstincthavingamindformurder #tea_sipping_bookworm #goodreads #litsy #thestorygraph #bookqueen #bookstagram #truecrime

[Tea ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found it a little hard to get into (I'm much more of a fiction reader anyways), but I really enjoyed the author's own personal accounts i.e. interviews with the killer, etc. and his analysis of their psych. He doesn't dance around the subject of the murder/s, and things are easily described that it can send a shiver down your spine. I don't spook easily, but a few of these cases definitely left me agape. Definitely an interesting read if you're into these sort of things.

[Michelle Rasmussen · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a very clinical view of the different murder cases. Skipped some paragraphs as it was too clinical for me. Too much detail on the clinical persona behind the murders. Interested in the details leading up to the acts but not the in depth psychosis of the person committing the crimes. It does show you you just don't know anyone thoroughly enough.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bit of a let down quite frankly. If you're looking for more intriguing Australian true crime insights, there are far more engaging novels out there. This one had weak writing and could do with a good proof read/edit.

[Maxine B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy reading and interesting insight into medico-legal assessments by a Brisbane Forensic Psychiatrist. Though a bit sensationalist, he is donating proceeds from the sale of his book to victims families.

[Sruthy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like reading books on this topic, but I had to force myself to complete this book. The stories described in this book were interesting but the narration was not so great.

[Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a factual account of how the forensic psychiatry service functions in Queensland based on actual cases. The fact that I read it in under two days is testament to how much I enjoyed it!

[Liron S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read and perspective.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting reading in the main from, of course, the perspective of a professional reviewing the ‘client’ as requested.