Sex, Lies, and Handwriting: A Top Expert Reveals the Secrets Hidden in Your Handwriting

by Michelle Dresbold, James Kwalwasser (Contributor)

Have you ever looked at someone and He looks honest. She seems friendly. He doesn't look like a serial killer. Are you always right? Looks can be deceiving, but handwriting never lies. Handwriting profiling is an amazingly accurate tool for assessing how people think, feel, and act. In fact, handwriting profiling is so accurate that the FBI, the CIA, and the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad use it to build detailed psychological profiles of some of the world's most dangerous individuals. And thousands of major corporations use handwriting profiling to help them make the right hiring decisions. Handwriting expert Michelle Dresbold -- the only civilian to be invited to the United States Secret Service's Advanced Document Examination training program -- draws on her extensive experience helping law enforcement agencies around the country on cases involving kidnapping, arson, forgery, murder, embezzlement, and stalking to take us inside the mysterious world of crossed t's and dotted i's. In Sex, Lies, and Handwriting, Dresbold explains how a single sentence can provide insight into a person's background, psychology, and behavior. Throughout the book, Dresbold explores the handwriting of sly politicians, convicted criminals, notorious killers, suspected cheats, and ordinary people who've written to Dresbold's "The Handwriting Doctor" column for help. She shows you how to identify the signs of a dirty rotten scoundrel and a lying, cheating, backstabbing lover. And she introduces you to some of the most dangerous traits in handwriting, including weapon-shaped letters, "shark's teeth," "club strokes," and "felon's claws." (When you see these traits in someone's script, she says, "it's time to stop reading and start running!") Dresbold also explains how criminals are tracked through handwritten clues and what spouses, friends, or employees might be hiding in their script. Finally, Dresbold re-examines the handwriting evidence in several notorious unsolved cases. She uncovers fascinating clues that reveal the secret side of Lizzie Borden, acquitted of the ax murder of her parents in 1893's "trial of the century." Dresbold also reveals astonishing details about the author of the JonBenÉt Ramsey ransom note, and she presents startling new evidence that exposes the real Jack the Ripper (contrary to popular theories, he wasn't a prince or a painter after all). Sex, Lies, and Handwriting will have you paying a bit more attention to your -- and everyone else's -- penmanship.

Genres: Nonfiction, Psychology, Science, Self Help, Ebooks, Crime, Language

285 pages, Hardcover

First published December 12, 2006

About the author

Michelle Dresbold has been called the Sherlock Holmes of handwriting. For the past 10 years, she has been helping law enforcement agencies around the country put away the "bad guys."

A graduate of the United States Secret Service's Advanced Document Examination training program, Michelle consults to private attorneys, police departments, and prosecutors throughout the United States. She is considered one of the top experts in the nation on handwriting identification, (including anonymous letters and suspected forgeries), personality profiling, and threat analysis. She has testified in a wide variety of cases including arson, embezzlement, voting fraud, forgery, stalking, and murder.

She is the author of Sex, Lies, and Handwriting, published by Simon and Schuster's Free Press, and writes a weekly syndicated column, The Handwriting Doctor, which appears in newspapers throughout the United States. Michelle is also an accomplished artist, who has shown her work in galleries and museums across the country.

Michelle has been featured on the CBS Early Show, the Today Show, the Fox Morning Show with Mike and Juliette, the O’Reilly Factor, Fox News, and Court TV.

Her press includes: Pittsburgh Magazine (cover story), Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Philadelphia Magazine, The Washington Post, MarieClaire Magazine, Martha Stewart’s Blueprint Magazine, Woman’s World Magazine, Psychology Today and The Ladies Home Journal.

Michelle graduated with high honors from the University of Michigan, with a degree in fine arts and psychology.

Reviews

[Sasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I freaking love handwriting analysis. I've read several books on the topic and that of course makes me an expert and I CAN ANALYZE YOU TOO. But honestly, I love it because it seems like it's crack-pot pseudo psychology but it's not at all. Only human error can steer you wrong here. I like that it's a finely honed science with its own methodology and a way that supplements evidence in a court setting rather than a sensationalist "what mental disorder do YOU have??" end-all proof of guilt/innocence/personality flaws or strengths. Just because you have one "felon's claw" or the "pugnacious P" or better yet "the gay G" doesn't mean you're behind bars or a dictator or a regular at The Bulge. You have to look at everything and present a complete picture rather than cherry-pick the juiciest bad boys of handwriting. Maybe that "strangler stroke" happened because someone bumped the writer's elbow and he does not in fact want to choke you out with a shoelace. Or does he??

This book has a heavy slant towards the psychos, serial killers and wife beaters and their scary handwriting, so maybe look elsewhere if you want to find out if your handwriting indicates that you're generous or something. There's really great evidence presented to support her pet theories on who wrote the JonBenet Ramsey ransom note or the real identity of Jack the Ripper, both very convincing to me as a plebeian.

This book is well-written (if a teeny bit self-aggrandizing), quick, educational and demented fun. Please gimme more of these.

[Lain · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been interested in handwriting analysis since I was in my teen years, but I've found so many of the books on the topic to read like dry, boring textbooks. Not so with Michelle Dresbold's book. From the first page, Dresbold grabs the readers and entertains while instructing. I read the entire book in one day because I was so enthralled with her examples, her writing, and her information.

I particularly liked the structure of the book, how she moved from some general information into more specific examples of analysis. And I felt like after finishing the book, I had a good enough grasp to begin a very rough analysis of the handwriting of those around me (hopefully we won't see any felon's hooks or pugilistic p's).

[Neko · Rating 4 out of 5]

I continued on my interest with Handwriting by following up with this book. Now I feel slightly creeped out that my handwriting might shown signs of the devil...Lol!! I may truly never look at handwriting the same way again...*gulps*

This book had pop quizes in it, takes you on a journey through countless evil people and their handwriting, talks about various letter structures and allows you to go on some 'cases' to make you stop and think while getting you to analyse the handwriting.

I truly found the book intriguing and felt it amping up my interest even more than before...This book isn't light reading and it is certainly a book that can be used to go back to time and again.

[Tracey Allen at Carpe Librum · Rating 3 out of 5]

Is handwriting analysis a science or not? Is it legit or is it bullshit? Many believe it's a pseudo science despite it being used to solve many crimes, but I wanted to decide for myself. After reading Sex, Lies, and Handwriting - A Top Expert Reveals the Secrets Hidden in Your Handwriting by Michelle Dresbold, I'm convinced that it's definitely legit.

The direction your writing slants, whether your letters have lead in strokes or even how hard you dot your 'i's' are all clues to your personality, character and even your upbringing. It's fascinating really.

The case study of the ransom letter in the JonBenet Ramsey case was riveting (and proves it was written by JonBenet's mother Patsy) as was the analysis of many famous signatures. I'm not sure I believe the analysis right down to the weapon strokes, and I don't think I'll be able to remember all the strokes to look for, but I enjoyed seeing how handwriting analysis can prove a signature is forged or how writing can be proven to have come from the same person.

I also enjoyed the case studies and exercises provided in the book, and it certainly made me look at my own writing in a whole new light.

Recommended reading for skeptics, forensic enthusiasts and readers of true crime.

[shanghao · Rating 3 out of 5]

As I was finishing this book it so happened that right on hand I saw this handwriting sample - let's put my applied skills to the test!

Strong, firm T, well-crossed: this person is ambitious and works hard for his goals, a dependable sort.
Small handwriting: suggests a shy personality.
Top-heavy, floating: someone who uses more logic than impulse, can have his head in the clouds.
Smallish cup-like tail at end of words: the giving sort.
Certain vowels extend below the baseline: doesn't mind breaking rules, can be sneaky. However, since the book was in English and this was in Korean, I don't know in which area is this trait apparent. Can be anything from romantic liaisons to work or flair for speech.
Big signature with smallish personal name: suggests showmanship. Confident and outgoing as a public figure, may be shy in private. Wide, curved open lines hint at a relaxed mood and temperament.

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one really captured my imagination. If you like true crime, this would probably be enjoyable for you. The main takeaway, aside from the extremely entertaining stories, was the idea that writing is a bit like drawing.

Handwriting experts look at writing more as a piece of art, looking at the forms and shapes being created by the hand, how each letter is formed, how angular or rounded they are, and even how hard the person was pressing into the paper, more than the word choice itself. It makes sense that someone's writing, like art, is actually a byproduct of both the body and the brain, and is thus affected by emotions and the subconscious even as the brain is dictating the language. Your writing will look different depending on what mood you are in.

It's been such a fun read, but even I will admit that some of the conclusions drawn feel a little far-fetched. I would be really interested to read an updated version of this to see if the research still holds up 20 years later. I can only imagine what introducing AI to this field will do going forward.

Additionally, more and more people no longer write in cursive and most of this book deals with criminals from the 100 years prior to 2006 who mostly wrote in cursive, so I'm curious how that has changed how they analyze now. Cursive seems to have so much more room for artistic license when shaping letters compared to regular print. Funnily enough, I can barely read cursive much less write in it so my experience of this book was focused almost entirely on the shapes and forms. I didn't try too hard to read the writing samples, and I still enjoyed it.

[Stephanie Froebel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book randomly on one of my dangerous trips to the public library and it was interesting to see how many details I’m writing can indicate certain traits in a person. Do I think these readings of people’s handwriting to be possibly biased from preexisting facts? Quite possibly.

That being said, most of the book was an interesting read written in a fun and engaging way. And hey, everyone better watch their handwriting because I will be analyzing it.

The last two parts to the book were pretty meh and unnecessary and some parts turned to heavy into crime scene investigations than practical readings of handwriting but that’s alright I guess. I’m glad to be done with this book though not gonna lie.

[Carmela Ferriol · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just finished reading this book and found it to be infantile and repetitive. The author could have condensed her already too long version into a one sheet handout and any ordinary semi educated person would have gotten handwriting analysis. Although near the end the three cases that the author glosses over and uses as examples for reader to surmise a whodunit are interesting, there are far too few to make this book even remotely interesting. The last 10 to 20 pages are wasted on correspondences sent to the author for both their own personal analysis, and if you can believe it, advise on interpersonal relationships. These last gruelling, hard to get through examples are truly a total waste of time, unless you are into reading those self deprecating, socially clueless Dear Anne columns in the paper. This book is really not worth the money, and I would not recommend it.

[Simplicity · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the first non-fiction book that I have ever read the whole thing. It wasn't those boring non-fiction books with a boring tone to it. The author made it more interesting to read with her style of writing. Personally, I found the parts where she described crime scenes and happenings intriguing, only because I was already interesting in those things and that also added to one of the reasons why I decided to read the book in the first place. From this book I've taken away a bit on how to analyze handwriting and had fun reading about murder cases.

[Jae]

amazing read.. definitely worth the time, as i found it read cover to cover with little delay.. i didn't want to put it down (and didn't! i finished it in about an hour)
the idea of drawing the reader in by making the reading interactive was well executed.. the material was given in such a way as not to inundate the reader with technical details or minutia, yet still provide a wealth of information and facts..
all in all, one of the best books i've read to date

[Kris Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

while fascinating, the author ( publisher?) did not appropriately title this book. More about what handwriting says about serial killers than what handwriting says about you and me, like promised. Sometimes I wonder if I am like one in maybe eight Americans who is not fascinated by serial killers? warning: The writing is super cheesy.

[☘Misericordia☘ ⚡ϟ⚡⛈⚡☁ ❇️❤❣ · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly fascinating read!

[Ca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Confession: I am a handwriting freak majorly obsessed with my own. Naturally, when I saw this book, I would press "want to read" upon seeing the title while having zero expectations. Perhaps that's the very reason why I am extremely impressed with it. The book introduce ideas and reinterpret them over and over till the informations stick to your brains, but not in the boring history book way - they include examples and a generous sprinkle of humor too, let alone the hollistic approach to handwriting identification.
The only thing I have to complain about is that I'll be noticing, taking into detail every warning sign that is there from now! Kudos to the authors for this wonderful bible!

[Ashlee Kirschner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is absolutely fascinating. It baffles me that our handwriting reveals so much of our inner workings.

Sometimes the rules seemed to disagree with each other and I wondered is she making some of this up? Such as the lower portion of f, g, js indicating sexual traits, but then later in the book the lower portion of an f indicated a lady’s conception of body fat.

I don’t think the author was lying, but I do think there are many more rules and aspects to this art of deciphering handwriting.

As a warning, this book, at times, was fairly graphic and disturbing and dark as she delved into the past actions of serial killers. I wish she would have given less details about the murders and a bit more about the science of why this style of writing indicated the psychotic behaviour some of those people were prone to.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

An exciting read. I never knew there's so much you can tell about people's character and background from the little details of their handwriting! Dresbold also shows her experience with criminal profiling using handwriting analysis, with differing conclusion from the judge. I would love to learn more about this art and wondering whether there's more to it then analysing end of words, strips, top/middle/bottom parts, father/mother loop; since some of her analysis repeat towards the end.

[Michael Huang]

The main claim is that a lot about personality can be learned from a person hand written.

Maybe statistically significant conclusions can be drawn linking psychology to handwriting. But they the way the story is told: seemingly reasonable intuition (large as opposed to small signature indicates confidence) coupled with anecdotal evidences hardly provides confidence about the reliability of this form of art.

[Dawn Stowell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great hands-on tool for quickly assessing someone's traits. Now actually finding samples where the bulk of text is written via keyboard and not longhand is challenging. You might want to consider asking someone to send you a longhand note/letter or copying a quote into script because you want to have it as memorabilia. Just sayin' - ;)

[Glorianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating! But seeing as 99% of her examples involve heinous crimes, maybe don't read it alone at night.

[Chelsey B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating! Loved how handwriting is directly tied to human psychology and all of the real world examples discussed.

[Kait · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is an incredibly fast, easy, and enjoyable read but it wasn't what I was hoping it would be. I was looking forward to a serious read about handwriting analysis but the entire book read like a cheesy relationship column.

While Dresbold provides some interesting details as to what certain quirks in one's writing can reveal about their personality, I found it all a bit unbelievable.

Dresbold talks at length about how she has consulted on several cases but doesn't give any real in depth examples of the cases she has worked on. Maybe there legal reason for this but it causes her to resort to high profile cases which makes her analysis all the more unbelievable to a reader who does not have extensive background in psychology or handwriting analysis.

While it is interesting to look at high profile cases (Ie. Jack the Ripper, Lizzie Borden, etc.) it makes it difficult to believe Dresbold's analysis of the suspect's handwriting when she points to quirks in the writing that are examples of what she already knows the suspect's personality and family life to be. I'm not sure how it could have been properly done but it would be far more interesting as a reader to see Dresbold analyze a piece of writing that does not reveal anything personal about the writer in the prose and where she has no prior knowledge of the writer. It would be interesting to see what she picks up on in the writing and if it is then later shown to be in line with the personality of the writer.

Rather, I found that Dresbold glossed over too many different criminal cases where she could have delved deeper, she gave surface information on the quirks to look for in writing rather than truly teaching the reader anything, and her examples of correspondence with real people writing into her columns did nothing to inspire confidence in her ability to accurately make assumptions about someone's personality based on their handwriting without having prior knowledge of that person's life.

With all that said, and despite giving it a low rating, the book was enjoyable and fun to read but don't go into it expecting a serious and informative read.

[Poetsorcerer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely not what I expected but great read nonetheless. Don't be deceived by the cheesy self-help title of this book. More than sex and lies the author actually goes deeper by psychoanalyzing the writing of history's most prominent individuals, culminating with well known criminals and serial killers.

"A top expert reveals the secrets in your handwriting" says the book cover, well...not really. This is more like a crash course on spotting negative personality traits in people's handwriting and how some of those traits are associated with noted famous or infamous minds. Full of interesting bits and fast paced delivered prose, Michelle Dresbold did a remarkable job at weaving all this information into an entertaining glimpse at the handwritten side of criminology. I'm glad she didn't turn the book into a palmistry divination nonsense like other titles I've explored in the past.

My only complain is that the book could have been way longer. IMO just the Brain-writing and signature analysis chapters alone could use serious expanding. Asides from that, it's totally worth the time.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sex, Lies, and Handwriting is like when you uncharacteristically grab a copy of Us Weekly and revel in the gossip and intrigue. ... But in a good way.
It was not as comprehensive as I would have liked, dwelling more on negative aspects that can show up in one's handwriting, and focussing on that of serial killers and politicians more so than leaders or heroes. But that was what made it juicy and fun to read. It was sensationalistic, over-the-top. Easy to read, quick to get through, and, as much as you might not think so, it was educational!
I have found that my boyfriend, as displayed in his handwriting, is: idealistic, knows how to keep his mouth shut, likes a little distance from people, and is not that neat. My mother, judging from her handwriting, is: sociable, focused on the present, and isn't much given to negativity.
Of course, these are things you'd have guessed about those close to you anyway. There aren't that many surprises. But still, it's fascinating to think how much comes through in the way you hold a pen to paper.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me a long time to get through this book about handwriting analysis, mostly because once you get past the initial section that offers the basics on handwriting quirks, it reads like the same thing over and over. Dresbold, a handwriting expert who writes a newspaper column and often works with the courts and law enforcement to help solve crimes via handwriting, spends most of the book going through famous murders and other crimes. She offers samples of the suspects’ handwriting and explains what characteristics of their penmanship show they did or did not do the deed. For example, an extra-large loop at the bottom of one’s g’s and y’s indicates an oversized sex drive. If the loop is shaped more like a dagger, well then, the writer likely stabs his victims. If you’re into true crime stories, you might find this fascinating. But I found it hard to accept Dresbold’s analyses. Looking at my own handwriting, she would probably conclude that I’m a mentally ill sex addict when I’m just aging, arthritic and always in a hurry.

[Suzie Quint · Rating 2 out of 5]

To a hammer everything looks like a nail. The author sees things in the handwriting examples that I find . . . hm. Shall we call it imaginative? She finds a pitchfork in one sample that made me go, "well, if you ignore all the other lines and just concentrate on the ones that support your theory, why, yes, there's a IS a pitchfork." A lot of analysis of historic crazies from the Marquee de Sade to Hitler to Lizzie Borden to Patti Ramsey. I dare say it's easy to "analyze" someone's writing when you already know all about them. Even the everyday examples near the end of the book that she draws from the letters she gets from regular people, she's gotten a good look at who those people are by what they say in the letter. While the bits and pieces of history in the stories are interesting, I'd be very afraid I was charged with a crime and she was considered a credible witness for the prosecution.

[mgd · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book 400% times more than the title. The title makes it sound like a cheap rip-off paperback. In fact, while the book is very readable and does not take a scholarly tone, there is great credibility to the authors years of experience, training with the FBI and association with the Pittsburgh, and other, police departments. Especially interesting is her analysis of notes allegedly from Jack the Ripper, and also the notes associated with the Jon-Benet Ramsey case. I felt I had been instructed enough by this book that I looked forward to getting hand-written notes from people so I could get some insight into their personalities.

I've met the author and also seen some of her art, and both are worth experiencing.

[Christine Craft · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one!

Handwriting analysis is a very fascinating art and I’m still in awe of how much detailed information I’ve learned that our handwriting can supposedly reveal about us.

This book was a great read with clear examples and instructions that actually reveal how to analyze handwriting throughout the chapters by studying the writings of random fans of the author, murderer’s, serial killers, and even some celebrities writing.

I don't think it's a complete how-to book, but the author includes different techniques that can be used to spot emotions, personality traits, dangerous signs, and much more. Great read!

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am obsessed with this book! After I started this book, I have been trying to analyze everyone's handwriting and I find myself hesitating when I write anything!

Michelle Dresbold's look into the handwriting of serial killers, politicians and celebrities is insightful, thoughtful and a little scary.

I have to say, however, sometimes the analysis seems to be a little bit of a reach. Maybe people just like to make loops on certain letters and it doesn't have sexual undertones like the author claims. I don't know. She was right about all of the serial killers, though. Creepy.

[Kara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cool book but I got halfway through it and became tired of all the real life examples of people sending in writing samples of their abusive partners. Do you really need a handwriting analyst to tell you that your husband who beats you is a bad guy? In any event, I turned to the section where she analyzed the JonBenet Ramsey ransom note and then just have the book a rest at that point. Very interesting info that, if you can remember it, can be applicable in your daily life. Would've been a better book if she guided you through analyzing your own writing.

[Cher · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is 80 percent fiction, illogical, sensationalistic, etc. It's also fun reading, well written, episodic, full of lots of interesting notes from criminals and pop stars. The majority of her analyses reveal her own bigoted issues. When I look up the actual biographies of the famous criminals/people she's analyzing, I find her research to be nonexistent. Like she is in the right ballpark, but she interprets things in a National enquirer type of gross headline way.

[D · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very neat and doubles as a collection of true-crime synopses.
My handwriting reveals that I'm an extrovert that loves to meet new people, I'm unpredictable, and I have a healthy relationship with my parents.