The Dark Side of the Mind: True Stories From My Life as a Forensic Psychologist

by Kerry Daynes

Welcome to the world of the forensic psychologist, where the people you meet are wildly unpredictable and often frightening.

The to delve into the psyche of convicted men and women to try to understand what lies behind their often brutal actions.

Follow in the footsteps of Kerry Daynes, one of the most sought-after forensic psychologists in the business and consultant on major police investigations.

Kerry's job has taken her to the cells of maximum-security prisons, police interview rooms, the wards of secure hospitals and the witness box of the court room.

Her work has helped solve a cold case, convict the guilty and prevent a vicious attack.

Spending every moment of your life staring into the darker side of life comes with a price. Kerry's frank memoir gives an unforgettable insight into the personal and professional dangers in store for a female psychologist working with some of the most disturbing men and women.

Genres: Nonfiction, Psychology, True Crime, Crime, Memoir, Mental Health, Biography

312 pages, Paperback

First published May 30, 2019

Reviews

[Petra X · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm really rather upset about this - Goodreads deleted this book from my shelves. I have no idea why, I didn't review it, but I see on my library exports that I added it 7 March 2020. It was still there 17 May 2021 but by the next export 24 May 2021 it had gone. The book was on my currently reading shelf, I didn't rate or review it, it just disappeared. And no, I didn't 'delete it by accident' as Goodreads Support always say when I query books that have been deleted. So what happened?

How I found it, was I am going through my 'currently reading' and 'read but awaiting review' shelves looking for books I have something to say about, and this was one of them. But it wasn't there.

[Ruthy lavin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has been described as ‘enthralling and terrifying’ - I would have to agree.
A very well written and fascinating account of extremely interesting and sometimes harrowing cases.
A must read for anyone with an interest in Psychology and True crime.

[Alice-Elizabeth (Prolific Reader Alice) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Purchased for 99p on a Kobo daily deal!

I love forensic books. Always have and also always looking for new ones to add to my reading list. The Dark Side of the Mind is a memoir that follows Kerry Daynes and her working career as a forensic psychologist in secure hospitals and even in criminal cases, as well as some traumatising personal events that happen to her such as being harassed and stalked. The overall tone and mood were creepy and very dark. The parts about her psychologist work were the most interesting to read about. The writing, however, felt quite rambly at times and therefore took longer for me to complete. Overall- an OK read!

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5****

A super fascinating read and I learned so much as well ! There’s also a lot to consider about how in England we approach offenders, policy and mental health.

[JulesBW · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although easy to read, this book only briefly touches on cases the writer has dealt with and focuses more on hardships that she has experienced in her personal life, these hardships often read as a beg for sympathy and are often followed by comments and story’s of how great and amazing she knows herself to be.

[Vera Brandão · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://verovsky-meninadospoliciais.b...

[Gabriella C. ☽◯☾ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was well written, fascinating, heartbreaking and very informative. I would highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in true crime or have any level of curiosity about how the mind works in extreme circumstances.

[Fauaad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the kitty :(

[Auđur · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5*

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having long been a fan of this author through her work featuring on documentaries as she gives her expert take on horrific crimes, I was excited to get stuck into her memoir. To say I couldn’t put it down was an understatement. Her stories are fascinating, complex, terrifying and more.

The author takes us from her beginnings as a trainee psychologist and through her career working with sex offenders to women in secure units who have escaped violence and abuse. The author eloquently discusses the complexities of mental health, offending behaviour, working with people that are so unwell they forcibly disassociate from their own personalities and some of the more notorious patients she has had, including child killer Mark Bridger and Moors’ murderer Ian Brady.

This was a brilliant read and a must have for the bookshelves of any crime sleuth.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Opinião em breve

[Ana Lopes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Como a própria capa do livro refere, o livro consiste em histórias reais de uma psicóloga forense, que não são só dos seus pacientes, mas também com ela própria. É uma leitura interessante no sentido de "conhecermos" até onde é que o ser humano é capaz de ir, mas ao menos tempo não é nada de especial. Não causou qualquer tipo de sentimento durante a leitura. Foi apenas mais um livro.

[Alex (ReadingBetweenTheNotes) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Dark Side of the Mind is an absolutely fascinating book. Part memoir, part true-crime non-fiction, it provides a gripping insight into the human mind in some of its darkest moments.

I have always been fascinated by how the mind works (I have a career in psychology and did consider specialising in the forensic field at one point). So I already had a good feeling about this book before I even opened it. But Daynes’ writing was superb so I loved it even more than I thought I would. I often struggle with non-fiction but had no such issue here thanks to Daynes’ conversational tone and use of humour. It really does feel like you’re listening to a friend tell you about her day at work.

I genuinely couldn’t get enough of the anecdotes that were shared throughout this book. Daynes took me through a whole range of emotions and kept me reading late into the night to see how she handled the different situations. I felt gripped by every single case she presented.

It was interesting to get an insight into the author’s personal life as well as her profession. I had thought that these moments might distract from the main focus of the book but this was not the case; instead, they added to my enjoyment.

The book did make me feel quite reflective about the short time I spent working in a secure mental health hospital (and the reasons why I subsequently left the post). Daynes’ descriptions did not match up with what I had experienced and it made me feel quite sad at what I saw certain patients go through. Thankfully, that particular place seems to be in the minority.

Overall, I enjoyed this book immensely and would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys true crime or learning about the way the human mind works. I would certainly read more books by Kerry Daynes!

[Rod Hansen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This volume wasn’t entirely bad, but it’s a pretty sorry case of false adversing. It isn’t really about forensic psychology or, for that matter, the Dark Side of the Mind. It’s a memoir by Kerry Daynes. She works as an institutional psychologist, or “forensic psychologist,” as they call it in Britain. And this book is very British

The term “forensic” implies some level of investigation, as we define it here in the States. Not so in this book: Every person in these pages has already been convicted or confined to a mental health facility. Some of them are interesting, some not so much. Overall the whole thing fell kind of flat for me and offered no real new insights into the criminal mind.

To admit, it just wasn’t the product I was expecting. I wanted a study on deviant thinking, but got a memoir by a prison counselor. Not for me but probably of great interest to some.

[Fátima Filipa (Mimodoslivros) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Neste livro Kerry Daynes ,uma psicóloga forense dá vários testemunhos e pontos de vista de psicopatas e tenta mostrar o ponto de vista destas pessoas com várias perturbações e quais são os motivos que podem desencadear tais actos.
Uma das situações frequentes nos dias de hoje são as crianças violadas na infância e se não são bem acompanhadas por especialistas no futuro podem desenvolver um quadro clínico severo com perturbações graves.
A autora também fala muito de leve em breves estatísticas e frisa o quanto muitas destas pessoas são rotuladas de loucas e ninguém tenta entender o porque das suas manifestações...! A autora dá outra perspectiva do que se passa no interior destas cadeias e o facto de ela ser mulher muitas vezes também não ajuda.
E por fim a autora conta-nos a sua história ,porque também ela foi vítima de perseguição . Ela mostra como por vezes também nesta profissão corremos riscos , expondo a sua vida ao lado de pessoas perigosas e com uma mente com transtornos mentais.
É um livro com uma boa escrita, um livro que lemos muito bem e recomendo.

[Rafaela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Levantando aqui muitas questões pertinentes, Kerry Daynes dá-nos uma visão do seu trabalho e as suas experiências. O que achei mais interessante foram mesmo as questões que a psicóloga levanta, a maneira como muitas vezes uma pessoa é colocada de parte por não ser compreendida e nem sequer haver um esforço por parte de ninguém. E, neste caso sendo psicologia forense, o lado dos funcionários e pacientes nas prisões e em prisões psiquiátricas contado de uma maneira que, sinceramente, nunca tinha compreendido.

[Klaudia_p · Rating 2 out of 5]

Punktem centralnym książki wcale nie są opowieści psycholożki sądowej, a raczej prywatne historie Kerry Daynes. Mocno zaznaczona perspektywa osobista na początku mi odpowiadała, ale z czasem zaczęła mnie przytłaczać. Same historie są trochę nużące, a do tego powierzchownie opisane.

[Rita Costa (Lusitania Geek) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ahhh, Love this book ! It talks about Kerry Daynes, a psychologist forensic who portraits about a few chapters of her professional life dealing with some “clients” (murderes to stalkers), in a variety of procedures that would determine how dangerous is to the public, her experience in the courts as an expert in the victim’s or accusers behaviours and some personal views as a victim herself...inside and outside in her work environment.

If you like the book / tv serie “Mindhunter”, it’s the nearest you can get to the topic and definitely next book to read about human behaviour in criminal side.

I do Recommend!!!
5 ⭐️

[Xana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lê-se muito bem. Tem dados verídicos que nos deixam perplexos!!
Gostei

[Jacqueline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ooh, I liked this one a lot. I love to read about psychology and I watch a lot of crime shows, so when we chose this for book club, I was very intrigued - how would it be to read these stories when I'm used to watching them?

Let me just say that the experience was similar, if not better to crime shows - albeit with a more human touch. Daynes is an intelligent and witty forensic psychologist who has learned, through experience, how to see the human in monsters and the misunderstood. Reading how she thinks about and communicates with her clients is insightful to say the least. I believe that others can benefit from reading her communication styles.

The stories she described were stand-out in a variety of ways; from sad, to nauseating, to shocking, to heart wrenching. And these aren't even all the stories she has heard and the people she has met; it must be so intense.

Besides the forensic psychologist factor, the book also gave some interesting insights in single, professional women. I personally liked that she gave her career switches a spot in her book - even later in life, when people are more wary of job switches - she chose something that fit better in her wishes in life. Admirable to say the least.

[Henry Carr · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought the book was very interesting. It combines Daynes' personal story with that of her selected stories. It's interesting to see that (for some of the cases) there are distinct parallels between the patients and us. It begs the question- how thin is the line between sane and insane, or "us and them". Good read and very entertaining.

[NerdyChic BookWorm · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5⭐️
Don’t get me wrong...I did enjoy this book but I definitely thought it was lacking in the forensic psychology department.
This to me was more a document of Kerry Dayne’s life and rarely went into depths of the minds of the people she was speaking about.
What she did have to say was good but not very informative which is what I really wanted and expected with this book.

[Pieter · Rating 5 out of 5]

For 99 euro cents this is my best buy so far. The Dark Side of Mind, written by a bright (side of) mind. I wasn't so sure about it beforehand, but what a compelling and interesting read. A writer with humor and self-reflection. I easily felt connected to this woman and her book. Despite moments of horror and utter sadness, my curiosity in how the mind works made it an easy read. I got so many new insights as a natural human observer myself. If it was 99 euro, i would have bought it.
I adore Kerry Daynes.

[Lucii Dixon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is absolutely incredible; professional, personal, clinical in places, informative and has some humour too keep the 'light' in the words to go with the sad parts. The information, statistics wise, that this author has included is inciteful and definitely hair-raising to say the least. If you are going into Psychology or Forensic Psychology, you HAVE to read this book! I will be buying a physical copy to highlight patches for my own degree.

Kerry Daynes is definitely a professional but she shows herself to also be completely human, and I found it fascinating following her journey into her career, where she went and how she landed to where she is now. She is a highly admiral woman. I have the same views, desperate to rehabilitate and help those who need it, whether they be prisoners or victims of childhood trauma (though my passion is prisons).

This lady deserves praise for everything she has done and everything she is doing now within charities, helping those who need it the most. It is fantastic knowing that there is at at least one person out there that IS helping, who is willing to help and who sees beyond the problem and instead looks at ways in which to do good by her clients.

Fantastic books, definitely highly recommended for anyone who is interested in this subject or who are going into this profession. Fabulous work!

[Corina Ventura · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Às vezes, só temos de nos sentar com uma pessoa e validar o que ela está a sentir, sem temer a sua dor e o seu desgosto."

[Madi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adoro como tudo o que está na capa é clickbait. Foi bom gostei ela tem opiniões boas sobre sobrepatologização e cenas, slay 👍

[Ana Rute Primo · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5 ⭐

❤️ Artigo publicado em https://www.boasleituras.pt/

Já andava com vontade de ler este livro há algum tempo e quando descobri que ia sair um novo título da autora em Portugal, Causas Ocultas, não adiei mais.

Este é um livro sobre a incursão de uma psicóloga forense num mercado de trabalho misógino, chegando a ser repugnante a forma como as mulheres são tratadas, o que nos leva à questão de quantas mulheres não deixarão de exercer a profissão para a qual se qualificaram em detrimento do comportamento masculino totalmente inadequado.

Felizmente, não foi o caso da autora, que nos relata como ultrapassou situações difíceis relacionadas com o preconceito, dando-nos conta do seu percurso laboral com alguns vislumbres da sua vida pessoal.

Uma leitura muito fácil de acompanhar, de linguagem simples e fluida, com alguns apontamentos de humor e sarcasmo. Por vezes, até nos esquecemos de que estamos a ler não ficção.

Boas Leituras ❤️

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Os livros de não-ficção não estão em grande escala nas minhas escolhas para ler mas este foi uma boa recomendação e superou as expectativas! Um livro que aborda o trabalho de uma psicóloga forense, relatando algumas situações vivenciadas pela psicóloga a nível laboral, bem como a nível pessoal.

[Alessandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an avid watcher of true crime documentaries, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Daynes has met an array of patients throughout the spectrum of perpetrators and victims and she tells each story so well. I especially enjoyed her making it clear that the way people involved in crimes are often mislabeled as having brought it upon themselves, while disregarding the environmental factors that impacted them.

[Tasha MacGregor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would give this 3 and a half stars if possible. Full of really interesting and sometimes disturbing retellings of true events as seen by a forensic psychologist, in what is clearly a broken criminal justice system. I didn’t find myself grabbing to pick up the book as a I would a fiction book, but still enjoyed the read ☺️