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Cases of the FBI’s Original Mindhunter #1
The Killer's Shadow : The FBI's Hunt for a White Supremacist Serial Killer
The legendary FBI criminal profiler and international bestselling author of Mindhunter and The Killer Across the Table returns with this timely, relevant book that goes to the heart of extremism and domestic terrorism, examining in-depth his chilling pursuit of, and eventual prison confrontation with Joseph Paul Franklin, a White Nationalist serial killer and one of the most disturbing psychopaths he has ever encountered.
Worshippers stream out of an Midwestern synagogue after sabbath services, unaware that only a hundred yards away, an expert marksman and avowed racist, antisemite and member of the Ku Klux Klan, patiently awaits, his hunting rifle at the ready.
The October 8, 1977 shooting was a forerunner to the tragedies and divisiveness that plague us today. John Douglas, the FBI’s pioneering, first full-time criminal profiler, hunted the shooter—a white supremacist named Joseph Paul Franklin, whose Nazi-inspired beliefs propelled a three-year reign of terror across the United States, targeting African Americans, Jews, and interracial couples. In addition, Franklin bombed the home of Jewish leader Morris Amitay, shot and paralyzed Hustler magazine publisher Larry Flynt, and seriously wounded civil rights leader Vernon Jordan. The fugitive supported his murderous spree robbing banks in five states, from Georgia to Ohio.
Douglas and his writing partner Mark Olshaker return to this disturbing case that reached the highest levels of the Bureau, which was fearful Franklin would become a presidential assassin—and haunted him for years to come as the threat of copycat domestic terrorist killers increasingly became a reality. Detailing the dogged pursuit of Franklin that employed profiling, psychology and meticulous detective work, Douglas and Olshaker relate how the case was a make-or-break test for the still-experimental behavioral science unit and revealed a new type of, determined, mission-driven serial killer whose only motivation was hate.
A riveting, cautionary tale rooted in history that continues to echo today, Untitled is a terrifying and essential exploration of the criminal personality in the vile grip of extremism and what happens when rage-filled speech evolves into deadly action and hatred of the “other" is allowed full reign.
Untitled includes an 8-page color photo insert.
Worshippers stream out of an Midwestern synagogue after sabbath services, unaware that only a hundred yards away, an expert marksman and avowed racist, antisemite and member of the Ku Klux Klan, patiently awaits, his hunting rifle at the ready.
The October 8, 1977 shooting was a forerunner to the tragedies and divisiveness that plague us today. John Douglas, the FBI’s pioneering, first full-time criminal profiler, hunted the shooter—a white supremacist named Joseph Paul Franklin, whose Nazi-inspired beliefs propelled a three-year reign of terror across the United States, targeting African Americans, Jews, and interracial couples. In addition, Franklin bombed the home of Jewish leader Morris Amitay, shot and paralyzed Hustler magazine publisher Larry Flynt, and seriously wounded civil rights leader Vernon Jordan. The fugitive supported his murderous spree robbing banks in five states, from Georgia to Ohio.
Douglas and his writing partner Mark Olshaker return to this disturbing case that reached the highest levels of the Bureau, which was fearful Franklin would become a presidential assassin—and haunted him for years to come as the threat of copycat domestic terrorist killers increasingly became a reality. Detailing the dogged pursuit of Franklin that employed profiling, psychology and meticulous detective work, Douglas and Olshaker relate how the case was a make-or-break test for the still-experimental behavioral science unit and revealed a new type of, determined, mission-driven serial killer whose only motivation was hate.
A riveting, cautionary tale rooted in history that continues to echo today, Untitled is a terrifying and essential exploration of the criminal personality in the vile grip of extremism and what happens when rage-filled speech evolves into deadly action and hatred of the “other" is allowed full reign.
Untitled includes an 8-page color photo insert.
304 pages, Paperback
First published November 17, 2020
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About the author
John E. Douglas
33 books2,926 followersJohn Edward Douglas is a former United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent, one of the first criminal profilers, and criminal psychology author. He also wrote four horror novels in the mid 1990s. -Wikipedia
During his twenty-five year career with the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit, a name he later changed to The Investigative Science Unit (Douglas & Olshaker, 1995), John Douglas became the leading expert on criminal personality profiling and the pioneer of modern criminal investigative analysis. Through his research with serial criminal’s, Douglas learned how criminals think and what makes them do the things that they do, and why. Douglas can determine many personal traits and habits of an offender just by examining the crime scene; it’s evidence and victimology (Douglas & Olshaker, 1995). Interviews John Douglas has conducted hundreds of interviews with some of the world’s most notorious serial offenders, which include: - Charles Manson, and three members of the Manson clan. - Sirhan Sirhan, the assassin of Robert F. Kennedy. - John Wayne Gacy, the serial killer that killed 33 people. - David Berkowitz, the “Son of Sam”. - James Earl Ray, assassin of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. - Ted Bundy - Unsuccessful assassins of Gerald Ford and George Wallace (Douglas & Olshaker, 1995). Captured In addition, Douglas’s profiles aided in numerous arrests of serial offenders, some of which include: - Wayne Williams, the .22 caliber killer. - Carlton Gary, the stalking strangler. - Robert Hanson, the Anchorage Alaska baker who would kidnap, hunt, then kill local prostitutes. These are just a few of the cases that John Douglas aided in throughout his twenty-five year career as a profiler with the Behavioral Science Unit, which he later renamed the Investigative Science Unit (Douglas & Olshaker, 1995). Contributions to Psychology Douglas and his colleagues outlined in an article that explained the goals of a serial offender in the September 1980 issue of the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin. They are as follows: - What leads a person to become a sexual offender and what are the early warning signals? - What serves to encourage or to inhibit the commission of his offense? - What types of responses or coping strategies, by an intended victim are successful with what type of sexual offender in avoiding victimization, and - What are the implications for his dangerousness, prognosis, disposition and mode of treatment (Douglas & Olshaker, 1995)?
During his twenty-five year career with the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit, a name he later changed to The Investigative Science Unit (Douglas & Olshaker, 1995), John Douglas became the leading expert on criminal personality profiling and the pioneer of modern criminal investigative analysis. Through his research with serial criminal’s, Douglas learned how criminals think and what makes them do the things that they do, and why. Douglas can determine many personal traits and habits of an offender just by examining the crime scene; it’s evidence and victimology (Douglas & Olshaker, 1995). Interviews John Douglas has conducted hundreds of interviews with some of the world’s most notorious serial offenders, which include: - Charles Manson, and three members of the Manson clan. - Sirhan Sirhan, the assassin of Robert F. Kennedy. - John Wayne Gacy, the serial killer that killed 33 people. - David Berkowitz, the “Son of Sam”. - James Earl Ray, assassin of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. - Ted Bundy - Unsuccessful assassins of Gerald Ford and George Wallace (Douglas & Olshaker, 1995). Captured In addition, Douglas’s profiles aided in numerous arrests of serial offenders, some of which include: - Wayne Williams, the .22 caliber killer. - Carlton Gary, the stalking strangler. - Robert Hanson, the Anchorage Alaska baker who would kidnap, hunt, then kill local prostitutes. These are just a few of the cases that John Douglas aided in throughout his twenty-five year career as a profiler with the Behavioral Science Unit, which he later renamed the Investigative Science Unit (Douglas & Olshaker, 1995). Contributions to Psychology Douglas and his colleagues outlined in an article that explained the goals of a serial offender in the September 1980 issue of the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin. They are as follows: - What leads a person to become a sexual offender and what are the early warning signals? - What serves to encourage or to inhibit the commission of his offense? - What types of responses or coping strategies, by an intended victim are successful with what type of sexual offender in avoiding victimization, and - What are the implications for his dangerousness, prognosis, disposition and mode of treatment (Douglas & Olshaker, 1995)?
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May 14, 2023
Candace Owens, a conservative black pundit, recently (September 2019) tweeted that “White supremacy… is not a problem that is harming Black America” (https://thehill.com/homenews/house/46...) Ms. Owens is, of course, perfectly entitled to her opinion, but if she is going to make a statement of fact insinuating that white supremacy and white nationalism is not an actual problem in the United States, then she may need to get her facts straight.
Here are some statistics:
*Numerous law enforcement agencies, according to data collected by the FBI, reported 7,314 hate crime incidents involving 8,559 offenses in 2019. This was 294 more incidents than the previous year.
*A vast majority (55.8%) of “single-biased” incidents (bias based solely on one aspect of “otherness”, such as race, religion, or gender) were motivated by race or ethnicity.
*2019 saw a rise of 14% in anti-Jewish crimes. Anti-Hispanic crimes rose nearly 9%.
*According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, formation of white supremacist groups increased from 100 chapters in 2017 to 148 in 2018.
*The Anti-Defamation League reported a 182% increase in the distribution of white supremacist propaganda.
*A recent FBI report, based on a several years-long investigation, uncovered infiltration at some of the highest levels of law enforcement across the country by white supremacist groups.
* More than “just a few” of the rioters who have been arrested for their actions during the January 6 insurrection in Washington, D.C. were white supremacists and white nationalists.
To Ms. Owens: To say that white supremacy is not a problem in this country is simply not true. It may not be a problem for you, personally, and to that I say, simply, congratulations. If you, a black woman, have made it through your whole life without being bothered by racists and white supremacists, then more power to you. I hope you continue to be personally unbothered by them.
Unfortunately, for many other black people in this country, white supremacy—-often in the form of white privilege and hidden bias that lays the foundation for systemic racism—-is a huge problem. Then there are simply the outspoken racists who have no qualms about committing hateful crimes of violence against black people for no reason other than the fact that they’re black.
White supremacy has been an insidious cancer that has eaten away, gone into remission several times, metastasized, and re-metastasized the socio-political landscape of this country, starting with the first slaves to arrive on this shore over 300 years ago.
John Douglas and Mark Olshaker, authors of dozens of books about the pathology of serial killers, murderers, and terrorists, in their latest book, “The Killer’s Shadow”, recounts the manhunt, capture, and death of Joseph Paul Franklin, one of the most infamous white supremacist serial killers in American history.
Franklin began his killing spree in the late 1970s and committed countless horrific hate crimes and murders until his capture and arrest on October 28, 1980. His targets were often black and Jewish men, women, and children. He proudly admitted to all of his crimes, including the assassination attempts of Larry Flynt, the publisher of Hustler magazine, and Vernon Jordan, a civil rights activist. He also targeted President Jimmy Carter during the 1980 presidential campaign. He was executed by lethal injection in 2013.
Douglas admits that, of all the serial killers he has been responsible for capturing, Franklin was one of the most disturbing, mainly due to the frightening nature of white supremacist beliefs. Unlike other types of serial killers, white supremacists often have a following of fellow believers who consider them heroes and martyrs for a cause, that cause being the eradication of blacks, Jews, Hispanics, and other non-white groups. According to Douglas, white supremacy has the horrific tendency to be self-propagating.
We’ve seen this, most recently, in the actions of the insurrectionists of January 6, 2021, who—-because of a president who not only continued to downplay white supremacists but actually egged them on (“Stand back and stand by”)—-broke into the Capitol Building, vandalized and destroyed federal property, and, in some cases, were prepared to do bodily harm to unarmed Senators and House members.
Even now, the FBI and law enforcement agencies are still on alert for acts of violence that have been threatened by white supremacist groups.
We can no longer afford to either sweep racism under the carpet or claim that it is not a problem. The day of reckoning is upon us, and we are all going to have to pick a side, whether we want to or not. As Douglas says, “The journey to reckon with our nation’s searing history of racial hatred, intolerance, and discrimination is ongoing, and there are no neutrals in that struggle. (p. 367)”
Sources
(https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hate-cri...)
(https://www.factcheck.org/2019/03/the...)
(https://www.brookings.edu/blog/how-we...)
(https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2...)
Here are some statistics:
*Numerous law enforcement agencies, according to data collected by the FBI, reported 7,314 hate crime incidents involving 8,559 offenses in 2019. This was 294 more incidents than the previous year.
*A vast majority (55.8%) of “single-biased” incidents (bias based solely on one aspect of “otherness”, such as race, religion, or gender) were motivated by race or ethnicity.
*2019 saw a rise of 14% in anti-Jewish crimes. Anti-Hispanic crimes rose nearly 9%.
*According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, formation of white supremacist groups increased from 100 chapters in 2017 to 148 in 2018.
*The Anti-Defamation League reported a 182% increase in the distribution of white supremacist propaganda.
*A recent FBI report, based on a several years-long investigation, uncovered infiltration at some of the highest levels of law enforcement across the country by white supremacist groups.
* More than “just a few” of the rioters who have been arrested for their actions during the January 6 insurrection in Washington, D.C. were white supremacists and white nationalists.
To Ms. Owens: To say that white supremacy is not a problem in this country is simply not true. It may not be a problem for you, personally, and to that I say, simply, congratulations. If you, a black woman, have made it through your whole life without being bothered by racists and white supremacists, then more power to you. I hope you continue to be personally unbothered by them.
Unfortunately, for many other black people in this country, white supremacy—-often in the form of white privilege and hidden bias that lays the foundation for systemic racism—-is a huge problem. Then there are simply the outspoken racists who have no qualms about committing hateful crimes of violence against black people for no reason other than the fact that they’re black.
White supremacy has been an insidious cancer that has eaten away, gone into remission several times, metastasized, and re-metastasized the socio-political landscape of this country, starting with the first slaves to arrive on this shore over 300 years ago.
John Douglas and Mark Olshaker, authors of dozens of books about the pathology of serial killers, murderers, and terrorists, in their latest book, “The Killer’s Shadow”, recounts the manhunt, capture, and death of Joseph Paul Franklin, one of the most infamous white supremacist serial killers in American history.
Franklin began his killing spree in the late 1970s and committed countless horrific hate crimes and murders until his capture and arrest on October 28, 1980. His targets were often black and Jewish men, women, and children. He proudly admitted to all of his crimes, including the assassination attempts of Larry Flynt, the publisher of Hustler magazine, and Vernon Jordan, a civil rights activist. He also targeted President Jimmy Carter during the 1980 presidential campaign. He was executed by lethal injection in 2013.
Douglas admits that, of all the serial killers he has been responsible for capturing, Franklin was one of the most disturbing, mainly due to the frightening nature of white supremacist beliefs. Unlike other types of serial killers, white supremacists often have a following of fellow believers who consider them heroes and martyrs for a cause, that cause being the eradication of blacks, Jews, Hispanics, and other non-white groups. According to Douglas, white supremacy has the horrific tendency to be self-propagating.
We’ve seen this, most recently, in the actions of the insurrectionists of January 6, 2021, who—-because of a president who not only continued to downplay white supremacists but actually egged them on (“Stand back and stand by”)—-broke into the Capitol Building, vandalized and destroyed federal property, and, in some cases, were prepared to do bodily harm to unarmed Senators and House members.
Even now, the FBI and law enforcement agencies are still on alert for acts of violence that have been threatened by white supremacist groups.
We can no longer afford to either sweep racism under the carpet or claim that it is not a problem. The day of reckoning is upon us, and we are all going to have to pick a side, whether we want to or not. As Douglas says, “The journey to reckon with our nation’s searing history of racial hatred, intolerance, and discrimination is ongoing, and there are no neutrals in that struggle. (p. 367)”
Sources
(https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hate-cri...)
(https://www.factcheck.org/2019/03/the...)
(https://www.brookings.edu/blog/how-we...)
(https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2...)
September 19, 2020
If you like books about criminal profilers from the FBI, and the seriously twisted killers they are after, this book fits the bill. Back in the late 1970s, profiling was just beginning to get a start, with it getting a chance to be used outside the FBI by other agencies. This case would help to highlight its effectiveness and bring it more into use, if all went well as John Douglas took off to try and help catch the guy who’d been shooting people at random all over the country. His name was Joseph Paul Franklin, but he also used many false names as well.
Profiler Douglas had been requested to assist police as things got bad, with Franklin randomly killing minority folks and mixed couples, showing his hatred for non-whites. He would even go after prominent white people, if he felt his reasons were good enough like when he wrote his letter to President Carter. He also wanted to show how he felt about Jewish people as well, so he began targeting them too. Franklin grew up with a lot of mistreatment and he wanted to let out his anger and rage when he felt like it. Abusing his wives wasn’t enough. He had this “mission” that he had come up with to kill as many of his targeted types of people as he could, and he was going to follow it through. Franklin became fairly proficient at robbing banks to keep himself going while he was on his mission. I found it to be an excellent look at a not too well known killer who was active in the 70s for 3 years. The case helped bring profiling into the mainstream as it helped them narrow down who to look at more, and who could be ruled out. Advance electronic review copy was provided by NetGalley, authors John Douglas & Mark Olshaker, and the publisher.
Profiler Douglas had been requested to assist police as things got bad, with Franklin randomly killing minority folks and mixed couples, showing his hatred for non-whites. He would even go after prominent white people, if he felt his reasons were good enough like when he wrote his letter to President Carter. He also wanted to show how he felt about Jewish people as well, so he began targeting them too. Franklin grew up with a lot of mistreatment and he wanted to let out his anger and rage when he felt like it. Abusing his wives wasn’t enough. He had this “mission” that he had come up with to kill as many of his targeted types of people as he could, and he was going to follow it through. Franklin became fairly proficient at robbing banks to keep himself going while he was on his mission. I found it to be an excellent look at a not too well known killer who was active in the 70s for 3 years. The case helped bring profiling into the mainstream as it helped them narrow down who to look at more, and who could be ruled out. Advance electronic review copy was provided by NetGalley, authors John Douglas & Mark Olshaker, and the publisher.
February 22, 2023
The opening featured some rehash material if you’re a reader of Douglas’s previous books. Then it gets down to the data about capturing a white supremacist sniper who started in the 70s. The whole account in my opinion was a little anemic. The trial and everything was covered in very few pages. I just don’t think there was a lot of revealing information there. However, the best section of the book was the epilogue about how this sniper had become a hero to the fascist and racist movements. There was even an interesting piece about the FBI’s monitoring of Nazis and white supremacists through their publications and how these individuals within the movement had gleaned from Trump’s rhetoric that Trump had “promised to return the country to us (white supremacists)”. Guess that matches the FBI’s recent declaration that domestic terrorism by white supremacists is the most dangerous current faction in the country. Just amazing that the guy running the country wouldn’t denounce and summarily condemn such a thing. Kind of makes one wonder?
February 8, 2021
When the fucking Mindhunter makes an epilogue and calls Trump out on his shit, that's like being given a knighting by the queen.
More to say but that epilogue was the icing on the cake.
More to say but that epilogue was the icing on the cake.
February 12, 2021
John Douglas absolutely gives me fits. I want to hear all his stories but I also don’t want to hear him pat himself on the back every two seconds about what a great behavioral investigator he is. When you read his books, you get both, for better or for worse.
I wasn’t too familiar with this serial killer and I learned a lot about him as well as how his psyche still impacts the present day in a scarily prescient way. This book is less about criminal profiling and more a bio of the killer. That may bother some people, but I was fine with it.
TLDR; I really miss Mindhunter and the audiobook is narrated by the actor who played Bill Tench (Holt McCallany). That alone is a win for me.
I wasn’t too familiar with this serial killer and I learned a lot about him as well as how his psyche still impacts the present day in a scarily prescient way. This book is less about criminal profiling and more a bio of the killer. That may bother some people, but I was fine with it.
TLDR; I really miss Mindhunter and the audiobook is narrated by the actor who played Bill Tench (Holt McCallany). That alone is a win for me.
December 20, 2020
3.5 The prose is as if an American flag somehow wrote true crime but the topic is fascinating and horribly timely.
February 12, 2025
Im biased to anything John Douglas related and I am biased to anything that has to do with profiling murderers and serial killers
Easy/ good read
Easy/ good read
September 27, 2021
A typical Douglas book. Interesting enough case written in not so interesting way. And of course littered with Douglas self-masturbatory narrative that the reader can do well without. The case itself - a white supremacist serial killer - is not something you stumble upon very often, but something that needs to be spoken about more often. Because while to some, unfortunately, it serves as an inspiration, to most - it needs to serve as a lesson and a warning. White supremacists and in general - white racists - don’t lurk only in the past with KKK or confederacy - it’s in our backyards, in our social media spaces but most importantly - still among us and now being louder than ever via internet, something that Douglas thankfully addresses as well. Cases like these are a lesson that we shouldn’t stay silent, we should call out racism and racist individuals. No matter who they are. Because if we don’t - we allow harmful ideologies to fester and then we have victims, whose lives get stolen. Strong topic, just unfortunately poorly written book.
December 22, 2020
Very topical, possibly released, definitely reworked if not, to cover crimes that are increasingly relevant in today's world. Racism went from something that people were shamed into hiding to something to be publicly proclaimed with pride thanks to trump and his supporters. As much as I am devastated that we are at that point I sometimes feel that peeling back that false face and showing the hidden hatred is for the best. The disease cannot be eradicated if it is not acknowledged. This book delves deeply into the hate crimes committed by a person who would fit right into the White House today in 2020 and it is something we should be discussing. As was stated in the book, words have power, and we have to recognize that the words being spewed from on high are affecting the world.
Audio: I love Holt McCallany and listening to his narration was very enjoyable even though what he was narrating was awful to listen to.
Audio: I love Holt McCallany and listening to his narration was very enjoyable even though what he was narrating was awful to listen to.
February 6, 2021
I tend to avoid reading anything from John Douglas but wanted to read about Joseph Paul Franklin. I find Douglas is too quick to pat himself on the back repeatedly in each of his books and digress from the main topic to brag about one of his other accomplishments that are sometimes, sometimes not, related. This book was no different. I've been told by someone who knew Douglas that he doesn't let the facts get in the way of a good story, which is another reason I try to avoid him.
That said, the parts actually about Joseph Paul Franklin were well done and interesting. I consider myself pretty well versed in serial killers, but actually hadn't heard of him until recently, so it was all new to me. The conversations Douglas had with Franklin were incredibly interesting and Douglas' analysis of those conversations were equally interesting. Overall a pretty good bit of information on Franklin, his history and his crimes.
That said, the parts actually about Joseph Paul Franklin were well done and interesting. I consider myself pretty well versed in serial killers, but actually hadn't heard of him until recently, so it was all new to me. The conversations Douglas had with Franklin were incredibly interesting and Douglas' analysis of those conversations were equally interesting. Overall a pretty good bit of information on Franklin, his history and his crimes.
November 21, 2025
John Douglas was one of the FBI's first behavioral analysts. In October 1980, Douglas received an unusual call for help. A suspected killer had escaped from the jail in Florence, Kentucky. Various police forces suspected that he might have killed numerous Black and Jewish people across the country. They wanted Douglas's help to determine where he might go.
Douglas profiled Joseph Paul Franklin, one of the country's most prolific serial killers of Blacks and Jews. He nailed down where Franklin might go based on his past. The police caught him in the exact place where Douglas suggested he might go. As police and the FBI later interviewed Franklin, they found that he was a mission-oriented white supremacist dedicated to starting a race war. He was unusual in that, though he usually shot people long-distance with a rifle, he also used dynamite, robbed banks, and donated blood.
This was a very interesting and well-written account that I would recommend to anyone interested in true crime. Douglas explained that though Franklin wasn't all that intelligent, he was dangerous, not only because of the many that he murdered, but because of the influence on other notorious murderers who tried to start a race war after him.
I gave this 4 stars instead of 5 because recent events have shown that anti-Semitism is as strong on the Left as it has been on the right in the past. Though published in 2020, Douglas did not address that tendency, just attacked those on the right as being where the racial and anti-Semitic dangers lay. Also, he got unusually political in this book compared to the other books of his that I've read. He credited the Southern Poverty Law Society as one of his sources, which has charged groups such as Focus on the Family with being racist because they have not supported the SPLC's left-wing positions. That disappointed me.
Douglas profiled Joseph Paul Franklin, one of the country's most prolific serial killers of Blacks and Jews. He nailed down where Franklin might go based on his past. The police caught him in the exact place where Douglas suggested he might go. As police and the FBI later interviewed Franklin, they found that he was a mission-oriented white supremacist dedicated to starting a race war. He was unusual in that, though he usually shot people long-distance with a rifle, he also used dynamite, robbed banks, and donated blood.
This was a very interesting and well-written account that I would recommend to anyone interested in true crime. Douglas explained that though Franklin wasn't all that intelligent, he was dangerous, not only because of the many that he murdered, but because of the influence on other notorious murderers who tried to start a race war after him.
I gave this 4 stars instead of 5 because recent events have shown that anti-Semitism is as strong on the Left as it has been on the right in the past. Though published in 2020, Douglas did not address that tendency, just attacked those on the right as being where the racial and anti-Semitic dangers lay. Also, he got unusually political in this book compared to the other books of his that I've read. He credited the Southern Poverty Law Society as one of his sources, which has charged groups such as Focus on the Family with being racist because they have not supported the SPLC's left-wing positions. That disappointed me.
October 22, 2020
Joseph Paul Franklin wanted to become famous - famous for killing interracial couples, Jews, young black boys, white girls who dated black boys, and ultimately for starting a race war and being embraced as a hero.
I wasn't familiar with Franklin prior to reading this book, but the authors do a stellar job of presenting the case along with giving us a flavor of the 1970's time period. Franklin was that most difficult of killers to catch - he expertly used a sniper rifle but had no set MO for his kills. Some were spur of the moment, others were meticulously planned out, and he had no personal connection to his victims.
Franklin committed his crimes in the 1970's and was captured in 1980, but our country is still immersed in his mindset and philosophies. And that is why this book is equally fascinating and terrifying. 5+ stars and I highly recommend this book.
"The journey to reckon with our nation's searing history of racial hatred, intolerance, and discrimination is ongoing, and there are no neutrals in that struggle. "
I received an ARC from the Publisher, via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
Visit my new blog "I Love True Crime Books"
I wasn't familiar with Franklin prior to reading this book, but the authors do a stellar job of presenting the case along with giving us a flavor of the 1970's time period. Franklin was that most difficult of killers to catch - he expertly used a sniper rifle but had no set MO for his kills. Some were spur of the moment, others were meticulously planned out, and he had no personal connection to his victims.
Given his hard wiring and the effects of his upbringing and environment, and especially his view of his mother's abuse and neglect, it was as if nature had loaded the gun and nurture pulled the trigger.The author lay out Franklin's background in detail, as well as efforts to create a profile, identify Franklin and ultimately capture him and bring him to trial. But Franklin's case is only part of the story. The authors give us related cases that really hammer home the simple fact that WORDS MATTER. And eventually all that dangerous speech turns into real actions. And all we have to do is look around us to see that hatred "metastasizing across social media platforms as well."
Franklin committed his crimes in the 1970's and was captured in 1980, but our country is still immersed in his mindset and philosophies. And that is why this book is equally fascinating and terrifying. 5+ stars and I highly recommend this book.
"The journey to reckon with our nation's searing history of racial hatred, intolerance, and discrimination is ongoing, and there are no neutrals in that struggle. "
I received an ARC from the Publisher, via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
Visit my new blog "I Love True Crime Books"
June 22, 2025
🎧 *3.5 STARS*
“Due to the remarkable advances in communications technologies, we find ourselves living at a time when it is far easier to radicalize and inspire hate than ever before. The internet and social media have made it much easier to spread philosophies like Franklin's than it was in his time, and he would undoubtedly be delighted to see his face appearing frequently on sites like YouTube.”
I was unfamiliar with Franklin's case going into this book, but I learned a lot about him and how his psyche still scarily impacts the present day. There's quite a bit of back-patting about the success of certain techniques used to catch Franklin, which I have found a common theme in Douglas's books. That said, the story is still interesting and well done. The conversations Douglas had with Franklin were incredibly interesting and Douglas' analysis of those conversations was equally interesting.
“Due to the remarkable advances in communications technologies, we find ourselves living at a time when it is far easier to radicalize and inspire hate than ever before. The internet and social media have made it much easier to spread philosophies like Franklin's than it was in his time, and he would undoubtedly be delighted to see his face appearing frequently on sites like YouTube.”
I was unfamiliar with Franklin's case going into this book, but I learned a lot about him and how his psyche still scarily impacts the present day. There's quite a bit of back-patting about the success of certain techniques used to catch Franklin, which I have found a common theme in Douglas's books. That said, the story is still interesting and well done. The conversations Douglas had with Franklin were incredibly interesting and Douglas' analysis of those conversations was equally interesting.
November 17, 2020
When reading a gruesome murder mystery, you always think, "At least it couldn't happen in real life". But it can and does. John E Douglas was an FBI profiler when the BAU was not as famous as it is currently. He is the author of the Mindhunter book, yes the one the Netflix series is based on. This is the story of the FBI's hunt for John Paul Franklin, a serial killer whose victims were racially chosen yet had nothing in common. This made the investigation and ultimate capture very difficult. The story is more thrilling than your average fictional phycological thriller, and worse, it's true. An absolutely engrossing read that left me with much more information on how the FBI investigations work.
November 27, 2020
Thanks to Dey Street Books and Edelweiss for providing the ARC of this non-fiction title. Overall, this fell flat for me. I found it dry and closer to textbook-like than I was expecting. I would recommend this for those deeply interested in behavioral science but not so much for those who may pick it up based on watching the Netflix Mindhunter series.
July 26, 2022
This book is a return to John Douglas and Mark Olshaker at their best. Engrossing, well written, and difficult to put down, this story of an abhorrent, hate-filled serial killer was noteworthy because Joseph Paul Franklin didn't fit the mold. If he hadn't pulled a Bundy and screwed up royally, he probably would have never been caught.
Douglas dives into the perfect storm of nature and nurture that created the monster known as Franklin, and describes how these dangerous conditions are formed and how difficult it is to avert them once the course has been set.
I was settling on a four-star rating until I got to the end, when the authors talked about the implications of Franklin's crimes and how they still continue to fuel hate even today. With an eloquence bordering on the poetic, they warn us of the darkness of the path we're currently on.
It's shocking we don't hear more about Franklin, considering all the innocent people he murdered. But, in light of what's said at the end of this book, perhaps that's a good thing.
Douglas dives into the perfect storm of nature and nurture that created the monster known as Franklin, and describes how these dangerous conditions are formed and how difficult it is to avert them once the course has been set.
I was settling on a four-star rating until I got to the end, when the authors talked about the implications of Franklin's crimes and how they still continue to fuel hate even today. With an eloquence bordering on the poetic, they warn us of the darkness of the path we're currently on.
It's shocking we don't hear more about Franklin, considering all the innocent people he murdered. But, in light of what's said at the end of this book, perhaps that's a good thing.
March 7, 2023
I’m back on my bullshit. Not sure why it is restful for me to peruse the anatomy of disturbed, violent souls, but I enjoy Douglas’ expertise, though I long for a deeper more rigorous dive at times. The book validates the family of origin work I do as a counselor, and is an exercise in mentalization that keeps me sharp. I was told by someone wiser than me, that there are only so many stories, and it feels like the extreme of Douglas’ subjects highlights some of the differences between stories. Though tragic, it is interesting to see how inter-generational harm is metabolized by our bodies, I hope to see it sooner and learn how to effectively engage it to avoid the tragic ending the killers play out, and to navigate the seems of my own rage and grief, so others don’t have to eat it for me.
March 1, 2021
Y'all John Douglas did not come to play when he wrote this one.
I tend to have mixed feelings on Douglas's stuff. Mindhunter was great, and so was The Killer Across the Table was pretty good too, although I don't know how much of my sheer enjoyment of that book came from the writing or Groff's narration. The Cases That Haunt Us was fine, nothing special, and to be honest, I didn't enjoy Journey into Darkness all that much. But this one was different--this was less about the formation of the BSU or Douglas's career as much as it was a focused case study on one particular person. That, and you could actually feel Douglas giving a middle finger to white supremacy, which was super entertaining. I mean, Douglas has never held his tongue when it comes to what he thinks of the crimes committed by the people he chases, but this particular book just felt like Douglas was 1000% done with everything and everyone.
It was kind of a mood.
What dropped this book a star for me was the lack of information in two areas that I would have liked a little more elaboration on. I would have liked a little more information on how racial tensions--especially during the times of the earliest crimes--may have informed the prosecution. That, along with an analysis of how to alter trial strategy based on racial tensions would have interested me immensely. (Honestly, I could read a whole book on that. Maybe Douglas will get around to it eventually, since he did briefly mention using behavioral science in the trial strategy for the Atlanta Child Murders.) I would have also liked for Douglas to have given a more specific opinion on where he thought what might trigger a racist to start murdering people. He dances around it, but doesn't really specify what his personal opinion on the matter was.
That said, this book was unusual in that there wasn't a long chase sequence or a big whodunit. It really did just look at one person's crimes, his mindset, and the larger problem at hand.
I tend to have mixed feelings on Douglas's stuff. Mindhunter was great, and so was The Killer Across the Table was pretty good too, although I don't know how much of my sheer enjoyment of that book came from the writing or Groff's narration. The Cases That Haunt Us was fine, nothing special, and to be honest, I didn't enjoy Journey into Darkness all that much. But this one was different--this was less about the formation of the BSU or Douglas's career as much as it was a focused case study on one particular person. That, and you could actually feel Douglas giving a middle finger to white supremacy, which was super entertaining. I mean, Douglas has never held his tongue when it comes to what he thinks of the crimes committed by the people he chases, but this particular book just felt like Douglas was 1000% done with everything and everyone.
It was kind of a mood.
What dropped this book a star for me was the lack of information in two areas that I would have liked a little more elaboration on. I would have liked a little more information on how racial tensions--especially during the times of the earliest crimes--may have informed the prosecution. That, along with an analysis of how to alter trial strategy based on racial tensions would have interested me immensely. (Honestly, I could read a whole book on that. Maybe Douglas will get around to it eventually, since he did briefly mention using behavioral science in the trial strategy for the Atlanta Child Murders.) I would have also liked for Douglas to have given a more specific opinion on where he thought what might trigger a racist to start murdering people. He dances around it, but doesn't really specify what his personal opinion on the matter was.
That said, this book was unusual in that there wasn't a long chase sequence or a big whodunit. It really did just look at one person's crimes, his mindset, and the larger problem at hand.
January 15, 2025
Not my favorite book by John Douglas (that’s forever The Killer Across the Table) but this is probably second. It was an audiobook I started and didn’t want to stop listening.
Several cases mentioned I remember from the show Mindhunter. It was fast paced and interesting - everything I could ask for in a true crime audiobook!
Several cases mentioned I remember from the show Mindhunter. It was fast paced and interesting - everything I could ask for in a true crime audiobook!
January 25, 2022
I'm still mad about Mindhunter S3 not being made, so I just resort to reading all of John E. Douglas & Mark Olshaker's books.
I didn't love this book as much as I liked The Killer Across the Table, but I'm very fascinated by the Behavioral Science Unit. There is a lot of overlap from the other book, so not MUCH new information, but still interesting enough.
Definitely read if you also have a Mindhunter void in your life.
I didn't love this book as much as I liked The Killer Across the Table, but I'm very fascinated by the Behavioral Science Unit. There is a lot of overlap from the other book, so not MUCH new information, but still interesting enough.
Definitely read if you also have a Mindhunter void in your life.
May 30, 2022
Since this was written by such a well-known investigator and profiler, I thought it would be worth reading. It’s an insightful look into the hate and violence we so often see in our societies and will probably leave you sad and angry. However, it’s a decent read for someone interested in true crime.
3.5 stars.
3.5 stars.
January 15, 2023
I talk about details of my thoughts in this wrap up video.
June 27, 2025
Holy crap - that epilogue sent chills down my spine. Too relevant and sobering for today. Read (or listen) to this.
June 1, 2024
3.5 stars for this one!
The subject matter was both fascinating and repulsive. It was interesting to see how these killers thought and justified their actions. My only slight criticism of this book was that many people were introduced as the narrative unfolded so some facts were hard to keep straight. Other than that, John E. Douglas approached the matter appropriately, giving key insight into the behavior and motives of murderers.
The subject matter was both fascinating and repulsive. It was interesting to see how these killers thought and justified their actions. My only slight criticism of this book was that many people were introduced as the narrative unfolded so some facts were hard to keep straight. Other than that, John E. Douglas approached the matter appropriately, giving key insight into the behavior and motives of murderers.
May 2, 2024
Such an interesting read! John Douglas really had such a fascinating life and career.
December 27, 2024
A study on the Joseph Paul Franklin case—a serial killer executed in 2017 for his 3-decades-long murders of black and Jewish victims; a white supremacist who used guns and bombs to “rid” society of minorities.
Interesting, but lacking some depth I’ve come to expect from Douglas & Olshaker.
Interesting, but lacking some depth I’ve come to expect from Douglas & Olshaker.
August 6, 2024
I love the way this guy writes, as it's purely informational and less "how smart he is and he figured it out".
August 26, 2021
At this point, I've read probably close to a dozen books written by John Douglas. His stories of his experiences starting the profiling program in the FBI and of the buffet of crazies he's chased and interviewed...well that's just as good as it gets for me. However, he does repeat himself from book to book, and he's not ashamed to pat himself on the back. I'm maybe a little more tolerant of him doing this than other people because despite his flag-waving, the man is brilliant. Audible often features his books on their sales, and I buy them for when I need brain candy.
In this installment, he focuses his attention on Joseph Paul Franklin. Douglas was called into the case early in his career not to profile unsolved crimes, but to help the authorities track him down after he escaped captivity. As he does, Douglas studies everything there is to know about Franklin, and almost slips into the soul of the offender to understand how he works.
Franklin's legacy, if you will, is that he was a self-admitted white supremacist, inspired by Nazi beliefs, aiming his hate towards African Americans and Jews. This hate compelled Franklin to travel around the country, hunting innocent folks and picking them off with a sniper rifle. He also bombed one of his targets, and robbed banks to fund his killing spree. He also had aspirations to assassinate Jimmy Carter, but that never came to fruition. All told, he murdered over twenty individuals throughout ten states, wounded many more, served four life sentences and was put to death by lethal injection. Douglas had opportunities to interview Franklin in prison, and from these interviews expressed that what made this man dangerous (besides the obvious) was his potential to inspire a race riot.
What I love about Douglas's books is that he unpacks not only the facts of the cases, but the personality disorders of the violators, the turning point that sent them down the path of a serial killer, and the methods in which Douglas was able to profile them. If you are the type of person who reads about these monsters and constantly ask WHY WHY WHY, this guy is going to give you some answers. Likewise, after you read a few of his books, you will hear all you need to hear about how he started the science of profiling, how he and his partner interviewed hundreds of serial killers to get an understanding of their psychopathy, how he nailed his profiles and helped catch criminals, and how amazing he is. You'll hear about Bundy, Kemper, Ridgeway, Rader, Berkowitz and Manson, over and over again. I don't get tired of it, but it gets on some people's nerves.
Holt McCallany narrates this audiobook, and I've never heard him narrate before but he does play Bill Tench in Mindhunter so he is familiar with the topic. He has a booming baritone voice and it worked well.
In this installment, he focuses his attention on Joseph Paul Franklin. Douglas was called into the case early in his career not to profile unsolved crimes, but to help the authorities track him down after he escaped captivity. As he does, Douglas studies everything there is to know about Franklin, and almost slips into the soul of the offender to understand how he works.
Franklin's legacy, if you will, is that he was a self-admitted white supremacist, inspired by Nazi beliefs, aiming his hate towards African Americans and Jews. This hate compelled Franklin to travel around the country, hunting innocent folks and picking them off with a sniper rifle. He also bombed one of his targets, and robbed banks to fund his killing spree. He also had aspirations to assassinate Jimmy Carter, but that never came to fruition. All told, he murdered over twenty individuals throughout ten states, wounded many more, served four life sentences and was put to death by lethal injection. Douglas had opportunities to interview Franklin in prison, and from these interviews expressed that what made this man dangerous (besides the obvious) was his potential to inspire a race riot.
What I love about Douglas's books is that he unpacks not only the facts of the cases, but the personality disorders of the violators, the turning point that sent them down the path of a serial killer, and the methods in which Douglas was able to profile them. If you are the type of person who reads about these monsters and constantly ask WHY WHY WHY, this guy is going to give you some answers. Likewise, after you read a few of his books, you will hear all you need to hear about how he started the science of profiling, how he and his partner interviewed hundreds of serial killers to get an understanding of their psychopathy, how he nailed his profiles and helped catch criminals, and how amazing he is. You'll hear about Bundy, Kemper, Ridgeway, Rader, Berkowitz and Manson, over and over again. I don't get tired of it, but it gets on some people's nerves.
Holt McCallany narrates this audiobook, and I've never heard him narrate before but he does play Bill Tench in Mindhunter so he is familiar with the topic. He has a booming baritone voice and it worked well.
November 24, 2020
Very good. I knew nothing about Joseph Paul Franklin before reading this (that I remember), and I refrained from googling stuff while I was reading the book, because I didn't want to "spoil" the end. :)
Boy, what an asshole. The one from whom Dylann Roof took inspiration, so that gives you a sense of what this guy was about. He's also the guy who shot Larry Flynt (or said he did), although he never stood trial for it.
Douglas discussed many different aspects of what made Franklin who he was and why he did what he did—sadly relevant even now, when you wonder why and how someone becomes so radicalized, what even starts them down that path. It's all interesting and sad and scary, and Douglas and Olshaker lay out their thoughts in a cohesive, cogent way.
(There's one thing in particular that I don't remember Douglas mentioning. Franklin had wanted to be a cop but couldn't be because he had vision in only one eye, and Douglas theorizes that Franklin learning the impairment would prevent him from fulfilling his dream was perhaps an inciting life-change, part of what sent him down the path he traveled. What Douglas doesn't explicitly discuss is that if Franklin had been able to become a cop, he probably would have been one of the very, very bad ones; he'd have used the shield as exactly that—a shield—to protect himself while carrying out the hate crimes and racially motivated murders that defined his life. He was already bad before he found out he wouldn't be able to join the police force, and maybe he started killing people earlier in life because he didn't have a career to focus him, but it sure seems like if he'd been able to be a cop, at some point, he would have just killed Black and Jewish people anyway, whether on the job or not. The power would have emboldened him further. Maybe Douglas wouldn't agree with that assessment, but I'd've liked to have heard his thoughts on it.)
Overall, very engaging (and enraging!) read. Well written, as Douglas and Olshaker's works are. I actually liked this better than The Killer Across the Table, just a bit. Maybe because of the heavier focus on a single criminal (although there are certainly references to and mentions of others) rather than a bunch of different people, with less focus.
I listened to the audio, and while I'd initially been disappointed that Jonathan Groff wasn't doing this one, too, I thought Holt McCallany was perfect.
Excellent book if you like this sort of thing!
Boy, what an asshole. The one from whom Dylann Roof took inspiration, so that gives you a sense of what this guy was about. He's also the guy who shot Larry Flynt (or said he did), although he never stood trial for it.
Douglas discussed many different aspects of what made Franklin who he was and why he did what he did—sadly relevant even now, when you wonder why and how someone becomes so radicalized, what even starts them down that path. It's all interesting and sad and scary, and Douglas and Olshaker lay out their thoughts in a cohesive, cogent way.
(There's one thing in particular that I don't remember Douglas mentioning. Franklin had wanted to be a cop but couldn't be because he had vision in only one eye, and Douglas theorizes that Franklin learning the impairment would prevent him from fulfilling his dream was perhaps an inciting life-change, part of what sent him down the path he traveled. What Douglas doesn't explicitly discuss is that if Franklin had been able to become a cop, he probably would have been one of the very, very bad ones; he'd have used the shield as exactly that—a shield—to protect himself while carrying out the hate crimes and racially motivated murders that defined his life. He was already bad before he found out he wouldn't be able to join the police force, and maybe he started killing people earlier in life because he didn't have a career to focus him, but it sure seems like if he'd been able to be a cop, at some point, he would have just killed Black and Jewish people anyway, whether on the job or not. The power would have emboldened him further. Maybe Douglas wouldn't agree with that assessment, but I'd've liked to have heard his thoughts on it.)
Overall, very engaging (and enraging!) read. Well written, as Douglas and Olshaker's works are. I actually liked this better than The Killer Across the Table, just a bit. Maybe because of the heavier focus on a single criminal (although there are certainly references to and mentions of others) rather than a bunch of different people, with less focus.
I listened to the audio, and while I'd initially been disappointed that Jonathan Groff wasn't doing this one, too, I thought Holt McCallany was perfect.
Excellent book if you like this sort of thing!
November 30, 2020
Perfect for today's uptick in white supremacist violence
One of my favorite authors, John Douglas (with Olshaker) goes into detail about possibly the most prolific serial killer in American history. And his murders were based solely on killing Jews and any white person who would even consider dating a black person and vice versa. If he even saw a male and female of separate races talking, he would kill them like a sniper, with long range weapons, hoping to start a race war.
At the end, Douglas ties this kind of killer (and there are more and more of them) to the increased propaganda online and a president who encourages these groups to use violence to act out their hate.
He makes it clear that these killers are losers with absolutely nothing worthwhile going on in their lives, whereas their victims were good people with great lives ahead of them - nurses, teachers, people who helped others and were killed by this lowlife before being able to complete their important work on earth.
I learned q lot from this book. The writing of this team is always compelling - John was one of the original FBI profiles and mindhunters, who understands the mindset of such killers better than almost any other living person.
His research and ability to find patterns and connect the dots are legendary and he takes you along with him through his adventures.
I hope he writes a lot more because everything he has to say is especially important during these fraught times where even the president threatens civil war, and the barriers have gone down that kept most people from becoming violent.
Maybe this and other books will take the sheen off of violence and show it for what it is - cowardly acts perpetuated by loserd.
One of my favorite authors, John Douglas (with Olshaker) goes into detail about possibly the most prolific serial killer in American history. And his murders were based solely on killing Jews and any white person who would even consider dating a black person and vice versa. If he even saw a male and female of separate races talking, he would kill them like a sniper, with long range weapons, hoping to start a race war.
At the end, Douglas ties this kind of killer (and there are more and more of them) to the increased propaganda online and a president who encourages these groups to use violence to act out their hate.
He makes it clear that these killers are losers with absolutely nothing worthwhile going on in their lives, whereas their victims were good people with great lives ahead of them - nurses, teachers, people who helped others and were killed by this lowlife before being able to complete their important work on earth.
I learned q lot from this book. The writing of this team is always compelling - John was one of the original FBI profiles and mindhunters, who understands the mindset of such killers better than almost any other living person.
His research and ability to find patterns and connect the dots are legendary and he takes you along with him through his adventures.
I hope he writes a lot more because everything he has to say is especially important during these fraught times where even the president threatens civil war, and the barriers have gone down that kept most people from becoming violent.
Maybe this and other books will take the sheen off of violence and show it for what it is - cowardly acts perpetuated by loserd.
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