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A Dark Night in Aurora: Inside James Holmes and the Colorado Mass Shootings
James Holmes killed or wounded seventy people in a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado. Only one man was allowed to record extensive interviews with the shooter. This is what he found. Now with an update by the author.
On July 20, 2012 in Aurora, Colorado, a man in dark body armor and a gas mask entered a midnight premiere of The Dark Knight Rises with a tactical shotgun, a high-capacity assault rifle, and a sidearm. He threw a canister of tear gas into the crowd and began firing. Soon twelve were dead and fifty-eight were wounded; young children and pregnant women were among them. The man was found calmly waiting at his car. He was detained without resistance.
Unlike the Columbine, Newtown, San Bernadino, Orlando, Las Vegas, and Jacksonville shootings, and James Holmes is unique among mass shooters in his willingness to be taken into custody alive; the massacre was a precursor to those in New Zealand and Parkland. In the court case that followed, only Dr. William H. Reid, a distinguished forensic psychiatrist, would be allowed to record interviews with the defendant. Reid would read Holmes’ diary, investigate his phone calls and text messages, interview his family and acquaintances, speak to his victims, and review tens of thousands of pages of evidence and court testimony in an attempt to understand how a happy, seemingly normal child could become a killer.
Now in paperback and updated by Dr. Reid, A Dark Night in Aurora uses the twenty-three hours of unredacted interview transcripts never seen by the public and Reid’s research to bring the reader inside the mind of a mass murderer. The result is chilling, gripping study of abnormal psychology and how a lovely boy named Jimmy became a killer.
On July 20, 2012 in Aurora, Colorado, a man in dark body armor and a gas mask entered a midnight premiere of The Dark Knight Rises with a tactical shotgun, a high-capacity assault rifle, and a sidearm. He threw a canister of tear gas into the crowd and began firing. Soon twelve were dead and fifty-eight were wounded; young children and pregnant women were among them. The man was found calmly waiting at his car. He was detained without resistance.
Unlike the Columbine, Newtown, San Bernadino, Orlando, Las Vegas, and Jacksonville shootings, and James Holmes is unique among mass shooters in his willingness to be taken into custody alive; the massacre was a precursor to those in New Zealand and Parkland. In the court case that followed, only Dr. William H. Reid, a distinguished forensic psychiatrist, would be allowed to record interviews with the defendant. Reid would read Holmes’ diary, investigate his phone calls and text messages, interview his family and acquaintances, speak to his victims, and review tens of thousands of pages of evidence and court testimony in an attempt to understand how a happy, seemingly normal child could become a killer.
Now in paperback and updated by Dr. Reid, A Dark Night in Aurora uses the twenty-three hours of unredacted interview transcripts never seen by the public and Reid’s research to bring the reader inside the mind of a mass murderer. The result is chilling, gripping study of abnormal psychology and how a lovely boy named Jimmy became a killer.
312 pages, Paperback
First published July 17, 2018
209 people are currently reading
1436 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 141 reviews
June 1, 2018
Gotta admit I'm the author, but I hope others will read A Dark Night in Aurora as soon as it becomes available (New York: Skyhorse, July, 2018). The cover and subtitle are slightly different in the Skyhorse release. Look for a compelling story, written from first- and second-hand sources, accurately and without too much sensationalism or gore. Thanks to many other writers, professionals, and reviewers for your excellent early reviews!
August 28, 2018
Such a well done book that intertwines facts and scientific evidence, yet still flows like a story. As a survivor of this particular shooting, I greatly enjoyed Dr. Reid's perspective and insight into the most tragic event in Colorado's history.
August 8, 2018
Excellent. Important.
If you don't read anything else in this book, read "The Afterward. The Search for Why," which is a concise and accurate summary of the statistical anomaly of the condition experienced by James Holmes, "a unique condition that arises in only one person among millions."
The author clarifies the error made in assuming that serious mental illness is associated with such violence, when in fact a seriously mentally ill person is no more likely to be violent than a person not beset by such a challenging diagnosis.
In fact, the author points out, dozens of studies (many large) show that, "Every major crime category, and every violent crime category, is either more common in the general population than in mental patients or occurs at about the same rate."
To be clear, a person with a serious mental illness is no more likely to be violent than a person without such a diagnosis. Mental illness is not a predictor for violence.
The author correctly points out an exception to this is alcohol and drug addiction, which is highly associated with interpersonal violence and crime.
I would add sociopathy to this.
There is a significant difference between sociopaths, addicts, and the seriously mentally ill.
Reid also clarifies that criminal trials, all trials really, are not accurate in finding explanations for human behavior.
He says, "Trials are not about finding the truth. They are not even about finding reasons for things....They are two dimensional resolutions of multidimensional situations."
It is important for us to educate ourselves with facts to help us deal more constructively with the exploration of the causes and prevention of violence, without unfairly blaming and stigmatizing those with serious mental illness.
This book contributes factual data to assist in this important endeavor.
I do however agree with Dr. Gur, Dr. Woodcock, Dr. Metzner, and other expert witness evaluations of Mr Holmes, and not with the authors, but this does not deter me from highly recommending this book.
Why did Holmes do what he did, when millions of others with similar diagnoses do not?
We don't really know.
Holmes, and the very rare others like him, are inexplicable anomalies.
Cindy Barton Knoke LCSW
If you don't read anything else in this book, read "The Afterward. The Search for Why," which is a concise and accurate summary of the statistical anomaly of the condition experienced by James Holmes, "a unique condition that arises in only one person among millions."
The author clarifies the error made in assuming that serious mental illness is associated with such violence, when in fact a seriously mentally ill person is no more likely to be violent than a person not beset by such a challenging diagnosis.
In fact, the author points out, dozens of studies (many large) show that, "Every major crime category, and every violent crime category, is either more common in the general population than in mental patients or occurs at about the same rate."
To be clear, a person with a serious mental illness is no more likely to be violent than a person without such a diagnosis. Mental illness is not a predictor for violence.
The author correctly points out an exception to this is alcohol and drug addiction, which is highly associated with interpersonal violence and crime.
I would add sociopathy to this.
There is a significant difference between sociopaths, addicts, and the seriously mentally ill.
Reid also clarifies that criminal trials, all trials really, are not accurate in finding explanations for human behavior.
He says, "Trials are not about finding the truth. They are not even about finding reasons for things....They are two dimensional resolutions of multidimensional situations."
It is important for us to educate ourselves with facts to help us deal more constructively with the exploration of the causes and prevention of violence, without unfairly blaming and stigmatizing those with serious mental illness.
This book contributes factual data to assist in this important endeavor.
I do however agree with Dr. Gur, Dr. Woodcock, Dr. Metzner, and other expert witness evaluations of Mr Holmes, and not with the authors, but this does not deter me from highly recommending this book.
Why did Holmes do what he did, when millions of others with similar diagnoses do not?
We don't really know.
Holmes, and the very rare others like him, are inexplicable anomalies.
Cindy Barton Knoke LCSW
September 1, 2022
The first half was good, second dragged a bit, but it's well written overall.
February 1, 2022
Arguably the most concise and well written summary of the events that took place in July 20, 2012 and the person behind it. Written in extremely accessible manner (every slightly more technical term is explained right away by the author) without oversimplification or omission of important details. A more extended discussion about how Reid came to a conclusion about James's mental condition (schizotypal personality disorder) and reasoning behind it would have been very welcome, since the author went through it only briefly by providing DSM-V criteria without elaborating on how each criterion applies to James's case. Moreover, extended discussion on why different psychiatrists involved in the case reached different conclusions with regards to James's diagnosis and their comparisons would have been extremely interesting. However, since the book is aimed at a wider audience, more technical details are understandably omitted. Other than that, the books is an absolute page turner.
February 19, 2020
This will most likely be the toughest book review I’ll ever have to write, not just because this is my first true crime nonfiction, but because this tragedy was a real life one, one that deeply affected real people, real families, the way we scrutinize mass shootings and mental illness and finally, its lasting impact on the world around us.
I remember exactly where I was when I heard about what had transpired in Colorado in 2012 and although I’d never been a huge fan of watching the news, I was made aware of this particular event because everyone was talking about it, as the media tends to sensationalize massacres.
I remember crying for the victims when I was just 17 and even recall avoiding movie theaters for a while after because I was too afraid. Maybe it was due to the fact that I was a frequent movie goer or the fact that a year later I’d be moving to California, where James Holmes was originally from, but in a way, I’d always felt connected to this case in particular, and to Holmes himself.
The author (also one of James’s forensic psychiatrists) really deserves an award for A Dark Night in Aurora. This book only exists because of his immense research skills, his well executed 23 or so hours of extensive interviews, and the articulate way in which he intertwined cold facts with the easiness of his storytelling: From Jimmy’s childhood memories eating ice cream and being a normal child to his gradual descent into mental illness.
Two of the most significant points made by the author that will always stay with me and why I urge you guys to read this book were the graceful and honorable ways in which he chose to remember victims, families, and even James’s family alike. Instead of dehumanizing James and portraying him as a “monster”, Dr William Reid sought to display a different Jimmy, one that kept his dark thoughts at bay, a loving brother and son long before the tragedy took place.
Finally, Dr Reid also touched on the importance of ongoing mental health care, not just during the times of a crisis, but as a constant everyday battle among those that are suffering, but would never kill. Not all mental illnesses look like James Holmes and we need to understand the complex nature of that in order to put a stop to standardizing and further stereotyping patients that are in need of help and still have hope. We certainly need to do better as a society moving forward.
Although I enjoyed and devoured this book in just one day, I did have to take some breaks because I was getting emotional due to some of the descriptions and pictures as I’m very sensitive to topics regarding grief and shootings in particular.
All in all, this was a 5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me and I would recommend it!
I remember exactly where I was when I heard about what had transpired in Colorado in 2012 and although I’d never been a huge fan of watching the news, I was made aware of this particular event because everyone was talking about it, as the media tends to sensationalize massacres.
I remember crying for the victims when I was just 17 and even recall avoiding movie theaters for a while after because I was too afraid. Maybe it was due to the fact that I was a frequent movie goer or the fact that a year later I’d be moving to California, where James Holmes was originally from, but in a way, I’d always felt connected to this case in particular, and to Holmes himself.
The author (also one of James’s forensic psychiatrists) really deserves an award for A Dark Night in Aurora. This book only exists because of his immense research skills, his well executed 23 or so hours of extensive interviews, and the articulate way in which he intertwined cold facts with the easiness of his storytelling: From Jimmy’s childhood memories eating ice cream and being a normal child to his gradual descent into mental illness.
Two of the most significant points made by the author that will always stay with me and why I urge you guys to read this book were the graceful and honorable ways in which he chose to remember victims, families, and even James’s family alike. Instead of dehumanizing James and portraying him as a “monster”, Dr William Reid sought to display a different Jimmy, one that kept his dark thoughts at bay, a loving brother and son long before the tragedy took place.
Finally, Dr Reid also touched on the importance of ongoing mental health care, not just during the times of a crisis, but as a constant everyday battle among those that are suffering, but would never kill. Not all mental illnesses look like James Holmes and we need to understand the complex nature of that in order to put a stop to standardizing and further stereotyping patients that are in need of help and still have hope. We certainly need to do better as a society moving forward.
Although I enjoyed and devoured this book in just one day, I did have to take some breaks because I was getting emotional due to some of the descriptions and pictures as I’m very sensitive to topics regarding grief and shootings in particular.
All in all, this was a 5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me and I would recommend it!
May 29, 2019
Finished last night. This was a well written and very interesting book. I admit to not knowing much except for the stories about him being the joker and shooting people in a cinema. Reading this I learned that the part of him being, pretending to be the Joker was fake news which was all over the internet.
I know I am someone who always wants the criminals severely punished and do believe they perhaps were depressed but still knew not to kill. This guy though appears to have been mentally ill for a long time. As what the author said, normally the mass murderers have certain reasons to kill, Most of the time because of religion it seems but you have a lot of young men who think they are entitled to a great life and if they do not achieve that when they want they want revenge. This guy did not really have a reason to kill except for his weird fabrication which he apparently believed that his life would be better if he killed people.
So I am not sure he is where he should be but I am sure he should not be free that's for sure. This book really tried to delve into the why but sometimes a question cannot be answered.
Recommend.
I know I am someone who always wants the criminals severely punished and do believe they perhaps were depressed but still knew not to kill. This guy though appears to have been mentally ill for a long time. As what the author said, normally the mass murderers have certain reasons to kill, Most of the time because of religion it seems but you have a lot of young men who think they are entitled to a great life and if they do not achieve that when they want they want revenge. This guy did not really have a reason to kill except for his weird fabrication which he apparently believed that his life would be better if he killed people.
So I am not sure he is where he should be but I am sure he should not be free that's for sure. This book really tried to delve into the why but sometimes a question cannot be answered.
Recommend.
December 1, 2018
The first part of this book is easy to read, but drags along a bit as the interviews are discussed. This is a pretty depressing read, especially being a parent.
November 11, 2024
My two cents as a social worker:
I have somewhat mixed feelings about this book. It was written by one of the psychiatrists who evaluated James Holmes for his trial. As such, the text overall reads as a psychiatric case study (with a lot of detail included about the crime).
I was frustrated, however, by (1) the lack of concrete analysis and sociocultural context, which are inherent to understanding mass shootings, and (2) the fact that the author doesn’t meaningfully comment on what could have been done to prevent the shooting, or whether our current mental health treatment system is capable of preventing tragedy through early detection and intervention.
The author hints at common-sense gun laws but doesn’t actually take a stance, which is extremely unfortunate for a book about a mass shooting that almost certainly took place because a man with multiple documented mental illnesses and fantasies of killing people—particularly in the form of a mass casualty attack—was able to legally purchase multiple firearms, including an AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle.
Firstly, James Holmes actually was severely mentally ill. He presented with an unique constellation of symptoms and has received many different diagnoses over the years. The trial doctors did all agree, however, that he suffered from ongoing psychosis, namely in the form of delusions. (Albeit, medical opinions vary on the extent to which Holmes's psychosis played a causal or motivating role in his decision to commit the shooting.)
James had disturbing visions of mass murder starting from a young age. He told his doctors this. Before the shooting, as he was actively preparing for the crime, his doctors knew he had delusions around committing murder (they, of course, did not know he was planning a mass shooting). In particular, he had a delusion that killing another person meant adding their “life value” to his. Each murdered person was one point, hence why he was interested primarily in a mass casualty attack. His doctors knew this, however, there was no intervention. Why?
From a medical standpoint: there was no intervention because his psychosis never presented as a crisis. It—his presentation of psychosis, not his mental illness(es) overall—was always moderate, not severe, and so the psychiatric approach was pharmacological. This makes sense and is done for a reason; psychosis is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. It's additionally worth remembering that the vast majority of mentally ill individuals are not violent and are statistically more likely to be victims of violent crimes than perpetrators.
Secondly, returning to the sociocultural context that I felt the book lacked: the vast majority of mass shooters are white men. The author does not address this. When white men do become mass shooters, the media is quick to suggest mental illness, regardless of whether it's applicable, and generally humanize them in ways that Black and Brown people—even Black and Brown victims—are not. The author, similarly, does not address this.
In summation, all of my critiques aside, as a psychiatric case study, this was very insightful. But it is narrow in scope and it’s worth knowing that before diving in.
Okay, but book review aside, could this have been realistically prevented?
Given the sociocultural and mental health issues at play, an important question is whether the shooting could have been prevented with different circumstances or policies.
1. The Aurora mass shooting could have been prevented if someone had looked in his bedroom and seen the weapons, ammo, bulletproof vest, and other gear, which were in plain view, and said something. Law enforcement and medical professionals agree that an intervention likely could have occurred if someone had noticed this arsenal and reported it. This underscores the importance of checking in on people, genuinely and meaningfully, remaining vigilant, and allowing our sense of community to serve as a protective factor.
2. The Aurora mass shooting could have been prevented if James, who was, once again, a severely mentally ill individual with documented delusions and fantasies about mass murder, had not been able to legally and easily purchase firearms. This includes the semi-automatic rifle primarily used in the attack, which allowed him to shoot 70 people—many, if not most, multiple times—in approximately ten minutes.
Some may argue that if someone wants to obtain a gun, they will, regardless of whether or not it's legal, but this is inherently illogical. Such an argument posits that laws are irrelevant and produce minimal barriers to access or opportunity, meaning a crime would thus be able to be committed regardless of policy or protection measures. This does not square with any available data, and, to be frank, is legally and morally preposterous.
Laws provide barriers to access and reduce opportunities for illegal gun acquisition. While some people may still attempt to obtain firearms illegally, gun laws decrease the overall accessibility of firearms, making it harder for people to commit gun violence.
Such a barrier, had it been in place, likely would have made a material impact in the case of James Holmes, as he was someone without a solid support network as a consequence of self-isolation—meaning he almost certainly would not have had access to “underground” resources for obtaining illegal firearms. On top of that, his mental illnesses produced such severe symptoms that he struggled to hold a job or even take care of himself.
With that in mind, there is a very strong argument to be made that if James had not had such easy access to the arsenal he obtained, even in the absence of a psychiatric intervention, 12 people might still be alive, 58 might have gone uninjured, and countless others might not have been left with life-altering trauma.
I have somewhat mixed feelings about this book. It was written by one of the psychiatrists who evaluated James Holmes for his trial. As such, the text overall reads as a psychiatric case study (with a lot of detail included about the crime).
I was frustrated, however, by (1) the lack of concrete analysis and sociocultural context, which are inherent to understanding mass shootings, and (2) the fact that the author doesn’t meaningfully comment on what could have been done to prevent the shooting, or whether our current mental health treatment system is capable of preventing tragedy through early detection and intervention.
The author hints at common-sense gun laws but doesn’t actually take a stance, which is extremely unfortunate for a book about a mass shooting that almost certainly took place because a man with multiple documented mental illnesses and fantasies of killing people—particularly in the form of a mass casualty attack—was able to legally purchase multiple firearms, including an AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle.
Firstly, James Holmes actually was severely mentally ill. He presented with an unique constellation of symptoms and has received many different diagnoses over the years. The trial doctors did all agree, however, that he suffered from ongoing psychosis, namely in the form of delusions. (Albeit, medical opinions vary on the extent to which Holmes's psychosis played a causal or motivating role in his decision to commit the shooting.)
James had disturbing visions of mass murder starting from a young age. He told his doctors this. Before the shooting, as he was actively preparing for the crime, his doctors knew he had delusions around committing murder (they, of course, did not know he was planning a mass shooting). In particular, he had a delusion that killing another person meant adding their “life value” to his. Each murdered person was one point, hence why he was interested primarily in a mass casualty attack. His doctors knew this, however, there was no intervention. Why?
From a medical standpoint: there was no intervention because his psychosis never presented as a crisis. It—his presentation of psychosis, not his mental illness(es) overall—was always moderate, not severe, and so the psychiatric approach was pharmacological. This makes sense and is done for a reason; psychosis is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. It's additionally worth remembering that the vast majority of mentally ill individuals are not violent and are statistically more likely to be victims of violent crimes than perpetrators.
Secondly, returning to the sociocultural context that I felt the book lacked: the vast majority of mass shooters are white men. The author does not address this. When white men do become mass shooters, the media is quick to suggest mental illness, regardless of whether it's applicable, and generally humanize them in ways that Black and Brown people—even Black and Brown victims—are not. The author, similarly, does not address this.
In summation, all of my critiques aside, as a psychiatric case study, this was very insightful. But it is narrow in scope and it’s worth knowing that before diving in.
Okay, but book review aside, could this have been realistically prevented?
Given the sociocultural and mental health issues at play, an important question is whether the shooting could have been prevented with different circumstances or policies.
1. The Aurora mass shooting could have been prevented if someone had looked in his bedroom and seen the weapons, ammo, bulletproof vest, and other gear, which were in plain view, and said something. Law enforcement and medical professionals agree that an intervention likely could have occurred if someone had noticed this arsenal and reported it. This underscores the importance of checking in on people, genuinely and meaningfully, remaining vigilant, and allowing our sense of community to serve as a protective factor.
2. The Aurora mass shooting could have been prevented if James, who was, once again, a severely mentally ill individual with documented delusions and fantasies about mass murder, had not been able to legally and easily purchase firearms. This includes the semi-automatic rifle primarily used in the attack, which allowed him to shoot 70 people—many, if not most, multiple times—in approximately ten minutes.
Some may argue that if someone wants to obtain a gun, they will, regardless of whether or not it's legal, but this is inherently illogical. Such an argument posits that laws are irrelevant and produce minimal barriers to access or opportunity, meaning a crime would thus be able to be committed regardless of policy or protection measures. This does not square with any available data, and, to be frank, is legally and morally preposterous.
Laws provide barriers to access and reduce opportunities for illegal gun acquisition. While some people may still attempt to obtain firearms illegally, gun laws decrease the overall accessibility of firearms, making it harder for people to commit gun violence.
Such a barrier, had it been in place, likely would have made a material impact in the case of James Holmes, as he was someone without a solid support network as a consequence of self-isolation—meaning he almost certainly would not have had access to “underground” resources for obtaining illegal firearms. On top of that, his mental illnesses produced such severe symptoms that he struggled to hold a job or even take care of himself.
With that in mind, there is a very strong argument to be made that if James had not had such easy access to the arsenal he obtained, even in the absence of a psychiatric intervention, 12 people might still be alive, 58 might have gone uninjured, and countless others might not have been left with life-altering trauma.
April 19, 2019
Interesting comment by author that he doesn't feel that investing millions of dollars and expanding mental health services will prevent mass killings such as this. As he states it is difficult to impossible to identify those who will escalate their behavior to the point of this type of violence. Statistics support that there is no specific psychiatric dx or even mental illness that is more likely to manifest increased crime, violence or a killer. Case in point: This young man had been getting counseling and his homicidal tendency wasn't identified. Another interesting observation by the author is that substance abuse (which may be considered a mental illness by some) is an exception. He states "Drunks, crackheads, heroin addicts, and amphetamine abusers are a much greater threat to the public than are people with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder".
May 28, 2019
I read this purely out of curiosity since James Hones grew up in the City I lived in for over 12 years and I felt this might give me a better understanding of what caused this young man to do this horrible crime. I found out what I already know in my heart, and that is that we need to become a stronger nation in getting help to the mentally ill. California is one of the worst states when it comes to trying to get help for a family member. If we could get help to the mentally ill we would have less people living on the streets and less of these tragic shootings. We need to do something and quickly.
November 24, 2025
A DARK NIGHT IN AURORA is a fascinating look inside the mind of mass shooter James Holmes. Written by one of his forensic psychologists Dr William Reid readers learn the difference between not guilty by reason of insanity at the time of the crime, mentally ill but able to distinguish right and wrong and other nuances of the criminal mental health system.
Before reading, I had thought Holmes to be schizophrenic or Schizoaffective, but learning about how organized and well-thought out his crimes, I understand his psychosis was different than the more serious disorders.
Parts of A DARK NIGHT IN AURORA were heartbreaking. From childhood, James was “different”. He had difficulty understanding how to interpret social interactions, partially because two of his brain lobes responsible for social interactions were in the 1 percentile in volume mass, meaning 99% of humans have more ability to interact than James Holmes, concrete reasons for some of his problems. At one point during his incarceration he became catatonic, was placed in isolation and was naked for days, covered in his own feces.
For anyone interested in the minds of mass shooters, A DARK NIGHT IN AURORA will open your mind.
Before reading, I had thought Holmes to be schizophrenic or Schizoaffective, but learning about how organized and well-thought out his crimes, I understand his psychosis was different than the more serious disorders.
Parts of A DARK NIGHT IN AURORA were heartbreaking. From childhood, James was “different”. He had difficulty understanding how to interpret social interactions, partially because two of his brain lobes responsible for social interactions were in the 1 percentile in volume mass, meaning 99% of humans have more ability to interact than James Holmes, concrete reasons for some of his problems. At one point during his incarceration he became catatonic, was placed in isolation and was naked for days, covered in his own feces.
For anyone interested in the minds of mass shooters, A DARK NIGHT IN AURORA will open your mind.
May 21, 2024
This true crime focuses on the horrendous mass shooting that took place on July 20, 2012 in Aurora, Colorado at a movie theatre. James Holmes planned his attack during the midnight premiere of the movie The Dark Knight Rises, killing twelve people and wounding many others. Dr. William H. Reid was called as a forensic psychiatrist to try and understand Holmes, and how he ended up committing this awful crime.
I really liked the writing style of this book! Sometimes true crime can be hard to get through and detail heavy, but I found this book very reader friendly with accessible vocabulary and concepts. It was very thorough, and you could tell Dr. Reid had full access to Holmes and was well researched. The book was very comprehensive, following Holmes from childhood until the end of the court case. I thought the epilogue was really well written and I appreciated Dr. Reid’s insights into how there isn’t any way to easily identify the causes of these tragedies and how to prevent them.
I really liked the writing style of this book! Sometimes true crime can be hard to get through and detail heavy, but I found this book very reader friendly with accessible vocabulary and concepts. It was very thorough, and you could tell Dr. Reid had full access to Holmes and was well researched. The book was very comprehensive, following Holmes from childhood until the end of the court case. I thought the epilogue was really well written and I appreciated Dr. Reid’s insights into how there isn’t any way to easily identify the causes of these tragedies and how to prevent them.
November 4, 2022
4/5 ⭐️
I literally couldn’t stop listening to this! This is one of those events that scared the shit out of me when it happened. It’s so fascinating to see his story and how he got to where he was and why and his time in jail ect.
I literally couldn’t stop listening to this! This is one of those events that scared the shit out of me when it happened. It’s so fascinating to see his story and how he got to where he was and why and his time in jail ect.
October 9, 2020
4.5 stars even if you don’t read the book, read/listen to the afterword regarding mental illness 🙏 title available on Audible +
August 8, 2018
This book is the true story of how a seemingly happy, intelligent child, raised in a good home, transformed into a convicted mass murderer now serving the longest sentence ever handed down by a US court.
A Dark Night in Aurora documents the life, psychology, and jury trial of James Eagan Holmes, the 24-year old perpetrator of a carefully-planned mass shooting that took place inside a Century 16 movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, on July 20, 2012. Unusual in such horrific cases, the shooter survived and was arrested shortly after the event. Multiple pre-trial psychiatric evaluations failed to answer questions about the shooter’s "sanity at and just before the time of the shootings." To resolve matters, the Judge sought an independent expert and engaged the author, Dr. William H. Reid, MD, MPH, a nationally renowned mental health professional, to review the voluminous records, interview the shooter extensively, and report back to the court with answers to the Judge’s numerous questions.
Clearly this book is about a devastating tragedy. Our senses may be dulled by news of similar tragedies over the years. Yet there are compelling reasons to read this account about the Aurora cinema shootings. It is a unique, informative, and educational account written by a mental health expert who is also a masterful narrator.
The author presents a convincingly-unbiased tale of the shooter’s life for 20 years leading up to Aurora from the unique perspective of a forensic psychiatrist, one who works at the interface between mental health and the law. Although the book is primarily about the shooter, the author shows poignant respect for the victims: those killed or injured, the first responders, and Holmes’s parents and sister. There is heroism and sacrifice worth mention, amidst the overall calamity. Noteworthy is the author’s ability to clearly articulate, in terms we lay people can relate to, the nuances of various psychological diagnostic terms that are important to the complex legal process of a jury trial in a potential death penalty case. Overall I found the book a page-turner that expands my appreciation for the justice system and the mental health profession.
Everyone wants to know “why.” Many also want to know “what should be done.” The answers are many-faceted rather than one or two simple direct solutions that might truly be effective. One really has to read the whole book to develop a sense of how society might best address the “why” and “what” questions. After reading, you’ll find yourself better informed than the vast majority of people tossing out opinions on social media and mainstream news.
A Dark Night in Aurora documents the life, psychology, and jury trial of James Eagan Holmes, the 24-year old perpetrator of a carefully-planned mass shooting that took place inside a Century 16 movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, on July 20, 2012. Unusual in such horrific cases, the shooter survived and was arrested shortly after the event. Multiple pre-trial psychiatric evaluations failed to answer questions about the shooter’s "sanity at and just before the time of the shootings." To resolve matters, the Judge sought an independent expert and engaged the author, Dr. William H. Reid, MD, MPH, a nationally renowned mental health professional, to review the voluminous records, interview the shooter extensively, and report back to the court with answers to the Judge’s numerous questions.
Clearly this book is about a devastating tragedy. Our senses may be dulled by news of similar tragedies over the years. Yet there are compelling reasons to read this account about the Aurora cinema shootings. It is a unique, informative, and educational account written by a mental health expert who is also a masterful narrator.
The author presents a convincingly-unbiased tale of the shooter’s life for 20 years leading up to Aurora from the unique perspective of a forensic psychiatrist, one who works at the interface between mental health and the law. Although the book is primarily about the shooter, the author shows poignant respect for the victims: those killed or injured, the first responders, and Holmes’s parents and sister. There is heroism and sacrifice worth mention, amidst the overall calamity. Noteworthy is the author’s ability to clearly articulate, in terms we lay people can relate to, the nuances of various psychological diagnostic terms that are important to the complex legal process of a jury trial in a potential death penalty case. Overall I found the book a page-turner that expands my appreciation for the justice system and the mental health profession.
Everyone wants to know “why.” Many also want to know “what should be done.” The answers are many-faceted rather than one or two simple direct solutions that might truly be effective. One really has to read the whole book to develop a sense of how society might best address the “why” and “what” questions. After reading, you’ll find yourself better informed than the vast majority of people tossing out opinions on social media and mainstream news.
December 29, 2018
We (society) all want a simple explanation as to why James Holmes murdered a dozen theater patrons, and wounding 70 more on July 20th, 2012. The answer is not simple nor is a "this because of that" style format. He isn't a psychopath, nor was he obsessed with the Joker. He is incredibly smart, but became obsessed with killing people to gain "life points" since he was an adolescent. Fast forward to his grad school years where his "mission" became his sole purpose, and he payed little to no attention to his education. His friends knew he was obsessed with killing, his psychologist knew he considered killing people, yet he was still able to purchase 3 firearms, ammunition, and firework material. I feel if a person resides in a state where firearm purchase is simple, yet, he/she tells a psychologist or law enforcement official that they obsess about murdering others, or displays mental health issues, they should be automatically placed on a registry through the FBI that bars them from firearm purchase. Scores of people close to James knew he was emotionally and mentally disturbed yet played the "oh, he's just weird" card.
Great read.
Great read.
March 9, 2020
I read a lot of books on Active Shooters for my podcasts and this is by far one of my favorite books. Dr. Reid puts different psychology wording into laymen's terms so it's easy to understand. I highly recommend this book.
October 18, 2018
I remember this in the news and remember being intrigued by all of his traps. I figured this was a complex case, and that is definitely the case.
November 30, 2019
Excellent read. I love how the chapters are laid out, and especially how things are explained in a way to understand how the legal process worked in this case.
June 22, 2020
I was never really into James Holmes, but through the years I've become somewhat fascinated by his case, although he's still low on list of favorite cases.
I am [was] very glad William H Reid came out with a book. A true crime narrative that just tells the facts. A book that a true crime purest like me loves and appreciates. This is also why I will not buy books like Columbine by Cullen or any other "definitive" account because they aren't definitive. I was conned by I'll be gone in the night, that was a rarity and I f*cking hate that book. Easily the worse book in my collection, but this book by William Reid looked very professional. So I was thrilled to get it and waited to read it for the summer. Before this book out I was starting to loose hope in ever seeing a true crime purity treatment of the James Holmes case.
The book really begins with the bio of James Holmes, his childhood and so forth.
The book pretty much is all about Holmes from the very beginning, his childhood, his teen years and young adulthood and into the massacre. Despite this....never really got a real glimpse into why he did what he did other then this "human capital" which reminds me of other killers. Such as Ed Kemper and James Huberty. Who said they were always willing to "pay their debts." to society.
They bust another Holmes myth. The idea that he said he did it because he "wanted to be famous" because he failed in science. Which is probably true, failing in science due to his mental illness most definitely had something to do with it, but "want to be famous."? No, he wanted "human capital" Just like the "I am the joker" and "looking like the joker" myth, it's complete nonsense and just made up to play into this "no notoriety" and "blame violent media" narrative.
The "looking like joker" myth has always bugged me. The main reason is because - WHEN THE F*CK DID THE JOKER EVER HAVE ORANGE HAIR?! it's just absolutely absurd and typical of the worse elements of sensationalistic media. A joker with orange hair has never ever existed. The Joker no matter what potrait of the character has ALWAYS had some type of green hair. Holmes dyed his hair orange...."WHO CARES?! The sheeple won't f*cking notice the difference. We are preying on people's ignorance and confirmation bias." or as one of my favorite political commentators puts it very condescendingly "it's true enough." Just ignore all the details and facts. It's "true enough." As they say the best lies have a kernal of truth to them; they both have colored hair so it's "true enough."
Another layer of absurdity is the fact that Holmes was asked why he dyed his hair orange and he said he wanted to look different, to stand out. NOTHING to do with The joker, after all if he wanted to actually look like The joker then....HE WOULD OF ACTAULLY DYED HIS HAIR LIKE THE JOKER'S!!! Idiots! Idiots! I am sick and tired of being surrounded by MORONS in this country!!!!
I don't know if it's because of my sleeping problems, but it took me longer to read this book then usual and might of effected my enjoyment of the book. Might also be my emotional numbness and clinical depression, plus Holmes has never been that interesting of a case to me.
It became more clear to me why this book was a let down. This book is in no way a "definitive" account. Which is what I had hoped for.
His motive of "the killings will stop my depression." reminds me of serial killers who attempted suicide or thought of suicide because they couldn't achieve their ultimate fantasy of murder, of course all of this before the murders them selves. Many serial killers before their first murders had this "I can't even act on my fantasies. I must really be worthless." depressed sentiment.
Reminds me of a favorite quote about mass shootings which absolutely applies to Holmes.
"Could that be it? Could this be the ultimate essense of going postal? A final act of revenge against the whole society. A desperate attempt to gain a sense of dignity and self worth?" which has nothing to do with "notoriety". The main reason is because that's all dependent on how the killer feels about them selves, their perception and interpretation of it.
Instead of achieving success as a scientist and or achieving succss in his human interactions, he chose murder to solve those failures. Which is normal in serial killers and mass murderers.
I like the fact that there was zero evidence for "no notoriety". The creators of "no notoriety" literally went on TV and had soft ball interviews and debates about "no notoriety". They're son was murdered by James Holmes and the father literally said James Holmes had said he did it "because he wanted to be famous. He literally said that." NO, HE DIDN'T! The closest thing to that was a third hand account that has never been verified, that he said "I want to be famous" because he failed at being a scientist. In reality, what the evidence says is that he really felt "I can't succeed at science, I can't succeed at human interactions and relationships, I'm going no where. So I'll kill people so I can gain their life point and that will make me feel better about my self. That will stop my self from being depressed about my life and existence." NOTHING to do with notoriety. It had to do with his "human capital" idea, NOT notoriety. Notoriety had nothing to do with it.
What would of made this book better? If it was a definitive account of the James Holmes case. it isn't. It leaves a lot out. Leaves out witness statements to the massacre, survivor stories, leaves out the doctors and ambulance's stories, the first responders, etc. The case could of been told a lot better. I am someone who wants a definitive "all the details", and this book really didn't give it to me.
The author ends the book with the "why" but never actually gives the why. Instead he talks about society's reaction and responses to the case. The why is very simple. He fits the profile of many mass shooters, although he isn't a text book case. The why is "he wanted to make him self feel better" and he chose murder as a solution to that problem. A motive that he shares with many other killers, although his "human capital" is unqiue.
The author generally points out the obvious. Things that experts and my self have been saying for a long time. That it's impossible to predict, most people with mental illness, even serious mental illness aren't violent. You can't force people to get the mental help that they need, and even if they are seriously mental illness. He also points out that the real issue should be more mental help, as criminlogist James Fox puts it "because people are troubled, NOT because people are troublesome." This is my view on the mental health issue and the gun issue. We can prevent a lot of NORMAL everyday problems, whether it be crime, suicide, or addiction, but mass murder/shootings...probably 2% would be prevented. Maybe 5%, yet AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN, what is the rhetoric we constantly hear? "We need to do X, Y, and Z to stop these mass shootings!" "We need to pass background checks to stop these mass murders/shootings." "There are too many untreated schizophrenics on the streets. That's why the mass murder/shootings are so high." But 97% of all mass shooters would not be denied a weapon under a reasonable background check that the majority support. The overwhelming majority do not have a criminal record, or come to the attention to authories to warrant arrest or instituionalization. The overwhelming majortity of mass shooters/murderers are not schizophrenic or suffer from severe mental illness. The majority have personality disorders, which are a mental illness, but not as severe as schizophrenia. James Holmes would fall under both of these catagories. He was not schizophrenic [he suffered from a personality disorder; schizotypal which is a milder form of schizophrenia basically] and passed a background check. As one FBI agent put it "you have nothing in his background. You could hire a hundred investigators and not find one reason to deny him the right to buy a legal fire arm." In my mind, it hides the truth about guns and mental illness and WHY we need better gun control and better mental health care in America. We need gun control and mental health care because we want to reduce our crime and suicide rates, and if we can save a few addition lives such as preventing one or two mass shootings, then why not do it?!
There was a great discussion, a short one between a journalist, a psychologist, and James Fox a criminologist in response to the Stone Douglas/Nikolas Cruz shooting.
Psychologist: Absolutely I think we need better mental health treatment in our country. Absolutely and we need to deal with the epidemic of teen depression. But I think, again - that's a seperate issue.
James Fox: That's an epidemic, not school shooting.
Journalist: Understood. Often it has to be a flashpoint like this to get people focus even if it should be normal times. Not aberrantional times.
We see this same issue with "stranger danger". How many chilren are actually kidnapped by strangers? How many children are raped/molested by strangers? Very very very few. The overwhelming majority of the time, about 95% of the time, the child is abducted by their parents or someone they know. Same with rape and molestation. We should focus on that and if we can do something about the minority of children that are abducted by strangers, that's good too.
Let's think of it this way...let's say only 1% of all stalker cases end up in a homicide where the stalker kills their obsession. So that means that 99% of the time stalkers never end up killing their victims....should we pass anti stalking laws? The answer is yes, but I would absolutely disagree if you say "we need to pass anti stalking laws because x was murdered by a stalker and Z was murdered by a stalker." the majority do not end up in murder, let's be honest, but we should still pass laws to stop it. Why do we have to EXAGGERATE to do the right thing?!
I feel like Geraldo screaming at Oreilly exploiting a car crash.
Oreilly: HE DOESN'T HAVE THE RIGHT TO BE HERE!
Geraldo: BUT THAT DOESN'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE FACT THAT HE WAS A DRUNK!
Oreilly: YES IT DOES! HE SHOULD OF BEEN DEPORTED AND THIS MAJOR AND POLICE CHIEF DIDN'T DEPORT HIM!
Geraldo: Listen! Do you know how many people we have in jail? How many of them are illegal aliens? Illegal aliens commit less crimes then citizens do! Cool your jets. It has nothing to do with illegal aliens, it has to do with drunk driving! DON'T OBSCURE A TRAGEDY TO MAKE A CHEAP POLITICAL POINT!
Oreilly: It's not a cheap political point!
Geraldo: It is a cheap political point and you know it!
Oreilly: This is about justice and you want OPEN BORDERS ANARCHY!
Geraldo: The president of the united states [Bush Jr] if you look at what he has to say, all want reasoned immigration reform, but to take this tragedy in Virginia beach and make it about illegal aliens, that's a sin!
Orelly: This family lured no one! This family lost their daughter -
Geraldo: THREE HUNDERED AND THIRTY SEVEN DRUNK DRIVING FATALITIES IN THE COMMON STATE OF VIRGINIA, DO WE CARE ABOUT THEM?!
No, because they weren't "illegal aliens." How many of our gun deaths are suicides? Most of them, a large majority of them. What are the majority of the gun homicide rates connected to? Gang violence and manslaughter charges. That gets crickets. It shouldn't.
I am [was] very glad William H Reid came out with a book. A true crime narrative that just tells the facts. A book that a true crime purest like me loves and appreciates. This is also why I will not buy books like Columbine by Cullen or any other "definitive" account because they aren't definitive. I was conned by I'll be gone in the night, that was a rarity and I f*cking hate that book. Easily the worse book in my collection, but this book by William Reid looked very professional. So I was thrilled to get it and waited to read it for the summer. Before this book out I was starting to loose hope in ever seeing a true crime purity treatment of the James Holmes case.
The book really begins with the bio of James Holmes, his childhood and so forth.
The book pretty much is all about Holmes from the very beginning, his childhood, his teen years and young adulthood and into the massacre. Despite this....never really got a real glimpse into why he did what he did other then this "human capital" which reminds me of other killers. Such as Ed Kemper and James Huberty. Who said they were always willing to "pay their debts." to society.
They bust another Holmes myth. The idea that he said he did it because he "wanted to be famous" because he failed in science. Which is probably true, failing in science due to his mental illness most definitely had something to do with it, but "want to be famous."? No, he wanted "human capital" Just like the "I am the joker" and "looking like the joker" myth, it's complete nonsense and just made up to play into this "no notoriety" and "blame violent media" narrative.
The "looking like joker" myth has always bugged me. The main reason is because - WHEN THE F*CK DID THE JOKER EVER HAVE ORANGE HAIR?! it's just absolutely absurd and typical of the worse elements of sensationalistic media. A joker with orange hair has never ever existed. The Joker no matter what potrait of the character has ALWAYS had some type of green hair. Holmes dyed his hair orange...."WHO CARES?! The sheeple won't f*cking notice the difference. We are preying on people's ignorance and confirmation bias." or as one of my favorite political commentators puts it very condescendingly "it's true enough." Just ignore all the details and facts. It's "true enough." As they say the best lies have a kernal of truth to them; they both have colored hair so it's "true enough."
Another layer of absurdity is the fact that Holmes was asked why he dyed his hair orange and he said he wanted to look different, to stand out. NOTHING to do with The joker, after all if he wanted to actually look like The joker then....HE WOULD OF ACTAULLY DYED HIS HAIR LIKE THE JOKER'S!!! Idiots! Idiots! I am sick and tired of being surrounded by MORONS in this country!!!!
I don't know if it's because of my sleeping problems, but it took me longer to read this book then usual and might of effected my enjoyment of the book. Might also be my emotional numbness and clinical depression, plus Holmes has never been that interesting of a case to me.
It became more clear to me why this book was a let down. This book is in no way a "definitive" account. Which is what I had hoped for.
His motive of "the killings will stop my depression." reminds me of serial killers who attempted suicide or thought of suicide because they couldn't achieve their ultimate fantasy of murder, of course all of this before the murders them selves. Many serial killers before their first murders had this "I can't even act on my fantasies. I must really be worthless." depressed sentiment.
Reminds me of a favorite quote about mass shootings which absolutely applies to Holmes.
"Could that be it? Could this be the ultimate essense of going postal? A final act of revenge against the whole society. A desperate attempt to gain a sense of dignity and self worth?" which has nothing to do with "notoriety". The main reason is because that's all dependent on how the killer feels about them selves, their perception and interpretation of it.
Instead of achieving success as a scientist and or achieving succss in his human interactions, he chose murder to solve those failures. Which is normal in serial killers and mass murderers.
I like the fact that there was zero evidence for "no notoriety". The creators of "no notoriety" literally went on TV and had soft ball interviews and debates about "no notoriety". They're son was murdered by James Holmes and the father literally said James Holmes had said he did it "because he wanted to be famous. He literally said that." NO, HE DIDN'T! The closest thing to that was a third hand account that has never been verified, that he said "I want to be famous" because he failed at being a scientist. In reality, what the evidence says is that he really felt "I can't succeed at science, I can't succeed at human interactions and relationships, I'm going no where. So I'll kill people so I can gain their life point and that will make me feel better about my self. That will stop my self from being depressed about my life and existence." NOTHING to do with notoriety. It had to do with his "human capital" idea, NOT notoriety. Notoriety had nothing to do with it.
What would of made this book better? If it was a definitive account of the James Holmes case. it isn't. It leaves a lot out. Leaves out witness statements to the massacre, survivor stories, leaves out the doctors and ambulance's stories, the first responders, etc. The case could of been told a lot better. I am someone who wants a definitive "all the details", and this book really didn't give it to me.
The author ends the book with the "why" but never actually gives the why. Instead he talks about society's reaction and responses to the case. The why is very simple. He fits the profile of many mass shooters, although he isn't a text book case. The why is "he wanted to make him self feel better" and he chose murder as a solution to that problem. A motive that he shares with many other killers, although his "human capital" is unqiue.
The author generally points out the obvious. Things that experts and my self have been saying for a long time. That it's impossible to predict, most people with mental illness, even serious mental illness aren't violent. You can't force people to get the mental help that they need, and even if they are seriously mental illness. He also points out that the real issue should be more mental help, as criminlogist James Fox puts it "because people are troubled, NOT because people are troublesome." This is my view on the mental health issue and the gun issue. We can prevent a lot of NORMAL everyday problems, whether it be crime, suicide, or addiction, but mass murder/shootings...probably 2% would be prevented. Maybe 5%, yet AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN, what is the rhetoric we constantly hear? "We need to do X, Y, and Z to stop these mass shootings!" "We need to pass background checks to stop these mass murders/shootings." "There are too many untreated schizophrenics on the streets. That's why the mass murder/shootings are so high." But 97% of all mass shooters would not be denied a weapon under a reasonable background check that the majority support. The overwhelming majority do not have a criminal record, or come to the attention to authories to warrant arrest or instituionalization. The overwhelming majortity of mass shooters/murderers are not schizophrenic or suffer from severe mental illness. The majority have personality disorders, which are a mental illness, but not as severe as schizophrenia. James Holmes would fall under both of these catagories. He was not schizophrenic [he suffered from a personality disorder; schizotypal which is a milder form of schizophrenia basically] and passed a background check. As one FBI agent put it "you have nothing in his background. You could hire a hundred investigators and not find one reason to deny him the right to buy a legal fire arm." In my mind, it hides the truth about guns and mental illness and WHY we need better gun control and better mental health care in America. We need gun control and mental health care because we want to reduce our crime and suicide rates, and if we can save a few addition lives such as preventing one or two mass shootings, then why not do it?!
There was a great discussion, a short one between a journalist, a psychologist, and James Fox a criminologist in response to the Stone Douglas/Nikolas Cruz shooting.
Psychologist: Absolutely I think we need better mental health treatment in our country. Absolutely and we need to deal with the epidemic of teen depression. But I think, again - that's a seperate issue.
James Fox: That's an epidemic, not school shooting.
Journalist: Understood. Often it has to be a flashpoint like this to get people focus even if it should be normal times. Not aberrantional times.
We see this same issue with "stranger danger". How many chilren are actually kidnapped by strangers? How many children are raped/molested by strangers? Very very very few. The overwhelming majority of the time, about 95% of the time, the child is abducted by their parents or someone they know. Same with rape and molestation. We should focus on that and if we can do something about the minority of children that are abducted by strangers, that's good too.
Let's think of it this way...let's say only 1% of all stalker cases end up in a homicide where the stalker kills their obsession. So that means that 99% of the time stalkers never end up killing their victims....should we pass anti stalking laws? The answer is yes, but I would absolutely disagree if you say "we need to pass anti stalking laws because x was murdered by a stalker and Z was murdered by a stalker." the majority do not end up in murder, let's be honest, but we should still pass laws to stop it. Why do we have to EXAGGERATE to do the right thing?!
I feel like Geraldo screaming at Oreilly exploiting a car crash.
Oreilly: HE DOESN'T HAVE THE RIGHT TO BE HERE!
Geraldo: BUT THAT DOESN'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE FACT THAT HE WAS A DRUNK!
Oreilly: YES IT DOES! HE SHOULD OF BEEN DEPORTED AND THIS MAJOR AND POLICE CHIEF DIDN'T DEPORT HIM!
Geraldo: Listen! Do you know how many people we have in jail? How many of them are illegal aliens? Illegal aliens commit less crimes then citizens do! Cool your jets. It has nothing to do with illegal aliens, it has to do with drunk driving! DON'T OBSCURE A TRAGEDY TO MAKE A CHEAP POLITICAL POINT!
Oreilly: It's not a cheap political point!
Geraldo: It is a cheap political point and you know it!
Oreilly: This is about justice and you want OPEN BORDERS ANARCHY!
Geraldo: The president of the united states [Bush Jr] if you look at what he has to say, all want reasoned immigration reform, but to take this tragedy in Virginia beach and make it about illegal aliens, that's a sin!
Orelly: This family lured no one! This family lost their daughter -
Geraldo: THREE HUNDERED AND THIRTY SEVEN DRUNK DRIVING FATALITIES IN THE COMMON STATE OF VIRGINIA, DO WE CARE ABOUT THEM?!
No, because they weren't "illegal aliens." How many of our gun deaths are suicides? Most of them, a large majority of them. What are the majority of the gun homicide rates connected to? Gang violence and manslaughter charges. That gets crickets. It shouldn't.
January 6, 2020
July 20, 2012
People all over America were gearing up in their Batman tee's for the midnight premiere of The Dark Knight Rises. Meanwhile James Holmes was gearing up to wreak havoc on those unsuspecting movie goers.
There's a lot that can be said about this case. There's a lot I don't totally agree with and there's a lot that leaves me scratching my head as to why more wasn't done to protect the community and protect James Holmes from himself. Now before you guys start saying, "BUT JESSICA, HE WAS A MASS MURDERER," let me explain. James Holmes was in most ways your average guy, a bit misunderstood, sure. But overall, he never stood out. When he began seeing a psychotherapist in college, she became concerned that he would hurt someone, not necessarily a whole crowd of people, but she definitely knew what he was capable of. Which is why it drives me absolutely CRAZY that more wasn't done to help James Holmes after he intentionally flunked out of grad school.
James Holmes had this human capital ideology that if he could take other people's lives, it would more or less, reduce his apparent suicidal ideation. Now I'm paraphrasing there, because his idea was based on a point system for each life he took but the points didn't actually do anything. But the overall gist of his explanation was that it calmed his anxiety. Which brings to me agree with Dr. William H. Reid, the author of this book. James Holmes plead not guilty by reason of insanity, but that mean he had to have been impaired at the time of the crime. Giving the amount of planning he put into purchasing guns, stockpiling ammo, ordering cans of tear gas and ballistic gear, along with researching how to make bombs (which he used to rig his apartment to explode), there's no way he was impaired while following out his mission to commit mass murder.
He expected his psychotherapist to be able to read his mind. He never gave her specific details, he never let on that he might actually commit murder, he never told her when he began buying weapons, but he expected her to be able to stop him when the night of his "mission" came. He even went so far as to write everything out in his notebook and mail it to her in the hopes that she might be able to use his story to predict the next mass killer she encounters.
This book had me questioning so many things, like how could he buy over 6000 rounds of ammunition in a matter of weeks and no one was concerned in the least. How was he able to purchase guns when he had a severe mental condition? How did the police mistake him for another officer when they arrested him? How has life treated him so poorly that he felt the need to commit mass murder just to calm his anxiety?
There's so many questions I could ask, but the truth is we can only speculate the "why" behind this happening.
This review and more true crime reviews can be found at A Reader's Diary!
People all over America were gearing up in their Batman tee's for the midnight premiere of The Dark Knight Rises. Meanwhile James Holmes was gearing up to wreak havoc on those unsuspecting movie goers.
There's a lot that can be said about this case. There's a lot I don't totally agree with and there's a lot that leaves me scratching my head as to why more wasn't done to protect the community and protect James Holmes from himself. Now before you guys start saying, "BUT JESSICA, HE WAS A MASS MURDERER," let me explain. James Holmes was in most ways your average guy, a bit misunderstood, sure. But overall, he never stood out. When he began seeing a psychotherapist in college, she became concerned that he would hurt someone, not necessarily a whole crowd of people, but she definitely knew what he was capable of. Which is why it drives me absolutely CRAZY that more wasn't done to help James Holmes after he intentionally flunked out of grad school.
James Holmes had this human capital ideology that if he could take other people's lives, it would more or less, reduce his apparent suicidal ideation. Now I'm paraphrasing there, because his idea was based on a point system for each life he took but the points didn't actually do anything. But the overall gist of his explanation was that it calmed his anxiety. Which brings to me agree with Dr. William H. Reid, the author of this book. James Holmes plead not guilty by reason of insanity, but that mean he had to have been impaired at the time of the crime. Giving the amount of planning he put into purchasing guns, stockpiling ammo, ordering cans of tear gas and ballistic gear, along with researching how to make bombs (which he used to rig his apartment to explode), there's no way he was impaired while following out his mission to commit mass murder.
He expected his psychotherapist to be able to read his mind. He never gave her specific details, he never let on that he might actually commit murder, he never told her when he began buying weapons, but he expected her to be able to stop him when the night of his "mission" came. He even went so far as to write everything out in his notebook and mail it to her in the hopes that she might be able to use his story to predict the next mass killer she encounters.
This book had me questioning so many things, like how could he buy over 6000 rounds of ammunition in a matter of weeks and no one was concerned in the least. How was he able to purchase guns when he had a severe mental condition? How did the police mistake him for another officer when they arrested him? How has life treated him so poorly that he felt the need to commit mass murder just to calm his anxiety?
There's so many questions I could ask, but the truth is we can only speculate the "why" behind this happening.
This review and more true crime reviews can be found at A Reader's Diary!
August 19, 2018
Dr Reid has written a gripping narrative about the events culminating in the gruesome massacre that occurred in Aurora Colorado on July 20, 2012 . Six years have passed but for the survivors , their families, first responders, James Holmes family and many others every day they continue to live with the aftermath of the actions of one disturbed individual that changed their lives forever. The ripples will fade but never truly be gone as this is logged in history books as a tragedy of epic proportions .
The story was particularly relevant for me as I awoke that morning to sirens barreling down North Sable in Aurora, past my bedroom window. Unable to reach my employees at a nearby all night convenience store by phone, I rushed out into that night not knowing what had happened but knowing it was really bad. I had to drive miles around the scene to reach the store as the theater was between me and my place of business. The sea of first responders, the crowds assembling and the flashing lights in every direction overwhelmed the senses in a foreboding manner. I arrived to find my employees in tears. We opened a tab for first responders many of whom we knew by face or name as regular customers and provided coffee , sandwiches and a place to gather to all who entered. Throughout the morning and the next day as news came in and the story unfolded the overriding question was why? Who did it , how many were hurt and how bad were important, but to a person everyone just tried to come to terms with why such an event had occurred at all. Why?
In this book Dr Reid tries to give insight to the why , James Holmes belief in a concept of human capital is distasteful to most of us but it was his belief and he stood fast to that belief throughout it seems. Dr Reid does great justice to the mental health professionals who had previously treated Holmes, to his parents and friends and others by not placing blame . Little if anything could have been done to prevent this tragedy once Holmes put his plan into action. He alone planned , purchased supplies , created diversions and carried out the gruesome attack. He alone is to blame , Dr Reid makes a valid point that society at large is not to blame.
The book is well written and I highly recommend the read to all regardless of their proximity to the events. It is a poignant look at the life of young man from a solid family in middle class America that took an unexpected, unforeseeable twist resulting in tragedy.
Jan Savage Mayes
August 17, 2018
The story was particularly relevant for me as I awoke that morning to sirens barreling down North Sable in Aurora, past my bedroom window. Unable to reach my employees at a nearby all night convenience store by phone, I rushed out into that night not knowing what had happened but knowing it was really bad. I had to drive miles around the scene to reach the store as the theater was between me and my place of business. The sea of first responders, the crowds assembling and the flashing lights in every direction overwhelmed the senses in a foreboding manner. I arrived to find my employees in tears. We opened a tab for first responders many of whom we knew by face or name as regular customers and provided coffee , sandwiches and a place to gather to all who entered. Throughout the morning and the next day as news came in and the story unfolded the overriding question was why? Who did it , how many were hurt and how bad were important, but to a person everyone just tried to come to terms with why such an event had occurred at all. Why?
In this book Dr Reid tries to give insight to the why , James Holmes belief in a concept of human capital is distasteful to most of us but it was his belief and he stood fast to that belief throughout it seems. Dr Reid does great justice to the mental health professionals who had previously treated Holmes, to his parents and friends and others by not placing blame . Little if anything could have been done to prevent this tragedy once Holmes put his plan into action. He alone planned , purchased supplies , created diversions and carried out the gruesome attack. He alone is to blame , Dr Reid makes a valid point that society at large is not to blame.
The book is well written and I highly recommend the read to all regardless of their proximity to the events. It is a poignant look at the life of young man from a solid family in middle class America that took an unexpected, unforeseeable twist resulting in tragedy.
Jan Savage Mayes
August 17, 2018
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March 2, 2023I don't read very much true crime, but I admit to being curious about the psychology of those who commit heinous crimes. When I ran across this on the local book-exchange shelves, I might have let it sit, but the author and I are acquaintances through the Authors Guild, so I took it home.
William H. Reid was one of the expert witnesses involved in the trial of the Aurora killer, and therefore has an inside view of the case and the perpetrator's background and personality. That made this a particularly interesting story. We learn that James Holmes, the shooter, began life as a bright and affectionate child. He was not, so far as anyone can tell, abused, but had a normal and loving family. At some point while growing up, however, he began to experience a mental illness that he was initially, and for quite a few years, able to hide from those around him. His behavior as a teen was no more peculiar than that of many people who are not mentally ill and who grow up to be admirable people, but unbeknownst to those around him, he was experiencing strange desires to kill. Through college and as he began graduate school, his outward behavior became more peculiar, yet remained for the most part still within the realm of what would be considered merely eccentric, the behavior of an introverted, neurodiverse scientist. Unfortunately, he did not overcome whatever was seriously wrong in his brain, and committed mass murder in the deluded belief that it might ease his feelings of depression.
I was hoping to learn about the "why," but as Bill Reid is a professional who values accuracy, the last chapter lays out why we cannot presently know just why James Holmes committed his crime. Mental illnesses are varied and individual; and while mentally healthy people don't commit mass shootings, few people with mental illness are criminally violent. James Holmes was among the small number of people with a serious mental illness who did commit a mass shooting. At the same time, since despite his illness he was well aware that he was committing a crime, legally he could not be deemed not guilty by reason of insanity--he knew that he was going to do something illegal and wrong, and he nonetheless went ahead and planned and perpetrated his crime.
The story is clearly told. I skimmed over the parts about the actual crime and weaponry because I'm not particularly interested in exactly which guns were used or in which order the victims were shot.
William H. Reid was one of the expert witnesses involved in the trial of the Aurora killer, and therefore has an inside view of the case and the perpetrator's background and personality. That made this a particularly interesting story. We learn that James Holmes, the shooter, began life as a bright and affectionate child. He was not, so far as anyone can tell, abused, but had a normal and loving family. At some point while growing up, however, he began to experience a mental illness that he was initially, and for quite a few years, able to hide from those around him. His behavior as a teen was no more peculiar than that of many people who are not mentally ill and who grow up to be admirable people, but unbeknownst to those around him, he was experiencing strange desires to kill. Through college and as he began graduate school, his outward behavior became more peculiar, yet remained for the most part still within the realm of what would be considered merely eccentric, the behavior of an introverted, neurodiverse scientist. Unfortunately, he did not overcome whatever was seriously wrong in his brain, and committed mass murder in the deluded belief that it might ease his feelings of depression.
I was hoping to learn about the "why," but as Bill Reid is a professional who values accuracy, the last chapter lays out why we cannot presently know just why James Holmes committed his crime. Mental illnesses are varied and individual; and while mentally healthy people don't commit mass shootings, few people with mental illness are criminally violent. James Holmes was among the small number of people with a serious mental illness who did commit a mass shooting. At the same time, since despite his illness he was well aware that he was committing a crime, legally he could not be deemed not guilty by reason of insanity--he knew that he was going to do something illegal and wrong, and he nonetheless went ahead and planned and perpetrated his crime.
The story is clearly told. I skimmed over the parts about the actual crime and weaponry because I'm not particularly interested in exactly which guns were used or in which order the victims were shot.
January 10, 2021
For those unfamiliar with the role of forensic psychiatry in cases of capital crimes, "A Dark Night in Aurora" is a fantastic introduction. Dr. William Reid tells the story of his appointment by the court to act as a psychiatric expert during the trial of James Holmes. Jimmy was a shy boy who grew up to pursue an advanced degree in neuroscience. The problem for James is his hatred for mankind which leads him on a "mission" that ends in the death of twelve strangers, dozens of injured and wounded, and a community known for the Dark (K)night massacre.
Dr. Reid spins a creepy tale of a deranged person intent on acquiring "points" for each life he takes. The author had access to an enormous volume of information in the form of documents, interviews, video recordings, and first-hand accounts of his interactions with Holmes, the defendant's parents and his peers, victims and their families, the legal teams and trial judge, and a myriad of people involved in a trial process spanning three years.
Perhaps you'll agree with the author's opinions regarding case formulation, diagnosis, and Holmes' responsibility, or lack thereof, in this movie theater mass shooting. The jury heard Dr. Reid, who clearly was persuasive given the trial outcome.
For me, I found the book's Epilogue and its Afterword worth the purchase price. Can there ever be an end to the horror of what took place at the Century 16 in July 2012? Dr. Reid shows his humanity by including the parents of the shooter, along with the deceased victims, in the book's Dedication.
A book about a nasty subject. Not bedtime reading for many. Dr. Reid helps us explore the psyche, soul, and mind of promise gone wrong. I find the "Dark Night" to be a message of America having responsibility for the carnage of mass shootings in the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave. It's not just about one troubled individual. The book brings up feelings and images of Capote's "In Cold Blood."
Dr. Bob Larsen, Clinical Professor, UCSF School of Medicine
Dr. Reid spins a creepy tale of a deranged person intent on acquiring "points" for each life he takes. The author had access to an enormous volume of information in the form of documents, interviews, video recordings, and first-hand accounts of his interactions with Holmes, the defendant's parents and his peers, victims and their families, the legal teams and trial judge, and a myriad of people involved in a trial process spanning three years.
Perhaps you'll agree with the author's opinions regarding case formulation, diagnosis, and Holmes' responsibility, or lack thereof, in this movie theater mass shooting. The jury heard Dr. Reid, who clearly was persuasive given the trial outcome.
For me, I found the book's Epilogue and its Afterword worth the purchase price. Can there ever be an end to the horror of what took place at the Century 16 in July 2012? Dr. Reid shows his humanity by including the parents of the shooter, along with the deceased victims, in the book's Dedication.
A book about a nasty subject. Not bedtime reading for many. Dr. Reid helps us explore the psyche, soul, and mind of promise gone wrong. I find the "Dark Night" to be a message of America having responsibility for the carnage of mass shootings in the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave. It's not just about one troubled individual. The book brings up feelings and images of Capote's "In Cold Blood."
Dr. Bob Larsen, Clinical Professor, UCSF School of Medicine
June 1, 2019
I can’t remember exactly how I learned this happened; I know I went to work in the morning and one of my coworkers almost went to this showing; I remember walking my dog in the beauty of the evening later, watching police with sirens blazing go by, and realizing how very close 5 miles (the theater from my house) is, but gratefully, far enough.
This book was concise, well written, and essentially a summary of the trial transcripts, but with more detail, more things that were suppressed at trial. God bless Judge Samour, he was a titan of fairness and preparation. I hope he heals too, as well as the jurors who are heroes also. The author stressed many times the interviews were videotaped, which I wonder about. If released, would I watch them? Do we want them released? Do the victims and survivors want them released? I am glad the killer is in Pennsylvania, not in our state anymore, and the vagaries of fate whistle on.
I read the trial transcripts that were released every day, religiously, and I am not sure as to why. The human need to know why, I imagine. Why. How did this happen? How did he live a normalish life, with friends, and family, and dates, and then do this? Isn’t he a psychopath, can’t we place him a box so we don’t have to be afraid anymore, or as much as we are? How can anyone involved in his life sleep at night? I can barely go to a movie, unless it is a matinee, and have seen 3 in the past 10 years.
It is not a spoiler to say we will probably never know why; and the doctor’s explanation, that we “can’t see it all,” and that it is locked inside the killer’s mind, rings of truth. There is some theories that we can actually cause depression to ourselves, it we already have any imbalance, that we can alter our mind’s electrical pathways and neurotransmitters if we think negative thoughts and surround ourselves with all negativity, all the time. Obsession with killing may be another powerful force on the brain. The doctor thinks this is a one in a million case, and there hasn’t been a proven association between mass murderers and any one illness or substance abuse issue.
The media is in a blackout around the most recent STEM shooting, and my fear says, cries out, we need to know more! How did this happen? But I understand, especially with the age of the shooters, and one being a natal female/transgender male. A fair trial is a human right. But.
This book was concise, well written, and essentially a summary of the trial transcripts, but with more detail, more things that were suppressed at trial. God bless Judge Samour, he was a titan of fairness and preparation. I hope he heals too, as well as the jurors who are heroes also. The author stressed many times the interviews were videotaped, which I wonder about. If released, would I watch them? Do we want them released? Do the victims and survivors want them released? I am glad the killer is in Pennsylvania, not in our state anymore, and the vagaries of fate whistle on.
I read the trial transcripts that were released every day, religiously, and I am not sure as to why. The human need to know why, I imagine. Why. How did this happen? How did he live a normalish life, with friends, and family, and dates, and then do this? Isn’t he a psychopath, can’t we place him a box so we don’t have to be afraid anymore, or as much as we are? How can anyone involved in his life sleep at night? I can barely go to a movie, unless it is a matinee, and have seen 3 in the past 10 years.
It is not a spoiler to say we will probably never know why; and the doctor’s explanation, that we “can’t see it all,” and that it is locked inside the killer’s mind, rings of truth. There is some theories that we can actually cause depression to ourselves, it we already have any imbalance, that we can alter our mind’s electrical pathways and neurotransmitters if we think negative thoughts and surround ourselves with all negativity, all the time. Obsession with killing may be another powerful force on the brain. The doctor thinks this is a one in a million case, and there hasn’t been a proven association between mass murderers and any one illness or substance abuse issue.
The media is in a blackout around the most recent STEM shooting, and my fear says, cries out, we need to know more! How did this happen? But I understand, especially with the age of the shooters, and one being a natal female/transgender male. A fair trial is a human right. But.
February 22, 2020
A very poignant look into mental illness and the life of James Holmes who killed many innocent people at a Colorado movie theater.
I wanted to love this book because I am a huge true crime fan, but I was bored 2/3 of the time. It felt very heavy in the details (which is distracting to me) and almost too clinical. I felt too much time was spent on his life before and after the incident, rather than on the incident. Only 1 or 2 chapters focused on that, and to be honest, that is what I was reading this book for.
I would have appreciated a bit of a deeper look into the victims lives, rather than short snippets buried at the end of chapters. The information that was provided though was heartbreaking, but helped make the book feel more authentic.
The one good thing that comes from novels like this is putting the spotlight on mental illness and how we can be better as a society handling / dealing with fragile individuals that move quietly among us. Incidents like this can be avoided, especially when people are trying to show us they need help (in their own special way).
This just didnt do it for me, but glad I picked it up.
I wanted to love this book because I am a huge true crime fan, but I was bored 2/3 of the time. It felt very heavy in the details (which is distracting to me) and almost too clinical. I felt too much time was spent on his life before and after the incident, rather than on the incident. Only 1 or 2 chapters focused on that, and to be honest, that is what I was reading this book for.
I would have appreciated a bit of a deeper look into the victims lives, rather than short snippets buried at the end of chapters. The information that was provided though was heartbreaking, but helped make the book feel more authentic.
The one good thing that comes from novels like this is putting the spotlight on mental illness and how we can be better as a society handling / dealing with fragile individuals that move quietly among us. Incidents like this can be avoided, especially when people are trying to show us they need help (in their own special way).
This just didnt do it for me, but glad I picked it up.
March 18, 2022
Just finished listening to this audiobook and I rate it 4 stars 🌟
This was a terrible shocking crime it was utterly devastating, it was interesting listening to this and trying to understand why James Holmes committed this crime,
Mental health played a big part in this, Mental health is still big taboo and not many people known much about it some people will say oh you can't blame Mental health it's the easy way out or I've suffered from Mental health issues and I wouldn't do that.
But Mental health issues effect people differently you can't compare it becomes everyone's situation is different, Mental health isn't a easy way out because it's not easy at all and James Holmes clearly had issues with his Mental health I don't agree with what he did and his paying the price for his crime and rightly so, listening to this explains more then what was in the papers or what people post on social media, if he got help sooner if someone stepped In to help him things maybe different but we will never know.
This was a terrible shocking crime it was utterly devastating, it was interesting listening to this and trying to understand why James Holmes committed this crime,
Mental health played a big part in this, Mental health is still big taboo and not many people known much about it some people will say oh you can't blame Mental health it's the easy way out or I've suffered from Mental health issues and I wouldn't do that.
But Mental health issues effect people differently you can't compare it becomes everyone's situation is different, Mental health isn't a easy way out because it's not easy at all and James Holmes clearly had issues with his Mental health I don't agree with what he did and his paying the price for his crime and rightly so, listening to this explains more then what was in the papers or what people post on social media, if he got help sooner if someone stepped In to help him things maybe different but we will never know.
June 3, 2024
Dr. Reid’s account of the mass murder of twelve people (and the wounding of many others) in a movie theatre in Aurora, Colorado in 2012 by James Holmes is probably the most detailed and insightful description of such an atrocity ever written. It is a valuable analysis of the mind of a mentally ill killer and how he developed. The book also provides an excellent description of Holmes’ trial and Dr. Reid’s participation in it as an expert but impartial witness. And because he is an eminent forensic psychiatrist, who specializes in just this sort of case, Dr. Reid provides a trustworthy perspective lacking in books by popular authors. Dr. Reid’s writing style is clear and easy to understand, even when he is explaining technical issues in psychiatry or legal procedure. As a writer, myself, interested in neuroscience and psychopathy, I found the book quite enlightening. Highly recommended.
June 8, 2021
Often when you read a book about a mass crime, there is the part of the book leading up to the crime, then the section, highly intense usually, where the crime occurs, then the hunt/trial/analysis. This is effective, although the reader is unavoidably aware that the exciting part is over for the last third or more of the book. This book approaches it a little differently: each chapter starts with the encounter between Holmes and one of his murder victims. This spreads the excitement out, although it feels like the people who were wounded (but not killed) got short shrift, and a lot of the intensity of feeling was lost. Interesting approach though-- not sure what I think of it yet.
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