The Mind of a Murderer: A glimpse into the darkest corners of the human psyche, from a leading forensic psychiatrist

I chose this book, having just finished Kerry Daynes' 'The Dark Side of the Mind', in which she recommends 'The Mind of a Murderer' - and can absolutely see why it was recommended. This is a fascinating, incredibly informative look at various types of murderers' psychiatric traits and treatments, from intimate partner killings to lone terrorist killings. Dr Taylor uses various case studies from his long career to give the reader an insight to the state of mind, motivations, medical conditions and background histories of the perpetrators of some exceedingly shocking, often tragic murders. He demonstrates great empathy and professionalism in his writing style, using a conversational, easy-to-understand tone to explain sometimes fairly complex concepts. He looks at the political influence of budget-cuts on mental health facilities and treatment, as well as the popularity of 'preferred' judicial outcomes for murder cases where there is clearly a public interest in seeing the murderer punished, rather than treated or rehabilitated. He ends the book with his thoughts and hopes for what could ultimately be changed or improved to help prevent some of these crimes being committed in the first place. All absolutely fascinating to read and a very balanced, thoughtful and thought-provoking book. Thoroughly recommend it.

Truly insightful book of how a murderer's mind might work. Very factual so there are cases because they are in the public domain i.e. a court case. There are cases you will have heard of. If you are thinking of choosing this as your job. Reading this may give you guidance. For me not medically trained it gives me an insight of how each case is different and the difficulties in assessing a person for the first time. Once started you will want to read more and more. I hope there is going to be a sequel.

Whether you love finding out information about psychology or true crime this is a good book to read. This psychiatrist has specialised in forensics for many years and highlighted some of his various cases. As a forensic Psychologist in training myself I can not recommend this book enough. Written in plain English and not jargon heavy. This doctor cares for his patients and the many families ge has support too.

This is a really excellent book- it's a must read for anyone interested in trying to understand murderous human behaviour in it's many different forms. It's fascinating, authentic and accessible and aside from the descriptions of particular murder cases and the motivations behind them, it gives a real insight into working in NHS secure hospitals and the interplay with the legal system. There is a diverse range of cases described and he writes with empathy and humour. I found it to be compulsive reading- I devoured it in a few of late night sittings and will probably reread it soon. I hope he does a sequel.

Book was delivered next day, on sale and in perfect condition - in regards to the actual book, it was so well written and interesting, anyone who loves crime documentaries or just the crime genre in general, this is a great addition! would recommend :)

I read the sample and enjoyed it enough to buy the book . But it would not download & I can't seem to find anyone on Amazon to speak to about it.

A lucid exploration of various murderous mind sets and motivations. Too many words spent complaining about the cuts in funding and resourcing. The readers know this. It's the government who don't and they don't read books like this either.

Have not fully read this yet however so far this book is great for anyone interested in this genre of reading although some parts are very gory it only interests you further and keeps you more engaged. The book is also very factual so you learn quite a lot whilst reading I definitely recommend this to anyone interested in gore or the criminal mind like I am.