Malicious Intent : A Writer's Guide to How Murderers, Robbers, Rapists and Other Criminals Think (The Howdunit)
by Sean P. MacTire
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Book Summary Information
Author: Sean P. MacTireEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 1995-03
ISBN: 0898796482
Number of pages: 240
Publisher: Writer's Digest Books
Book Reviews of Malicious Intent : A Writer's Guide to How Murderers, Robbers, Rapists and Other Criminals Think (The Howdunit)
Book Review: Unbalanced Hyperbole
Summary: 2 Stars
Modus Operandi: A Writer's Guide to How Criminals Work (Howdunit) was written by 2 detectives & therefore suffered from a lack of research, psychology of criminals, etc. This work is just the opposite. It's author is a writer--he could have used some help from the 2 detectives--and they could have used his help too. Together they might have published a decent book. But...This book most certainly suffers from a distinct lack of balance. It reminds me of a come-on ad on TV for a new movie--hyped, exaggerated, lurid, etc. Its language is inflammatory, incendiary, propagandist, even gruesome, and it's full of hyperbole, unsubstantiated opinions (given as if they were facts), etc. It includes many silly bullet lists and a great deal of historical misinformation. For example, he lists Gilles de Rais as a major serial killer when virtually all the "evidence" against him was obtained via torture by the Inquisition--hardly reliable. The author does attempt to explode myths, esp. regarding witchcraft, Wicca, & Christianity. While some of his statements are, indeed true (the witchcraft trials were, of course, nonsensical), he provides so much misinformation that it's difficult to give credence to items you're unfamiliar with. Examples of his distortions/inaccuracies include: p. 8: "All human behavior is learned behavior." This is nonsense. As Freud said, the psyche is like an iceberg, 1/7 is above the line & the rest below (unconscious). People are animals first (the human brain, for instance, has been physiologically divided into the reptilian brain, the mammalian brain, etc.)--people are subject to their instincts, drives, complexes...Secondly, he dubs p. 186 the Boston Tea Party as a terrorist act. Gee, what civilians did they blow up? I don't think it fits the definition to a Tea. Further, some of his data is statistically ridiculous--there are contradictions even on the same or next page. Finally, while the author does provide some psychological analyses of criminals and their behavior, he isn't particularly writer-oriented IMHO. But, you can enjoy this book if you take it with a couple of grains of salt and laugh at much of its "food for thought" purveyed by the rather propagandist author.
Summary of Malicious Intent : A Writer's Guide to How Murderers, Robbers, Rapists and Other Criminals Think (The Howdunit)
This books takes readers into the mind of the criminal, exploring fact and fiction of who these people are, why they commit their atrocities, how they choose their victims, and how the police catch them. Includes sections on infamous criminals, psychological differences between killers, terrorism, psychological profiling and more.Art History Books
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