The Psychology of Notorious Serial Killers: The Intersection of Personality Theory and the Darkest Minds of Our Time (Notorious Series, 1)

You know, it's somewhat strange that in writing this I can't quite remember how I stumbled into Dr. Grande's YouTube channel. I don't know what I was viewing that made the algorithm add videos of his to my recommended feed, but in hindsight I'm glad that ended up happening. Regardless, many of Grande's earliest videos seemed more focused on the areas he studied for his profession and while some of those videos are rather informative - and still are - he started to get more viewers when he started mixing that knowledge with true crime.The earliest of his true crime videos (which I feel are a little better than the more current ones that focus on lesser-known cases) tackle the more infamous serial killers, and the chapters in this book are more or less derived from the work he did for those. I get people would wonder why I'd fail to get mad at getting a book with information I've technically seen/heard before, and in a certain sense that's a good question that I don’t have a good answer for. Maybe because I haven't gone back and watched those specific videos in quite a while? Maybe because I liked that content the first time around and wanted another spin in another format? Not sure. Anyway, if you've seen those videos, you've pretty much read this book. I did notice some changes here and there, but nothing major.That said, I did like the layout of this book. I've read a few books on serial killers in my time and I can't think of one that is setup in this particular fashion. Of course, just because I haven't seen one doesn't mean it doesn't exist, but it is a nice change from most books. It obviously depends on what books on the subject you pick up; sometimes you get really in depth ones (text and text and text which isn't bad by any means) or bite-sized ones (mainly ones with overviews and the major details) and I'd say this is more in the middle; the content is detailed but is still in bite-sized portions, which is great if you just have fifteen minutes here and there to read it.That said, not to be harsh, but I do share many people's sentiment that a run-through by an editor with future volumes may be a good idea. Most of the issues I found were with headers, but reading through some of the other reviews on here, it seems I overlooked many typos. However, maybe when I'm reading I'm just not paying the closest attention as I'm not the greatest writer/speller myself even though I do love to write things. (I'm sure I've botched something is this review as well.) I'll write something and double check it a million times and STILL miss things, which is why I tend to have other people read it - a second pair of eyes usually isn't a bad thing.While what's here wasn't exactly new to me, I do look forward to the next volume. As I alluded to earlier, I do kind of hope these books stick to the bigger cases - not because they're intrinsically more important - but they just seem to offer a more robust canvas for analysis. Of course, I may just be saying that because I prefer those older videos this is based on a little more. I don't know - I'm not a doctor ;)

If you watch Dr. Grande's YouTube channel, there is a chance you may enjoy this book. It's written in the same analytical style he presents his videos in, and some may find this presentation style boring unless you're already interested in psychology. The editing is a bit choppy at times, but it's nothing that ruined the reading experience. Overall, a great book. It has a ton of interesting facts, and it's great to read an expert's opinion on this topic.

I've read hundreds of books about serial killers, including from those who are criminal profilers who delved into the lives and minds of these frightening individuals. I felt that many analyses of these criminals lacked something that didn't - or couldn't - explain all of their exhibited criminal, twisted and horrific behaviors. Dr. Todd Grande has the capability to see beyond the crimes into the darkest corners of the fantasies, delusions, hallucinations and thought processes that led these individuals to act out their unspeakable desires on innocent victims. This is not a book that skims through the heinous acts committed. Dr. Grande goes deeply into the upbringings and physical and psychological traumas endured by the perpetrators as only possible contributions to the realizations of their sick fantasies and revenge on people who the murderers believe have ruined or otherwise negatively affected their lives. His prose is fluid, intriguiging and compelling. One turns the pages faster, losing the sense of time as one becomes so focused on learning how these criminals were finally caught - often becoming more disorganized as their need to torture, dominate and kill their victims consumed their already evil and complicated minds. The author fills in the blanks that other true-crime writers have left behind. Concise, succinct and unnecessary filler words and inconsequential information having been left out makes this book a 5/5-star read!

This was a very well-written book that concisely describes many serial killers. The level of detail is excellent, which is what I've come to expect from Dr. Grande as a subscriber to his channel. The only issue with the book as far as I can tell are a few errors with the formatting. There are a few issues which a detailed editor could've caught, an example being in the beginning when Dr. Grande describes the six facets of each component of the Five Factor Model, an error occurred where the next component was listed as a 7th facet. I caught it quick because I am familiar with the model, but this may be confusing to some readers who are unfamiliar with it. Another error was in Rodney Alcala's FFM chart, it listed him as low in Extraversion when he was otherwise described as high in the preceding paragraph and in the FFM component-level analysis. There were a few other smaller errors throughout.I really enjoyed this book. I found it to be a scientifically-informed, insider look, at an incredibly interesting mental health topic.

I have worked in a very well known acute forensic inpatient facility for years, and Dr. Grande is absolutely the real deal. If you are a psychologist with a specialty in forensic psych, you will deeply appreciate his insights and clinical thoroughness. If you are a lay person, you will learn without feeling overwhelmed. For all of us who have subscribed to Dr. G's YouTube channel for years, it's an extra bonus to visualize his delivery as we read his book. Not only do I highly recommend this gem, I've purchased a copy for my work partner!

An interesting book, particularly the distinction between factor 1 and 2 psychopathy. However, there were a few confusing statements which could be clarified with further editing. For example, when discussing head injuries: `this cause and effect connection is not insufficient to explain all the variance'. Or in discussing Joel Rifkin: `without hardly any supervision' and `high in psychopathy with psychopathy'. But all in all, a good read.

I had such high hopes for this book based on the reviews. Unfortunately, it reads like a first draft of a PhD thesis. It is very poorly organized. The first section is not laid out well and jumps around. For instance, the facets of the Five Factor Model are not communicated clearly. I had to re-read and try to piece it together. The inconsistent formatting throughout contributes to this confusion. So much time is spent laying out what WILL be talked about, but when when it comes to actually talking about those things, there is very little content. As above, formatting is not consistent and there are grammatical errors.I see this is volume 1, but to have a book on this subject and not include a section on Jeffrey Dahmer or John Wayne Gacy is a huge oversight.Overall, disappointed.

A fantastic interesting book about serial killers. The writer explains and uses the Five Factor Model in describing the personalities of different serial killers. The difference between primary psychopathy and secondary psychopathy is well explained in this very structured book. The writer also explains why the statement; "all psychopaths are narcissists, but only some narcissists are psychopaths" isn't true.The writer has his own YouTube channel, named 'Dr. Todd Grande', with many interesting videos, not only about (serial-) killers, but also about personality disorders, all kinds of mental health issues (often scientifically proven), true crime, narcissism and many more. His channel has at this moment on June 9, 2021 about 740.000 subscribers and is growing very fast.If you're interested in serial killers, their personalities and more, I really recommend this book. You will not be disappointed!

Very well documented and structured. Offered interesting analysis and insight into the minds of the criminals.