Killing for Sport: Inside the Minds of Serial Killers

I have been reading books about serial predators and serial killers for several years. I have found John Douglas' books entertaining and informative, but also somewhat complicated when trying to categorize the criminals, their behaviors and their crimes, because things are not black-and-white and sometimes cannot be easily categorized. John Douglas is also writing for fellow profilers and law enforcement officers, so he's using language and detail appropriate to that audience. Pat Brown's Killing for Sport: Inside the Minds of Serial Killers is a book written for another audience, the Average Joe, the layman. At first, I thought this characteristic of the book would overly simplify the serial predator problem, but I was happy to discover that it does not. The book reads well and easily enough that a 6th grader could probably read it and understand it, while at the same time it manages not to insult its readers with its simple language and to communicate its topic clearly and with the right amount of detail to feel complete, even to readers accustomed to reading more complicated and detailed books on the same topic. Unlike John Douglas' books, Killing for Sport does not discuss any serial killers or cases in any detail, except in passing to help clarify a point being made. On the other hand, this is appropriate for its subject, serial killers in general, and its audience, the curious general public. Readers expecting to learn about specific killers or cases will need to turn to other titles. Pat Brown became interested in serial criminals after she, a wife and mother, rented a room in 1990 to a man who turned out to be a suspect in the murder of a female jogger. When the local police proved ineffective at investigating this crime, her frustration led her to become a criminal profiler. Ms. Brown is now founder and CEO of The Sexual Homicide Exchange (SHE), which provides pro bono criminal profiling to law enforcement agencies, and The Pat Brown Criminal Profiling Agency. Despite the serious subject matter, Pat Brown has a sense of humor that's evident throughout the book. The book is divided into a dozen chapters, with titles such as "One Little, Two Little, Three Little Serial Killers," "Creature from the Black Lagoon," "Better You than Me," "Smokey and the Bandit," and similarly tongue-in-cheek chapter titles. The same humor is used throughout the book, but it is well used and neither insulting nor distasteful, and helps put the reader at ease so he or she may better understand and pay better attention to the information being provided. Pat Brown's interest is to help the average citizen understand serial killers, report odd or suspect behavior to authorities, and avoid becoming a victim him or herself. The true value of Ms. Brown's book is to challenge current law enforcement definitions and to debunk some of the myths that have been created and repeated by other profilers. Ms. Brown's focus is on prevention and capture. So she disagrees wi

A number of the reviews here must be written by CSI watchers. As a peace officer, I have found Brown's analysis of serial killers, police investigations, and evidence to be right on the money. She disagrees with much of what FBI profilers have promoted for years and my guess is some folks don't like their heroes and their awe of them challenged. I will agree Brown is a bit "flippant" about serious matters, but I think she is just mocking the myths promoted about serial killers and CSI nonsense. Personally, she made me laugh. I loved the book and I think people can learn a lot from it.

I read this book, then I gave it to my daughter to read. I felt it was important for her to have some ideas about personal safety. This book is an eye opener in many respects. Not only does Pat Brown write in an entertaining fashion (makes you want to keep reading), but she also has a deep understanding of her subject matter. In her profession, as she makes clear, it is crucial to have a sense of humor so the job of dealing with the murderer does not drive you to depression. Not only do you get an idea of the mind behind the killer, you get treated to the mind necessary to be a serial killer profiler. In short, the book really gets a person interested in the field. My daughter is now hooked on this subject. I had no idea how fascinating it is reading about killers, and about Pat Brown herself, her amazing life. Yet that is not all, Pat makes it a point to let her readers know what to look for in a situation and how to be safe. The difference between real fear and imagined fear. In summary, a great read for teens and adults alike. Read it and have your kids read it too...for safety sake.

Most books by profilers and true crime writers exaggerate how profilingsolves homicide cases. I had seen Pat Brown on numerous news programsand I liked her straightforward answers on criminal behavior andhomicide investigation. She clearly knows that cases are solved by solidpolice work and not by the mostly useless profiles constructed by peoplethat never have to account for their content. This is not to say shecondemns all profiling but rather that profilers should stick to crimescene analysis and not pull suspects characteristics out of a hat. Bythe way, this is not a book per se about how to profile nor does itspend a lot of time on specific cases. What this book does do extremelywell is attack serial homicide and serial killer mythology with logicand casework experience. She knows what she is talking about anddetectives entering homicide investigation could avoid a lot of mistakesin analyzing suspects and their behaviors if they read her book. I havebeen in law enforcement for fifteen years and I still learned somethingfrom her take on the subject.

Pat Brown clears up a lot of misconceptions about serial killers that many people get from reading true crime books. Any question you can think of about this topic is addressed in this book. I highly recommend the book to anyone seeking accurate information about serial killers and the homicides they commit.