The Cases That Haunt Us

This book discusses some of most famous unsolved mysteries in history. It's a good source of information about the cases, evidence, and theories.

I really couldn't get interested in this book. Hard to read and not a good flow.

This is one of those books that can completely change your view of events on a daily basis. It's the best of Douglas' books, and it creates order out of what had once been utter chaos. His Jack the Ripper chapter was particularly valuable. There has been so much garbage written about that case that Douglas's logical analysis was very welcome. After reading this book, I can't look at any crime the same way again, and I have also come to a different understanding of human psychology. I have recommended this book to everyone I know, and even the skeptical ones, once they started it, couldn't put it down! It made the rounds of my office, and then of my friends, and then of my friends' friends! Warning: it can be grim and horrific. The Lindbergh baby case and the JonBenet Ramsey cases in particular were painful. The authors are skilled at conveying the horrors of these crimes, yet at the same time really delving into the psyches of the criminals in an unflinching way.

Douglas and Olshaker have done their usual stellar job in recounting several famous unsolved murders and approaching them from a 21st century perspective. They strip away all the sensationalism that surrounded these cases and focus in on the profiling that has proven correct so many times. What kind of person would have committed this crime? In this particular way, leaving behind these particular clues? This book has the some of the answers.The cases given such scrutiny are London's Jack the Ripper murders, Lizzie Borden and the hatchet murders of her father and step-mother, the kidnapping and murder of the Lindbergh baby, California's Zodiac killer, and the JonBenet Ramsey murder. Other cases encapsulated in one chapter illustrating the power of motive to make or break a case are the Black Dahlia homicide, the Lawrencia Bembeneck case, and the Boston Strangler killings.It is fascinating to get to the heart of the matter, especially in the Ripper and Borden cases, and zero in on "just the facts" of who was there who had the motive, means, and opportunity to commit these crimes in this particular way? In the days before criminal profiling and behavioral analysis, it seemed as though it must be a crazed fiend running around killing people. Certainly not a God-fearing, Sunday School teacher of good family bashing in the heads of the parents to obtain a higher level of existence for herself. That speaks strongly to motive: who else but Lizzie (and her sister Emma) stood to gain if her parents were dead? Not a crazed fiend, but the Borden sisters themselves.Obviously a crazed fiend was responsible for the Ripper murders, for which Douglas produces a likely suspect. It was either this man, or someone very much like him. Someone who, after the last murder, disintegrated to such an extent he was institutionalized and died soon after. This makes more sense than, say, an elaborate conspiracy plot involving members of the Victorian royal family.Douglas dissects the crime to its individual components and adds them up to a behavioral profile and then compares this to the existing suspects. The best match is the likeliest culprit. Douglas seems less arrogant here than in other works; perhaps he worked on analyzing his own behavior!Also, another reviewer made the point that Douglas is inconsistent with his findings. His or her example is that Douglas doubts that an intruder broke in to the Borden home, killed Mrs. Borden, then waited 90 minutes and killed Mr. Borden. But it made perfect sense to Douglas that someone broke into the Ramsey home and waited hours for them to come home, go to sleep, and then abduct and murder JonBenet. His findings do make sense when you consider that the Borden home was an extremely small (even for the day) house, with no place to hide without being seen by someone. The Ramsey house was a very large and warren-like, which could have afforded an intruder ample places to wait for hours.I've got to say, Douglas has definitely changed

John Douglas and Mark Olshaker strike another home run with the newest book about true crime cases. This book is different though in that it provides a profiling look at famous cases from the long ago past and not so long ago. Lizzie Borden, Baby Lindberg, and Zodiac, among several others. I've read all of the books on profiling these authors have written and have found each one informative and interesting. I bought this book for myself but I'm buying several copies to send to friends. Another "must read" for those who want to have more insight into the killer mind than the daily newspapers provide. I've learned a lot about what to be aware of in my own enviornment and what crime scenes reveal about the "personality" of the killer. To John Douglas and Mark Olshaker - Bravo!

I initially picked this book up to read what John Douglas had to say about the Jonbenet Ramsey case. I'll comment on that as well. But the remainder of the book was just as interesting and engaging. Well researched, balanced, very well written and non-biased. Douglas never disappoints. But best of all, he is among the first I know of to go against the 'court of public opinion' and to remind us that we have a doctrine in this country entitled "innocent until proven guilty." He clarifies why we would be well served to allow the Ramsey's that basic right. I agree with his conclusions about the Ramsey's innocence and am grateful for his public stance in stating what the facts bear out rather than going along with a media-made popular and well oiled agency strategy intended to cover up departmental blunders. Imagine the collective apology as a culture we will owe the Ramsey family when we discover that Douglas is right. Thanks John Douglas, for your hard work, your excellent book and your integrity in standing up for a family that is (carefully and understandably cautiously) doing everything within their power to solve the tragic murder of their young child. If your readers ever find themselves in the position of the Ramsey family, and they certainly could, I hope they are so lucky as to encounter investigative professionals as well informed and courageous as you.

I bought this book about a week ago--both my wife and I have finished reading it already, and we spent most of the week reading over each other's shoulders (or "borrowing" the book when the other wasn't looking). Douglas has a lot of interesing things to say, and Olshaker is an excellent writer. Their collaboration has produced a book that is nearly impossible to put down.The most controversial part of this book will be the last chapter, in which Douglas sets out his views about who killed JonBenet Ramsey. He will be pounced on by many irate readers who are just absolutely, positively certain that one (or both) of the Ramseys did it--these readers will give the book an undeserved "one star" rating not because the book isn't terrific but because they disagree with Douglas' conclusion. For my part, I found Douglas' defense of the Ramseys to be diplomatic, well-reasoned and persuasive. After reading Steve Thomas' JonBenet: Inside the Ramsey Murder Investigation, I was convinced that the crime was not committed by an intruder. Douglas made me think twice about that conclusion and has moved me back to sitting on the fence. For those who are ready to hang the Ramseys from the nearest tree, remember that the standard of guilt in America is "beyond a reasonable doubt." The only thing that is "beyond doubt" about the Ramsey murder is that an understandably inexperienced Boulder police department allowed the crime scene to be turned into a world class mess within the first few hours of arriving at the Ramseys' home, thus insuring that, short of a confession, the real killer would never be brought to justice. (Douglas once thought that having a child murdered was the worst thing that could happen to someone; now he believes that the worst thing that could happen to someone is to have a child murdered and be wrongly blamed for it.)And for those who are focused to the point of obsession on the Ramsey murder, Douglas reminds us that 804 other children were murdered in the year JonBenet died. As Douglas says, those are the cases that should really haunt us.