Thank you to NetGalley and Publishers for this ARC

Unfortunately I did not get to read this book as I missed my chance. My apologises

I’ve been interested in True Crime stories for years now. When I want to watch TV but there is nothing on, I always end up with Investigation Discovery as a default. I’ve been watching almost all of the CSI episodes (although I’m aware that investigations don’t quite work like that) and for a while, I was addicted to Criminal Minds. I’ve been wanting to read some True Crime books, but I never really got around to it and I had no idea where to start it. I came across The Killer Across the Table due to luck, little did I know that there is no better person than John E. Douglas to introduce me to the genre.

I need to start with stating that I had no idea who he was before I started reading. Though I did read up on him ever since. In case you are in the dark as well as I was, a quick recap: John E. Douglas is a retired FBI agent, who, along with his colleagues, made criminal profiling into what it is today. They started with interviewing several high profile serial killers to quick their project off. It’s all pretty fascinating. He and Mark Olshaker wrote several books on the topic, including Mindhunter on which the Netflix series is based. Which you totally should watch if you are into this kind of thing. I was listening to the audiobook, which was narrated by Jonathan Groff, who plays Holden Ford in the Mindhunter series, whose character is based on John Douglas. He also has a damn great voice.

In The Killer Across the Table, they focus mainly on four interviews/cases with Joseph McGowan, Joseph Kondro, Donald Harvey, and Todd Kohlhepp. I’ve only been familiar with the latter, as I’ve seen a documentary about his crimes on ID – made with Douglas‘ involvement. Through these very different cases, Douglas shows us how they conduct these interviews, how profiling can provide background knowledge, and basically what it means to be a profiler. He gives the reader plenty of information regarding each case – often pretty gruesome ones. If you can’t stomach reading about abuse, especially involving children, then I don’t recommend you to read this book.

Douglas also brings in a lot of comparison to other cases and interviews he did with even more infamous serial killers such as Charles Manson, Gary Ridgway, etc. This was great, but sometimes it was also distracting as the narrative wandered away to here and there (as did my mind), taking the tension out of the book. I think I wanted to feel like I was sitting in the room with John, a killer right there across the table, playing their mind games. This book is definitely informative, but I was just missing something that would make it stand out. But The Killer Across the Table definitely gives us a look into the process and if nothing else, makes us realize that profiling is not for the faint-hearted. That and real life is a whole lot different than crime TV shows.

Quite an interesting read although I did struggles with it at times, basically it's interviews with 4 serial killers and I suppose from Douglas point of view it helped with his job in the FBI, but to the layman did get a bit monotonous, I did find it a bit repetitive so whether I would read anymore from this author we shall see.  I would like to thank William Collins and Netgalley for an ARC  copy to review. I have given 3* mainly for content think it was the title that grabbed my interest in the first place.

Look, the blurb for this book really covers everything you need to know. What I’m going to try to do is add some new context as to why you should read this book.

It is a must for anybody with an interest in the workings of serial killers. The amount of detail that The Killer Across the Table goes into is phenomenal.

If you have already watched Mindhunter, don’t make the mistake in thinking that you will learn nothing new from this book. The book covers more cases than the show and goes into a lot more detail.

The deep level of detail means that nothing is left spared. This book is not for the faint-hearted. You have been warned.

If you get the audiobook, Jonathon Groff will read it to you!

Overall, The Killer Across the Table does exactly what it says on the tin. For anyone with an interest in the area, it is a wonderful read and I totally recommend it.

Having read previous books by the author I knew this would be a book that I would enjoy and I did. Never morbid or too voyeuristic the book has some fascinating insights into the men who commit the most awful crimes and the self justification they employ

Nearly all serial killers believe their crimes are justified or at least explainable, a case of extreme narcissism at its cause' explains FBI profiler/best-selling author John E. Douglas in his latest work 'The Killer Across The Table' 

Douglas delves deep into the lives and crimes of four of the most disturbing and complex predatory killers he’s encountered, offering never-before-revealed details about his profiling process and divulging the strategies used to crack some of these most challenging of cases. It's a fascinating insight into the criminal profiler's illustrious career interviewing (from across a table in various US criminal institutions) some of America's most nefarious and narcissistic criminal masterminds. 

Over the past few years, true crime has really come to the fore and is probably more popular than ever, and you could be forgiven for wondering why that is? From the incredible Mindhunter series, through to Netflix worldwide smash hits Making a Murderer and Tiger King, to podcasts, magazines, and books, the appetite (a lot like these serial killers) is truly ravenous. 

In this latest book, John E Douglas takes us through several cases of child killers, serial killers, single murders, and medical murders using his first-hand knowledge of USA serial killers to examine in-depth, how the minds of these depraved individuals work, and what society can learn from them. 

Douglas takes a mild-mannered and at times sympathetic approach in interviews to sway the killer's psyche into opening up, giving them control and utilising reverse psychology to gain an understanding into the murderous modus operandi and behavioural traits.

Is it nature v nurture or are people 'born to kill'? We don't get a definitive answer from this book (or any true crime book for that matter) so I think that is where the fascination with true crime most certainly lies (like a dead body, for example)...

As someone with a keen interest into understanding why people commit heinous crimes, and a huge fan of both the first Mindhunter book and TV series, I was very excited to be accepted to read this. This was as fascinating and engaging as I expected, but for me not as interesting as the other book by Douglas.

An excellent and disturbing insight into the minds of some of the most depraved killers in society and shows that whilst some crimes may be similar the killers are all extremely different, despite any similarities.

Intense and shocking whilst at the same time compelling and riveting.

Enjoy is perhaps not the correct word to use in reference to a book discussing such horrendous crimes. I did fly through this at a rate normally reserved for fiction though.
It is highly compelling and while providing insight into the killers the authors balance the details of the horrific nature of the crimes with the impact felt by the victims,  their families, and those investigating. 
I would definitely recommend for anyone with even a passing interest in why people are driven to kill.

If you have seem Netflix's Mind Hunters, you will definitely want to read this book. Douglas, the real profiler who is depicted on the show is the author of this book about four different criminals. He demonstrates how he gets them to talk about their crimes, how to get them to confide in him. While this is not always an easy read (Douglas has dealt with the very worst of humanity), it makes you grateful that there are people like him out there to halp catch and put away these dangerous individuals. True crime buffs will love this book

As a holder of an MSc in Forensic Psychology I was really looking forward to reading this - deep insight into the criminal mind as told by an original leader in the field criminal psychology.  However, for me, there was a little too much sensationalism and not enough academics - this is a great book for those interested in an 'easy' insight to the criminal mind.  For those looking for a deeper analysis, this may not be the place for you but it's still a good read.

Wow - what an incredible read. I had read Mindhunter and realy enjoyed the candid look at criminals, and especially written by someone who spoke to them directly!

Definitely not for the faint-hearted, the details of the crimes are so candid and matter-of-fact - but so interesting. I loved the structure of focusing on a main criminal, but using examples of others to contextualise matters. 

A brilliant read, perfect for fans of true crime, the TV show Mindhunter or those interested in criminal psychology. John Douglas is the master.

Mindhunter by John E Douglas and co-author Mark Olshaker was a massively successful book way back in 1995 that inspired not only a plethora of Serial Killer  books but also several movies as interest in the subject grew amongst the General Public. 25 years later the same team have written "The Killer Across The Table", in which Douglas relates the crimes of 4 killers and their different motivations and mindsets. Each killer's life story is told followed by their crimes and then an interview to show that there's no such thing as a "typical killer" .  The  stories as as horrible as they're diverse and ,a warning for the squeamish,the various crimes are described in great detail, not for sensationalism but so that the reader realises quite how abhorrent  and horrific these people and their actions really are. Quite how Douglas could sit in a room with these people and not wish to beat them to a pulp I don't know, particularly child-killers Joseph McGowan and Joseph Kondro,who more than once killed friend's children "because they were available". The others featured are  Donald Harvey,whose confession after several murders was ignored as fantasy and who went on to kill several more times,and Todd Kohlhepp, whose amazon reviews took on a whole new angle when his crimes were known!!

The Killer Across The Table is a great read,if not an easy one at times because of its graphic content. While each of his subjects is abhorrent they do all share pretty awful backgrounds and there's a lesson learned too late in Kohlhepp's case that the judicial system created a monster when there was a chance of rehabilitation.

Thanks to John Douglas and Mark Olshaker ,William Collins (The Publisher) and Netgally for an ARC in return for an honest review.

A gruesomely detailed yet absolutely fascinating glimpse into the minds of a number of notorious killers, this is a book well worth reading. The authors ostensibly focus on the crimes of four killers, chosen for their different motivations and psychological make-up. The book falls down slightly in the digressions it makes - mini profiles of other criminals, background on Douglas’s career, and so on. These are interesting in their own way but do distract from the main event so to speak. Overall though, this is a great addition to the popular genre of true crime, and worth having in library collections.

For any fan of True Crime, John E. Douglas is a must read author. In The Killer Across the Table, we see him speak to 4 prolific killers as he finds out what makes them tick, similar to how he works in Mindhunter but by this point, he was retired from the FBI going back to help out with parole hearing cases or for a television series. 

I had never heard of the killers he spoke to in this book and; similar to Mindhunter, it was fascinating finding out about them, the reasons they were in prison and the way they thought about what they had done. Whilst talking to each of these killers, he compares how they work to other serial killers that he had originally interviewed when he first started his research discussing killers such as Kemper and Bundy etc. In fact there is a lot of name dropping of these famous serial killers and he can seem quite boastful but with the work he has done, it is only expected.

This is another captivating book by Douglas and I cannot recommend it enough. It is truly terrifying, the way the minds of these psychopaths work but the work that Douglas has done over the years is extraordinarily gripping and his writing is so full of his personality and so engaging, it makes you feel like you were there in the room with them.

This is a recommended read for anyone interested in true crime, criminal profiling, and psychology. Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for a copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

If you're aware of Douglas' work then you'll most likely be interested in his stories, here he offers an in depth look into some of his biggest cases or studies to provide you with a professional insight into the minds of some of the worlds worst criminals. Mentions of 'big names' such as Kemper do work their way in as the work he did with those people was intrinsic to the development of his unit and so it is unavoidable. For fans of shows like Mindhunter and Criminal Minds, this book is a must-read!

For lovers of true crime, a deep insight into the minds of some unknown criminals, with interesting relevant meanderings into more famous killers. Interesting to understand how the science of analysing criminal minds has developed organically and how it can help to catch and potentially prevent some perpetrators.

In The Killer Across the Table, legendary FBI criminal profiler and number one bestselling author John Douglas delves deep into the lives and crimes of four of the most disturbing and complex predatory killers he’s encountered, offering never-before-revealed details about his profiling process and divulging the strategies used to crack some of his most challenging cases.
Former Special Agent John Douglas has sat across the table from many of the world’s most notorious killers – including Charles Manson, Jeffrey Dahmer, ‘Coed Killer’ Edmund Kemper, ‘Son of Sam Killer’ David Berkowitz and ‘BTK Strangler’ Dennis Rader, and has also been instrumental in the exoneration of Amanda Knox and the West Memphis Three. He has gone on to become a legend in the world of criminal investigative analysis, and his work has inspired TV shows and films such as Mindhunter, Criminal Minds and The Silence of the Lambs.
In this riveting work of true crime, Douglas spotlights four very different criminals he’s confronted over the course of his career, and explains how they helped him to put together the puzzle of how psychopaths and predators think. Taking us inside the interrogation room and demonstrating the unique techniques he uses to understand the workings of the most terrifying and incomprehensible minds, The Killer Across the Table is an unputdownable journey into the darkest reaches of criminal profiling and behavioural science from a man who knows serial killers better than anyone else. As Douglas says:
‘If you want to understand the artist, look at his art.’
If you want to understand what makes a murderer, start here.

This is a brilliant read.
Wonderful well written novel that just engages you from the very start.
This really takes you into the mind of the killers and shows you more than you could ever imagine.
I find it interesting and horrifying at the same time reading things like these.
You have to look past the crimes and not dwell on them and focus on the read about the mind.
Recommend reading.

I was provided an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher.  This is my own honest voluntary review.

In ‘The Killer Across the Table’ FBI profiler John E. Douglas's takes an in-depth look at four of his most prolific cases, and the killers behind them through a mixture of background research, media coverage and personal interviews in an attempt to explain the how, what and why of their crimes.

I don’t really know how to describe my feelings about this book, other than to say that it was equally fascinating and harrowing to read. As a crime fiction fan, I was interested to learn about some real-life serial killers, and after being completely gripped by the Netflix series Mindhunter I knew that this would be an interesting read. What I didn’t expect was how difficult I would find it to hear the details of the murders and especially about the impact the crimes had on the victims’ families. The first section of the book which focusses on the murder of seven-year-old Joan Angela D’Alessandro was probably the hardest to get through. However, despite it being a tough story to read, it was written with a lot of sensitivity and also brought attention to her family who have worked tirelessly to raise awareness and make changes to laws protecting children in Joan’s memory. 

This was a heavy read and definitely not for the faint hearted but it detailed four fascinating stories and I honestly don't think I will read a better book this year.

I am a huge fan of true crime and was so excited to receive a copy of this book.

I loved mindhunter and the FBI profiler reveals secrets and literally sent shivers down my spine.

I cannot recommend this book enough for true crime lovers!