The Cases That Haunt Us

From Jack the Ripper to JonBenet Ramsey, the FBI's Legendary Mindhunter Sheds Light on the Mysteries That Won't Go Away

By: John Douglas, Mark Olshaker

Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner

Length: 14 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

Violent, provocative, shocking. Call them what you will, but don't call them open and shut.

Did Lizzie Borden murder her own father and stepmother? Was Jack the Ripper actually the Duke of Clarence? Who killed JonBenet Ramsey? America's foremost expert on criminal profiling and 25-year FBI veteran John Douglas, along with author and filmmaker Mark Olshaker, explores those tantalizing questions and more in this mesmerizing work of detection. With uniquely gripping analysis, the authors reexamine and reinterpret the accepted facts, evidence, and victimology of the most notorious murder cases in the history of crime, including the Lindbergh baby kidnapping, the Zodiac Killer, and the Whitechapel murders. Utilizing techniques developed by Douglas himself, they give detailed profiles and reveal chief suspects in pursuit of what really happened in each case. The Cases That Haunt Us not only offers convincing and controversial conclusions, it deconstructs the evidence and widely held beliefs surrounding each case and rebuilds them - with fascinating, surprising, and haunting results.

©2016 John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker (P)2016 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Outstanding

Incitefull look at some fascinating cases.The first thing I've read on Jack The Ripper, in years that hasn't bored me. I have to disagree on the Lindbergh findings. Bruno may not have worked alone but was the main culprit. One doesn't have to be educated to be intelligent. Never believed Patsy wrote that note and this latest stuff about Berkeley is ridiculous. If he had killed his sister there is no way the Ramseys would let the police interview him. As you can see I get really into these cases. If you do too, this is a great book with great narration.

It was very riveting

The book proved for me , a new look at a lot of old cases and one I have never heard of. I know a lot of people said they enjoyed the book till they got to the part about the JonBenet Ramsey case. I have to say it made me see that case in a new light. Those strangely enough I too had the same theory as the author.

Great Facts

This book just looks at the facts and calls them as they are. I have at least 15 words!

couldn't stop listening

insightful, well organized, riveting
Douglas relates the cases in exquisite detail and offers logical explanation for his theories.

Great book!

Performance and narrated perfectly. Excellent detail and stories worth listening to. Very interesting and captivating.

Interesting

Struggled to finish it. There were some windows of behind the scene first hand experience but very little in terms of new information.

Very interesting

Loved this audio recording. Interesting profiles of different crimes and how they might be solved

Truly the cases that haunt us-

I really enjoyed reading about the older but true cases. This was wonderful! excellent book!

The narrator saved this

I love true crime and the psychology behind it.

Content: For the most part this book was well written and researched. The author is obviously full of himself but he also deserves respect for what he’s accomplished. I thought his insights into the cases were truly eye opening. He mentioned his bias during the Ramsey case but downplayed the significance. Until this case, he was critical and complimentary in equal measures to the police. However, I found his wording and tone when dealing with the Ramsey case to be overwhelmingly antagonistic and dismissive. He mentioned another profiler’s version that seemed more realistic than the version he provided but was practically condescending towards it. I would suggest ending the book prior to the Ramsey case or if you’re like me prepare for some eye rolling and commentary.

Performance: The narrator absolutely saved this book and is the reason this gets 4 stars instead of 3. He presents the material in an engaging and instructive tone which my ADHD fully appreciated. I will 100% be on the lookout for more books that’s he’s narrated.

The mind of the Mindhunter

I am always fascinated by his thoughts. His evaluations of each type of criminal behavior. This is what he does and with this understanding of the criminal mind and behavior patterns he can tell us, as with Albert DeSalvo, who it is likely NOT.
It is not his job to catch the "bad guy/gal" but to assist investigators - when he is called in at the time - in finding the right one.
The Medical Examiner can tell you the cause of death and information on other marks on the body, what the victim ate, w/in a certain parameter the time of death BUT he cannot tell you Whodunnit. So it is with other forensic experts in a case. None of their evidence is fully relevant until they have suspects.
John Douglas can give his evaluation of type of crime and type of suspect - but then someone else has to find him/her.