7 SUPERB Psychopaths!
590445
Great film with an awesome cast. A fantastically dark, hilarious and original storyline(s). The perfect mix of macabre and comicality!
435917
I'm in the process of researching material for my next novel, which is going to have a serial killer/psychopath in it, and I'm reading other novels with Sk/psychos as major characters so I know what has been done. Ellis has obviously done his research, and did it shockingly well, on what it is like to live inside the head of a serial killer. He has perfect pitch for characterization, even for this cacophony of a character.

Patrick, Ellis's POV character, is a psychopathic serial killer living in 1980s NYC. The book opens with an absolutely fabulous first page: Patrick riding in a cab with a friend, listening to his shallow friend, and noticing the scenery in NYC, including a quote from Dante's Inferno spray-painted on a wall. It's one of the best first pages I've ever read, and I've read a lot of novels. It perfectly painted the scene and dropped us into the head of the character. I could have forgiven a lot after that first page, but I didn't need to.

Patrick Bateman is a psychopath and a high-functioning paranoid schizophrenic. Less than half of serial killers who are caught are later diagnosed with (or, perhaps, falsely display) schizophrenia. (That was a statistical note. I think the book is better for Patrick's schizo disorder.) Ellis paints a perfect portrait of a psychopath: paint-deep. That's all the deeper that psychopaths are. Inside, they're just an imperturbable deep blue hole of sterile water. There's nothing alive in there. Ellis uses materialism and fashion-consciousness as Patrick's cover for his deep hole of nothingness. The ephemera of brand names and fashion clothes and shoes and jewelry and fashionable restaurants and fashionable foodstuffs (endive!) and quippy comebacks and one-up-man's-ship concerning hipness and coolness were exhausting, which were exactly how they were meant to be. The sadistic violence, at first, was almost a respite from the banality of Patrick's life, until it, too, became repetitive and boring, which is exactly how Patrick sees it. That's the brilliance of this book. It's a deep, deep portrait of what it's like to feel nothing. Ellis is Jane Austen, delving into the lack of soul.

The note that I found absolutely rang true was when Ellis's POV character, Patrick, has a rare event: an adrenaline rush. Recent research into psychopathic personalities indicates that they have very low arousal levels. Nothing scares them. That's the problem. The fact that Patrick has it when he's trying to get reservations as a trendy restaurant highlights Patrick's inane, shallow character.

One caveat: I can't watch Sex & The City anymore, because all 4 characters now seem as shallow as Patrick Bateman with their shoe and restaurant preoccupations. Or eat endive.

TK Kenyon
Author of&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Rabid-A-Novel/dp/1601640021/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Rabid: A Novel</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Callous/dp/1601640226/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Callous</a>
4933538
I'm very interested in psychology and love to figure out why people act the way they do. Lately I've been exposed to people who seem to be acting a bit like the psychopaths described in this book. I noticed especially the "strong need for psychological control over others" and how they are "unable to believe people have valid opinions different than their own." Does this make them psychopaths? I'm not completely sure but this book has some clues.

Anyway this book will help you to identify psychopaths in your life and will help you avoid them if you meet one by chance. There are some interesting descriptions like how their eyes look dead and how they use their hands when they speak at a more rapid rate than normal. These clues could save you a lot of trouble and heartache.

This is not the type of person you want to fall in love with since they are out of touch with their emotions (besides anger) and seek self-gratification at other people's expense. They also take more than they give, can be verbally abusive and love to lie, deceive and manipulate people. Sounds like normal human behavior on some level but most people would not say have an obsession with absolute power.

While discussing this book with someone I am close to we both admitted that most people are probably evil at heart and it is only by following society's rules (religious or otherwise) that we are able to resist our evil impulses.

I found this book by looking up "antisocial personality disorder" and it explains a lot. You will understand why people are fascinated with evil as portrayed in movies. What is most disturbing really is the total lack of empathy felt by the psychopath. Anyway, read this book so you are aware of the 1 in 25 people roaming America. You don't want to become a victim, lose all your money and have your life turned upside down.

~The Rebecca Review
533091
The Students Sold Us Secrets Volume One by Lee J Mavin is the first of a series of chilling and disturbing tales. It is focused around the dark thoughts and aspirations of young teenagers living and going to school in Shanghai. It is to be noted that children in Shanghai are usually being raised by their grandparents (spoiled rotten) and never have brothers and sisters. Add to this, the constant pressure and focus from their teachers to perform at a high level and you have a bunch of overworked hot heads.

There are twelve short stories in this edition. Each are very different, yet that have some freaky similarities: The narrators are all very driven to get what they want. Some seek respect, overs revenge, but all stop at nothing to get what they want!

Go and check this book out now, published by ASJ Publishers is available both on kindle and paperback! Volume two of the madness is rumored to be out this year too!
3897633
Another great installment in this satisfyingly disturbing series!
2253999
Book number six in the series served as my "first date" with Detective Robert Hunter. I'll be back for more.
An Evil Mind was a perfect introduction to both author Chris Carter and his detective. It works really well as a stand alone novel and I will surely go back to read books 1-5 of the series.
I'm a true lover of crime fiction, mystery, thriller books. This is absolute psycho-thriller perfection.
If you are craving a good literary fix - this is it. I'm not into horror genera books and And Evil Mind nicely rides the line of graphic novel while staying in it's wheelhouse and maintaining comfortable territory.
The characters are well developed and I can only assume they evolve more when you are a follower of the entire book series. They beg you to look and dare you not to blink.
Chris Carter has fulfilled every need and desire of his reader with An Evil Mind. Each page turn only leaves you wanting to know "What is this sick bastard up to?" It's compelling.
If you are looking for a gratifying new read, make it this one.
585815
I just finished reading 8 of ann rules books  i don't know why I just found her - but i am so glad i have!!!!  So many of the men/women who commit the crimes she relates are really so fascinating. I think Ann does an incredible job of weaving the history of the people involved, the psychological profiles, and the trials with updates and pictures...it's all good...

The people who perpetrate these crimes are such charming "users" - it is quite overwhelming to read 8 of her books in a row - i am watching neighbors to see if any of them seem psychotic!!  Can make you a tad paranoid, but hey, these books are true and we should all be a bit more careful out there.

So I'm a new fan, cannot wait to buy more of her books!!!
663309
Review of The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson
If you know the Humm-Wadsworth, The Psychopath Test is both an interesting and easy read.  If you don't know the Humm this book will come across, as many reviewers have stated, as a number of interesting strands which don't fully integrate.
The Humm is based on two theorems:
* The first is that we are all slightly mad, in that mental illness is not a matter of black or white but various shades of gray.
* The second is that while there are many physical illnesses there are few mental illnesses.  Six mental illnesses and one controlling component comprise the seven factors that define our temperament.
The book begins, as the title suggests, as an investigation into psychopaths.  Not only does he meet several psychopaths, he attends a three-day seminar conducted by Bob Hare, creator of the PCL-R Test, a 20-step Psychopath Checklist.  The PCL-R Checklist is used by law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and elsewhere to evaluate offenders.  Hare reveals that inmates at prisons and psychiatric institutions aren't the only ones who score highly on his 'psychopath test': many CEOs and directors of corporations qualify as psychopaths too. This prompts Ronson to wonder 'if sometimes the difference between a psychopath in Broadmoor and a psychopath on Wall Street was the luck of being born into a stable, rich family.'
To answer this question Ronson then spends time with Al Dunlap, aka "The Chainsaw."  Dunlap was known as a turnaround specialist, who used ruthless methods to streamline ailing companies, most notably Scott Paper.  However, his reputation was ruined after he engineered a massive accounting scandal at Sunbeam-Oster.  After his meeting with Dunlap, who gives very rational explanations for his actions, Ronson wonders if there are corporate psychopaths.  However if you understand the Humm, you soon realise that Dunlap is one of the great Hs or Hustlers of our time.  There are some great giveaways, massive statues of birds of prey in gardens, huge self-portraits filled with gold paint, displays of ostentatious wealth, etc.
What I did find interesting was the story behind the development of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, known as DSM which was once a slim volume outlining 30 or so mental disorders and is now a 886-page beast boasting 374 disorders.  It turns out the editor who oversaw this expansion, Robert Spitzer, was captivated by the concept of Hare's PCL-R checklist and decided to extend the use of checklists to other mental illnesses.  Ronson promptly starts investigating the descriptions of various disorders and instantly diagnoses himself with twelve different ones."  When Ronson asks Spitzer, who in Humm terms is raging E or Engineer, whether it's possible that "he'd inadvertently created a world in which some ordinary behaviours were being labelled mental disorders"; Spitzer weakly answers: "I don't know."
Ronson argues that the psychopath checklist and DSM-IV are dangerous weapons. If more and more fine-tuned mental disturbances can be diagnosed as legitimate, patients wind up in Catch-22 situations. (How do they do anything that is not suspect?) Drug companies thrive on the dual creation of a new mental illness and the drug to cure it. And children get books like "My Bipolar, Roller Coaster, Feelings Book," whose author, Bryna Herbert, is also interviewed. She earns her place in Mr. Ronson's world for having given her baby son the nickname Mister Manic Depressive.  However if you know the Humm, you will understand.[...]
1826309
A fascinating read into the minds of  killers.  Through their own quotes, the author leads us through the thoughts of cannibals, pedophiles, and other deviants who succumb to their warped desires - and kill their countless  victims in the process.  Proud to the end, never regretful, these stone cold killer's will send chills down your spine.  These murderers blend into society as easily as your own next door neighbor, and it will make you think twice about how helpless we all are to these misfits of society.  A real page turner that you won't put down until every bone chilling quote is revealed.  5 stars.
2569752
This book is the best of the lot, IMO! It has taken five previous books, all of which I enjoyed in varying degrees to reach the heighths in this final story of Ted, Trev and the troops at the "cop shop."

This is a very dark and scary series of murders, not the least of which is the anima,l cruelty which, mercifully is not descrinbed in too tortuous detail and is integral to the plot. It is not gratituitous violence just to add shock value.

I would love to read more Ted Darling stories, and I hope the author will come up with some more at a later date. Perhaps she is tired of writing about Ted, but I would like to hear more of Trevor as well - gorgeous as he is and a waste to the female gender  :(  LOL
3358215
Great book!! Psychotic multiple personalities starts with action from a 5 year old! Highly recommend! I won't spoil it for you but if your interested in horror befiningbto end this is it!!
4741697
Bradly Cunningham has to be one of the most vile and evil men I have read about.  He is clearly a psychopath and his trail of destruction is compelling told in this true-crime book by Ann Rule.  I was consumed by this excellent book and could not put it down.  Highly Recommended.
1312198
I love these anthology books because I usually read about serial killer that I am not familiar with.  That is the case with this book as I had not read about most of these killers before.  This was a great group of authors that did an excellent job researching and presenting the stories.  This is a very well written book and I highly recommend it to any true crime fan.
1281374
A great book for all those out there who are fascinated by criminal psychology, and how these detectives come to their seemingly uncanny and precise criminal profiles. The updates are quite satisfying, since some of the cold cases referenced in the original text are now solved! I couldn't put this book down!
4399122
Very accurate portrayal of psychotics! Run don't walk from these stalkers!!
3903292
Probably one of the best psychological horror films I have ever seen! I know I am going to seem like I am exaggerating, but this is up there with Alfred Hitchcock's 'Psycho'! The film was superbly directed and the score was superb. Fine acting by Hewlett and Preston.

This is the type of film that gets under your skin, and frightens you more than any "horror porn" that gets spit out by Hollywood on massive levels, because this film is real. It's villain is just human being which makes it so much more terrifying and tragic because we watch this so called villain grow up and understand why he is the way he is, and then we realize his eventual fate.

A brilliant film, I recommend this to all. But I'm sad to see that the manufacturer discontinued this release.  It's a must for any horror fan.  If 'Flowers in the Attic' can get a recent re-release then this should as well, hopefully on Blu Ray for both, with new transfers, etc.!
408083
This is an area that needs to be further researched and examined. Psychopaths come from all socio-economic backgrounds and truly devastate the people who love them. Often they "fly under your radar." I highly recommend this book if you suspect yourself, or someone you love, has (or is) in a relationship with a suspected narcissist, sociopath or psychopath. Therapists may also need more information on this subject area. These individuals are not only stereotypical criminals but have climbed ranks in the corporate world due to their lack of conscience. Sandra Brown does justice to this area as it cannot be done in a short review. I highly recommend this book. Knowledge is power. Thank-you Sandra Brown.