Book Review: The Anatomy of Motive

The Anatomy of Motive
By John Douglas and Mark Olshaker



I picked this book out from my husband's collection of Audible books, as I am a big fan of John Douglas and hadn't previously read this one. The book is about the FBI's behavioral analysis unit and their understanding of the various types of criminals and what motivates them. As a criminal defense and juvenile law attorney, I felt like this helped me to understand some of the folks that I come into contact with, as well as helped me to understand the training that law enforcement receives on the topic of motive. Really interesting stuff!

Book Review: Raising a Secure Child

Raising a Secure Child: How Circle of Security Parenting Can Help You Nurture Your Child's Attachment, Emotional Resilience, and Freedom to Explore
By Kent Hoffman, Glen Cooper, and Bert Powell



This was recommended to be by some therapists that I work with regularly on my cases, as it is the background for the Circle of Security Parenting curriculum that we often have parents go through as part of their case plans to reunify with their children. I've often heard these same therapists, as well as foster parents, say that the method helped them with their own parenting as well. I wanted to read the book and learn more about the curriculum that I advocate for parents to learn from. And I can say that this stuff makes good, common sense, but isn't a series of steps that you have to learn or do. It simply requires that you look at parenting in a framework of children needing to explore as well as be comforted, and parents needing to help children in this circle by being bigger, stronger, wiser, and kind. This book is fantastic, and I recommend that ALL parents read it, truly.

Book Review: Inside the Mind of BTK

Inside the Mind of BTK: The True Story Behind the Thirty-Year Hunt for the Notorious Wichita Serial Killer
By John Douglas and Johnny Dodd



I listened to this in audio, as my husband is a huge fan of true crime and had already purchased it from Audible. I've read John Douglas previously, and do enjoy his books, as he writes about his time in the behavioral analysis unit of the FBI and some of the cases that he investigated. This is about the BTK (Bind Torture Kill) serial killer who kept Wichita in fear for decades.

This book was very, very good. But the narrator is not good. He mispronounces words, and doesn't have an engaging voice. So I recommend the book, but not on Audible.