The Cases That Haunt Us: From Jack the Ripper to Jonbenet Ramsey, the Fbi's Leg

by John E.; Olshaker Douglas, Mark

Paper Book, 2000

Status

Available

Call number

364.15

Genres

Collection

Crime, Law Enforcement

Publication

Scribner (2000), Edition: First Edition, Hardcover

Description

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 twenty-five-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.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member knightlight777

A compilation of famous unsolved cases that captured the attention of the public but remain unsolved. John Douglas is an equally famous profiler who served with the FBI. Douglas picks apart each case meticulously going through each aspect either handled wrong at the time or gives new insight with

what we know in crime technology and screening today.

Starting with Jack the Ripper and winding through Jon Benet Ramsey, each case has its own unique and interesting aspects. Though he does shed some light on possible suspects, still in each case we are left with not much more to go on and it looks doubtful that any of these cases will be resolved in the future. A good read for those interested in crime and human nature.

Show Less

11 more

LibraryThing member hawkeye3.keith

Gives a sense of closer to some cases that will be remembered for all time.

LibraryThing member MerryMary

What does it say about me that I am fascinated by true crime, disasters, and psychological deviants? Not sure I want to go there! But it is true, and John Douglas' dissection (pun intended) of these famous crimes kept me turning pages.

LibraryThing member SLeano

Great read! Douglas delves into some of the most notorious cases in history. He gives honest accounts of the crimes, adding to it his opinions from what really happened to who-dunit. I found the book informative and quite interesting. I only took issue with the Jon Benet Ramsey case. I found

Douglas's opinions to be skewed in favor of the Ramsey's due to his employment by them.

Show Less

LibraryThing member juliabeth

nonfiction compilation of famous unsolved cases by the founder of what is now the FBI's BAU, ---pages, mostly modern-day US, also 1880's England with Jack the Ripper. Douglas analyzes each case using the BAU's techniques. easy to understand for the layperson. straightforward nonfiction, not dry but

not stylized either.

Show Less

LibraryThing member JalenV

That half star is because there's no bibliography. I especially felt that lack for the two cases with which I am most familiar: Jack the Ripper and Lizzie Borden. It would have been nice to know if the authors had read all of the same books on those two that I have. Before this book I knew no more

about the JonBenet Ramsey murder than the tabloid headlines I'd read in supermarket checkout lines (it happened at a bad time for me). I do not feel that Mr. Douglas skewed the chapter in the Ramseys' favor because he was a paid consultant. I had some experience researching malpractice and injury liability cases when I was a medical librarian. I didn't look for only that information which favored my patron's side. I also looked for information that favored the other side -- and reported both to my patron. I wouldn't have been doing my job if I hadn't. I believe that Mr. Douglas considers the Ramseys innocent for the reasons and evidence he presented. None of the photographs are of the victims, alive or dead, except for the drawings of the heads of the Ripper victims on the reproduction of the old Whitechapel map in the photo section. The other photos are of the 9/25/1988 'Dear Boss' letter signed 'Jack the Ripper,' presented on the same page as the 'Mr. Lusk' letter; the Borden house above its floor plan; ariel view of the Lindbergh home above the ransom note; two photos of that house with the homemade ladder used in the kidnapping; part of the Zodiac's cryptogram above a Zodiac letter; the Ramsey ransom note above a photo of the house; and a floor plan of the Ramsey house. The profiling information was very interesting, and the descriptions of jurisdiction problems are troubling. Fair warning: if you want wild speculations presented as facts, this is not the book for you.

Show Less

LibraryThing member BellaFoxx

John E Douglas features the following cases in this book. These are the chapter titles, in American Dreams/American Nightmares he covers the three cases listed.

Jack the Ripper

Lizzie Borden

The Lindbergh Kidnapping

The Zodiac

American Dreams/American Nightmares

“The Black Dahlia” Elizabeth

Short

“Lawrencia Bembenek” ‘Bambi’

‘The “Boston Strangler” Albert Henry DeSalvo
The Jon Benet Ramsey Murder

Although I ‘know’ all these cases, I have not done much reading on them. I prefer to read about less known cases. This made this a very interesting book for me. Also it is very informative book, John Douglas has ‘done the research’ on these cases and presents the facts as known.

In some cases he also reports what was ‘known’ or published in the papers.

He explains why these cases are still so well know even today, even though some of them were over a century ago. He details mistakes in the investigations and subjects them to modern profiling. He tells us what kind of man Jack the Ripper was. Did Lizzie Borden really kill her parents? Did Bruno act alone? All the questions that people ask about these cases.

I found this book to be very informative, interesting and would recommend it to True Crime fans.

Show Less

LibraryThing member jclark88

I enjoyed reading a profiler's point of view on some of the most famous unsolved cases of all time. It was fascinating to hear his take and read about evidence I might not have known about.

LibraryThing member nx74defiant

The one that kept my interest the most was the Lindbergh kidnapping. Most of the rest was familiar territory.

LibraryThing member Schmerguls

5566. 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 and Mark Olshaker (read 29 Jun 2018) This book, published in 2000, discusses at length the crimes of Jack he Ripper, about whom I

have read four books, including The Complete History of Jack the Ripper, by Philip Sugden which I read 8 Feb 1995. More interesting is the discussion of the Lizzie Borden case, about which which I have read 5 books, including Goodbye Lizzie Borden, b Robert Sullivan, which I read 27 Feb 1977. Another case discussed is the Boston Strangler, I read Gerold Frank's book on that case on 6 Aug 1967 Douglas doe snot believe Albert DeSalvo, who confesses o being the Boston Strangler, actually was the Boston Strangler--he says authorities were so eager to "solve" the case that they accepted DeSalvo's claim just so they could say the case was solved. . Another case discussed is the Lindbergh kidnapping case. I read Kidnap by Geroge Waller on 9 July 1962, and Scapegoa, by Anthoy Scadto on 4 Dec 1976, and The Airman and the Carpenter, by Ludovic Kennedy on 5 Dec 1985. The discussion of the Lindbergh case was indeed attention-holding, and Douglas has some doubt as to Hauptmann's guilt. The discussion of the Ramsey case is fascinating but Douglas is more convinced of the innocence of the parents than I am, though I guess he is right that the parents are innocent. This has been an uneven book. Some parts are highly interesting but I could not feel that Douglas's arguments were always convincing. The book is defective in that it has no bibliography and does not cite even one court case. There is a court case on the Lindbergh case which is worth reading. It is by Federal judge who discussed a suit that Hauptmann's widow brought after Hauptmann was executed.He said she could not erecofver but found some merit in what shen climed.

Show Less

LibraryThing member phoenixcomet

Completely engaging audio book on the crimes that haunt us as profiled by top FBI behavioral analyst John Douglas.

LibraryThing member whatalicesaw

Of course, since this book is a decade & more old, we have a much better understanding of a few of these cases. This whole book could be called, “Police: corrupt fuckups.” I have to agree. In all of these cases, the police are the buffoons or villains of the story. Some of John’s answers were

a little far fetched, including a logical fallacy—if this other case has never been solved, why do you think this one should be. Total non-answer. Good book, if a little out of date.

Show Less

Fewer