Review of The Psychology of Evil

[Kigen Valarie]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Psychology of Evil" by Michael Pace.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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We've all heard or read literature or documentaries about famous serial killers in history, like Ted Bundy and Jack the Ripper. It might be a good idea to pick up this book if this interests you. The Psychology of Evil: Understanding the Minds of Serial Killers, Psychopaths, and Sociopaths by Michael Pace is what you might have been looking for. It is also stimulating to know that the book was written by the same person who coined the term Dark Psychology 101, or at least it was for me.

The Psychology of Evil: Understanding the Minds of Serial Killers, Psychopaths, and Sociopaths looks into the lives of the people mentioned. He discussed what makes serial killers, psychopaths, and sociopaths and how to identify them. What shaped them into what they are? We all know that everything has a starting point. He differentiates the three terms while looking at different cases in history, and something everyone would love to know is that Michael Pace explains the intersection between evil and mental illness. In a nutshell, the author explores the minds of people who have terrorized and dominated the earth with many gruesome acts, leaving the population shaken.

The first positive aspect I'd love to mention is that this is in literary form, as I'm used to seeing murder documentaries on television sets. Michael Pace artfully and beautifully crafted these stories into an exciting book. The stories in the book supplement and act as a base for many explanations. It is easier to understand how psychopaths operate if a narration of Ted Bundy is made and examples are drawn from the story. Ted Bundy's story was the first in the book and was a promise for a thrilling book. Several other stories were told, some dating back to the time of Julius Caesar and Emperor Nero, all a mixture of psychopaths, sociopaths, and serial killers.

Aside from discussing these aspects in detail, there is no doubt that Michael Pace is a good narrator. The book alternates different stories with superb writing techniques. Even though they were historical, I could tell from how he wrote them that they would capture any reader's attention. He paid attention to small details, introduced the stories at a good time in the book, and the element of thrill and horror was not lost. I loved this, especially in the cases of characters like Jeffrey Dahmer, H.H. Holmes, and female serial killers like Jane Toppan.

The Psychology of Evil: Understanding the Minds of Serial Killers, Psychopaths, and Sociopaths by Michael Pace covered all genres, from entertainment to education. I learned a lot of different things, including the difference between mass murderers and serial killers, many events that happened in history, and their causes, which are essential for any history enthusiast. Letters from serial killers have an immense effect on the book. Learning how their mind works from spoken and written words is a stepping stone to understanding them.

The many positive aspects I've mentioned do not mean the book has no negative ones. Although they were few, they had an impact on my reading. As the book progressed, the author tended to be more repetitive. This intensified when narrating Jane Toppan's story. Michael explained the first part of the story in detail and later generalized the same actions. I also realized the author repeatedly gave the same definitions in different chapters, which was unnecessary as this had already been done in the first chapter. Another negative aspect is that the story of Joseph James DeAngelo did not have a good beginning. The beginning had many generalizations and time jumps, making me lose the essence of the timeline in which the events occurred.

I rate The Psychology of Evil: Understanding the Minds of Serial Killers, Psychopaths, and Sociopaths by Michael Pace 4 out of 5 stars. The repetitions and unaligned timelines made me deduct a star from the rating. Otherwise, the book was not only entertaining but mesmerizing as well. Michael Pace mastered the art of what he was presenting. He is also a good teacher and presenter. The real-life examples of teaching were impressive. Cases like the Tate LaBianca Murders, the Bernie Madoff Ponzi Scheme, the genocide in Cambodia, and others served an immensely historical role in the book.

I would regret leaving without mentioning the classic style of Michael's explanation. He applies the method of differentiating an aspect from a similar one to make it easier to understand and leaves no room for confusion. It is for the many reasons mentioned that I believe any person interested in psychology and murder documentaries will love this book. It will come in handy for understanding the people around us and caring for ourselves. I believe spotting a serial killer should be one of the skills everyone has to learn.

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The Psychology of Evil
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[MsChet Cherry]

I have always wondered how someone enjoys killing and what triggers them.
This book will surely be a good start. How the author explores the minds of people with evil intention is intriguing. Amazing review!

[Jane Ogwang]

I'm intrigued by the title and content of this book. Your detailed review makes it a must-read for me. Thank you for that.

[NetMassimo]

This book is very interesting if you want to know about serial killers. The author might do a bit more editing to "polish" it eliminating the problems you pointed out to make it more readable. Thank you for your great review!

[7033255157]

It interest me to know about the major roles that protray serial killers, psychopath and sociopath in this book. I want to appreciate the reviewer and Author for taking time to explore , though the reviewer tried as much to be plain

[Rosie Ziarnik]

I am still currently in the process of reading this book, but so far have found it enticing. The concept of a scale of evil with categories makes tremendous changes to how I see evil. It's no longer a fact of, "Is this evil or not?" when I think of a topic or specific event. I now think of, if I believe the present topic or event evil, how evil do I consider it, and why?

This book has changed my outlook on reviewing news and how I read other books, as well as how I analyze what's occurring around me in my household.

As someone who studies psychology, as well as criminal justice, this writing is an amazing way to combine the two topics. I appreciate all the research done by the author and the presentation of his findings is enrapturing!

[AHMED NAFIZ]

Wow, just wow very informative on serial killers, crime, and thriller.

[Kristin Cowan]

As someone who has read MANY books on the topic (my graduate degree is Forensic Psych) I wonder how this compares to the others, and does it stand out? May add to my list but I find myself more critical of books in my area of expertise

[Vinay Penubothu]

Thank you for your thoughtful review! Your perspective has definitely sparked my curiosity, and I'm eager to delve into the book. Your insights have convinced me that it's a must-read, and I appreciate you sharing your thoughts. Your review has inspired me to explore further.