Profiling Serial Killers: And other crimes in South Africa

by Micki Pistorius

The science of profiling is relatively new, having first been used in the United States in the 1940s. It took another twenty years of development and refinement before it was recognised as a valid investigative tool in the apprehension of criminals.

Genres: Nonfiction, South Africa

452 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 30, 2006

About the author

Micki Pistorius, who has a doctorate in psychology, spent six years as a profiler with the South African Police Service. As head of their investigative psychology unit, she was involved in more than thirty serial killer cases and participated in the training of more than a hundred detectives in the investigation of serial homicides. She is regularly invited to lecture in France and still acts as a consultant to different South African agencies.

She is the author of Catch me a Killer, Strangers on the Street, Fatal Females, and Profiling Serial Killers and other crimes in South Africa,all published by Penguin. Her first novel, Sorg, was published by Penguin in 2006.
Micki’s official website is available at www.mickipistorius.co.za.

Reviews

[Hayley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Profiling Serial Killers: and Other Crimes in South Africa was an enlightening read for me. I found it fascinating to read about the profiling and crime investigation world within South Africa. As a South African, you hardly hear about your local serial killer and if you did its mostly thanks to social media, not the nightly news. This was why I bought this book. Not only because I was interested in the topic, but because I was surprised to find out that profiling was even used in SA. This book is an illuminating and insightful look at the underbelly of South Africa's more serious crimes.

I found the book to be informative, well-laid out, thorough and well-explained. The subject matter was expressed sufficiently and the author took the time to ensure the average reader would understand even the most complex aspect of profiling. I particularly enjoyed the sections on serial killers and stalkers. Having a look at specific cases within each section was helpful to the reader in applying the theory that was explained before it. The Stalker section broke down the mentality of stalking very well and the information on how to address a case of stalking was unexpected but gripping. The White Collar Crimes section was also fun to read. The psychology around it was explained in-depth and the examples following the psychopathic indicators was an interesting way to help explain what to look for in greater detail.

Having been presented with a plethora of information throughout the book, I found the conclusion to be rather lacking. I would have liked a more well-rounded ending to the book as I felt it finished rather abruptly. My biggest concern in reading this book was that it is outdated. As far as I can see, it has only had digital editions made in the last seven years and I can't say whether or not those were updated versions. I found that the author used male pronouns where gender-neutral pronouns could have been used. Also the word "normal" was used several times where "typical" should have been used. However, given that this book was published in 2005, these particular word choices were not expected to have been general-neutral or politically correct.

Overall, I felt this book a thrilling, captivating read. I learnt so much and gained so much perspective. I look forward to reading more from this author. I highly recommend this book to lovers of crime fiction and non-fiction alike and recommend that South Africans interested in criminal psychology give this book a try.

[Elmarie · Rating 3 out of 5]

What I liked:
* A fairly interesting look at South African criminals.

What I didn't like:
* It read a bit like a textbook at times.

[Kate Diamond · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was going great until she started quoting Freud's debunked theories as fact, and as explicit reasoning.