The Killers Shadow: The FBIs Hunt for a White Supremacist Serial Killer by John E. Douglas

The Killers Shadow: The FBIs Hunt for a White Supremacist Serial Killer Reviews

• 
  Scott Rhee

  Candace Owens, a conservative black pundit, recently (September 2019) tweeted that “White supremacy… is not a problem that is harming Black America” (
  https://thehill.com/homenews/house/46...) Ms. Owens is, of course, perfectly entitled to her opinion, but if she is going to make a statement of fact insinuating that white supremacy and white nationalism is not an actual problem in the United States, then she may need to get her facts straight.
  
  Here are some statistics:
  
  *Numerous law enforcement agencies, according to data collected by the FBI, reported 7,314 hate crime incidents involving 8,559 offenses in 2019. This was 294 more incidents than the previous year.
  
  *A vast majority (55.8%) of “single-biased” incidents (bias based solely on one aspect of “otherness”, such as race, religion, or gender) were motivated by race or ethnicity.
  
  *2019 saw a rise of 14% in anti-Jewish crimes. Anti-Hispanic crimes rose nearly 9%.
  
  *According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, formation of white supremacist groups increased from 100 chapters in 2017 to 148 in 2018.
  
  *The Anti-Defamation League reported a 182% increase in the distribution of white supremacist propaganda.
  
  *A recent FBI report, based on a several years-long investigation, uncovered infiltration at some of the highest levels of law enforcement across the country by white supremacist groups.
  
  * More than “just a few” of the rioters who have been arrested for their actions during the January 6 insurrection in Washington, D.C. were white supremacists and white nationalists.
  
  To Ms. Owens: To say that white supremacy is not a problem in this country is simply not true. It may not be a problem for you, personally, and to that I say, simply, congratulations. If you, a black woman, have made it through your whole life without being bothered by racists and white supremacists, then more power to you. I hope you continue to be personally unbothered by them.
  
  Unfortunately, for many other black people in this country, white supremacy—-often in the form of white privilege and hidden bias that lays the foundation for systemic racism—-is a huge problem. Then there are simply the outspoken racists who have no qualms about committing hateful crimes of violence against black people for no reason other than the fact that they’re black.
  
  White supremacy has been an insidious cancer that has eaten away, gone into remission several times, metastasized, and re-metastasized the socio-political landscape of this country, starting with the first slaves to arrive on this shore over 300 years ago.
  
  John Douglas and Mark Olshaker, authors of dozens of books about the pathology of serial killers, murderers, and terrorists, in their latest book, “The Killer’s Shadow”, recounts the manhunt, capture, and death of Joseph Paul Franklin, one of the most infamous white supremacist serial killers in American history.
  
  Franklin began his killing spree in the late 1970s and committed countless horrific hate crimes and murders until his capture and arrest on October 28, 1980. His targets were often black and Jewish men, women, and children. He proudly admitted to all of his crimes, including the assassination attempts of Larry Flynt, the publisher of Hustler magazine, and Vernon Jordan, a civil rights activist. He also targeted President Jimmy Carter during the 1980 presidential campaign. He was executed by lethal injection in 2013.
  
  Douglas admits that, of all the serial killers he has been responsible for capturing, Franklin was one of the most disturbing, mainly due to the frightening nature of white supremacist beliefs. Unlike other types of serial killers, white supremacists often have a following of fellow believers who consider them heroes and martyrs for a cause, that cause being the eradication of blacks, Jews, Hispanics, and other non-white groups. According to Douglas, white supremacy has the horrific tendency to be self-propagating.
  
  We’ve seen this, most recently, in the actions of the insurrectionists of January 6, 2021, who—-because of a president who not only continued to not downplay white supremacists but actually egged them on (“Stand back and stand by”)—-broke into the Capitol Building, vandalized and destroyed federal property, and, in some cases, were prepared to do bodily harm to unarmed Senators and House members.
  
  Even now, the FBI and law enforcement agencies are still on alert for acts of violence that have been threatened by white supremacist groups.
  
  We can no longer afford to either sweep racism under the carpet or claim that it is not a problem. The day of reckoning is upon us, and we are all going to have to pick a side, whether we want to or not. As Douglas says, “The journey to reckon with our nation’s searing history of racial hatred, intolerance, and discrimination is ongoing, and there are no neutrals in that struggle. (p. 367)”
  
  Sources
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  https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hate-cri...)
  
  (
  https://www.factcheck.org/2019/03/the...)
  
  (
  https://www.brookings.edu/blog/how-we...)
  
  (
  https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2...)
• 
  Valerity (Val)

  If you like books about criminal profilers from the FBI, and the seriously twisted killers they are after, this book fits the bill. Back in the late 1970s, profiling was just beginning to get a start, with it getting a chance to be used outside the FBI by other agencies. This case would help to highlight its effectiveness and bring it more into use, if all went well as John Douglas took off to try and help catch the guy who’d been shooting people at random all over the country. His name was Joseph Paul Franklin, but he also used many false names as well.
  
  Profiler Douglas had been requested to assist police as things got bad, with Franklin randomly killing minority folks and mixed couples, showing his hatred for non-whites. He would even go after prominent white people, if he felt his reasons were good enough like when he wrote his letter to President Carter. He also wanted to show how he felt about Jewish people as well, so he began targeting them too. Franklin grew up with a lot of mistreatment and he wanted to let out his anger and rage when he felt like it. Abusing his wives wasn’t enough. He had this “mission” that he had come up with to kill as many of his targeted types of people as he could, and he was going to follow it through. Franklin became fairly proficient at robbing banks to keep himself going while he was on his mission. I found it to be an excellent look at a not too well known killer who was active in the 70s for 3 years. The case helped bring profiling into the mainstream as it helped them narrow down who to look at more, and who could be ruled out. Advance electronic review copy was provided by NetGalley, authors John Douglas & Mark Olshaker, and the publisher.
• 
  Angus McKeogh

  The opening featured some rehash material if you’re a reader of Douglas’s previous books. Then it gets down to the data about capturing a white supremacist sniper who started in the 70s. The whole account in my opinion was a little anemic. The trial and everything was covered in very few pages. I just don’t think there was a lot of revealing information there. However, the best section of the book was the epilogue about how this sniper had become a hero to the fascist and racist movements. There was even an interesting piece about the FBI’s monitoring of Nazis and white supremacists through their publications and how these individuals within the movement had gleaned from Trump’s rhetoric that Trump had “promised to return the country to us (white supremacists)”. Guess that matches the FBI’s recent declaration that domestic terrorism by white supremacists is the most dangerous current faction in the country. Just amazing that the guy running the country wouldn’t denounce and summarily condemn such a thing. Kind of makes one wonder?
• 
  Andi

  When the fucking Mindhunter makes an epilogue and calls Trump out on his shit, that's like being given a knighting by the queen.
  
  More to say but that epilogue was the icing on the cake.
• 
  Jess

  John Douglas absolutely gives me fits. I want to hear all his stories but I also don’t want to hear him pat himself on the back every two seconds about what a great behavioral investigator he is. When you read his books, you get both, for better or for worse.
  
  I wasn’t too familiar with this serial killer and I learned a lot about him as well as how his psyche still impacts the present day in a scarily prescient way. This book is less about criminal profiling and more a bio of the killer. That may bother some people, but I was fine with it.
  
  TLDR; I really miss Mindhunter and the audiobook is narrated by the actor who played Bill Tench (Holt McCallany). That alone is a win for me.
• 
  Tara Yglesias

  3.5 The prose is as if an American flag somehow wrote true crime but the topic is fascinating and horribly timely.
• 
  Siria

  In The Killer's Shadow, John Douglas, one of the first full-time profilers to work for the FBI, recounts his role in helping to capture a serial killer who went on a racism-fuelled killing spree across the U.S. in the 1970s. Some of the methodological information is interesting, if not always for the reasons that Douglas thinks—there's quite a bit of back-patting about the success of certain techniques used, even though forensics specialists are increasingly dubious about their utility. (At one point Douglas mentions a case where, if his characterisation here is correct, someone was jailed for murder on the strength of a criminal profile and bitemark analysis—and that's not a standard of evidence I'm comfortable with!)
  
  Douglas does tie what we can learn from the actions of this killer to more contemporary events linked to white supremacism, such as the Charlottesville march or the Charleston church shooting, but doesn't push his analysis far enough. At one point he seems to suggest that if the killer hadn't been blinded in one eye as a child he would have joined the local police force—and thus, it's implied, never become an avowed Nazi. I mean, maybe? But from everything I've observed about the behaviour of U.S. police over the last few years, I'm not sure that logic holds. He might just have felt free to terrorise Black and Jewish people from a position of authority.
• 
  Allison

  Very topical, possibly released, definitely reworked if not, to cover crimes that are increasingly relevant in today's world. Racism went from something that people were shamed into hiding to something to be publicly proclaimed with pride thanks to trump and his supporters. As much as I am devastated that we are at that point I sometimes feel that peeling back that false face and showing the hidden hatred is for the best. The disease cannot be eradicated if it is not acknowledged. This book delves deeply into the hate crimes committed by a person who would fit right into the White House today in 2020 and it is something we should be discussing. As was stated in the book, words have power, and we have to recognize that the words being spewed from on high are affecting the world.
  
  Audio: I love Holt McCallany and listening to his narration was very enjoyable even though what he was narrating was awful to listen to.
• 
  Shaun

  I tend to avoid reading anything from John Douglas but wanted to read about Joseph Paul Franklin. I find Douglas is too quick to pat himself on the back repeatedly in each of his books and digress from the main topic to brag about one of his other accomplishments that are sometimes, sometimes not, related. This book was no different. I've been told by someone who knew Douglas that he doesn't let the facts get in the way of a good story, which is another reason I try to avoid him.
  
  That said, the parts actually about Joseph Paul Franklin were well done and interesting. I consider myself pretty well versed in serial killers, but actually hadn't heard of him until recently, so it was all new to me. The conversations Douglas had with Franklin were incredibly interesting and Douglas' analysis of those conversations were equally interesting. Overall a pretty good bit of information on Franklin, his history and his crimes.
• 
  CrabbyPatty

  Joseph Paul Franklin wanted to become famous - famous for killing interracial couples, Jews, young black boys, white girls who dated black boys, and ultimately for starting a race war and being embraced as a hero.
  
  I wasn't familiar with Franklin prior to reading this book, but the authors do a stellar job of presenting the case along with giving us a flavor of the 1970's time period. Franklin was that most difficult of killers to catch - he expertly used a sniper rifle but had no set MO for his kills. Some were spur of the moment, others were meticulously planned out, and he had no personal connection to his victims.

  Given his hard wiring and the effects of his upbringing and environment, and especially his view of his mother's abuse and neglect, it was as if nature had loaded the gun and nurture pulled the trigger.

  The author lay out Franklin's background in detail, as well as efforts to create a profile, identify Franklin and ultimately capture him and bring him to trial. But Franklin's case is only part of the story. The authors give us related cases that really hammer home the simple fact that WORDS MATTER. And eventually all that dangerous speech turns into real actions. And all we have to do is look around us to see that hatred "metastasizing across social media platforms as well."
  
  Franklin committed his crimes in the 1970's and was captured in 1980, but our country is still immersed in his mindset and philosophies. And that is why this book is equally fascinating and terrifying. 5+ stars and I highly recommend this book.
  
  "The journey to reckon with our nation's searing history of racial hatred, intolerance, and discrimination is ongoing, and there are no neutrals in that struggle. "
  
  I received an ARC from the Publisher, via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
  
  
  Visit my new blog "I Love True Crime Books"
  
• 
  Noctvrnal

  A typical Douglas book. Interesting enough case written in not so interesting way. And of course littered with Douglas self-masturbatory narrative that the reader can do well without. The case itself - a white supremacist serial killer - is not something you stumble upon very often, but something that needs to be spoken about more often. Because while to some, unfortunately, it serves as an inspiration, to most - it needs to serve as a lesson and a warning. White supremacists and in general - white racists - don’t lurk only in the past with KKK or confederacy - it’s in our backyards, in our social media spaces but most importantly - still among us and now being louder than ever via internet, something that Douglas thankfully addresses as well. Cases like these are a lesson that we shouldn’t stay silent, we should call out racism and racist individuals. No matter who they are. Because if we don’t - we allow harmful ideologies to fester and then we have victims, whose lives get stolen. Strong topic, just unfortunately poorly written book.
• 
  J.H. Moncrieff

  This book is a return to John Douglas and Mark Olshaker at their best. Engrossing, well written, and difficult to put down, this story of an abhorrent, hate-filled serial killer was noteworthy because Joseph Paul Franklin didn't fit the mold. If he hadn't pulled a Bundy and screwed up royally, he probably would have never been caught.
  
  Douglas dives into the perfect storm of nature and nurture that created the monster known as Franklin, and describes how these dangerous conditions are formed and how difficult it is to avert them once the course has been set.
  
  I was settling on a four-star rating until I got to the end, when the authors talked about the implications of Franklin's crimes and how they still continue to fuel hate even today. With an eloquence bordering on the poetic, they warn us of the darkness of the path we're currently on.
  
  It's shocking we don't hear more about Franklin, considering all the innocent people he murdered. But, in light of what's said at the end of this book, perhaps that's a good thing.
• 
  Whitney

  Y'all John Douglas did not come to play when he wrote this one.
  
  I tend to have mixed feelings on Douglas's stuff. Mindhunter was great, and so was The Killer Across the Table was pretty good too, although I don't know how much of my sheer enjoyment of that book came from the writing or Groff's narration. The Cases That Haunt Us was fine, nothing special, and to be honest, I didn't enjoy Journey into Darkness all that much. But this one was different--this was less about the formation of the BSU or Douglas's career as much as it was a focused case study on one particular person. That, and you could actually feel Douglas giving a middle finger to white supremacy, which was super entertaining. I mean, Douglas has never held his tongue when it comes to what he thinks of the crimes committed by the people he chases, but this particular book just felt like Douglas was 1000% done with everything and everyone.
  
  It was kind of a mood.
  
  What dropped this book a star for me was the lack of information in two areas that I would have liked a little more elaboration on. I would have liked a little more information on how racial tensions--especially during the times of the earliest crimes--may have informed the prosecution. That, along with an analysis of how to alter trial strategy based on racial tensions would have interested me immensely. (Honestly, I could read a whole book on that. Maybe Douglas will get around to it eventually, since he did briefly mention using behavioral science in the trial strategy for the Atlanta Child Murders.) I would have also liked for Douglas to have given a more specific opinion on where he thought what might trigger a racist to start murdering people. He dances around it, but doesn't really specify what his personal opinion on the matter was.
  
  That said, this book was unusual in that there wasn't a long chase sequence or a big whodunit. It really did just look at one person's crimes, his mindset, and the larger problem at hand.
  
  
• 
  Angela Messaglia

  I'm still mad about Mindhunter S3 not being made, so I just resort to reading all of John E. Douglas & Mark Olshaker's books.
  
  I didn't love this book as much as I liked The Killer Across the Table, but I'm very fascinated by the Behavioral Science Unit. There is a lot of overlap from the other book, so not MUCH new information, but still interesting enough.
  
  Definitely read if you also have a Mindhunter void in your life.
• 
  Darcy Cudmore

  Since this was written by such a well-known investigator and profiler, I thought it would be worth reading. It’s an insightful look into the hate and violence we so often see in our societies and will probably leave you sad and angry. However, it’s a decent read for someone interested in true crime.
  
  3.5 stars.
• 
  Kathy

  I talk about details of my thoughts in this
  wrap up video.
• 
  Molli B.

  Very good. I knew nothing about Joseph Paul Franklin before reading this (that I remember), and I refrained from googling stuff while I was reading the book, because I didn't want to "spoil" the end. :)
  
  Boy, what an asshole. The one from whom Dylann Roof took inspiration, so that gives you a sense of what this guy was about. He's also the guy who shot Larry Flynt (or said he did), although he never stood trial for it.
  
  Douglas discussed many different aspects of what made Franklin who he was and why he did what he did—sadly relevant even now, when you wonder why and how someone becomes so radicalized, what even starts them down that path. It's all interesting and sad and scary, and Douglas and Olshaker lay out their thoughts in a cohesive, cogent way.
  
  (There's one thing in particular that I don't remember Douglas mentioning. Franklin had wanted to be a cop but couldn't be because he had vision in only one eye, and Douglas theorizes that Franklin learning the impairment would prevent him from fulfilling his dream was perhaps an inciting life-change, part of what sent him down the path he traveled. What Douglas doesn't explicitly discuss is that if Franklin had been able to become a cop, he probably would have been one of the very, very bad ones; he'd have used the shield as exactly that—a shield—to protect himself while carrying out the hate crimes and racially motivated murders that defined his life. He was already bad before he found out he wouldn't be able to join the police force, and maybe he started killing people earlier in life because he didn't have a career to focus him, but it sure seems like if he'd been able to be a cop, at some point, he would have just killed Black and Jewish people anyway, whether on the job or not. The power would have emboldened him further. Maybe Douglas wouldn't agree with that assessment, but I'd've liked to have heard his thoughts on it.)
  
  Overall, very engaging (and enraging!) read. Well written, as Douglas and Olshaker's works are. I actually liked this better than
  The Killer Across the Table, just a bit. Maybe because of the heavier focus on a single criminal (although there are certainly references to and mentions of others) rather than a bunch of different people, with less focus.
  
  I listened to the audio, and while I'd initially been disappointed that Jonathan Groff wasn't doing this one, too, I thought Holt McCallany was perfect.
  
  Excellent book if you like this sort of thing!
• 
  Joshua

  The Killer's Shadow is an interesting book, detailing how the FBI and state/local law enforcement agencies tracked down neo-nazi serial killer Joseph Paul Franklin (named after Joseph Paul Goebbels and, oddly enough, Benjamin Franklin). This story was particularly engaging to me because, as a young interracial couple, my wife an I fit Franklin's victim profile perfectly.
  
  In this book, Douglas works through the case's history, stopping along the way to discuss relevant investigative procedures and principles of profiling. As one of the founders of the FBI's BAU, Douglas has valuable insight into federal law enforcement procedures and the details of particular cases. There is some overlap with Douglas's other books, but overall, this one is an easy recommendation for readers of true crime.
• 
  Amber

  This story is interesting but it doesn't reach the bar that I have gotten used to with any John Douglas book.
  Now this story follows Douglas as he is trying to profile a guy who has a real knack for murdering africanamerican people as well as interracial couples. As well as caucasian females who say that they prefered african american or jamicain men. The killer also made sure that everyone knew how he felt about jews as well.
  Franklin grew up in a dysfunctional home with a lot of mistreatment and later on he decided that the killings were rooted to his mother in a way.
  While he was on the hunt for his victims he was pretty good at robbing banks to supply the money needed for his targets and his activities.
  He did have wives and he did not treat them very well as well as a daughter that he never really got to know because he saw his mission to be more important than his wife and child.
  I did enjoy the book but its not one that i would actively recommend to anyone who loves true crime. I would recommend if you are a fan of Douglas and looking for something to read.
• 
  The Romance Book Disciple (Samantha)

  I have highly enjoyed Douglas' previous books, but this one missed the mark a bit. First, I felt the story was more focused on the killer and not the method of capture. I enjoy Douglas' books because of the unique insight into profiling. In this book that was just a TINY chapter. Second, the story seemed disjointed at times. The killer has a LOT of crimes and he traveled a great deal. Trying to keep up with all he did was challenging. Again, had the focus been on Douglas attempts to identify the killer, it would have made more sense. Honestly, Douglas seemed to be a passive storyteller.
  
  However, the story is still timely and intriguing. This is not a killer I was familiar with, but his actions are increasingly more common. I was surprised to know he took responsibility for a double homicide in my town of Cincinnati, OH.
• 
  Lisa Jordan

  You pretty much know when you pick up a John Douglas book what you are going to get. A deep dive into the criminal mind, what motivates them; the how's, when's and why's.
  Sticking to his tried and true method, Douglas uses this book to pick apart a cowardly sniper/serial killer.
  Although the events in this book take place in the late seventies and early eighties, there is a timely appeal to the content.
  If you loved Mindhunter or any of the subsequent books by John Douglas, or enjoy true crime reads, this book is for you.
• 
  Darth TJ

  This book didn't do what I wanted it to do, and, honestly, I guess that's partly my fault for having that expectation. Of course Douglas wasn't going to shit on law enforcement because he, himself, was a law enforcer. So, while, yeah, it's partly cool that he talks about the rise (continuation?) of racism within America on the criminal front, it's ultimately, I think, a disservice to entirely ignore the other side of the coin: racist law enforcement officials. In fact, I think it's part of the problem. Why is it so fucking hard for people who work in the FBI or police to admit that, yeah, there are some white supremacists and other bigots who work for them? Especially the police? Well, it's because of a lot of things I won't (and probably shouldn't) get into here, but I really did expect more from Douglas. I get it, he respects the boys in blue, but, I mean, how awesome would it have been to have him at least acknowledge that the police can and often are racist too? In fact, part of what he says about criminals having this lust for power and emulating law enforcement can be said for *actual cops*. Some of them do it solely for the power boners they get. They don't give a single shit about helping people, they want control, authority, they want people to fear them. Surely, Douglas has seen and worked with people like that. Racism, sexism, bigotry in general infiltrating such places as police departments and even the Department of Justice and other federal institutions is a conversation that needs to be had, and not just by the people who aren't working the beats or for the Department of Justice. I dunno, just seemed like a missed opportunity to me.
  
  Honestly, this book felt a little gross to me. Clearly, he's capitalizing on the recent "revelations" of racism in America (I put that in quotes because for those who aren't white this has been ongoing since the conception of the goddamn country). Which, okay, let's be real, a lot of folks have been doing. But he's doing it in a way that entirely misses the point. We know criminals are bad. What people are pissed about is just how many people in the government are inciting hatred and even praising it. What people are pissed about is that the people who are supposed to be protecting them from those criminals, who, again, everyone knows are bad, are bad too. They aren't protecting. They're part of the problem. So why write an entire goddamn novel talking about, "Oh, look at all the work the FBI and cops have done to put away this racist murderer," then end it with an epilogue about how, "Uh, actually the problem hasn't really gone away at all and has maybe even gotten a bit worse? Whoopsies," and then entirely fucking ignore the reason: because the way cops and, shit, probably even the FBI and definitely some judges and politicians, treat people differs based on the color of their fucking skin. Seems like some bullshit to me.
  
  A quote I want to remember: "...the distinction between M.O. and signature is very important. M.O. is what an offender does to accomplish the crime, such as bringing a gun and a demand note to a ban he intends to rob. Signature is what he does to satisfy himself emotionally in the crime."
• 
  Sandy Nawrot

  At this point, I've read probably close to a dozen books written by John Douglas. His stories of his experiences starting the profiling program in the FBI and of the buffet of crazies he's chased and interviewed...well that's just as good as it gets for me. However, he does repeat himself from book to book, and he's not ashamed to pat himself on the back. I'm maybe a little more tolerant of him doing this than other people because despite his flag-waving, the man is brilliant. Audible often features his books on their sales, and I buy them for when I need brain candy.
  
  In this installment, he focuses his attention on Joseph Paul Franklin. Douglas was called into the case early in his career not to profile unsolved crimes, but to help the authorities track him down after he escaped captivity. As he does, Douglas studies everything there is to know about Franklin, and almost slips into the soul of the offender to understand how he works.
  
  Franklin's legacy, if you will, is that he was a self-admitted white supremacist, inspired by Nazi beliefs, aiming his hate towards African Americans and Jews. This hate compelled Franklin to travel around the country, hunting innocent folks and picking them off with a sniper rifle. He also bombed one of his targets, and robbed banks to fund his killing spree. He also had aspirations to assassinate Jimmy Carter, but that never came to fruition. All told, he murdered over twenty individuals throughout ten states, wounded many more, served four life sentences and was put to death by lethal injection. Douglas had opportunities to interview Franklin in prison, and from these interviews expressed that what made this man dangerous (besides the obvious) was his potential to inspire a race riot.
  
  What I love about Douglas's books is that he unpacks not only the facts of the cases, but the personality disorders of the violators, the turning point that sent them down the path of a serial killer, and the methods in which Douglas was able to profile them. If you are the type of person who reads about these monsters and constantly ask WHY WHY WHY, this guy is going to give you some answers. Likewise, after you read a few of his books, you will hear all you need to hear about how he started the science of profiling, how he and his partner interviewed hundreds of serial killers to get an understanding of their psychopathy, how he nailed his profiles and helped catch criminals, and how amazing he is. You'll hear about Bundy, Kemper, Ridgeway, Rader, Berkowitz and Manson, over and over again. I don't get tired of it, but it gets on some people's nerves.
  
  Holt McCallany narrates this audiobook, and I've never heard him narrate before but he does play Bill Tench in Mindhunter so he is familiar with the topic. He has a booming baritone voice and it worked well.
• 
  Talie

  Thank you to Harper Audio for the complimentary copy of this audiobook.
  
  I don't typically read true crime novels but given the current political climate a book about a white supremacist serial killer seemed oddly compelling to me. Combine it with the fact that it is the same author who wrote the book the Mindhunter series was based off of and I was sold. And bonus the audiobook is narrated by Holt McCallany, the actor on the Mindhunter series.
  
  The book centers around Joseph Paul Franklin, a White Nationalist serial killer, who wreaked havoc in the late 1970s. The book is a fascinating look into a serial killer, his crimes, his background and his motivations. The book also outlines the beginning of the FBI profiling program and the methods they were rolling out. While the book outlines the murders that occur, it is not overly graphic or gory as Franklin was primarily a sniper.
  
  As I was listening to the book what really struck me was the underlying racism that fueled Franklin. So many of the sentiments really rang true with what I see happening with white supremacists in the US now. Overall I think this is a very timely and interesting book.
  
  The narration on this audiobook is top notch. With Holt McCallany I felt like a FBI profiler was telling me his story.
• 
  thebrunettebookjunkie

  The Killer's Shadow is not your typical John Douglas case. This latest installement from famed FBI profiler deals with the case of Jospeh Paul Franklin, a white supremacist who is believed to have killed 20 or more victims during his reign of racial terror. I had never heard of him. Which in part may be a good thing since he wanted the notoriety. His hatred for African Americans and Jews led him to murder many in his desire to start a race war. JPF was vile and disgusting and his lack of remorse and his views on race are infuriating and despicable. Sadly this kind of thinking and action against other races still exists today. As for the writing, I love John Douglas but I continue to believe that he thinks way too highly of himself. Sometimes it's hard to overlook his grandstanding.
• 
  Jen Juenke

  I usually LOVE John Douglas books...I like that he goes down deep for the root of the evil of the person. This book does NOT do that.
  I felt like it was disorganized and did not delve deep at all. One of the things was that John Douglas would say...this is an organized disorganized methodical sloppy killer. WHAT?! THen the childhood background which should be extensive was....dad was absent but when he appeared hit Franklin...mom was abusive...she let the boys watch afternoon tv instead of play outside.
  WHAT!?
  Franklin was married twice, did the author reach out and interview the wives?
  This was just not up to the excellence that I have come to expect from John Douglas.