Tuesday, May 23, 2017

INCENDIARY : THE PSYCHIATRIST, THE MAD BOMBER, AND THE INVENTION OF CRIMINAL PROFILING
by Michael Cannell 

The bombings had begun in New York City in 1940. No place was actually safe as the homemade explosives were planted in the most populated areas: Radio City Music Hall, Penn Station, the Paramount, a library, subway stations, theaters, etc. The most formidable police force were dumbfounded and couldn't figure it out. In the beginning when the bombs were set off, nobody was hurt. That changed in 1956. The bomber began to send in letters to newspapers and they were signed as "F.P." His intent now was to kill. In desperation police Captain Finney contacted Dr. James A. Brussel, a psychiatrist who was experienced in the criminal mind.Dr. Brussel examined the evidence from crime scenes, plus the weird verbiage of F.P.'s letters. Within two hours he was able to compile a profile of the bomber even down to what kind of clothing he wore. So now the police and detectives had a vision of what this guy possibly looked like but it wasn't enough. Dr. Brussel suggested that a tabloid that everybody read called The Journal-American reach out to the public to let them know what was going on and if they knew of anybody that fit this description. It worked because not only did the information generate plenty of interest, the bomber himself wrote to the tabloid explaining his reason why he did it. F.P. was eventually discovered.
Incendiary is a terrific story. With this book you read about the minds of schizophrenics, the beginnings of forensic profiling, the amazing Dr. Brussel, what the police went through, and the aftermath when F.P. was captured Author Michael Cannell used meticulous means of research, which took him three years, to write a riveting tale.
If you enjoy reading true crime, you don't want to miss out on Incendiary. It will definitely keep you glued to the page.
Highly recommended.