John E. Douglas is probably the best-known criminal profiler in the business. Here he tells a story, from beginning to end, about the repeat killer Larry Gene Bell, who abucted and killed two girls in 1985 South Carolina. It's a really good book, well-written and narrated, detailed, interesting, saddening. I plan to listen to more of Douglas' books about crime. ( )

When a Killer Calls by John E. Douglas is a 2022 Dey Street Books publication.

This is one of the more chilling true crime books I’ve read in a while. It begins with the abduction of Sheri Smith- a teenager on the cusp of graduating from high school. The way this happened was jarring enough, but as the investigation proceeds, and more murders take place, the conversations between the killer and the family sent chills down my spine.

Larry Gene Bell was eventually charged and tried for Sheri’s murder as well as that of nine-year-old Debra May Helmick. The book covers murders, the investigations and the trials. Douglas a seasoned FBI profiler, gives a detailed account of the case and his insights into the mind of a killer.

The book is well organized, very informative, and well written. Occasionally, it could be a bit dry, but mostly it was an interesting look at these murder cases from start to finish, with a strong emphasis on criminal profiling and its role in law enforcement.

Overall, a well-written book that provides a fascinating look into the mind of a serial killer. I recommend it for all True Crime readers!

4+ stars ( )

I never knew about this story, but I feel like I am an expert now.

The way this was told was so matter-of-fact, there was no question at all that the police and FBI did everything they could to solve this as soon as they could. The victims' stories were told with such a soft touch, you could tell that John felt for them.

I can't wait to read more of his stories! ( )

Thank you to John Douglas, Mark Olshaker, Dey Street Books & Netgalley for the chance to read this advanced copy in return for an honest review. This book will be released on Feb. 1, 2022.

John Douglas, best known for his book Mindhunter, details another case where behavioral profiling helps lead local police to the man who kidnapped and murdered a young woman and a little girl. It is believed that without the profile offered by the FBI, this man may never have been caught.

Shari Smith is getting ready for the best summer of her life. She is two days from walking at graduation and then going on a cruise to the Bahamas with her friends. Upon returning to the home she shares with her parents, Shari stops at the end of the long driveway to check the mail. When her father looks out the window and sees her car is still at the end of the driveway with the door open he knows something is wrong. The local police are called and they automatically know that this isn't the case of a girl who has run away - she has left everything behind including the medicine she needs to live.

Shortly after her abduction, her family begins receiving haunting calls from her kidnapper claiming that there will be a letter from Shari to her family mailed soon. That letter ended up being Shari's Last Will and Testament. As the UNSUB (unknown subject) continues to call and torture the family. One of his calls gives them directions to Shari's body. Despite the discovery of her body, the subject continues to call and hurt the family.

Two weeks after Shari Smith goes missing, nine-year-old Debra May Helmick is abducted from her front yard by a man matching the description of Shari's kidnapper. The subject continues to call the Smith family as he is now obsessed with Shari's older sister, Dawn, and feels the need to offer details on where Debra can be found. Her little body is recovered later that day.

Thanks to advances in technology a possible suspect becomes the only suspect and is quickly arrested for the crimes. While he attempts to do everything he can to make himself seem mentally ill - the truth comes out and justice is served.

I love a good true crime book and John Douglas' is some of the best. I had only previously heard of this case via podcast and an old episode of Unsolved Mysteries. It was very interesting to watch the case unfold and find out that it was successfully resolved made the book that much better. ( )

This is the kind of the story that is right up the alley of my morbid mind. I find the world of criminal profiling so fascinating, and this is a deep dive into the process of solving a crime of the worst kind from beginning to end. John Douglas, the founding father of the FBI’s behavior analysis unit, takes us on this journey to solve a particularly upsetting abduction of 18 year old Shari Smith. Taken from her driveway while collecting mail, her badly decomposed body is found several days later. Operating in the background, behind local law enforcement, John Douglas and his crew of elite profilers are building a portrait of who would commit this crime. Their job is to point police in the right direction before the killer strikes again. Full of all the details, this could be a subject of great complexity, but I think the authors succeed at making this easy to understand. A truly fascinating read. Thank you to Netgalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review. ( )