Shadowman: An Elusive Psycho Killer and the Birth of FBI Profiling
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-03-02 20:23:38
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Ron Franscell
- ISBN：B097CDN61S
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
8 hours， 43 minutes
Mindhunter crossed with American Gothic。 This chilling story has the ghostly unease of a nightmare。--Michael Cannell， author of Incendiary: The Psychiatrist， the Mad Bomber and the Invention of Criminal Profiling
The pulse-pounding account of the first time in history that the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit created a psychological profile to catch a serial killer
On June 25， 1973， a seven-year-old girl went missing from the Montana campground where her family was vacationing。 Somebody had slit open the back of their tent and snatched her from under their noses。 None of them saw or heard anything。 Susie Jaeger had vanished into thin air， plucked by a shadow。
The largest manhunt in Montana's history ensued， led by the FBI。 As days stretched into weeks， and weeks into months， Special Agent Pete Dunbar attended a workshop at FBI Headquarters in Quantico， Virgina， led by two agents who had hatched a radical new idea: What if criminals left a psychological trail that would lead us to them？ Patrick Mullany， a trained psychologist， and Howard Teten， a veteran criminologist， had created the Behavioral Science Unit to explore this new voodoo they called "criminal profiling。"
At Dunbar's request， Mullany and Teten built the FBI's first profile of an unknown subject: the UnSub who had snatched Susie Jaeger and， a few months later， a nineteen-year-old waitress。 When a suspect was finally arrested， the profile fit him to a T。。。
Mindhunter crossed with American Gothic。 This chilling story has the ghostly unease of a nightmare。--Michael Cannell， author of Incendiary: The Psychiatrist， the Mad Bomber and the Invention of Criminal Profiling
The pulse-pounding account of the first time in history that the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit created a psychological profile to catch a serial killer
On June 25， 1973， a seven-year-old girl went missing from the Montana campground where her family was vacationing。 Somebody had slit open the back of their tent and snatched her from under their noses。 None of them saw or heard anything。 Susie Jaeger had vanished into thin air， plucked by a shadow。
The largest manhunt in Montana's history ensued， led by the FBI。 As days stretched into weeks， and weeks into months， Special Agent Pete Dunbar attended a workshop at FBI Headquarters in Quantico， Virgina， led by two agents who had hatched a radical new idea: What if criminals left a psychological trail that would lead us to them？ Patrick Mullany， a trained psychologist， and Howard Teten， a veteran criminologist， had created the Behavioral Science Unit to explore this new voodoo they called "criminal profiling。"
At Dunbar's request， Mullany and Teten built the FBI's first profile of an unknown subject: the UnSub who had snatched Susie Jaeger and， a few months later， a nineteen-year-old waitress。 When a suspect was finally arrested， the profile fit him to a T。。。
Reviews
Debra
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FBI Profiling。 They have become adept at catching killers。 The Behavioral Science Unit created a psychological profile to catch a serial killer for the first time in history when seven-year-old Suzie Jaeger disappeared from the tent she was sleeping in with her siblings。 June 25， 1973The Jaeger family was vacationing in a Montana campground when their seven-year-old daughter went missing。 A Circular cut was made in the tent where the children were sleeping， and seven-year-old Suzie was taken。 No FBI Profiling。 They have become adept at catching killers。 The Behavioral Science Unit created a psychological profile to catch a serial killer for the first time in history when seven-year-old Suzie Jaeger disappeared from the tent she was sleeping in with her siblings。 June 25， 1973The Jaeger family was vacationing in a Montana campground when their seven-year-old daughter went missing。 A Circular cut was made in the tent where the children were sleeping， and seven-year-old Suzie was taken。 No one saw or heard anything。 The result - the largest manhunt in Montana's history。 A year later， nineteen-year-old， Sandy Smallegan vanished as well。 Special Agent Pete Dunbar along with psychologist， Patrick Mullany and criminologist， Howard Teten created the Behavioral Science Unit。 Mullany and Teten built the first profile an unknown subject "unsub" who took Suzie Jager。Well written and engrossing， Shadowman: An Elusive Psycho Killer and the Birth of FBI Profiling details what happened to Suzie and Sandy， it also showed how the created profile brought down a killer。 Criminal Minds and other shows make it look easy but finding clues and solving crimes do not happen overnight。 In this case， the profile was near perfect， the investigators had to find clues and put the dots together with very little evidence， by following the profile and good old fashioned detective work。 They also had one thing to go on， the phone calls that Suzie's mother received from the man who took her daughter。 Fans of True Crime will not be disappointed。 This book was extensively researched and well thought out。 We get the human side， the missing females， the family members， those involved in the search and investigation and the science behind creating a profile。 I found this book to be extremely interesting as I had not heard of these cases or how profiling came to be。 This book also shows a killer so brazen that he would creep into a campground and cut a hole in a tent， not worried about being caught。 He taunted his victim's mother， enjoying the pain he caused。Readers will breathe a sigh of relief when an arrest is made。Thank you to Berkley Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 All the thoughts and opinions are my own。Read more of my reviews at www。openbookposts。com 。。。more
Bookish_Spren
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3。5 stars rounding up to 4。 RTC。
MarilynW
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ShadowMan by Ron FranscellI've become fascinated by the path "criminal profiling" has taken， from it's beginnings， to where we are now。 We get to see the beginnings of an idea when in June 25， 1973， seven year old Suzie Jaeger disappears from a tent she was sharing with her sister and brothers， which begins the largest manhunt in Montana's history。 Before that， some odd things had happened in the area of the little town of Manhattan， Montana but they faded back into memory as kids being kids， an ShadowMan by Ron FranscellI've become fascinated by the path "criminal profiling" has taken， from it's beginnings， to where we are now。 We get to see the beginnings of an idea when in June 25， 1973， seven year old Suzie Jaeger disappears from a tent she was sharing with her sister and brothers， which begins the largest manhunt in Montana's history。 Before that， some odd things had happened in the area of the little town of Manhattan， Montana but they faded back into memory as kids being kids， an errant hunter's shot， simple tragedies that couldn't be explained but shouldn't be dwelt on。 The search for little Suzie is going nowhere when nineteen year old Sandy Smallegan vanishes in thin air。Along with the help of the new， and still in it's infancy， criminal profiling techniques by the FBI， we follow the successes and missteps of plain old gut instinct and boots on the ground investigative techniques。 It's so easy， from the safety and security of my home and with all the hindsight of the crimes being solved， to see how the murderer fit the description of profile that the FBI came up with after Sandy disappeared。 But it's still amazing that after evidence has been destroyed and scattered， in the middle of a desolate landscape， how the searchers begin to put the pieces together。 Also involved in the capture of the murderer is the mother of Suzie， who played a very active role in helping to obtain audio records of the murderer's voice。 This tale isn't just about the investigators and the murderer but also about the effect that these crimes had on families， friends， and other people in the area。True crime stories often don't go easy on anyone， even the innocent people。 I feel for the people who find themselves under a microscope， through no fault of their own。 I often felt like I was intruding， while reading this story。 But that feeling can sometimes keep us from helping investigators find answers and I'm sure， if this murderer was not caught， more people would have died。 Publication: March 1st 2022Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for this ARC。 。。。more
SundayAtDusk
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Shadowman started off well， but bogged down in the 20% section of the Kindle edition。 There， Ron Franscell gave so many minute details about the ranch where killer David Meirhofer took two of his victims， Susie Jaeger and Sandra Smallegan， one really wondered why he thought the reader wanted to know all those details。 In addition， he came across as incredibly condescending to the locals， including the local law enforcement officers。 His use of profanity was not necessary， either， but also not ex Shadowman started off well， but bogged down in the 20% section of the Kindle edition。 There， Ron Franscell gave so many minute details about the ranch where killer David Meirhofer took two of his victims， Susie Jaeger and Sandra Smallegan， one really wondered why he thought the reader wanted to know all those details。 In addition， he came across as incredibly condescending to the locals， including the local law enforcement officers。 His use of profanity was not necessary， either， but also not excessive。 Maybe he's just not my type of true crime writer。 Things did fortunately pick up at 30%， especially when exploring offender profiling。 Most of the book isn't about that， however， but about the killings in the area， as well as about David Meirhofer。 Towards the end of the story， when the reader is told how his younger brother Alan ended up becoming a serial child rapeist， one could only wish there had been more in the book about The Meirhofer family in general。 There is quite a bit about Susie Jaeger's mother Marietta Jaeger Lane， a woman with a steel will and a forgiving heart。 She was the true standout in the story。（Note: I received a free e-ARC of this book from NetGalley and Berkley Books。） 。。。more
CYIReadBooks （Claire）
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It began with the disappearance of little Suzie Jaeger。 Only seven years old at the time， Suzie was abducted from the camping tent she shared with her sister and brothers。 Then， nearly a year after little Suzie’s disappearance， nineteen year old Sandy Smallegan vanishes without a trace。It would be at least 15 months before the grisly remains of Suzie and Sandy are found and the perpetrator apprehended and charged with murder。 But that journey of discovery was arduous and painstaking。 During the It began with the disappearance of little Suzie Jaeger。 Only seven years old at the time， Suzie was abducted from the camping tent she shared with her sister and brothers。 Then， nearly a year after little Suzie’s disappearance， nineteen year old Sandy Smallegan vanishes without a trace。It would be at least 15 months before the grisly remains of Suzie and Sandy are found and the perpetrator apprehended and charged with murder。 But that journey of discovery was arduous and painstaking。 During the time of discovery， Special Agent Byron “Pete” Dunbar who was leading the investigation， enlisted the help of psychologist Patrick Mullany， and criminologist Howard Teten。 Both Mullany and Teten created a specialized unit in the FBI known as the Behavioral Science Unit （BSU）， and they would be instrumental in solving the murders of Suzie， Sandy and at least 4 other cases by the use of criminal profiling。 A term used to describe the identification strategy of the pepetrator using personality and behavior characteristics。Shadow Man is more than a historical account about the emergence of the BSU。 It is also a behind the scenes look into the criminal mind and how seemingly innocuous people can be monsters in real time。Author， Ron Franscell did an excellent job in composing a true crime novel that blends history and humanity into a cohesive narrative。 Extensive reasearch is evident by the timelines， series of events， and bibliographical citations。 And unlike some other true crime novels， Franscell aptly includes a look into the current status of those men and women that were involved in the crimes and investigations。Shadow Man is certainly a must read for fans of the television series， Criminal Minds， Bones， as well as CSI。 It is also a novel not to be missed by true crime afficionados。 Five masterful stars。I received a digital ARC from Berkley Publishing through NetGalley。 The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions。 。。。more
Jenny
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True crime stories never fail to blow my mind。 They really have a way of making me shudder。 I can barely fathom how a person can commit these crimes against another person。 ShadowMan is full of scenes to make you shudder。 It is especially heinous because it involves children。 Ron Franscell’s descriptions are clear and graphic。 The focus of ShadowMan is a serial killer in small town Montana in the 1970’s。 A 7 year old girl goes missing without a trace。 A 19 year old girl （I know at 19 you are tec True crime stories never fail to blow my mind。 They really have a way of making me shudder。 I can barely fathom how a person can commit these crimes against another person。 ShadowMan is full of scenes to make you shudder。 It is especially heinous because it involves children。 Ron Franscell’s descriptions are clear and graphic。 The focus of ShadowMan is a serial killer in small town Montana in the 1970’s。 A 7 year old girl goes missing without a trace。 A 19 year old girl （I know at 19 you are technically an adult but she barely got to live and in my mind she was still a girl） disappears but leaves behind a few clues。 A new FBI behavioral science unit is trying to uncover the mind and psychological traits of the person behind these crimes。 Local police， with the help of the FBI， begins to track down the criminal as well as the whereabouts of the victims。 I can’t help but wonder how many serial killers may have gone free without the unorthodox work and thinking of this FBI team。 The term “serial killer” didn’t even exist yet。 While the book highlights the evil of humanity and the cruelness a killer can inflict on victims and their families， it also brings to light some powerful moments between two mothers。 One of the victim， and the other of the perpetrator。 The end was my favorite part。 There were some surprising facts about the case and others， with explanations linking them to people involved。 I also enjoyed the recap， with the where are they now perspective， keeping you up to date with present day。 This is a solid， informative read for true crime lovers to get their fix。 Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for the ARC copy of this book！ Release date is March 1， 2022。 Available for pre-order now。 。。。more
Lena H。
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Really interesting peek at the very first attempt of the FBI to use profiling to identify a killer。 The process they used and the theories behind it aren't covered in great detail but it was interesting to read what they came up with and the struggles they had getting their theories to be accepted by investigators and even the FBI itself。 The case gets a lot of flack but when you consider that they were working off only two crimes and almost no physical evidence， their profile was surprisingly a Really interesting peek at the very first attempt of the FBI to use profiling to identify a killer。 The process they used and the theories behind it aren't covered in great detail but it was interesting to read what they came up with and the struggles they had getting their theories to be accepted by investigators and even the FBI itself。 The case gets a lot of flack but when you consider that they were working off only two crimes and almost no physical evidence， their profile was surprisingly accurate。 I also thought it was really interesting that one of the psychics mentioned as having contacted the police after the second murder told the police the killer was a carpenter。 Nailed it！ Definitely worth a read for anyone who's interested in true crime。 。。。more
Ron Baumer
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What a suspenseful and powerful novel。 This story will keep your interest and you cannot put this one down！ The drama of finding the killer and what the investigators went through to solve the case will surely hold your interest。 A must read for the true crime enthusiast！Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review。
Tai
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I found "ShadowMan" to be completely captivating。 Ron Franscell makes this case feel more like a novel than true crime。 It easily falls into the category of a 'page turner'。 I already new a bit about this particular serial killer but it was written in a way that made me doubt my knowledge and think more like the lead FBI agent Pete Dunbar。 I loved that there was the confession transcript as a part of the conclusion。 It was also nice that there was a where are they now section at the end。 I usual I found "ShadowMan" to be completely captivating。 Ron Franscell makes this case feel more like a novel than true crime。 It easily falls into the category of a 'page turner'。 I already new a bit about this particular serial killer but it was written in a way that made me doubt my knowledge and think more like the lead FBI agent Pete Dunbar。 I loved that there was the confession transcript as a part of the conclusion。 It was also nice that there was a where are they now section at the end。 I usually look up the people involved and how they were doing and this gave me a head start。 All in all， if you are a true crime fanatic like me， you will enjoy it。 It's a worthwhile read。 。。。more
Valerity （Val）
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This is another good true crime book by the author， this time about a twisted killer in Montana who triggered the very first criminal profile by the FBI。 His crimes were particularly repulsive。 When Special Agent Dunbar learns about the newest thing out of the Behavioral Science Unit， he asks them to use it to profile the person behind the crimes in Montana。 This serial killer would be the first to be actively investigated using this method。 Although Dunbar had some reservations， it worked so we This is another good true crime book by the author， this time about a twisted killer in Montana who triggered the very first criminal profile by the FBI。 His crimes were particularly repulsive。 When Special Agent Dunbar learns about the newest thing out of the Behavioral Science Unit， he asks them to use it to profile the person behind the crimes in Montana。 This serial killer would be the first to be actively investigated using this method。 Although Dunbar had some reservations， it worked so well， that criminal profiling became used much more in the future。 Advance electronic review copy was provided by NetGalley， author Ron Franscell， and the publisher。 。。。more
Lili
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