The Killer's Shadow: The FBI's Hunt for a White Supremacist Serial Killer
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- Create Date：2020-11-22 21:48:05
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：John E. Douglas
- ISBN：9780062979766
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Summary
The legendary FBI criminal profiler and international bestselling author of Mindhunter and The Killer Across the Table returns with this timely， relevant book that goes to the heart of extremism and domestic terrorism， examining in-depth his chilling pursuit of， and eventual prison confrontation with Joseph Paul Franklin， a White Nationalist serial killer and one of the most disturbing psychopaths he has ever encountered。Worshippers stream out of an Midwestern synagogue after sabbath services， unaware that only a hundred yards away， an expert marksman and avowed racist， antisemite and member of the Ku Klux Klan， patiently awaits， his hunting rifle at the ready。
The October 8， 1977 shooting was a forerunner to the tragedies and divisiveness that plague us today。 John Douglas， the FBI’s pioneering， first full-time criminal profiler， hunted the shootera white supremacist named Joseph Paul Franklin， whose Nazi-inspired beliefs propelled a three-year reign of terror across the United States， targeting African Americans， Jews， and interracial couples。 In addition， Franklin bombed the home of Jewish leader Morris Amitay， shot and paralyzed Hustler magazine publisher Larry Flynt， and seriously wounded civil rights leader Vernon Jordan。 The fugitive supported his murderous spree robbing banks in five states， from Georgia to Ohio。
Douglas and his writing partner Mark Olshaker return to this disturbing case that reached the highest levels of the Bureau， which was fearful Franklin would become a presidential assassinand haunted him for years to come as the threat of copycat domestic terrorist killers increasingly became a reality。 Detailing the dogged pursuit of Franklin that employed profiling， psychology and meticulous detective work， Douglas and Olshaker relate how the case was a make-or-break test for the still-experimental behavioral science unit and revealed a new type of， determined， mission-driven serial killer whose only motivation was hate。
A riveting， cautionary tale rooted in history that continues to echo today， The Killer's Shadow is a terrifying and essential exploration of the criminal personality in the vile grip of extremism and what happens when rage-filled speech evolves into deadly action and hatred of the “other" is allowed full reign。
The Killer's Shadow includes an 8-page color photo insert。
Editor Reviews
06/01/2020
Douglas， the FBI's first full-timer， again joins forces with writer and documentary filmmaker Olshaker， following up on their streak of New York Times best sellers （Mindhunter） to investigate an early test case for the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit: the late 1970s rampage of Joseph Paul Franklin， a White Nationalist serial killer。 With a 50，000-copy first printing; still scarily relevant。
Reviews
langleyd
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When reading a gruesome murder mystery， you always think， "At least it couldn't happen in real life"。 But it can and does。 John E Douglas was an FBI profiler when the BAU was not as famous as it is currently。 He is the author of the Mindhunter book， yes the one the Netflix series is based on。 This is the story of the FBI's hunt for John Paul Franklin， a serial killer whose victims were racially chosen yet had nothing in common。 This made the investigation and ultimate capture very difficult。 The story is more thrilling than your average fictional phycological thriller， and worse， it's true。 An absolutely engrossing read that left me with much more information on how the FBI investigations work。
John
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RTC
Denice Langley
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When reading a gruesome murder mystery， you always think， "At least it couldn't happen in real life"。 But it can and does。 John E Douglas was an FBI profiler when the BAU was not as famous as it is currently。 He is the author of the Mindhunter book， yes the one the Netflix series is based on。 This is the story of the FBI's hunt for John Paul Franklin， a serial killer whose victims were racially chosen yet had nothing in common。 This made the investigation and ultimate capture very difficult。 The When reading a gruesome murder mystery， you always think， "At least it couldn't happen in real life"。 But it can and does。 John E Douglas was an FBI profiler when the BAU was not as famous as it is currently。 He is the author of the Mindhunter book， yes the one the Netflix series is based on。 This is the story of the FBI's hunt for John Paul Franklin， a serial killer whose victims were racially chosen yet had nothing in common。 This made the investigation and ultimate capture very difficult。 The story is more thrilling than your average fictional phycological thriller， and worse， it's true。 An absolutely engrossing read that left me with much more information on how the FBI investigations work。 。。。more
Lisa Jordan
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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 re 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。 。。。more
Robb
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Listen to my review on my podcast: https://bookedpodcast。podbean。com/e/5。。。ALSO， here's my interview with coauthor Mark Olshaker: https://bookedpodcast。podbean。com/e/5。。。 Listen to my review on my podcast: https://bookedpodcast。podbean。com/e/5。。。ALSO， here's my interview with coauthor Mark Olshaker: https://bookedpodcast。podbean。com/e/5。。。 。。。more
Booked podcast
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Hear our complete review on our website: https://bookedpodcast。podbean。com/e/5。。。 Hear our complete review on our website: https://bookedpodcast。podbean。com/e/5。。。 。。。more
Jennifer
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Interesting look into a serial killer。 More complete review will be on Myshelf。com soon
Reading Mama
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The authors of Mindhunter and The Killer Across the Table （which are both phenomenal btw） are back with a new true crime book。 I have been sitting on my thoughts on this one for awhile because there was so much， for me emotionally， to process。 TKS is a horrifying， true account of Blacks， Jews and interracial couples literally being killed in broad daylight， through heinous crimes such as targeted assassinations and bombings。 Even though these events took place in the 1970s， you can imagine why t The authors of Mindhunter and The Killer Across the Table （which are both phenomenal btw） are back with a new true crime book。 I have been sitting on my thoughts on this one for awhile because there was so much， for me emotionally， to process。 TKS is a horrifying， true account of Blacks， Jews and interracial couples literally being killed in broad daylight， through heinous crimes such as targeted assassinations and bombings。 Even though these events took place in the 1970s， you can imagine why this was a hard read to stomach， but even more so because what is happening in our country today。 Douglas discusses the heart of extremism and domestic terrorism， and describes the killer as "one of the most disturbed psychopaths he ever encountered"。 The level of hatred and racism is truly incomprehensible。 When the FBI finally catches him， they saw the pure， unadulterated hatred that fueled his actions。 He didn't care how he killed， he just cared about there being one less Black person in the world。 We all know the saying， "Those who fail to understand history are doomed to repeat it。" It seems like a pretty common sense， straightforward concept， but here we are。 Goodreads calls this a "riveting， cautionary tale rooted in history that continues to echo today。" Overall， this is a hard read to stomach， but if you can， it is a compelling and powerful read that is SO important for today's society。 Thank you @deystreet @williammorrowbooks for sending me this review copy。 This book will be out November 17！ 。。。more
Angelica
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John Douglas does it again！ I really enjoy the combination of Douglas and Olshaker writing together。 I like when my true crime reads like fiction。 It is easy to get lost in the story， as if I was watching a movie。 Douglas， probably best known for Mindhunter is try go-to for all things FBI and true crime。 This story was a little less known than some of his other work， but it was still a very interesting read。 Some may say Douglas likes to toot his own horn a bit， but he is damn good at what he do John Douglas does it again！ I really enjoy the combination of Douglas and Olshaker writing together。 I like when my true crime reads like fiction。 It is easy to get lost in the story， as if I was watching a movie。 Douglas， probably best known for Mindhunter is try go-to for all things FBI and true crime。 This story was a little less known than some of his other work， but it was still a very interesting read。 Some may say Douglas likes to toot his own horn a bit， but he is damn good at what he does， and his profiling work is fascinating。 。。。more
Coley
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John Douglas’ books are must reads for any true-crime buff。 He wrote the Mindhunter book （on which the series is based） and essentially created the term “serial killer”。 He also was the head of the FBI’s original “BSU” （Behavioral Science Unit）—essentially， he’s the reason why we have and study criminals and their behaviors。 This particular novel focuses on the hunt for white supremacist John Paul Franklin during the 70’s。 Franklin was a serial killer who had a penchant for killing not one parti John Douglas’ books are must reads for any true-crime buff。 He wrote the Mindhunter book （on which the series is based） and essentially created the term “serial killer”。 He also was the head of the FBI’s original “BSU” （Behavioral Science Unit）—essentially， he’s the reason why we have and study criminals and their behaviors。 This particular novel focuses on the hunt for white supremacist John Paul Franklin during the 70’s。 Franklin was a serial killer who had a penchant for killing not one particular “brand” - he went after blacks， interracial couples， Jewish congregations （coming out of religious ceremonies）。 This novel is well-written， intriguing and also kept me on the edge of my seat。 You learn so much about both Franklin and about Douglas， as he takes what he’s been practicing on convicted serial killers to the streets to actually use to catch an acting serial killer at large。 。。。more
CrabbyPatty
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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 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" 。。。more
KC
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Well-known FBI profiler John E。 Douglas （Mindhunter fame） takes us back to 1977 when the country was terrorized by a string of heinous offenses， ranging from shootings to bombings targeting African Americans， Jews， and interracial couples。 Behind the crime-spree was a professed racist and skilled sharpshooter， Joseph Paul Franklin。 This is a thoroughly comprehensive look at one of the most notorious racist serial killers of the 20th Century。
Bruna （bruandthebooks）
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4。5If you like true crime books， John Douglas’ books are mandatory reads。 He was the head of the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit in the 70s and him and his group basically created the term "serial killer。" He has interviewed and studied hundreds of serial killers to try to understand their motives， modus operandi and psychology。I highly recommend reading his previous books: Mindhunter， The Killer Across the Table， and The Cases That Haunt Us。The Killer’s Shadow details step by step the hunt for 4。5If you like true crime books， John Douglas’ books are mandatory reads。 He was the head of the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit in the 70s and him and his group basically created the term "serial killer。" He has interviewed and studied hundreds of serial killers to try to understand their motives， modus operandi and psychology。I highly recommend reading his previous books: Mindhunter， The Killer Across the Table， and The Cases That Haunt Us。The Killer’s Shadow details step by step the hunt for Joseph Paul Franklin。 He was a white supremacist serial killer who was shooting innocent black people all over the country in the 80s。 Since he was moving around a lot， it was very difficult to link him to different killings。This book intrigued me because as John Douglas says， Franklin scared and repulsed him as much as Charles Manson did。 If John Douglas， a man who’s talked to the most terrifying serial killers， defines Franklin as as repulsive as Manson， I want to read about him。Franklin was caught after killing two young black men in Cincinnati。 He was being held in the Florence， KY prison for interrogation when he escaped。 And that’s when John Douglas enters。 They were suspicious that Franklin was responsible for more killings besides the two men in Cincinnati。This was a challenge for John Douglas since he was used to profiling possible serial killers before they’re caught， not going after a killer who has already been caught and escaped。 Nonetheless， the police needed John Douglas to profile Franklin and see if he really was the most likely suspect for the killings。This book is very detailed and as always， while reading Douglas’ books， I feel like I’m in a very interesting class and he’s the best teacher I’ve ever had。 Everything is very well explained and he makes it easy to digest the information。 I’m sure part of it is because Mark Oshaker is his writing partner and he’s awesome as well。Please note that this detailed story has some graphic and potentially upsetting content。 They quote Franklin a lot and everything he says about black people and Jews is gruesome and appalling。 His hate for mixed race couples is tremendous。 He was a member of the Ku Klux Klan and Nazi-inspired groups， and the reason why he left these groups was because he thought they were all about talking and no action。 And he wanted to take action on his mission of exterminating black people。 Yes， awful。 。。。more
Valerity （Val）
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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 Jose 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。 。。。more
Caroline Craig David
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