The Dark Side of the Mind: True Stories from My Life as a Forensic Psychologist
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- Create Date：2021-04-29 00:52:24
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Kerry Daynes
- ISBN：1788402170
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Summary
Welcome to the world of the forensic psychologist， where the people you meet are wildly unpredictable and often frightening。
The job: to delve into the psyche of convicted men and women to try to understand what lies behind their often brutal actions。
Follow in the footsteps of Kerry Daynes， one of the most sought-after forensic psychologists in the business and consultant on major police investigations。
Kerry's job has taken her to the cells of maximum-security prisons， police interview rooms， the wards of secure hospitals and the witness box of the court room。
Her work has helped solve a cold case， convict the guilty and prevent a vicious attack。
Spending every moment of your life staring into the darker side of life comes with a price。 Kerry's frank memoir gives an unforgettable insight into the personal and professional dangers in store for a female psychologist working with some of the most disturbing men and women。
Reviews
Alix Galbraith
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I am now training to be a forensic psychologist :）
Lauren Jones
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I loved this book。 Daynes is incredibly astute and offers perspectives on people's behaviour most would write off as bad for the sake of being bad。 She writes in such a way you can't not empathise with her and her clients。 She writes of her life as she navigates the messy world of forensic psychology， offering her perspective as a woman and as an expert in her field。 I would love to read more of her work。 I loved this book。 Daynes is incredibly astute and offers perspectives on people's behaviour most would write off as bad for the sake of being bad。 She writes in such a way you can't not empathise with her and her clients。 She writes of her life as she navigates the messy world of forensic psychology， offering her perspective as a woman and as an expert in her field。 I would love to read more of her work。 。。。more
Mrs T J Giles
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An interesting group of stories of people who have crossed paths with Kerry both sides of prison bars and hospital doors。 Shocking amusing frightening enlightening and interesting。 made you think。
Sabrina Stobbs
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Best book I’ve read this year so far！ Definitely loved the black humour since I’ve worked in prisons and policing for many years I totally get that！ 😂👍🏻！I found that while the book wasn’t a text book it still taught me quite a bit I will no doubt remind myself of In my working practice！ I would have to agree with many points made in the book， particularly the one that found the behaviours in prisons in the U。K。 can be questioned about while it continues how can the justice system ever work？！ A q Best book I’ve read this year so far！ Definitely loved the black humour since I’ve worked in prisons and policing for many years I totally get that！ 😂👍🏻！I found that while the book wasn’t a text book it still taught me quite a bit I will no doubt remind myself of In my working practice！ I would have to agree with many points made in the book， particularly the one that found the behaviours in prisons in the U。K。 can be questioned about while it continues how can the justice system ever work？！ A question i have asked myself many times！ I myself am trying to leave the justice system as a job at present for many of the reasons Kerry mentions in the book！ As someone who has suffered various mental health complaints for many years it saddened me to hear that certain professionals hold the views they do of certain conditions although I wasn’t surprised since I find the mental health services in this country abysmal at best and none existent at worst！ You barely stand a chance when you are labelled and I get by simply by lying every single day of my life because it I admired to the conditions they say I have i wouldn’t ever have done the jobs I have！ They never would have let me！ Pretending you don’t have the condition I have though is truly exhausting and of course wrong on every level but I refuse to let the system punish me as it clearly does some of these poor people in the book！ Absolutely superbly well written！ Chronological stories that flowed throughout extremely well！ Can’t wait for the release of your next book and I truly wish you did psychology for individuals with mental health not forensics！ I’d do anything for a therapist who holds your belief that you work with someone for as long as they individually need and in a way that suits them！ Something none of the professionals I’ve ever worked with do！ 。。。more
Dawn Davies
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The UK not only has one of the highest prison populations but also one of the highest prison suicide rates in Europe。 Furthermore， the Prison Reform Trust estimates 70% of prisoners show signs of mental disturbance。 Therefore there is no surprise that forensic psychologists such as the author are needed。 These stories are from her time in prisons such as HMP Manchester（strangeways） and HMP Wakefield as well as secure hospitals。 It is part memoir and part factual with each chapter focused on one The UK not only has one of the highest prison populations but also one of the highest prison suicide rates in Europe。 Furthermore， the Prison Reform Trust estimates 70% of prisoners show signs of mental disturbance。 Therefore there is no surprise that forensic psychologists such as the author are needed。 These stories are from her time in prisons such as HMP Manchester（strangeways） and HMP Wakefield as well as secure hospitals。 It is part memoir and part factual with each chapter focused on one patient/client。 Her own story is well woven in to the narrative with her own experiences of domestic abuse mentioned when talking about a wife who murdered her own husband after years of physical and psychological abuse。 This was a really great read and it was amazing to see how much of the acronyms I remembered from my uni days such as CBT， PEACE and PACE。 It only reiterates how tough a job it is mentally dealing with patients like that on a day to day basis and how thick a skin you need！ 。。。more
Meg Cowley
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The Dark Side Of The Mind by Kerry Daynes easily makes one of my top 3 reads so far this year。Highly recommended and highly unexpected。 I chose this because I thought it would be useful research for writing， but what I didn't expect was the emotional rollercoaster and the very human punch to the feels。This incredibly well-penned book is thought provoking， profound， and poignant。 At times， it elicited a surprise laugh， at others， a deep horror， and I end it feeling surprisingly bereft and empathe The Dark Side Of The Mind by Kerry Daynes easily makes one of my top 3 reads so far this year。Highly recommended and highly unexpected。 I chose this because I thought it would be useful research for writing， but what I didn't expect was the emotional rollercoaster and the very human punch to the feels。This incredibly well-penned book is thought provoking， profound， and poignant。 At times， it elicited a surprise laugh， at others， a deep horror， and I end it feeling surprisingly bereft and empathetic to many of the people mentioned within。The best books leave an emotional resonance。。。。 but this book will genuinely make me a better person， through being kinder， more empathetic， and quicker to challenge our deeply flawed societal norms。 。。。more
Karen
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An interesting read。 Enjoyed her writing style and humour。 7 out of 10
Claire Sutherland
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Is it wrong to say I really enjoyed this book about real crime？ There was a good mix of stories during the authors career and also true memoirs。 Would go as far as to say it was really touching in parts which was unexpected。 Certainly does make you think
Katrina
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Fascinating read for anyone interested in the psychology。 Not only does the author tell you about her encounters but she also explains the meaning behind them， why she did the things she did 。Its also a hard read in places， as she talks about the abuse her 'clients' suffered and how some of the 'clients' were treated by fellow inmates and staff。 Fascinating read for anyone interested in the psychology。 Not only does the author tell you about her encounters but she also explains the meaning behind them， why she did the things she did 。Its also a hard read in places， as she talks about the abuse her 'clients' suffered and how some of the 'clients' were treated by fellow inmates and staff。 。。。more
Phoebe
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I feel that I went into this book biased。 I’m a psychology student and the only topic I tend not to enjoy is forensic psychology。 However， this book was so highly rated that I thought I’d give it a try。 Whilst it was very well written it unfortunately didn’t make me like forensic psychology and didn’t include anything too revolutionary （although it might be more exciting if you haven’t studied it before）。 I’d recommend this book if you like the sound of the blurb and are interested in this kind I feel that I went into this book biased。 I’m a psychology student and the only topic I tend not to enjoy is forensic psychology。 However， this book was so highly rated that I thought I’d give it a try。 Whilst it was very well written it unfortunately didn’t make me like forensic psychology and didn’t include anything too revolutionary （although it might be more exciting if you haven’t studied it before）。 I’d recommend this book if you like the sound of the blurb and are interested in this kind of thing but it’s not worth the hype IMO 。。。more
Yasmin Clancy
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Really enjoyed this book！ 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟Kerry Daynes brings humour and wit whilst delving into the minds of the mentally ill during her time as a forensic psychologist。 My favourite quote: It is time to change the question， from “What is wrong with them？ To altogether more awkward， uncomfortable questions。 Let’s start with: What has happened to them？ And what has happened to us as a society？
Tanya Costello
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An interesting memoir of a Forensic Psychologist。 Daynes shares a selection of stories relating to prisoners and psychiatric patients that she has had involvement with。 She also gives an account of her personal involvement with a stalker。 Fascinating。
Kelly
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I was disappointed that I didn't love this more。 I enjoyed the insight into a Physchologist's work and daily life， the rewards and the negatives of a job like that。 The cases she talks about were clearly important to her and she obviously enjoys her job for the mostpart。 I was a little saddened that she said she wasn't going to talk about "famous" cases but then went on to name drop a fair few famous criminals that she had dealt with - I'd rather have read more about the lesser known people。 I was disappointed that I didn't love this more。 I enjoyed the insight into a Physchologist's work and daily life， the rewards and the negatives of a job like that。 The cases she talks about were clearly important to her and she obviously enjoys her job for the mostpart。 I was a little saddened that she said she wasn't going to talk about "famous" cases but then went on to name drop a fair few famous criminals that she had dealt with - I'd rather have read more about the lesser known people。 。。。more
Rebecca Fowkes
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I have really struggled to get into this， I just found it boring which is a shame as I was looking forward to reading it。 So decided to give up on it。
bibliophoenix
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This was a very insightful look into how the author dealt with her cases as a Forensic psychologist。 I really enjoyed reading it although I found it a little difficult to read simply because it's not the most up-beat topic， is it？Definitely worth a read if you have any interest in that side of medicine/science。 This was a very insightful look into how the author dealt with her cases as a Forensic psychologist。 I really enjoyed reading it although I found it a little difficult to read simply because it's not the most up-beat topic， is it？Definitely worth a read if you have any interest in that side of medicine/science。 。。。more
Danielle Mardsen
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Absolutely incredible insight into the world of Forensic Psychology and the route to getting there。 I loved this book， it was an extremely personable read。 Sad it ended
Steve Armstrong
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A fascinating and insightful read on the life of a Psychologist。 It gives so many other avenues to explore in what is an incredible subject area。The cases discussed provide a huge mixture of potential emotional responses， from sadness to anger。 I particularly like that with few exceptions， the real people discussed in the book are not named。 Where they are， then they are well known cases。What a life this lady has lived and worked。
Rhyannon
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I can’t remember how I found out about this book but I’m very glad I did。 Really interesting and well written。 Engaging stories， subjects and useful insights and information to use in my Psychology course。 The copy I had included an interview with the author， book reading questions and notes on the books mentioned - a few of which I plan to look up。 One thing I would say is this is not a book to read in bed before sleeping。 Not if， like me， you are a very visual and imaginative person and reply I can’t remember how I found out about this book but I’m very glad I did。 Really interesting and well written。 Engaging stories， subjects and useful insights and information to use in my Psychology course。 The copy I had included an interview with the author， book reading questions and notes on the books mentioned - a few of which I plan to look up。 One thing I would say is this is not a book to read in bed before sleeping。 Not if， like me， you are a very visual and imaginative person and reply images in your head easily。 This book though funny in places has trauma and stories of violence throughout。 So it can kind of stay with you a while after。 Insightful， thought provoking and engaging。 Ticked all the boxes for me just like a psych evaluation form 😜 。。。more
Caroline Lisa
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Fascinating
Theres Lessing
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Fairly interesting but also a bit short on detail！
Kelly Tuplin
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A good read although not what I expected。 I expected the book to be more educational with alot more information about forensic psychologists but this was not the case。 The experience she has is amazing and the case studies were utterly fascinating。 I did feel the stories were too rushed at times and that i wanted to know more about the inmates or clients。 I liked the contrast between the prison and mental health ward。
Kay Cugini
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Really interesting read， absorbing and well written， some great dry humour in it， really enjoyed it
Will
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Thoroughly enjoyed this book。 Fascinating from the get-go with great retelling of experiences which provide eye opening insight into the world of forensic psychology， the criminal justice system， the worlds of offenders and victims and how mental health plays a significant role in almost all areas。 Well written and a nice blend of informative and humour。 Would recommend this book to everyone， especially if you're keen to see the world of psychology in a more applied setting。 Thoroughly enjoyed this book。 Fascinating from the get-go with great retelling of experiences which provide eye opening insight into the world of forensic psychology， the criminal justice system， the worlds of offenders and victims and how mental health plays a significant role in almost all areas。 Well written and a nice blend of informative and humour。 Would recommend this book to everyone， especially if you're keen to see the world of psychology in a more applied setting。 。。。more
Laurenie
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5/5 stars - spoiler free review， skims over a few situations mentioned in the book。Although this book did not necessarily have the intention to come across as "feminist" or to compare male and females in the same job type， I feel as though it did unintentionally。 First of all， I have seen some reviews on Goodreads of this book which title Daynes as "entitled"， "arrogant"， and "downright annoying" which in my opinion completely proves her narrative of the male treatment of females within her book 5/5 stars - spoiler free review， skims over a few situations mentioned in the book。Although this book did not necessarily have the intention to come across as "feminist" or to compare male and females in the same job type， I feel as though it did unintentionally。 First of all， I have seen some reviews on Goodreads of this book which title Daynes as "entitled"， "arrogant"， and "downright annoying" which in my opinion completely proves her narrative of the male treatment of females within her book。 She was not regarded seriously at all during her reporting and time working with authorities due to her stalking case， when she was younger and worked at a prison she was constantly undermined by her male counterparts， to the point of harassment and she was eventually let go from her job because of a 'public scandal' that was barely through a fault of her own！Of course we can consider that as this book is from her POV that it could be biased， however if you take into account other women's experience in similar job roles personally I have no reason to believe she would lie or exaggerate。 Not only this， but what shocks me is that this book is often set in the 2000s， meaning that this sort of sexist behaviour still happens today and that it is quite extreme， personally it just really boils my blood。 Beyond that， her account of some patients， for example the woman who created multiple personalities was very intriguing。 It was such a shame to hear the dismissal other members of staff had to her condition and often ignored her needs in favour of believing that she was attention seeking， also Daynes recalls a number of times where she wishes to raise an issue but either doesn't or is ignored because she is of a lesser role - and usually get's proven right at the expense of something serious （she could be being bias here as this is her own account， again take this as you will。）Similarly with the novel "a bit of a stretch" by Chris Atkins， the main takeaway from this is that the system needs to be changed。 Too many members of staff are not trained properly， or they are not treated fairly because of gender etc， this novel was not written in the 70s therefore there are no excuses。 The treatment or equal dismissal of some patients/prisoners was outstanding， staff either did not understand or did not care to put the effort into truly helping， which begs the question to me; why did they join that career in the first place？ Perhaps the staff need to be paid more too， I think they are expected a lot for the small amount of pay they get and this could over time potentially de-motivate people， especially if they are never promoted or recognised for their work。A very informative novel， made my blood boil at times because of the injustice of many of the things that Daynes experiences and I hope that things change in the near future。5/5 stars， brilliant read - I don't often give 5 stars but this time I did because I can't really see how it could have been written any better。 Highly recommend to those interested in joining the forensic field or are just curious as to what a portion of it entails。 。。。more
Louise Pharo
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TWs: self harm， suicide， murder， domestic abuse， trauma and sexual assault。Forensic psychology has always interested me and is actually a career I have considered for myself so as I'm sure you can imagine I devoured this book！ In this memoir Kerry Daynes talks us through some of the many experiences she has had as a forensic psychologist where she has to delve into the minds of convicted men and women。 This has to be one of the most compelling， thought provoking and chilling non fiction books I TWs: self harm， suicide， murder， domestic abuse， trauma and sexual assault。Forensic psychology has always interested me and is actually a career I have considered for myself so as I'm sure you can imagine I devoured this book！ In this memoir Kerry Daynes talks us through some of the many experiences she has had as a forensic psychologist where she has to delve into the minds of convicted men and women。 This has to be one of the most compelling， thought provoking and chilling non fiction books I have ever read， I struggled to put it down。 Daynes writes in a very humourous and witty way but also knows how to get a point across。 We learn about mental health and the different sorts of criminals that Daynes has had to work with over the course of her career and also get an insight into the inner workings of the mental health and criminal justice systems and how much they have changed over the years。 Daynes also described how each of these cases affected her personally and some of her own troubles that she has faced over her career and I think that is what made the novel so much more than the typical true crime you see。 It felt alot more real and hard hitting。As long as you are aware of the trigger warnings in this book that I really cannot reccomend it enough！ It's eye opening， fascinating and hard to put down。 。。。more
Georgie
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Kerry Daynes gives us an insight into her career as a Forensic Psychologist working as an expert witness in court， inside police interview rooms， maximum security prisons and secure hospitals。 Taking us on the varied path she took to become a Forensic Psychologist， Daynes shares pseudonymised anecdotes of some of her most memorable clients。This is a huge five-star rating for me！ I thought this book was great！ I graduated with a BSc Psychology degree last year and found the forensic and criminal Kerry Daynes gives us an insight into her career as a Forensic Psychologist working as an expert witness in court， inside police interview rooms， maximum security prisons and secure hospitals。 Taking us on the varied path she took to become a Forensic Psychologist， Daynes shares pseudonymised anecdotes of some of her most memorable clients。This is a huge five-star rating for me！ I thought this book was great！ I graduated with a BSc Psychology degree last year and found the forensic and criminal domain incredibly interesting to learn about。 It was fascinating to hear someone’s real-world experience of working inside these often very private， confidential and vulnerable environments。 Daynes’ ability to educate through her writing is brilliant。 She explores multiple psychological principles alongside her anecdotes which is a great way to stimulate and provoke thought in the reader。 The Dark Side of the Mind is very accessible and is written using a very clear and readable narrative。 This book is suitable for anyone who is interested in learning more about the proceedings of the UK criminal justice system， prison system and secure hospital units。TW: crime， mental illness and death。 。。。more
Nusaybah S
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Mostly just about her personal problems in her career and her views on the justice system， very little about actual psychological issues/ cases
Lily Croser
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Was very biographical， without the in-depth writing skills to really draw you in to her life。 It was a mix between information and experience delivered in a way that left me struggling to finish this book。 I can appreciate her experiences and knowledge BUT it wasn’t a enjoyable read for me。
Tom Wilkes
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I knew I wasn't going to like this book from the moment it referenced Simon Cowell on the first page。 Maybe it's my fault for expecting something else but I really wanted an insight into forensic psychology and not a wishy washy memoir about sexist prison guards。 I knew I wasn't going to like this book from the moment it referenced Simon Cowell on the first page。 Maybe it's my fault for expecting something else but I really wanted an insight into forensic psychology and not a wishy washy memoir about sexist prison guards。 。。。more
Sue
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