emmehooks's review against another edition

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dark informative fast-paced

3.75


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ptitirodactyle's review against another edition

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dark informative reflective fast-paced

4.75


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thelizzielibrary's review

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dark informative

3.0


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laurenvoice's review against another edition

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dark informative fast-paced

3.0

An insightful look into what makes a killer tick.

Redhanded covers a handful of cases under eight different chapters and themes; Genetics, Childhood and Adolescence, Insanity, Misogyny, Cults, Relationships, Bigotry, and Sex. It has to be said, some chapters were better than others. Although the authors, Bala and Maguire researched the subjects well, there were some areas that they could have gone more in-depth in or left out completely. For example, they could have gone more in-depth in the chapter on misogyny, this would have been the perfect place to discuss societal misogyny, misogyny from those in power, and how this influences and creates the illusion that it is okay for someone to act out in violence against women and girls; it felt like they missed an important part out and just used this chapter for some inappropriate jokes that did not read well.

Furthermore, in the chapter genetics, their argument on diagnosing children as psychopaths and with anti-social personality disorder did not bode well; it can be dangerous to start labelling children with these. Yes, it is important to identify potential perpetrators of violent crimes early, but that does not mean we should label children. It would be better if the authors advocated for the education and rehabilitation of children and young people that may show signs of ASPD or psychopathy. It would have been better if the authors had gotten a professional psychologist or psychiatrist to have given their insight for this chapter.

That being said, the chapters on cults, relationships, and sex were my three favourite chapters. I enjoyed that Bala and Maguire used real-life cases and apply it to the themes of the chapters. It also showed that the authors researched these topics well and knew when and where details of crimes were appropriate without over-sensualizing those horrific crimes. However, there were times when the authors would make jokes that didn't always land well on the page.

Redhanded is a great read for someone interested in true crime. However, if you are interested in the psychology behind the mind of a killer, I would recommend reading books or papers released by experienced forensic psychologists or psychiatrists. Although I thought this book could have delved more into the role society has in influencing killers and could have had a few more case studies, Redhanded was addictive and hard to put down.

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