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A review by andrewbenesh1
Incendiary: The Psychiatrist, the Mad Bomber and the Invention of Criminal Profiling by Michael Cannell
4.0
Incendiary is a unique book that chronicles the Mad Bomber of New York and the various police, psychiatrists, journalists, and judges who ultimately brought his 16 year campaign of domestic bombings to an end. The book explores the story from the first bomb being set to the bomber's eventual demise in extreme detail. This is both the main fascination the book provides, and my chief complaint.
[a:Michael Cannell|657940|Michael Cannell|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1319097071p2/657940.jpg] provides a level of depth and detail that goes beyond what most historical crime novels aspire to. Readers are fully immersed in the world of mid-century New York City. This is particularly valuable for helping readers better understand the context of various actions throughout the story, and helps explain how immigrant nationalities and regional identities shaped policing. Cannell takes his time to build rich and detailed images that are effective at bringing the reader back in time, and doing so without the excessive theatrics or melodrama that sometimes accompany historical visualization. Where he does venture into the theatrical, he supports his characterizations with observations from the time, which helps build his credibility as he chases the Mad Bomber. Despite the great egos of the many figures profiled, there's a certain humility and honesty that's well conveyed in Cannell's accounts; we see both his subjects outward strengths and their inward uncertainty about whether they are really solving the case. The interludes which share the bomber's perspective are well structured, and provide just enough depth to keep the story rolling without revealing the full truth to those unfamiliar with the case; I would gladly read another chapter or two of these!
At the same time, I feel the detail at times is distracting and excessive. As the book progresses, it feels less like an exploration of how the application of psychiatric ideas to the mad bomber case led to the birth of profiling, and more like a series of chronologically ordered character studies of the (admittedly fascinating) people who interacted with the case over the decades. For example, early in the book, we're treated to a, which could make for an excellent book of it's own and seems at best tangentially related to the story of the bomber and the psychiatrist. I'm both delighted that the author chose to share this story, and somewhat disoriented at it's inclusion in the book. The disorientation is elevated some by the lack of consistency in how topics for detailed tangents are chosen; we learn a great deal about and , but are given only superficial nods to or . A final, and admittedly petty complaint, is that the length of chapters is erratic - some come in at 7 or 8 pages, while others are just short of 40! This makes planning to sit down and read a quick chapter a risky gambit for the reader who can't marathon through the book.
Overall, I definitely recommend this to those who are interested in forensic psychiatry, historical crime, and mid-century US history. Despite some shortcomings, the book is engaging and well composed, and tells an often overlooked story that shaped much of how we handle modern domestic terrorism and serial crime.
[a:Michael Cannell|657940|Michael Cannell|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1319097071p2/657940.jpg] provides a level of depth and detail that goes beyond what most historical crime novels aspire to. Readers are fully immersed in the world of mid-century New York City. This is particularly valuable for helping readers better understand the context of various actions throughout the story, and helps explain how immigrant nationalities and regional identities shaped policing. Cannell takes his time to build rich and detailed images that are effective at bringing the reader back in time, and doing so without the excessive theatrics or melodrama that sometimes accompany historical visualization. Where he does venture into the theatrical, he supports his characterizations with observations from the time, which helps build his credibility as he chases the Mad Bomber. Despite the great egos of the many figures profiled, there's a certain humility and honesty that's well conveyed in Cannell's accounts; we see both his subjects outward strengths and their inward uncertainty about whether they are really solving the case. The interludes which share the bomber's perspective are well structured, and provide just enough depth to keep the story rolling without revealing the full truth to those unfamiliar with the case; I would gladly read another chapter or two of these!
At the same time, I feel the detail at times is distracting and excessive. As the book progresses, it feels less like an exploration of how the application of psychiatric ideas to the mad bomber case led to the birth of profiling, and more like a series of chronologically ordered character studies of the (admittedly fascinating) people who interacted with the case over the decades. For example, early in the book, we're treated to a
Spoiler
really neat history of the NYC Bomb SquadSpoiler
the press warsSpoiler
the history of the insanity defenseSpoiler
psychiatric terms and modern (non-freudian) interpretationsSpoiler
the history of MatteawanOverall, I definitely recommend this to those who are interested in forensic psychiatry, historical crime, and mid-century US history. Despite some shortcomings, the book is engaging and well composed, and tells an often overlooked story that shaped much of how we handle modern domestic terrorism and serial crime.