Mental health professionals will find this updated version essential reading, but its engrossing narrative, graphic case studies and powerfully compelling conclusions will fascinate lay readers and amateur sleuths, as well. Thickly populated with psychopaths, serial killers, rapists, and all manner of evildoers, Bad Men Do What Good Men Dream: a Forensic Psychiatrist Illuminates the Darker Side of Human Behavior is at once a fascinating exploration of deviancy, a look at the protective factors that grant most of us normality, and a meditation on what it means to be fully human.
This book explores the nebulous borderline between what people think and what they do. The topics covered include serial killing, workplace violence, multiple personality disorder, killer cults, suicide, sexual misconduct by professional caregivers, rape, stalking and pyschopathic behavior.
In each area, Dr. Simon's analysis shows just how complex and surprising the human mind can be. Even apparently straightforward questions, such as whether a given criminal is likely to be dangerous in the future, or whether a "suicide" is actually an accident, turn out to be very hard to answer.
At times, Dr. Simon's style is a bit academic, but on the whole he writes clearly and does a good job of covering a wide range of complex issues.
