Cover Image: Making a Psychopath

Making a Psychopath

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This book was a good read, but I think that the title was a little misleading. This really isn't a journey into the mind of a psychopath, but rather the author reminiscing on his experiences with people who might or might not have psychopathic tendencies. This book has a lot of sources attached, although I haven't researched any of these sources, but it did give the book a very well organized and researched appearance. It was a very interesting read and the only flaw I have is that the last chapter seemed like it lagged a bit and could have been shortened to wrap of the book in a quicker fashion.

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I really wanted to like this book, especially since he helped create Killing Eve, which I loved, but I just couldn't get over how misleading this book was. The book sounded like it was about his experiences interviewing psychopaths, on par with John Douglas' books, but in actuality the "seven minds" are all composites. If Freestone had written this book from a sociological perspective, I would've enjoyed it a lot more, but he just doesn't have a strong enough background to write this from a psychological perspective.

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Two things that made this book difficult for me to get into. First: the book is subtitled "my journey into seven dangerous minds." In the end, it's not really seven people because each "person" is a composite of experiences and generalizations that make each individual embody a specific trait of psychopathy. Seven actual case studies would have been a lot of more interesting and with the amount of history and detail that goes into each diagnosis, having that background would make for a more scientific read.

Second, Dr. Mark Freestone specializes in sociology. I wanted to give this aspect of the writing an open mind because I thought that he could have a unique perspective on psychopathy compared to writers that are psychiatrists or neurologists. Unfortunately, many of his insights are pretty vague and simple. Some of this might have to do with the composite selection of individuals. Some of it might also be that the author gives a lot of general  personal stories that have more to do with his own personal life, rather than that of the patients.


Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an e-copy of this book. I think that this book has more appeal for someone who wants a basic, generalized look at psychopathy. This one was just a 'miss' for me.

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Freestone is a sociologist with a history of working in programs specifically designed for those with personality disorders, including anti-social personality disorder and psychopathy. In this short book, he discusses seven people, some of whom he has worked with, who have been diagnosed as "psychopaths". Some of the interesting things that allow this book to stand out from other books about psychopath are Freestone's exploration of alternative diagnoses and his separation of symptoms. Freestone discussed, in multiple cases, how other diagnoses were explored or could be considered for individuals. I like the frankness this brings to the complications that exist in diagnosing mental health issues. Things are not clear-cut and Freestone doesn't run from that fact. Additionally, he explores the different profiles that exist within the framework of meeting the diagnostic criteria for psychopathy as not every psychopath has all the characteristics listed. All in all, a quick read with an interesting new perspective.

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Very interesting book for those who are interested in the circumstances it could take to make into a psychopath. Learned a lot.

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Enjoyment: 3
Total rating: 3


Find out what truly creates and defines a psychopath from the leading expert who helped develop Killing Eve's Villanelle. Dr. Mark Freestone shares the cases he has worked on over the last 15 years. Going in-depth into their genesis and analyzing their behaviour.

I really enjoyed an inside view of Dr. Freestone's cases. This was a nonfiction book that both entertained and was easy to follow. The book does what it promised; it shares what makes a psychopath and how they work. I just wish it had brought us more of Freestone's insight and thought process. An excellent read for any thriller, mystery, horror and true crime consumers.


Disclaimer: In exchange for an honest review, I am thankful to the publishers and NetGalley for providing a copy of Making a Psychopath.

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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I was excited for this ARC because I am trying to read more nonfiction this year and I love true crime, psychology, and learning about psychopaths. Unfortunately, this book was lackluster. I did enjoy learning about each person and how their minds work but I don't know, it was just okay to me.

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Making a Psychopath is a strong-enough book filled more so with anecdotes from Freestone than with academic analysis of a subject matter we are all very interested in learning about. The stories are comprehensive and fascinating enough, but I wish the writer would have provided more material that gave the reader a sense as to how he came to the conclusions that he did about each of his subjects. It is an easy read, no doubt; it does not take up a great deal of the reader's time and energy. The work is simple and straight-forward; as a casual reader, I appreciate that. There were moments, however, where I wish there was a bit more complexity, because as we all know this is a very complex topic of discussion.

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"Making a Psychopath opens up a window into the world of those who operate in a void of human emotion-- and what can be done to control them."

Mark Freestone brings us on a journey through mental hospitals, prisons, and the minds of the world's most heinous criminals in this true crime memoir. From the unlikely female psychopath, to the pathological liar and manipulator, to the remorseless conman, Freestone delves into the mystery of why people are the way they are. What happened in "Paul"'s childhood that led him to become a career hitman. How did his circumstances lead to such violent crime, while others in the same position lead fairly normal and calm lives?

Freestone shares anecdotes of his experience with psychopathy and what exactly makes a psychopath, a psychopath. You'll leave this book understanding more about human emotion (and the lack of it) and how resilience plays into the development of empathy and success.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for gifting me an advanced copy of this book in return for my honest review.

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Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

Let me start by saying that this book is not exactly what I thought it was going to be, but what it ended up being is still great. Dr. Freestone has a PhD in Sociology, and he tells you that right at the beginning, which I appreciated immensely. This gives this book a very different feel from many of the other books I have read about severely mentally ill people, specifically criminals. Dr. Freestone also worked for the NHS (the public healthcare system in England), and worked with a team designed to study psychopaths specifically - his team included forensic psychologists, psychiatrists, and people who worked in the prisons, but he reiterates that he had no formal education in psychology the way his collogues did. It was really interesting to read a book about this population from someone who has training in an associated field but not the field I am used to reading from (and the one I am currently studying), and some of his cases were really interesting.

The book is formatted with an introduction then opening chapter, just setting the tone for how this book is going to be laid out, then a chapter for each case study, and a closing chapter wrapping up final thoughts. Each case study chapter is unique in that it identifies a different "type" of psychopath, from a hitman to a "parasite" to someone with borderline personality disorder. Dr. Freestone also stresses that there is no true diagnostic criteria for psychopathy, like there is for sociopathy (generally it is anti-social personality disorder); psychopathy is based on the score one gets on the PCL-R or the Psychopath Test Assessment. While the questions are not listed in the book itself, the general overview of the test is mentioned, and each of the seven case studies have some mention of their PCL-R rating.

This book is not overly long, as no one case study is gone into too much depth. A lot of this is Dr. Freestone's reactions and experiences in working with these populations, rather than diagnosing and treating psychopaths (because again, he cannot diagnose based on not having a clinical background). It is more of a memoir than I was expecting, but I still feel like I learned a lot about different types of people who score highly on the PCL-R, and since this is a population I am training to work with in the future, I found it incredibly useful reading material. 5/5

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Making A Psychopath by Dr. Mark Freestone ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

A big thanks to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the advanced copy! This one is out now!

This book looked at several different psychopaths through Dr. Freestone’s lens. With a sociology background, Dr. Freestone had a different take on psychopathy than a psychologist or psychiatrist.

Splitting the book into different psychopathic characters made the read quick. Dr. Freestone explained how each character resembled a different type of psychopathy, which furthered his point that not all psychopaths are the same. I found the writing to be well done and easy to follow. It read like having a conversation with an academic friend (in a good way!)

Overall, I found this to be an interesting read. If you enjoy nonfiction and learning more about psychopathy, this one hits the mark.

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True Crime aficionados, here is your next book! Mark Freestone is a clear expert on the subject and offers a fascinating look inside the minds of "psychopaths". I couldn't put this book down!

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Making a Psychopath: My Journey into Seven Dangerous Minds by Mark Freestone is an intriguing read. The author and narrator, Dr. Freestone, guides us through his previous experiences in prisons and mental health institutions and explains with a very simple yet accurate and scientific narration every one of the cases he felt was important when writing down this manual.

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If you're interested in books on the mind or books that review the minds of serial killers and psychopaths, then I would highly recommend picking up a copy of Making a Psychopath by Dr. Mark Freeman.

This book is an autobiographical account of one man's journey into the minds of seven deadly psychopaths. Each chapter covers a different psychopath, including their crimes and the psychological theories to explain their behavior. The seven chapters are Paul, The Hitman, Tony, The Conman, Jason, The Liar, Arthur, The Parasite, Danny, The Borderline, Angela, The Remorseless, and Eddie, The Redeemed. It's important to note that these chapters focus not just on one individual but on the collective psychopaths he has worked with in the past.

The book is written in a very engaging and easy-to-read style. Freeman does not shy away from describing the gruesome details of the crimes committed by his subjects, but he also provides a great deal of insight into their mindsets and motivations. The psychological theories discussed in the book will be familiar to those who have read books like The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule or Mindhunter by John Douglas.

Overall, I thought that Making a Psychopath was an excellent book. It provides readers with a fascinating and in-depth look into the minds of some of the most dangerous criminals on the planet. If you're interested in psychology, criminology, or true crime, I recommend picking up a copy of Making a Psychopath by Dr. Mark Freeman.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for this ARC!

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Based on the synopsis, I had really high hopes for Making a Psychopath. I thought I’d learn a lot and gain insight into psychopathy. Unfortunately, this book fell a bit flat for me.

The synopsis is slightly misleading and implies the case studies are about “some of the most violent real-life criminals”, but I didn’t really get that vibe. The book had seven case studies about some of the patients the author worked with over the years.

Also, the case studies weren’t very in-depth and seemed fairly surface level. I was hoping for a more descriptive analysis. Furthermore, the author is a trained sociologist, instead of a psychologist or psychiatrist. I think that would’ve been a great and unique opportunity to discuss psychopathy in the larger societal context, instead of an individual level. But I didn’t see a lot of that throughout the book.

There was some interesting information sprinkled throughout, especially in the first chapter.

Overall, I do think this book might be very interesting for folks who are new to psychology/sociology and psychopathy.

Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the #gifted copy in exchange for an honest review. Making a Psychopath is out on 3/1!

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When I was graduating high school, I was going to go to college and major in social work with a minor in sociology. Then life happened and I was unable to go and I went to Life U instead; and while I am sad I never went to college, I am not sad that I didn't get to go into social work/sociology. I am the example of a VERY poor fit for something like that. I don't usually think about it unless I read a book that deals with things I may or may not have had to deal with in my studies and this book was one of them. Never have I been so grateful for not getting to go to college [though, as a much older adult, I can look back and see that I probably would have changed majors fairly quickly as I would have seem how poorly suited I was for that kind of job - empaths should not going into social work] as I was reading this book. I so admire the author and the job he has done for years.

Mark Freestone, as a sociologist, has worked with [and researched] psychopaths since his college graduation, has seen and heard things people like me are glad I have never had to experience. This book is a compilation of many of those sights and conversations and they are, at times, both sad and terrifying. I am not sure how any health provider does this job for any length of time without questioning their own mental health - working with any mentally ill person has to be challenging enough, but psychopaths are a whole different breed and learning about what the health professionals [and specifically Dr. Freestone] go through in dealing with them was a totally fascinating read. Horrifying yes, but also fascinating. I can see how one could lose hope in all of this, so reading "Eddie's" story was a really great way to end the book - to show there can be hope within the diagnosis of psychopathy.

An interesting side-note that also totally intrigued me is the fact that Dr. Freestone is a consultant for the show "Killing Eve". I would love to watch that show, but even the clips I have seen are rather too much for me, and after reading this book, I know that I could never watch it, no matter how much it intrigues me - it makes it even more so knowing they had a real professional on set to advise and teach - it shows why Villanelle is super-scary as a character and why Eve gets sucked in by her.

If you are interested in subjects like this, this is a great book to read. It is split into easy to read and digest chapters that will keep you thinking for days after you read them [some more than others]. It is absolutely a book that will stay with you long after you've put it down and moved on to something else.

Thank you to NetGalley, Dr. Mark Freestone, and St. Martin's Press for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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A somewhat surface view of psychopathy, but the writing is conversational and the topic interesting enough that this will please many casual readers. A recommended secondary purchase for collections where similar titles are popular.

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A look into the mind of seven psychopaths. Or was it? The author is not a psychologist or psychiatrist. More of a researcher into the study of psychopathy. And the seven advertised people turn out to be more of a composite of people the author dealt with while working in the field. While each story was mildly interesting, I did not really enjoy them. I was left feeling rather disappointed with the book.

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This book had such potential - if it had actually been about 7 "dangerous minds". But as you learn very early on (and I appreciate the honesty), the characters are actually a composite of many people that the author had encountered over his career. Also, the author is not a psychologist or a psychiatrist, but he writes as though he is one.

The 7 fictional characters didn't have very interesting stories, and somehow all of their stories seemed cloudy or foggy - just not super clear the distinction between the 7 different examples of psychopathy.

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A very educational and thorough approach to examining psychopaths, a topic many are interested in. Here the author looks at case studies of psychopaths he has worked with over the years, exploring the many different facets of this personality disorder. For me however, it didn’t fully grab my interest, perhaps due to the scientific and factual approach. Thanks to Netgalley for the arc.

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