Thank you NetGalley for an advance copy. I love true crime and couldn't wait to read the latest book by John E Douglas. This book covered the kidnapping and murders of Shari Smith and Dawn Helmich, how Shari's sister was used to help bring identify the killer, the interrogation, and finally insights during the trials. If you are interested in understanding how the FBI took profiling from interviewing serial killers to applying it to active cases, this is the book for you. It provides great insight and how the killer completely aligned with the profile. Although the books did drag at times going into unrelated cases, it was an engaging read.

Wow! True crime told in the first person; a gripping page turner of a book. I haven’t read anything previously by the author, but had watched Mindhunter. The book was so good, gave a deep understanding of the crimes, the families impacted, law enforcements attempts to solve the crime and the legal process attempting to convict the alleged killer. Highly recommend for true crime fans.

A real life criminal minds episode reveals the harrowing tale of kidnapping and murder in a small town… and it’s all true. We see the very beginning of the famous BAU and criminal profiling… and it’s all too much to wrap your mind around. Thanks to NetGalley for the early read.

True crime story of serial killer Larry Gene Bell and a new FBI profiling program created. Shari Smith a 17yr old blond blue eyed girl is missing. Her car was running at the bottom of the hill of her family property. Her family sees her car from the window and is wondering what is taking her so long to come up to the house. Her dad heads down and doesn't see Shari, but he finds mail strewn around the ground, car still running and her flip flops in the car with purse. What happens in this true story is a cat and mouse with the killer and Shari's family who he continuously calls and upsets.

First, I’d like to thank HarperCollinsPublisher and NetGalley for the chance to read this true crime book. While it’s the first book I’ve read by the author, I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it to other readers. The authors gave a lot of details, and I love how they wrapped everything up at the end of the book.

June 1985 - 17 year old Sharon "Shari" Smith is just days away from her high school graduation when she is abducted in broad daylight. Her car is found running at the end of her long driveway with her purse and life-sustaining diabetes medicine still inside. Soon Shari's family begins receiving chilling and gut-wrenching phone calls from her presumed abductor, and then
a few days later, her body is found.

I had seen details of this murder previously from an episode of Forensic Files so I was familiar with the case and the murders of Shari and his other victim Debra Maye Helmick This book, told from the perspective of the FBI profiler that not only ultimately testified in both girls murder trials, but also was the driving force in providing the suspect profile that lead to the killer, provided unique insight and fascinating details I'd not known before. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and learning more about these two cases. While I'm not one to typically read non-fiction, I was pleasantly surprised that this read more like fiction and kept my interest quite easily.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

This book is written by famed FBI profiler, John Douglas, and tells a story from early in his career, back in the beginning days of FBI profiling. We learn of the kidnapping and murder of two young women (one 18 years old, one 9 years old) in South Carolina. While there is obviously no happy ending in a situation like this, the perpetrator is caught and tried for his actions.

If you are interested in true crime, particularly criminal profiling, you will likely enjoy this book. It is obviously a difficult read, but it is fascinating to see how closely the profile that the FBI creates mirrors the qualities of the perpetrator. I am a psychologist and a true crime nerd so I definitely enjoyed this read.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Shari had everything going for her. She was graduating high school and loved to sing when she was abducted near the mailbox. Her body was found several days later. It would take an fbi profiler who's profile was dead on and to capture a killer. This book captured my attention from the start.

This book was the equivalent of having a ride along with the man who made profiling a standard tool in solving crimes. He takes us step by step from the early days of the crime, through a subsequent murder and on through trial. We are there to witness the cruel and narcissistic antics of serial killer and Douglas' visceral response to the suffering of the victim's families. If you have wondered how profilers work, Douglas is there to teach you bringing along plenty of stories about past cases.

He does not sugar coat the violent acts by the criminal and does not slide by the petty jurisdictional and political disputes along the way. I am no stranger to reading books from this genre but this book brought fresh insights and insider knowledge that I had not seen before. I am grateful to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read this ARC copy

I was fortunate enough to receive a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review from netgalley.

This was a great read, you were able to move along as the case unfolded and the surviving family members and friends were addressed with so much respect that even when you we were reading about the killer, the true stars of the book are the victims and the families.

I appreciated the throwback to other cases and processes used to capture and convict other criminals throughout history because it demonstrated the processes in which profiling and solving crimes was (and still is) something that we are learning and new techniques are still coming.

I do recommend this book for true crime fans and appreciate the development of the victims and families in the book because it helps us direct our empathy and care in the right place

For the uninitiated, John Douglas is one of the individuals involved in developing the FBI's criminal profiling program and was part of the Behavioral Science Unit. I read one of his earlier books, Mindhunter, which was an excellent book discussing his experience in creating the criminal profiling that has now become memorialized in the show Mindhunter (and a fictionalized version of the unit is featured on Criminal Minds).

This book focuses on the Shari Faye Smith case in South Carolina in the mid 1980s. Although Douglas is a great writer, and the work he has done is fascinating, for those of us who have read his earlier book(s), this is at several points repetitive. This case features as only a chapter in the Mindhunter book, so of course for those who were interested in the case and wanted more, this is a great book to pick up. You would just have to sift through some of the same stories featured in Mindhunter (including references to the start of criminal profiling, his work in the Atlanta Child Murders case, his work on the Darrell Gene Devier case, his illness during his work on the Green River Killer hunt, etc. The case here is a harrowing one, and I appreciated getting more detail about the strength of the family during one of the most horrific times of their lives. Dawn, the victim's sister, demonstrated a strength of will and determination in sitting through phone call after phone call speaking with the person who took her sister from her. Douglas did a great job in focusing on the family and the community in revealing more detail about this case.

Back in 1985 a high school senior goes missing in rural South Carolina. Her abductor proceeds to taunt the family with phone calls and leads investigators on a manhunt. Unfortunately, she is not found alive. Then a ten year old goes missing from her front yard - her abduction is believed to be by the same person - only to be confirmed when the calls start up again.

We learn how the family of the first victim takes extreme risks to work with the FBI and profilers to bring justice for their loved one.

A gripping true story of love, faith and family.

Spring 1980's. Shari Smith is preparing to walk across the stage and receive her high school diploma. Two days before graduation, she is returning home after preparing for the big day with her friends and boyfriend when she stops at the end of the long driveway before heading up to the house to check the mail, and disappears. Her family is then haunted by phone calls and law enforcement quickly learns she did not leave on her own device. During the investigation and search for Shari, a 9-year-old is abducted from her front yard just after her father walked in the house. Written from the perspective of the FBI Crime Profiler, John E. Douglas, he quickly realizes something in their state is not right, and it needs to be stopped before someone else goes missing.

I have not seen Mindhunters but it's been on my list for a long time since I have heard so many good things about the series and am a true crime junkie. If they copied the book word for word, it's going to be a great show. This book reads like a movie that follows the steps (and thoughts) of a crime profiler on how to catch a suspect. I am an avid reader and have never been able to "watch" the book like I did with this one. Will definitely be seeing what other books are created by this author and will move the show to the top of my list. If you are interested in true crime, how an investigation works, and the difficulties faced while trying to find a suspect, this book is for you.

Thank you Netgalley and Dey Street Books for allowing me to read the electronic advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. This will be a winner.

Ehh my struggle with true crime right now bothers me I'm so bored of them.it seems I am on a hunt for one to really change my mind and showcase something special. My issue is that the meat of the book is fantastic but they keep getting very over drawn out which takes away from the special and creates a boring vibe

This true crime book focuses on the two disturbing and devastating murders of 17 year old Shari Smith and 9 year old Debra Helmick in South Carolina. In 1985, John Douglas, an FBI profiler and agent was brought on to help local law enforcement find the individual responsible for these heinous crimes. John truly has a knack for diving into the disturbed minds of serial killers and the accuracy of his criminal profiles is unmatched.

This book was absolutely chilling and brought me to tears several times, especially when you let it sink in that real people went through these tragedies and lost their young daughters. When A Killer Calls is a detailed telling of these cases and isn’t an easy one to read- prepare yourself to be deeply affected by this book.

Thank you Netgalley and Dey Street Books for this advance reading copy- this one is available 2/1/22.

This book was a true crime story. It is about a case from the 1970s. It is written from the perspective of the FBI profiler. Shari Smith, a 17-year-old is murdered by Larry Gene Bell, who later is executed for his crime. The story details how they a profile was drawn up and the workings of the sheriff's department to obtain the identity of the perp. At times, it was very drawn-out story. It was interesting enough that I kept reading it.

This was an engaging book about how a serial killer is caught with the help of FBI profilers and local law enforcement.

This is a chilling account of the murder of two young girls in rural South Carolina. It follows John Douglas, as the FBI special agent and profiler, as he investigates and delves into the mind of the suspect. The crimes are heinous, with a perpetrator that is deeply disturbed, but fully aware of his actions. I have to admit, the story line brought me to tears several times, in part, because I knew this was not fiction. It was very insightful into the profiling by Mr. Douglas, the efforts of law enforcement, and the workings of the judicial system in this case, as well as the prior failings of the various systems to incarcerate this man for previous crimes. The anguish and fear of the two families, and the phone calls the family of Shari Smith had to endure from her murderer are heart wrenching. It is a well written, totally absorbing book, even though it is not always easy to read. I did receive an ARC of this book through the publisher and Netgalley, through Scene of the Crime. I am very glad I did.

Interesting but not really my cup of tea. Well written I just personally couldn’t get into the story. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I received an ARC of When a Killer Calls, by John E. Douglas: Mark Olshaker. I remember watching a show about Shari. This book is a story about Shari, who even in the face of death, was an incredible women. Shari let her faith lead her, in all walks of life. Shari died way to young. This book is a testament to Shari and the law enforcement who helped bring her killer to Justice.