If you’re into true crime or medical biographies, this book is excellent. It’s well written and accessible for everyone.

Why does someone go into forensic psychiatry? Do you start you knowing that's what you want to do? Dr Duncan Harding starts with a case that sounds difficult. We then go back to his childhood and how he got into medicine. Intertwined are the stories of cases that made him discover which course to take. The chapters are short and he does seem to have gotten lucky with his mentors. Sometimes it is just what feels right to you and his journey into child psychiatrist does not sound easy. I'm sure I'll think often on the people and children this book touches on as we can never know if what he put in place worked or not. Some it might be clear they were a lost cause but it did make me stop and think. It's a compelling & tense look at our mental health care at a time when the NHS is swamped & how someone listening and creating a safe place for someone to talk can make all the difference. It is strikingly clear we must do more to get our youth supported in their communities in with art, music and sports to stop them becoming bored and turning to crime to begin with. A tough read at times, some interactions are comical, some worrying, but always treated with a sense of hope. Readers of biographies & true crime would enjoy dipping into The Criminal Mind

I have a keen interest in anything forensic related and this book seemed really interesting. I found it wasn’t too academic and the psychology aspects easy to understand. The author also gives us a glimpse into his own childhood and how he was still affected into adulthood. Overall I found the cases really interesting! I think this book will appeal to anyone with an interest in forensics and psychology especially child and adolescent.