The Brain of an Ordinary Killer. How Good People Become Monsters

You may not even imagine that murderers and rapists could be hiding among your neighbors, acquaintances, colleagues, or relatives—among the most ordinary people. A man shoots his wife… A mother smothers a newborn… An unremarkable clerk becomes an executioner… Every such case sparks distrust and surprise. Still, the author does not believe these acts are simply the result of madness. Daniel Zagury, who personally interviewed many criminals, thinks the reasons for such terrible acts are hidden in each of us. The book is devoted to the question: what exactly triggers the most brutal actions of ordinary people? A separate section discusses criticism and an addition to Hannah Arendt’s idea of the «banality of evil.» Daniel Zagury is the leading forensic psychiatrist in France and senior expert at the main Paris Court of Appeal. In Russia, more than 15,000 copies of his work «The Brain of a Serial Killer» were sold. Pascale Robert-Diard of Le Monde writes that Zagury is one of the few who can understand what lies inside the minds of murderers. ELLE notes that the book is full of passion and intrigue. Elsa Vigoureux from Le Nouvel Observateur claims that Zagury masterfully reveals the logic of criminals. Anna Kulik, a forensic expert and profiler, points out that Zagury doesn’t present the reader with a romanticized image of the villain, but shows a completely different portrait. Le Monde emphasizes that people turn to Zagury when a crime causes public resonance due to its brutality or because it violates familiar expectations. Vanity Fair notes that Zagury is a leading psychiatrist in major court cases—an authoritative and in-demand specialist, whom people also fear. His work consists of studying minds in order to assist justice.