FBI Profilers Meet Criminal Minds

Two of a Kind: The Hillside Stranglers — Darcy O'Brien

The book that made forensic psychology readable without dumbing it down. O'Brien's 1985 account of the Hillside Stranglers — cousins Kenneth Bianchi and Angelo Buono — remains the gold standard for true crime that respects both the reader's intelligence and the victims' humanity. He doesn't just recount the murders; he unpacks the psychological folie à deux that turned two damaged men into a lethal partnership. The prose is lean, the research meticulous, and the forensic analysis holds up decades later. This hardcover edition carries the weight of a book that changed how true crime could be written — you can feel it in the spine. Explore our current copy of Two of a Kind: The Hillside Stranglers. Browse more Crime books at Patina.

The Human Side of Homicide — Bruce Danto, John Bruhns, Austin H. Kutscher

Academic, dense, and utterly essential for understanding what murder does to everyone left behind. Published by Columbia University Press in the late 1970s, this anthology collects essays from psychiatrists, criminologists, and grief counsellors dissecting homicide's ripple effects — on families, investigators, and communities. It's not a page-turner; it's a reference text that demands you slow down and sit with uncomfortable truths about trauma, secondary victimisation, and the failure of carceral systems to address grief. The hardcover's heft matches its intellectual ambition. If you've ever wondered what profilers read before "profiling" became a Netflix genre, start here. Explore our current copy of The Human Side of Homicide. Browse more Crime books at Patina.

Best — Anthology

A curated grab-bag that promises standout crime writing without specifying what's inside — trust the collection. Patina's preloved copy of this paperback anthology arrives with minimal detail, which is either a gamble or a gift depending on your tolerance for mystery. Anthologies like this often pull from out-of-print magazines, forgotten case studies, or essays that never made it into bigger compilations. It's the kind of book you keep on the shelf for the nights when you want true crime but don't want to commit to 400 pages of a single case. Think of it as a mixtape from a friend with impeccable taste. Explore our current copy of Best. Browse more Crime books at Patina.

The Professor and the Prostitute: And Other True Tales of Murder and Madness — Linda Wolfe

Linda Wolfe wrote the book on men who kill women they can't control — literally. Wolfe's 1983 profile of William Douglas — a Tufts economist who murdered sex worker Robin Benedict — is the collection's anchor, but the "Other True Tales" earn the cover credit. Wolfe writes with the precision of a journalist who's done the legwork and the empathy of someone who refuses to let victims become footnotes. Her prose sits between Ann Rule's warmth and Joan Didion's distance, and the result is true crime that feels both urgent and timeless. This paperback's lived a life — creased spine, dog-eared pages — which means someone read it hard. Explore our current copy of The Professor and the Prostitute. Browse more Crime books at Patina.

Almanac of World Crime — Jay Robert Nash

Twenty thousand criminals in one reference tome — it's true crime as encyclopaedia, and it's glorious. Jay Robert Nash's 1981 almanac is what happens when someone decides to catalogue five centuries of murder, fraud, and mayhem with the same rigor most people reserve for stamp collections. The entries are brief — a paragraph or two per case — but Nash's research is exhaustive, and the breadth is staggering. You'll find everything from medieval poisoners to 1970s serial killers, all indexed by name, crime type, and geography. It's the kind of book you flip through for ten minutes and emerge an hour later having learned about a Napoleonic-era con artist you'll never forget. As of July 2026, Patina's Crime collection includes a rotating stock of reference texts like this one — the books that make you dangerous at trivia nights. Explore our current copy of Almanac of World Crime. Browse more Crime books at Patina. These titles built the scaffolding for every true crime podcast, documentary, and Netflix limited series you've binged in the past decade. The difference? They were written before "psychopath" became a personality quiz result, when forensic psychology still had to prove itself in courtrooms rather than trending on Twitter. If you want to understand where the genre came from — and why it still grips us — start with the books that profilers kept on their desks.

Where can I buy secondhand forensic psychology books in Sydney?

Patina Paperbacks stocks rotating preloved copies of true crime and forensic psychology titles, including case studies, academic anthologies, and narrative nonfiction from the 1970s through 1990s. We ship Australia-wide from Sydney, with free shipping on orders over $29. Browse our Crime collection here.

What's the difference between forensic psychology books and true crime?

Forensic psychology focuses on the mental processes behind criminal behaviour — profiling, psychopathy assessments, victimology. True crime tells the story. Books like The Human Side of Homicide sit in the academic camp; Darcy O'Brien's Two of a Kind blends both. The best titles do what O'Brien and Wolfe do: rigorous psychology wrapped in narrative that doesn't condescend.

Are these books suitable for someone new to true crime?

Honestly, yes — but expect denser prose than you'd find in contemporary true crime. Darcy O'Brien and Linda Wolfe write with clarity, but they assume you're willing to sit with forensic detail and moral complexity. If you've only encountered true crime through podcasts, start with O'Brien or Wolfe. If you want the academic backbone, go straight to The Human Side of Homicide.

Why read old true crime books when new cases are covered everywhere?

Because the foundational texts — O'Brien, Wolfe, Nash — established the vocabulary and ethical framework the genre still borrows from. Modern true crime often sensationalises; these books were written when forensic psychology was still proving itself in courtrooms. They're slower, more careful, and infinitely more interested in why people kill than in making murder entertainment.

Do these books include disturbing content?

Yes. They're true crime — murder, sexual violence, and psychological manipulation are core subjects. O'Brien and Wolfe handle graphic content with restraint, but it's present. If you're sensitive to detailed accounts of violence against women, approach with care. These aren't sanitised; they're honest.

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