The Measure of Madness

Inside the Disturbed and Disturbing Criminal Mind

By: Cheryl Paradis, Katherine Ramsland - foreword

Narrated by: Callie Beaulieu

At the heart of countless crimes lie the mysteries of the human mind. In this eye-opening book, Dr. Cheryl Paradis draws back the curtain on the fascinating world of forensic psychology, and revisits the most notorious and puzzling cases she has handled in her multifaceted career.

Her riveting, sometimes shocking stories reveal the crucial and often surprising role forensic psychology plays in the pursuit of justice - in which the accused may truly believe their own bizarre lies, creating a world that pushes them into committing horrific, violent crimes.

Join Dr. Paradis in a stark concrete cell with the indicted as she takes on the daunting task of mapping the suspect's madness or exposing it as fakery. Take a front-row seat in a tense, packed courtroom, where her testimony can determine an individual's fate - or if justice will be truly served.

©2010 Cheryl Paradis (P)2019 Tantor

Great insight into forensic psychology

love the book! It gave me a good sense of what I am getting myself into as a psychology student hoping to enter the forensic field.

Perfectly Read

Beyond informative on how criminals try to 'fake' a mental illness
to try to escape the results of their crimes. Story line kept me engaged from start to finish
Would recommend highly..

Insightful Tour of a Career as an Expert Witness

This was a great book narrating a robust career of an Expert Witness Legal/Forensic Psychologist. It wasn't as clinical as I expected which was excellent. It was more "personal-narrative" driven, with the author describing her trips on the subway, aspects of rooms she interviewed in that she liked or disliked, her personal feelings of excitement, anxiety, being proven right, skepticism, etc. regarding her work. It is a little dated now, since the DSM-5 came out just a year or two after the publication of this book but it is still plenty accurate with largely modern forensic assessment tools in employ. Despite that, it remains a wonderful insight into the career one can make as a Forensic Psychologist working for the courts.

Interesting tidbits

Much ado about nothing, with moments of interesting perspective. Proof that "doctors" think they're the smartest in the room, yet can't agree.

A Real and Informative Perspective!

Whether you are looking for more information about working cases as a forensic psychologist or just enjoy learning about crime in general, this is a very good read. Dr. Paradis definitely helps the reader to understand more about the insanity defense and why it may or may not be used. Sometimes I find it difficult to find books that are real without being super sensational about the crimes and the individuals responsible.
I also think Callie Beaulieu did a good job serving as the narrator and reflecting Dr. Paradis's story accurately.