This is the story of a mad bomber who kept setting off bombs in public places in New York. This is the story of three unlikely allies and their hunt for the bomber.

I had never heard of the "Mad Bomber" who terrorized NYC in the 40s and 50s. This was a great book on many subjects. If you enjoy Erik Larsen then you should enjoy this as well.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

Michaell Cannell’s work Incendiary: The Psychiatrist, the Mad Bomber and the Invention of Criminal Profiling offers not only a turn paging thriller, explosive to the nerves and senses, but it gives the reader a comprehensive look into how forensic profiling began as a research tool in understanding the criminal, the act, and the apprehension. While crime writers will find this work both entertaining and fascinating, others who enjoy thrillers, mysteries, television show such as NCIS and Criminal Minds will equally find they cannot put the book down.

I am going to review the book "Incendiary: The Psychiatrist, the Mad Bomber, and the Invention of Criminal Profiling," by Michael Cannell. This book is hot off the press as it was published on April 25, 2017 by St. Martin's Press: Minotaur Books. For those of you who would like to purchase a copy of this book CLICK HERE. Michael Cannell is the author of two other non-fiction books "The Limit: Life and Death on the 1961 Grand Prix Circuit," and "I.M. Pei: Mandarin of Modernism." This book is about the Mad Bomber in New York City during the 1950's. The mad bomber terrified New York City with dozens of home made bombs over a 16 year period of where he was unanimous. This book is about the hunt for the killer. This book was also about the beginning of criminal profiling. Criminal profiling got its roots from this hard to solve case.
Overall I rated this book four stars out of five. This book was well written and very informative. It captured all aspects of these crimes. It did go into depth about the mad bomber case. This book had excellent character development, it went into detail describing all the main players in the story. There were times in this book that I felt the story did not flow well and got off track, but overall it was a great read.
I would like to thank Netgalley, Michael Cannell, and St. Martin's Press: Minotaur Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

INCENDIARY [REVIEW]

It's hard for me to imagine that only half a century ago New York City was terrorized by a Mad Bomber who planted almost fifty explosives in public spaces over a sixteen-year period. Yet that's exactly what happened, with a disgruntled former employee of Con Edison going by the pseudonym "F.P." wreaking havoc on the city while eluding all attempts to identify and capture him. It sounds like a totally different New York from the one that exists today; yet it's all true, as Michael Cannell recounts in Incediary: The Psychiatrist, The Mad Bomber, and the Invention of Criminal Profiling.

I have always wondered how writers manage to get the information needed to write books like these, which are truly gripping when done well. It surely involves a hefty amount of research and a fair amount of creativity, but presumably not too much because the fact that these are stories that really happened is enough to catch anyone's attention.

Cannell frames Incendiary as three different stories. First, it is the story of the "Mad Bomber" known as F.P., later identified as one George Metesky, and how all attempts by law enforcement professionals of the day to catch him were frustrated for so long. We learn about his methods, his possible psychosis, and what grievances ultimately pushed an otherwise mild-mannered middle-aged man to become the equivalent of a domestic terrorist.

Second, Incendiary is also about the birth of criminal profiling as a serious component of professional police procedure. Inundated as we are today with all manner of movies and television shows that depict profilers who are able to narrow down suspects based on psychological guesswork, it's easy to take for granted that such application of behavioral science to law enforcement is of a modern vintage, and that it took time to gain traction in the field of criminology. Indeed, as Cannell describes it, such only began to be taken seriously because of Dr. James Brussel, who was consulted on the Mad Bomber case and by applying "reverse psychiatry" was able to create (arguably with a little bit of luck) an uncannily accurate profile of Metesky, right down to the latter's preferred clothing (a double-breasted suit).

Finally, Incendiary is also a book about the aftermath of Metesky's capture, answering the obvious question of "Whatever happened to that guy?" but doing more than that by examining the underlying debates on whether the mentally afflicted and/or incompetent can be held to account for crimes. The legalese that surrounding this debate is intriguing in itself, and Cannell ably schools readers on the fundamental differences between the Durham and McNaughton standards for an insanity defense.

To modern eyes, Metesky's story as presented by Cannell in the book might seem like a non-event. Readers are given background on the Mad Bomber, of the failed attempts by New York City law enforcement to catch him, of the criminal profile that helped break the case, and of the unprecedented role the media played in Metesky's eventual capture. Indeed, one could even argue that Metesky's story is dull compared to many movies and television shows today. Yet to think in this way is to miss the point completely. Metesky was a domestic terrorist long before the mere idea of terrorism cast its ugly shadow on the world as it does today, and the measures that eventually led to his arrest, while normal today, were fundamentally tentative and unorthodox at the time. Sure, it took sixteen years to catch George Metesky, but in the process law enforcement practice took an evolutionary step forward towards what it is today.

While the book is interesting on the whole, it suffers in parts because Cannell cannot help but break his own momentum. For most of the book, he begins new chapters by offering tangential background information as context to enrich readers' appreciation of events. In this he is successful but at the expense of the book's narrative momentum, which inevitably suffers. For my part, it happened more than once that I found myself engrossed by how the police and media were closing in on Metesky only to be infuriated that the next chapter did not begin exactly where the last one left off. Then again, looking at this in a positive light, it just goes to show that Cannell can tell a pretty good yarn–and Incediary is indeed more than pretty good, especially in the final third of the book.

A recent issue of Smithsonian Magazine had an article on the birth of profiling based on this book. Having read the article and being interested in profiling, I was glad to have the opportunity to read this book. This was a well-written and enjoyable book. The author has crafted a compelling narrative that holds your attention while also providing a history of police procedures, psychiatry, insanity defenses, and how profiling developed. I appreciated that George Metesky was portrayed as a flawed person with mental illness, rather than a monster. One thing that makes this book succeed is that this true story has some very interesting and colorful characters, including Metesky, Dr. Brussel, the psychiatrist who created the profile which helped, and Seymour Berkson, the publisher of the New York Journal-American, who helped create a line of communication between the "Mad Bomber" (Metesky) and the world.

Incendiary is a fascinating true crime detective story, character study, set-piece, and scientific exploration! Readers who enjoyed "Devil in the White City" or "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" will surely enjoy this excellent book.

I really enjoyed this book! The author did a fantastic job of recording the story of the interesting story of criminal profiling.

Excerpt from Review: "...I was utterly captivated by Incendiary, not just for the history imparted but for the investigation itself and the look into forensics and profiling from the very beginning. I recommend this book for anyone interested in the history of New York City, psychiatry, criminal investigation or anyone who enjoys an intriguing story that just happens to be true."

Ive read a lot of true crime fiction and this is one of the best. Outstanding book about the origin of criminal profiling. This book captures the fear that gripped New York during the 17 year reign of the Mad Bomber from 1940-1957. First time that the police relied upon the use of a psychiatrist to determine the characteristics of a serial bomber. Great exploration of the interaction between the science of psychology, journalism and the police. Highly recommended

**Review will be published to blog on 25 Apr 2017 at 10:00AM EST**
Edit: **Review will be published to blog on 23 Apr 2017 at 10:00AM EST**

I chose this book because:

I’ve always been interested in crime stories, be them TV shows or books. Lately I’ve been watching a lot of CSI, so when I saw that this book was about the beginnings criminal profiling, I was immediately intrigued.

Upon reading it:

This book was non-fiction but it read like a story. I was surprised by the level of detail. Not only do you get into the details of the Mad Bomber, but also that of all the people involved with his case. Connell really gets in these characters' heads and constructs a narrative for each of them. Now that I’m writing this, I realise that Cannell must have used profiling strategies of his own and lots of research in writing this book.

Sometimes I forgot that this book wasn’t about the Mad Bomber case only, but first and foremost about criminal profiling, so initially I’d get impatient of the narrative veering away from the perspective of the Mad Bomber and the police on his case. I was itching for the Mad Bomber to be caught and to see how accurate the psychiatrist’s profile was.

But this is not a fast-paced episode of CSI. The Mad Bomber was caught 60% of the way through the book, and I wondered what the heck the last 40% could possibly be about (I don’t consider this a spoiler because it’s non-fiction, but sorry if that was more information than you wanted!). A case isn’t closed as soon as a suspect is caught. There’s still lots to determine. Like, why?

This book shares the case that couldn’t be solved by traditional police methods, that needed a bigger picture. This book shares how criminal profiling began, the conflict and teamwork between police and psychiatrists, and the struggle of having people regard criminal profiling as a legitimate thing when criminal profiling wasn’t a thing yet.

In Incendiary, author Michael Cannell manages to encapsulate a time period when police work was beginning to merge with science and was galvanized into further considering the psychological component of repeat offenders through the terror caused by one man. The Mad Bomber of New York, as the newspapers dubbed him, had set off over thirty bombs and his chilling choice of highly public venues like movie theaters and train stations added another level of terror. Signing any communications he made with the simple “F.P.” he claimed his complaint was with Con Edison Company and that until they were punished he would continue.

In desperation, NYPD Captain Finney consulted Dr. James A. Brussel, whose experience with criminal mental patients was appealing. After studying the photographs of unexploded bombs, communications by F.P. and other evidence, Brussel came up with a profile that he believed likely to fit F.P. which proved to be almost entirely accurate right down to the clothes he wore. Cannell crafts a masterful story centered around F.P and Captain Finney with brief brilliant flashes into Brussel’s life all interwoven with the history and methods of the bomb squad. The genius of Incendiary however is that Cannell declines to tell the reader F.P.’s true identity causing the book to double as both a history of criminal profiling and investigation as well as a first-rate mystery that keeps the reader guessing.

Incendiary follows the NYPD, which was evolving into one of the most advanced crime labs in the world, right at a time when the field of psychology began to insert itself into investigations. A fascinating history of criminal profiling and Dr. Brussel’s brilliant pioneering of the field as well as of the history of the Mad Bomber and the havoc he wreaked that reads like a detective story. Fun, informative reading that is impossible to put down.

Disclaimer: I received an advanced ARC from the publisher on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Recently I have found myself more drawn to nonfiction, especially of this sort of genre.
As a History graduate I have had to slog through some horrendously heavy and bulky writing, so when I graduated I had a long break from nonfiction.
This was wonderfully written, incredibly accessible and wonderfully interesting.
I find the early to mid 1900's incredibly fascinating, especially the 1950's when things began to change; music and fashion was becoming more important. I'm also really keen on crime, especially real crime. So this is a a perfect blend for my interests.
It's always mindboggling reading about some of the things people do to others and this book did it in a respectful and clever way. An addicting read!

This was an interesting read. If you like crime history, this should keep your attention. In 1950s New York City, some crazy guy is leaving bombs all around the city. The police can't figure out why or who. They aren't really set to hurt people, just to cause chaos. The police finally bring in a psychiatrist from a state mental hospital to help them. He gives them information that eventually tracks down the person responsible. There was also help from newspapers along with dogged police work.

This was the beginning of criminal profiling as we know it today. This gives you a good basis for understanding how it came about. A decent read that appears to be well researched and written.

Michael Cannell’s “Incendiary” is a magnificent example of inexhaustible research spawning a great nonfiction book. His story of a psychotic bomber, an eccentric psychiatrist, and the genesis of modern profiling will linger in the reader’s mind long after the reading ends. The cites for his information are extensive.

The Mad Bomber had successfully terrified NYC residents and baffled the city’s police force for almost twenty years. Pipe bombs had been secreted in venues such as Grand Central and Penn stations, Radio City Music Hall, movie theatres, and many more places heavily populated with people. At first the explosive power of the bombs was small and the injuries few. As the years progressed, however, the blasts grew in intensity and their locations were in more densely populated areas, causing increasing anxiety to the police and NYC citizens.

In desperation, and with great uneasiness, police department supervisors were forced to consult with a city psychiatrist, Dr. James Brussel, who was an expert on the criminal mind, but lacking in “police mentality.” After examining evidence gathered over the years, he presented a detailed description of the bomber, even describing his manner of dress. Along with the help of a second-grade newspaper’s publisher, a scheme was developed to bring the criminal to light and, surprisingly, it led to the arrest of George Metesky, who admitted that he was indeed the bomber. Dr. Brussel’s assessment of his character and manner was right on.

Cannell has included many characters in his book from the bomber, his sisters, police brass, bomb technicians, victims, acquaintances, neighbors, doctors, nurses, lawyers, social workers, judges and witnesses. He does it with clarity and accurate analysis of their roles.

The author also brilliantly describes the courtroom drama, hospital treatment of the insane, and legal maneuverings that led to years of confinement for Metesky. The epilogue goes into more studies of various serial criminals, as well as explains the evolution of modern profiling, an interesting sidebar that appeals to the curious.
Don’t miss this book.

How much do you like to know about a book before you start it? The answer may tell you something significant, but not necessarily flattering, about yourself, like some kind of marshmallow test for the type of adults who feel about books like children feel about marshmallows.

I consistently fail this marshmallow test for adults. For example, when reading William Gibson, I cannot sit by and wait for the author-created argot of the future to make itself clear by inference after repeated use, because I feel that if what I desire is to be confused by my environment, all I need to do is walk out my front door. I read books to get away from that. Fortunately, Gibson is a big noise among the nerdy types who like that sort of thing, so you can count on spoiler-filled blog posts and the like to appear on the internet mere hours after Gibson's latest has been made public. Reading them can be just as rewarding as getting that marshmallow in your pie-hole immediately, before some stupid scientist (who has promised you two, yeah like I'm gonna believe that) tricks you and takes it away from you.

In this case, some clever people apparently associated with Northwestern University Knight Lab made a very clever map of this events in this book. It is available through the “bit.ly” link on this book's Goodreads page as of this writing, and also here. It is an awesome map and fun to look at, but might ruin the book for some readers. Which type of reader are you? Have a marshmallow?

The map made the book an easier read for me, which I didn't mind, because I was perfectly happy to know how certain important events in the book would transpire. If spoilers get your boxers in a bunch, avoid. But I was happy to have a clue about the timeline, because the book starts in 1956, then moves back to 1951, while referring to events as far back as 1908. It eventually gets up to the mad bomber's first attack in 1941 before returning to 1951 and assuming a generally more traditional timeline.

The book has the things that make true crime stories fun, like the colossal turns of luck, both good and bad, which result in moments of fairly suspenseful storytelling. For example, man finds a live bomb attached to the New York Public Library payphone he is using. He continues flirting telephonically with his girlfriend while manhandling the bomb. He gets off the phone and, incredibly, carries the bomb through the library to his boss. The boss, a busy man, ignores him. The gravity of the situation begins to dawn on man with a live bomb in his hand. His next response is to panic and drop the bomb out a nearby window without regard to consequences. Fortunately it lands harmlessly in a bush, after which it finally occurs to someone to call the police.

I also, perversely, enjoy reading about bureaucratic villainy and bungling which invariable crop up in stories like these. Some examples:

– The bomber is driven to his acts of public terror by ill-treatment by his former employer, who then covers up evidence that would help bring the bomber to justice, for fear of bad publicity.

– A very important bit of information is discovered on a Friday night and then left to sit on somebody's desk until Monday morning.

– The person who discovered the important bit of evidence above is denied reward money by the police, apparently because she was not a police officer. The reward money is distributed by the police to … other police.

I received an free unfinished galley of the ebook for review. Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Publishers for their generosity.

An amazing journey into the search for a bomber, Incendiary has impeccable sources and details that make you part of the hunt. Michael Cannell's skills for building the tension made me feel frustrated along with the bomb squad and officials, scared as the residents must have felt, and confused how someone could be so twisted. Full Disclosure: I was allowed to read a copy of this book for free as a member of NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased review. The opinions I have expressed are my own and I was not influenced to give a positive review.

This book was not my cup of tea. I don't post negative reviews so I will not publicly post review.

The most interesting chapter of Incendiary was its epilogue, when Cannell finally pulled all of his interweaving threads together to tell a concise ending for his story. In my opinion, he spends far too many words on the Mad Bomber and the NYC police department and too little concretely connecting them to the psychologist who used reverse psychology to catch said bomber. This could have been a great magazine article, stripped of its fat and zeroed in on just how revolutionary a case it was. As is, I got too bored trying to wade through the minutiae to make that connection myself.