“The Devil you know “ is an account of Dr. Gwen Adshead’s career as a forensic psychiatrist and psychotherapist. Working both in the infamous Broadmoor and in the community, the book covers anonymised cases from her career.

The insight into Dr. Adshead’s role is fascinating. The cases covered in this book are, as you would expect, harrowing and unnerving but also poignant and even in some cases hopeful. If you like true crime, you will love this. The book also serves to illustrate the nature of different mental disorders and the history of the treatment used. It spotlights the impact government cuts have had on mental health treatment and the stark fact that most of the cases wouldn’t have been given access to treatment until their mental illness accelerated to a level where they committed a crime.

What I am really disliked about the book was the writing style. It’s flowery and poetic style is at odds with the content of the book. There are frequent quotations of classic literature. At points I wasn’t sure if I was reading a meta analysis of mental illness in classic literature. These quotes were jarring and interrupted the flow of the narrative.
I also think that the book is poorly named - in the introduction Dr. Adshead comments about the inaccurate perceptions of the people she treats as monsters and yet she has included one in the title of her book. It feels inappropriately sensationalist.

Thank you to the authors, Netgalley and Faber and Faber for the opportunity to review the book in exchange for an honest opinion.

An interesting and balanced book making the reader consider whether people are ever truly evil, and what can lead someone to commit a crime beyond the comprehension of most. I was particularly struck by how long the author worked with people to reach some sort of resolution, and one wonders if this level of support was available earlier to those in need there may be less need for Broadmoor and similar institutions rather than the present alternative of "care in the community". While this has been the mantra for many years I was interested in, and agreed with, Dr Adshead' s comments on this and it's impact on those providing the caring. I also enjoyed the way she broadened each chapter out to discuss a wider topic e.g. refugees.

Thank you to netgalley and Faber and Faber for an advance copy of this book

I found this book a rather fascinating read. One can tell Gwen Adshead is passionate about her job, and The Devil You Know is astonishing in the compassion it shows to people few of us would ever try or even wish to empathise with. I'd like to think that she is right in her conviction that nobody is born evil, but that both personal circumstances and bigger societal patterns play a big role in tipping people over towards the terrible sort of crimes she describes. I felt I came out of this book knowing not only more about the 'criminal mind' but about the human mind in general.

A really interesting read covering a subject topic that I haven't really read about before. It's fascinating to read some of the cases and it definitely left me with questions. Recommended.

Dr Gwen Adshead is a forensic psychiatrist and psychotherapist. In 30 years of experience seeing troubled people she has dealt with a wide variety of issues. Some of her time has been spent with patients at Broadmoor. In a series of 11 stories about cases she illustrates many key issues that affect the people she sees. Each case also allows her to expand on issues relating to the topic more generally. The cases are taken from both prisons and secure hospital setting as well as those who are in the community. They are challenging both in the sense of trying to help people deal with their issue but also because of the way the discussion can affect the therapist too. The introduction to this book is very good. It defines the general area of the book and sets the scene very well indeed.

The 11 stories are wide ranging. They have in common very troubled people who have been violent, dangerous or with the potential to be. I won't give an insight into each of the cases - frankly they are all interesting. However by way of example I'll mention a couple. The story of Gabriel is about someone who attacked a stranger without any apparent provocation. He is an immigrant from Eritrea. The understanding that Dr Adshead eventually gets of his case is both powerful and interesting. Lydia's story was another fascinating one. She is leaving prison after serving a sentence for stalking. This allows the general topic of stalking as a offence - both the history and the overall subject - to be considered as part of the chapter. The actual case reads almost like a fiction story - remarkable.

Every one of the chapters made for a good read for me. The broadening out of chapters to cover more general information worked well for me. As an example Kezia's case - she killed her support worker - allows the author to look at the topic of female violence generally. She also brings in the prevailing views among psychiatrists who are largely male. Other topics covered include PTSD and sexual abuse. It is probably fair to say that some of the stories make for quite challenging reads. Across the book there are topics of race and the rationale behind the request for a therapy sessions.

The thoughtful and balanced approach that Dr Adshead takes with her patients was impressive. Her "asides" of how patients make her feel are very thoughtful and interesting. I think I probably highlighted more sections in this than in most of the books I've read because they seemed so interesting and worth attention. It is definitely one of the best medical non-fiction books I have read. I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in the subject - from a professional slant or simply interested.

This is an informative and educational read and I found it completely absorbing. The author is very in tune with her patients and it’s fascinating to know more about those who commit serious crimes and indeed homicide. Their stories and backgrounds are usually very sad and it’s not always the case that someone’s trauma can be fully resolved, but Gwen is amazing at helping people come to terms with their pasts. We can never really know what someone else has going on in their head, some things are quite horrific and hard to digest but it’s helped me to understand a bit why they happened. Valuable commentary on the importance of strong mental health care - which unfortunately is mostly absent in today’s world.

Thank you Faber & Faber, Gwen Adshead & Eileen Home for an ARC.
Sorry, i tried to read this book, but the intro took so long and i felt that the first couple of chapters really dragged and didn't really hold my attention. I think i was expecting something else of this book. I have read other psychology books about people who commit crime and why and they have held my attention, but this one sadly didn't

This was a different type of book for me to read and at the start I wasn’t sure what my opinion of it would be. The author shows a great deal of empathy and understanding that has been gained from over 30 years as a psychiatrist. The cases presented were easy to read and I found it interesting to consider the inside minds of people who had committed terrible acts of violence. Set inside secure hospitals and prisons, the reader is taken into the treatment room where criminal behaviour is explored. I found it an insightful, thoughtful and fascinating read.

A fascinating and challenging read. I found a strong note of hope running through the cases presented, tempered by my frustration I could see mirrored in one or two comments of Dr. Adshead's that it would be far better if we had adequate, consistent mental health provisions in place within the community to save those who can be saved from offending in the first place.
I've long been dismissed as an idealist when I venture opinions on rehabilitation for people who've committed crimes such as those laid out in the cases within this book but people like Dr. Adshead give me hope for that to be more widespread one day

I started to read this book and it was so deep I could not get past the jargon. I am sure it would be interesting for more 'medically minded' readers though.

A really interesting book. Unsurprisingly, as it's by a forensic psychiatrist, it reminded me very strongly of 'The Dark Side of the Mind' by Kerry Daynes but I did think this one was better and would recommend it out of the two.
The book gives case studies on some of the people Dr Adshead has encountered through her career, including what they've done and, in some cases, why they may have done it. It's illuminating and makes clear the effect both nature and nurture can have on the mind and how many people are not 'evil' but can be victims of their own circumstances. I would recommend if you're interested in the darker side of human behaviour but also want to understand why some people do terrible things.

This is a fascinating read. Written with knowledge and compassion, Gwen Adshead sheds light on the criminal mind. Far from being the monsters depicted in the tabloid press, they are often confused and disturbed people many of whom are desperate to understand their own actions. The cases described are composite ones of the many people she has treated over the years so issues of patient confidentiality are dealt with in this way. Throughout there are quotations from literature to exemplify some of the issues discussed. Dr Adshead is an insightful and thoughtful psychiatrist, non judgemental for the most part and very honest about her own feelings.

Thanks to Faber and NetGalley for the ARC.

This book is a very interesting read, Dr Adshead covers a wide range of subjects from stalkers to sex offenders to murderers. What is a little off-putting is that the introduction states that the cases presented are culled from the doctors files and are not necessarily about one individual case. This makes one sit back when reading and asking if these cases are actually what the doctor encountered or an amalgam of various cases she has dealt with over the years.

That slight dissonance aside, the book is very readable, full of insight and is hugely interesting.

I would recommend this book but am reluctant to give it five stars due to the slightly off-putting announcement in the intro section.

As an avid crime reader (both fiction and non-fiction) a book written by an actual psychiatrist who works with offenders sounded intriguing. Dr Gwen Ashead's voice throughout the novel when describing the crimes and the treatment and help that she provides was non judgemental and open and made me think more deeply about not only the victims of crimes but of the perpetrators themselves. This book was gripping and eye opening and a truly fascinating read.

An insightful book that provokes complex feelings. It made me feel sad, angry, hopeful, helpless and far more at various points in the book. I felt it was a really honest and balanced insight into the world of forensic psychology and psychiatry. Closeting away this world or sensationalising it breeds fear and a complete lack of understanding. This book sheds light on the subject and invites us to empathise.

This is interesting and an insight into a subject that I don't think has ever been discussed before.

Dr Gwen Adshead has worked as a forensic psychiatrist in prisons and hospitals for a number of years including Broadmoor. This book explores the subject through work with a number of her patients.

This book really excels in showing how small factors can build up over time and then just a small, seemingly insignificant thing can cause someone to commit unspeakable acts in some cases. This explains how the mind can build up barriers to protect.

I would recommend that everyone buy this for a greater understanding of the human mind.

What drives someone to commit an act of terrible violence? Drawing from her thirty years of experience in working with people who have committed serious offences, Dr Gwen Adshead provides fresh and surprising insights into violence and the mind. Through a collaboration with coauthor Eileen Horne, Dr Adshead brings her extraordinary career to life in a series of unflinching portraits.

I am absolutely fascinated with criminal behaviour and how society is so quick with labels that may be incorrect. This book covers everything needed if you like the genre, the authors are unbiased and professional and you can see how much research has gone into this.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

I loved this book! I’ve always been fascinated by criminal behaviour and how we as a society treat those convicted. Thankfully like me, Gwen Adshead believes in rehabilitation and respecting the humanity still held in even the most violent offenders. I can’t stand the media headlines of ‘Monster’ ‘Pedo!’ that seek to demonise these men and women and do nothing to help society except spreading fear and hate. And thank you, thank you, thank you Dr Adshead for pointing out what a paedophile actually is and what a child sex offender is.
It’s a shame that the case studies had to be composites though I understand why. It would have been fascinating to know if any psychotherapy like this has helped with the mindset of any high profile offenders though.
That said, having these composite anonymised case histories did mean that that author could add in snippets of her experiences in the USA and in therapy in other settings. For me the best part of the book was the beautifully woven in literary references! For someone like me who loves classic literature it was fabulous to read and each one was perfectly relevant and well chosen.
I’m sure Dr Adshead has many more such stories and I for one would be happy to read book two!

I loved this book so much. I haven’t been this engrossed in anything in years and I just couldn’t stop reading! Dr Gwen’s knowledge, compassion and empathy just shines through, demonstrating how really, everybody is human.

A must read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher!