I’m not much of a true crime kind of person and I usually don’t read books around that or memoirs even but when I saw this title I was excited. Silence of the Lambs is my favorite movie and reading about the person that helped inspire the film version of Agent Starling was an exciting prospect for me.

I really enjoyed the start of this book. Reading about the authors start with law enforcement and her struggle to be taken seriously in a male dominated field was eye opening. I was having an actual good time with the book. Then for some reason she decided she needed to have a negative famous person experience written down to contrast with how much she liked working with Jodie Foster and decided she needed to rag on Demi Moore being bored in her tour of the facilities. Then came the heavily sanitized retelling of Ruby Ridge and the Waco massacre and I went from being entertained by this to being uncomfortable. The book got better from then on and then for some reason she decided to put in writing that convicted criminals (if the crime is severe) should be placed alone in a room with a cyanide pill after conviction so they can be given the choice between suicide and jail. I guess she doesn’t know that not everyone convicted of a crime has actually committed it. Or the fact that people that have just been convicted of a crime (especially if they are innocent) aren’t exactly at their most mentally stable at the time. And that’s ignoring the fact they may have not been mentally well before that. And then I got to the part where she said part of the reason she quit the FBI was because she was being forced to -check notes- attend sensitivity training with Muslim faith leaders.

Overall this might have been an interesting story but considering the person behind this story after those tidbits she decides to share, I cannot in good conscience recommend this book. I’m giving this 2 stars and I’m glad I didn’t pay for the book to read it

This was an incredibly informative read. We follow the author on her journey as a woman in an incredibly male dominated field. We hear her challenges and her triumphs in her time with the FBI and it’s quite inspiring. Would I call this true crime? Ish. It’s closer to a memoir in my opinion, but enjoyable nonetheless.

This sounded exactly like a book I’d love to read - a woman FBI agent writing about her time working in the BSU is right up my alley - but I was disappointed in the execution and the way a lot of the content was presented. I’m a little conflicted about this book. There’s some really interesting commentary here on the author’s experiences with notable, high profile cases. Primarily, though, the book is about her life and work. Disappointing. The title is misleading, as it makes it seem like the book will be mainly about the behavioral science unit, which it is not.

I really enjoyed this book. It was interesting to hear what it was like for Jana Monroe being in the FBI.

This is a memoir (of sorts) of the work and personal life of Jana Monroe, the FBI Behavioral Sciences Unit analyst and the first female officer there at the times.
This story is meant for every kind of reader - by which I mean that there are tidbits about her personal life, professional career as a female in men´s world, criminal cases, celebrities she worked with (namely Jodie Foster, whose character of Clarice Sterling in The Silence of Lambs was partly modeled after Monroe), political experiences and work after the FBI.
Unfortunately, this approach does not work me - I hoped for more in-depth descriptions of true crime, profilling and police and FBI work. I got some info, but I learned little obout the real FBI work.
But Ms Monroe seems like a nice woman and the epilogue has some good points for the usage in everyday life.

Narrator was nice. To be honest, I was hoping for this to be more True Crime than it was a “girls can be cops too” memoir, but it is my fault for not looking at the synopsis close enough.

Jana Monroe was no ordinary cop: over the course of her career she consulted on more than 850 homicide cases. Through her work, she crossed paths with Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, Edmund Kemper, Aileen Wuornos, and hundreds of other murderers.

Over the course of an utterly astonishing career in law enforcement and intelligence analysis, Monroe has come face-to-face with hundreds of the darkest criminals in American history. Her notoriety even led her to become the person whom the character of Clarice (Jodie Foster) in The Silence of the Lambs was modelled, and she even trained Foster for the role.

Hearts of Darkness is Monroe's incredible story, stepping out from the shadows to tell a range of gripping, sometimes gruesome, and always remarkable tales from the top moments of a life fighting the evil among us.

Did not download in time to review.

More an autobiography of Monroe's life in and out of the FBI and less an up-close look at working in the Behavioral Science Unit or any specific cases, this book wasn't what I had really hoped. It was interesting to hear about her experiences as a female LEO in the early to mid 80s when that was still somewhat of a novelty. But most of the book kind of bored me - a lot of jumping around, not many in-depth stories or details, and honestly, Monroe's "better than everyone" tone bothered me somewhat throughout the book.

This was a really fascinating memoir. A very exciting insight to working as a woman in the FBI across several units, including the behavioral science unit. The memoir can definitely get graphic as she retells some of the horrible atrocities she's seen, and potentially a little repetitive, but it was overall a great read/listen. The audiobook was very well narrated.

This audiobook is the story of Jana Monroe and her time in the FBI BAU. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to her and her stories. I learned more about some cases that I did not know about or that I only had fleeting knowledge of. I found that this book was great. It was written well and hard to stop listening to. I wanted more! I do recommend this book. It was great to listen to.

Thank you to Netgalley for access to this book in exchange for an honest review. This is a look at the professional life of Jana Monroe, one of the first women in the FBI including five years working with seriel killers. I thought this book flew by quickly and was very interested throughout. She offers some great perspectives of being a women on the force. She also did some things that were considered "unnecessary" early on which are now standard practice. (Trying not to spoil anything). Her insight into the why of seriel killers is interesting and somewhat different from what I've read elsewhere. She definitely tells some stories of graphic violent experiences in her time with the FBI. Some are really disturbing and not just in a gory way. I also liked that she empathized with victims and tried to always keep that in mind when it could be easy to focus more on the details of the job. Probably the strongest part of the book to me is her explanation of when and why to leave the unit and move on to other positions and opportunities. The horrors of the job do get to even the most professional of people and you have to recognize when its too much before you can be damaged or numb to it all.

Link to review on Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/edit/98653090

The Hears of Darkness gives an inside look at the BAU and whats its like to be a women in the FBI. The book wasn't bad at all, I just found that it wasn't as engaging as I hoped it would be.

Thank You to Jana Monroe, Joe Navarro and Spotify Audiobooks, for the audio-digital ARC provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

Just leaving this five stars bc I am unable to finish and it feels unfair to not otherwise rate. Many thanks for the audio ARC

I enjoy the Heart of Darkness. I have always wondered what it was really like to be in the BAU. I also enjoy the point of view of what it was like being a woman in the FBI since it was such a "man's world."

As an avid reader of John Douglas, Robert Ressler, and other true crime authors, I was extremely excited to have been selected to listen to an ARC audiobook copy of Monroe's Hearts of Darkness.

Ultimately, though, it fell a little flat for me (in comparison to other similar stories). Part of it, I think, was the narration style, which wasn't BAD, per se, but it was less than totally engaging at times. I also wondered at the accuracy of some of the information in the book.

I mean, it's a memoir, so you'd assume the facts were all in order. But in certain spots, stories the author told directly contradicted the same stories told by other, more established true crime writers.

Still, overall, this book was a solid 3- to 3.5-star read, and I'm definitely glad I got to read it. As a female myself, it was interesting to hear about some of the world's most notorious serial killers and criminals from a woman's perspective.

It wasn't my favorite true crime book I've ever read (or listened to, as the case was), but it's still a book worth reading. I'd recommend it to anyone who is a fan of the genre.

A fascinating look at a career packed with action and human horror. Jana Monroe certainly wasn't the first woman to join the FBI, but there were times when her male colleagues treated her that way--like she was at best an alien and at worst a joke.

But she maintains good humor and a positive attitude while telling this story and displays a good deal of poise and patience despite a hectic schedule and seemingly impossible tasks.

Between Jana and her second husband, they had firsthand involvement in just about every high profile event you can think of the FBI investigating during the 90s and 2000s.

I enjoyed the narration and the book kept my attention, but this is not a tale for the faint of heart. Not that you have any business picking up a book about such things if you're squeamish or overly sensitive.

Her time in the BSU was certainly a draw for me, but it's not a huge part of the book. Don't let that put you off; there's still a lot of interesting material. I also really appreciated learning a bit about her faith journey at the very end.

Thank you to NetGalley for my audio copy.

Jana Monroe's history with the FBI was an incredibly inspiring story. Each chapter was more riveting than the last. Any one who is a true crime fan should definitely check this book out. The narrator also made the listening experience a fabulous one! Jana may just be my new hero. I loved getting a peek into her life.

Monroe, one of the FBI's first female agents with the Behavioral Science Unit, shares stories of her life with the FBI. Over the years, she holds a variety of positions, breaks glass ceilings for women, and meets some interesting and terrifying characters. Equal parts her personal memoir on the challenges and struggles of her positions and a field agent's perspective on some of the major investigations the FBI handled during her tenure, Monroe's book was easily readable and intriguing. If you have ever considered a career that combines law enforcement and psychological analysis, you will find this an insightful and engaging read with some exciting adventures along the way.

Hearts of Darkness was a great behind the scenes look at a behavioral analyst in the FBI. I liked learning more about the author and how the cases have effected her. it's not for the faint of heart!

While interesting, this was definitely a slow burn. It took quite some time to get into the real good parts, or the parts I found most intriguing, that is. I didn't quite care for the monotony of the narrator, there was little inflection if any. Understandably, this will get rave reviews for those who really enjoy hearing about what the FBI is really like, from one point of view. I did like hearing the more hardcore details of cases and what the female experience was like when mostly men ran things. As someone who is a Social Worker with a background in Behavioral Science, I think this memoir helps give a more truthful, substantial view of certain behaviors and those deemed equipped to deal with them. Especially at the beginning when talking about going into a house with children and drawing pictures until CPS arrives, it helps to shed a light on how far things have come and how much further they need to go. Overall, this was a good read, more memoir than true crime though.

I received this ARC for free and my review is voluntary.