Inside the Mind of a Psychopath
No matter how hard I try to go the straightforward route, it’s always a no-go. Just as I can’t write short, I can’t write simple. The result (not counting lots of sleepless nights) is that I end up writing complicated psychological thrillers with complex plots and equally complex characters. And, after twenty-something books, I’ve accepted the inevitable.is no exception. It’s the third book in the Forensic Instincts series, following The Girl Who Disappeared Twice and The Line Between Here and Gone. Quite honestly, after spending all this time with the Forensic Instincts team, I have to say that I find them pretty amazing. Not because I wrote them, but because they turned into a most dynamic and compelling group of investigators. They are quite a challenge—not only creating them but keeping all of them in line as they work their individual magic.
I’ve written more than a few series. What makes this one different is that it’s my first series with an entire ensemble of protagonists rather than just one female and one male protagonist. That means researching, developing, and forming a powerful connection with a group of very different, very strong personalities. And that means learning about the skills, methods, dangers, and triumphs involved in a wide variety of specialized fields in order to present them authentically.
A human behaviorist, a former Navy SEAL/FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit agent, a techno-wizard, a psychic (although she hates being called one), a retired FBI violent-crimes agent, and an FBI human-scent evidence dog.
Can you imagine what it was like to learn all those careers? I loved it, but it crowded my mind like throngs of people at a rock concert. As always, I talked to and learned from actual experts in each field. I spent tons of time with the FBI, both at their headquarters and at Quantico, not to mention making phone call after phone call with them to follow up. As always, they were amazing.
With regard to expert consultants, my work with the FBI’s BAU was the most significant aspect of The Stranger You Know. That’s because I did something I thought I’d never do: I created a villain who is a serial rapist and killer.
Those of you who are familiar with my novels know that I’m a psychological thriller writer, not a violent thriller writer. Sure, people die in my books, but I usually either allude to the murder or keep it “off-screen”. I’m just not comfortable writing brutal scenes or even watching them on TV.
However, there was a character at the beginning of The Girl Who Disappeared Twice—a serial rapist and killer—whom the Forensic Instincts team helped catch in a very hands-on way. It was a one-chapter, edge-of-your-seat scenario, but it kept resurfacing in the back of my mind.
I was terrified, but I knew that Glen Fisher had to come back, incarcerated or not. His work could be done, even from a tiny prison cell in a maximum security facility. He could pull the strings to kill again…
His ultimate target? The woman who put him away. Casey Woods, head of Forensic Instincts.
I had to get inside the head of a serial killer. It still haunts me. Now it’s your turn…
Glen Fisher lay on his cot in the cell of Auburn Correctional Facility—a maximum security prison.
He folded his hands behind his head and stared up at the concrete ceiling. First, six weeks in Downstate Correctional Facility undergoing all those ridiculous evaluations and test. And now? Seven months, two weeks, and four days in here. More than half a year of his life, shot to hell. Thanks to that firecrotch.
One day blended into the next. A meal. His job in the mail room. Another meal. Exercise. Mail again. Back to his cell. A gloomy little six-by-eight hole with a sink, a toilet, a cot, a shelf, and bars that separated him from a dark hall equipped with tear gas.
His lawyer had been a wimp. He should have driven home the coercion plea and gotten him off. Instead, the judge had thrown out the defendant’s plea, the evidence had been ruled admissible, and here he was facing a life sentence.
His lawyer was long gone. Good riddance. Representing himself was the smartest thing he could do. He continually found new loopholes. He’d filed another appeal last week. Eventually, maybe those idiots on the Parole Board would listen to him. All they kept reiterating over and over like some stupid litany was the list of rapes and homicides he’d been convicted of. They couldn’t see that he’d done the world a favor.
Given law enforcement’s one-dimensional stupidity, he should have kept his fucking mouth shut when he’d been cornered. Even if that Neanderthal from Forensic Instincts had started the ball rolling by practically killing him in the alley. Uncharacteristically, Glen had been caught off-guard.
Never again.
They’d found the bodies just where he said they would be. And the jury—not one of whom had an ounce of brains—had labeled him scum. They’d focused only on the words “rape” and “murder”. Couldn’t see past them. Couldn’t know what he knew about those whores. Who they were. What they were. What they did to their victims.
The entire system was useless. It was up to him to bypass it and finish what he’d started.
He pulled out his drawing tablet and crayons and began another detailed sketch. It came alive slowly. Even the outline excited him. Especially when he made sweeping crimson strokes across the page.
A smug smile twisted his lips. Funny thing about life. It had a way of evening out.
He may have lost his freedom.
But she was about to lose a whole lot more.
Enjoy The Stranger You Know. It pushed me to my limits. I hope it does the same for you.
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Excerpt Copyright © 2013 Rainbow Connection Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Stranger You Know, the latest Andrea Kane novel in the Forensic Instincts series, is available in hardcover and eBook.
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