Once upon a time I noticed that all the narcissists I had ever known were musical. Think about it: The Phantom (Erik), Davy Jones, Captain Nemo, Jack Lemmon (in The Great Race) and several other people who were not in the movies. So, naturally, I --being musical-- wanted to know if that was a guaranteed side effect. So I found this book via Goodreads and then at my public library. Turns out, playing an instrument or having a nice voice is not something that Navarro covers. But it was interesting. :) ( )

I read this book because A) I want to learn how to protect myself and family; B) I am curious about criminals and the criminally-minded (probably from reading crime fiction); and C) I want to recognize those who are dangerous, even if I am not directly under their influence.

This is a quick, easy read. That's both a positive and a negative.

On the negative side, it's a little too quick and easy to read. This is a broad subject and there are many things the general public doesn't know about the most dangerous personality types. This book skims the surface. We're left with a shallow understanding of the narcissist, the emotionally unstable, the paranoid, and the predator. There are descriptions of these people's behavior but not enough to help the lay person understand it.

To Navarro's credit, he states as much. He's not interested in telling us why a particular personality behaves the do, the origins of the disorders, or the ways to help these people. He states, over and over, that help for people like the predator (or narcissist, etc.) must be left to professionals, and that it may not even be possible. (Is that too pessimistic? Maybe it's possible but not probable for them to change.)

His goal is to help readers identify dangerous people in their lives and escape their influence. As he points out, those victims who are left cleaning up the mess of a destructive personality probably don't care about why that person was destructive (what made him/her so destructive in the first place).

On the positive side, Navarro recounts many stories of victims and criminals.

Some stories are haunting, such as Sue Curtis, one of Ted Bundy's victims, who disappeared from a college campus the night Navarro was on patrol duty. He possibly saw Bundy cruising around the campus. Navarro conducted the initial investigation, but she was never found. (Bundy confessed to killing her prior to his execution.) Navarro's sorrow that he didn't recognize Bundy as a predator and his failure to solve the case and find young Sue haunts me. It's obvious that Navarro, even years later, feels pain over this and many other cases that he writes about. But his pain has driven him to want to help prevent these crimes by giving readers the tools they need to recognize and escape.

The stories are informative. While I didn't have this experience, some readers may recognize their current situation and, I hope, take action. Others may recognize situations that friends or family are dealing with, too.

Stories stick in my head better than stats or theories. That's helpful. If I were to find myself in certain situations, I might remember a similar story and use it as a basis for my actions. I'd never remember instructions!

The easy reading level is helpful. People who might be lost in a book of theories, technical terms, etc., will be able to read this.

Navarro ends each chapter with suggestions for immediate action. I would have liked to have seen more ways that friends/family can help those in danger. For example, I may not be an abuse victim but I might have a friend/neighbor/acquaintance who is. I'd like to have the tools to step in and help.

Each chapter contains lengthy (100 ) checklist of possible characteristics/actions for that personality. For example the narcissist "is unable to identify the needs, wants, desires, and feelings of those closest to her." The predator "has a sense of entitlement and thinks he is above others or he can do as he pleases." (He uses gender pronouns interchangeably. Both genders can be dangerous!)

He urges readers to think carefully about the possible dangerous person in their lives, work through the entire list (which contains some items I never would've thought of), and add up the scores.

If you're looking for in-depth understanding of this subject, theories about personality disorders, statistics about crime, or clinical help, this is not the book for you. However, Navarro includes a lengthy bibliography for further research. ( )

Really valuable checklists to help you profile narcissistic, emotional unstable, paranoid and predatory personalities. ( )