No nonsense introduction to the subject which covered different aspects simply and succinctly. Let down by quotes from true crime books and films where case studies would have been more appropriate. ( )

Excellent book on this topic. ( )

Robert Hare provides, in _Without Conscience_, a solid introduction to the mind and lifestyle of the psychopath. As a psychologist, Hare has spent much of his career interviewing people with this personality disorder, some in prison, some not, and has compiled a well-researched and useful tool--the "Psychopathy Checklist"--for recognizing psychopathy in individuals, as well as ways to deal with such individuals in one's personal and business life.

Hare's extensive research is very lucid and convincing; his "Psychopathy Checklist," which is the cornerstone of his book and which he refers to often, provides a good framework for understanding this mental disorder. While I found the book easy to understand and quite interesting, it is a basic _introduction_ to the topic. To illustrate the various points on the "Checklist," Hare uses brief descriptions from dozens of psychopaths' behavior, rather than more in-depth case studies. Points are referred to and re-referred to multiple times. I don't at all mean this as a criticism, but I do think that, on its own, _Without Concience_ is probably not hefty enough to do justice to the material. Read in conjunction with Martha Stout's _The Sociopath Next Door_, _Without Conscience_ is a fine introduction to a very interesting, disturbing topic. Four stars. ( )

I like true crime stuff, especially serial killers, and I'm interested in mental illness. A family friend actually gave this to us and told my mom and I both to read it. Well, several years later, I finally did. It was very good, very readable, well-researched, appreciated the notes. Drew a distinction between sociopaths and psychopaths. Was kind of like a how-to guide, regarding protecting yourself. ( )