Anyone You Want Me to Be: A True Story of Sex and Death on the Internet

Akiva brought this from the library for me because I asked him to find Mindhunter, and when he couldn't, he brought me this available John E. Douglas number instead. At first I thought it would be full of cautionary finger-wagging about meeting people on the internet, which I, a person with many good friends (and a husband) I've met on the internet, roll my eyes at. But this case is just wild.

John Robinson started his criminal career long before the internet was available to everyone through racketeering and fraud, which he consistently got away with. His crimes escalated to murder and continued once he found the internet as a way to hunt new victims.

I'd never known about this case and it was a fascinating read. However, this was show more published in 2003, so it's very outdated. Douglas and Sinclair frequently refer to the internet as "The Net" or "cyberspace," and this was before the advent of social media and the abandonment of the term "netiquette." It is a riveting look at how the law couldn't catch up with cybercrime in the internet's Wild West phase, before To Catch A Predator televised interactions with people like Robinson on the regular. show less

"Anyone You Want Me To Be" by John Douglas. This is a true account of John Douglas' involvement as a profiler in solving the crimes of John Robinson, the Internet's First Serial Murderer. This is a very chilling, explicit read, and not for the faint-hearted. John Robinson lead a double life and his wife and children did not recognize the person being described as having commited these heinous crimes as they knew him only as a loving, caring, involved husband and father. Although his wife knew that he was "cheating" on her she still defended him to the end! I found the book very riveting. I don't know how someone like John Douglas can stand to continue in this depressing work, but PRAISE GOD that there are people like him who are show more dedicated to getting these abominable people off the streets!

I very much admire John Douglas for his pioneering work in the area of profiling. I also give much credit to the police and procesuting attorney's for the work that they do. It has got to be very frustrating at times, especially when the guilty do not get the conviction they deserve. Judge Anderson was also a shining star in this drama as he held firm on many decisions that kept the trial on track.

This book would not be everyone's choice of reading material for obvious reasons, but I am glad I read it. show less

Shocking but compelling story about how one man found victims online after spending years preying on people in real life, Douglas points out that some intelligent manipulative people know how to convince psych people that they've reformed, but that there are people that truly don't want to reform and our society isn't geared to deal with them.

This is an intriguing account of a very evil person and how he convinced unsuspecting women to be a part of his life and then murdered them all the while coming off and a great husband, father and family man. This story also includes the investigation into his activities and the trial of a truly wicked person. This is quite a story of human evilness and how depraved a person can be.

A True Story of Sex and Death on the Internet

Legendary FBI profiler and #1 New York Times bestselling author John Douglas explores the shocking case of John Robinson, a harmless, unassuming family man whose criminal history began with embezzlement and fraud — and ended with his arrest for the savage murders of six women and his suspected involvement in at least five disappearances. Most disturbing was the hunting ground in which Robinson seduced his prey: the world of cyberspace. Haunting chat rooms, targeting vulnerable women, and exploiting the anonymity of the Internet, his bloody spree was finally halted by a relentless parole officer who spent ten years trying to nail Robinson as a cold-blooded killer.

A cautionary tale set in a show more virtual world where relationships are established without the benefit of physical contact, and where mainstream Americans can be drawn down a dark path of temptation and death, Anyone You Want Me To Be is a contemporary real-life drama of high-tech crime and punishment.

John Robinson was a con man, when he discovered the internet it widened his ‘hunting grounds’ beyond what anyone could conceive. He could draw victims from all over the world, this is also what led to his downfall, as with more victims it was harder to keep his ‘identities’ straight. This case made necessary new skills with police, new wording on warrants.

Besides relating the crime and trail, John Douglas also relates fact about crime in relation to the internet and different groups that have cropped up both crime related and crime prevention related.

I recommend this book. show less

Douglas gets a little carried away from the story in trying to teach one about dangers of the internet. Overall, a good description of a truly evil person.

Tis was a fascinating tale of how a man lured women over the internet to Kansas city them killed them. Douglas once more weaves a true crime story into a tale that makes for enjoyable reading.