Hearts of Darkness: Serial Killers, the Behavioral Science Unit, and My Life as a Woman in the FBI
About this ebook
“Jana Monroe is the single most influential woman to ever serve in the FBI.” —Joe Navarro, bestselling author of What Every BODY Is Saying
Jana Monroe was no ordinary cop. One of the first analysts—and, at the time, the only female agent—in the world-renowned FBI Behavioral Sciences Unit at Quantico, she consulted on more than 850 homicide cases, including infamous serial killers Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, Edmund Kemper, and Aileen Wuornos.
Monroe was also the model for Clarice Starling in the movie version of The Silence of the Lambs; she even helped train Jodie Foster for her Oscar-winning role. Monroe’s later years found her dealing with the aftermath of Columbine, heading up the FBI’s post-9/11 investigation in Las Vegas, and much more.
In Hearts of Darkness, Monroe steps out from the shadows to tell the story of her astonishing life in shaping law enforcement and intelligence analysis. Monroe explores the cases that have stayed with her, breaking down victimology, offering new insight into the minds of serial killers, and discussing the psychological toll of the job and the obstacles she faced as a woman in the male-dominated Bureau.
This is a gripping, sometimes gruesome, and always remarkable memoir of an unparalleled life and career spent chasing the monsters among us.
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About the author
Jana Monroe had a distinguished 22-year career in the Federal Bureau of Investigation, where she held a variety of investigative, operational, and executive leadership roles across the United States, including more than five years as a criminal profiler at Quantico, Virginia. One of the FBI's first female profilers, she worked in the Behavioral Science Unit, consulted on hundreds of major violent-crime investigations, and provided guidance to Jodie Foster for her Academy Award-winning portrayal of Clarice Starling in The Silence of the Lambs. Monroe later served as special agent in charge in Phoenix, Arizona, and Los Angeles, California, two of the FBI's largest field offices, and became the first assistant director of the FBI Cyber Division. After retiring from the Bureau, she held senior security leadership positions in the private sector and now serves as a consultant and public speaker. She lives in Arlington, Texas.
