Here are 88 books that The Psychopath fans have personally recommended if you like
The Psychopath.
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Why am I passionate about psychopaths? Iâm not, but I am passionate about creating characters with depth that arenât the cardboard cutout tropes that litter science fiction, like used confetti. People are deeper, richer, and far more twisted than most authors imagine or dream. So knowing nothing about psychopaths, I found out. I read the books listed above and visited some nice (slightly amused but paid) psychologists for long chats, with the goal of making one central character in three volumes of my hexalogy as close to real as an imagined person can be. Why? So, Diathesis stands out from the crowd. So the reader can immerse fully in the story.
All I needed was the view from inside a psychopath, and there arenât many reliable ones out there, but hey, guess what, this one isâbecause itâs written by a self-diagnosed psychopath whoâs also a neuroscientist!
I loved this one as the inside view is that extra layer of nuance I needed to build into one of my main charactersâunderstanding how they think and process from their perspective is crucial in making my psychopath real. Bonus here is that the authorâs absolutely honest, describing his behaviours, what he didnât see impacting on those around him,and then adding in how they felt and reacted. Very valuable.
âCompelling, essential reading for understanding the underpinnings of psychopathy.â â M. E. Thomas, author of Confessions of a Sociopath
For his first fifty-eight years, James Fallon was by all appearances a normal guy. A successful neuroscientist and professor, heâd been raised in a loving family, married his high school sweetheart, and had three kids and lots of friends. Then he learned a shocking truth that would not only disrupt his personal and professional life, but would lead him to question the very nature of his own identity.
While researching serial killers, he uncovered a pattern in their brain scans thatâŚ
The Victorian mansion, Evenmere, is the mechanism that runs the universe.
The lamps must be lit, or the stars die. The clocks must be wound, or Time ceases. The Balance between Order and Chaos must be preserved, or Existence crumbles.
Appointed the Steward of Evenmere, Carter Anderson must learn theâŚ
Why am I passionate about psychopaths? Iâm not, but I am passionate about creating characters with depth that arenât the cardboard cutout tropes that litter science fiction, like used confetti. People are deeper, richer, and far more twisted than most authors imagine or dream. So knowing nothing about psychopaths, I found out. I read the books listed above and visited some nice (slightly amused but paid) psychologists for long chats, with the goal of making one central character in three volumes of my hexalogy as close to real as an imagined person can be. Why? So, Diathesis stands out from the crowd. So the reader can immerse fully in the story.
I wanted to build a psychopath character from the ground up (day 1, to be exact), and this book took me right to the brink.
I loved it because itâs less technical than Blair et al. yet digs down into the roots of how a psychopath could develop, what they behave like, andâcritically for meâthe sometimes all too subtle differences between them and the non-psychopaths among us.
Most people are both repelled and intrigued by the images of cold-blooded, conscienceless murderers that increasingly populate our movies, television programs, and newspaper headlines. With their flagrant criminal violation of society's rules, serial killers like Ted Bundy and John Wayne Gacy are among the most dramatic examples of the psychopath. Individuals with this personality disorder are fully aware of the consequences of their actions and know the difference between right and wrong, yet they are terrifyingly self-centered, remorseless, and unable to care about the feelings of others. Perhaps most frightening, they often seem completely normal to unsuspecting targets--and they doâŚ
Why am I passionate about psychopaths? Iâm not, but I am passionate about creating characters with depth that arenât the cardboard cutout tropes that litter science fiction, like used confetti. People are deeper, richer, and far more twisted than most authors imagine or dream. So knowing nothing about psychopaths, I found out. I read the books listed above and visited some nice (slightly amused but paid) psychologists for long chats, with the goal of making one central character in three volumes of my hexalogy as close to real as an imagined person can be. Why? So, Diathesis stands out from the crowd. So the reader can immerse fully in the story.
I loved this three-book series because it is a cold, academic study of one of the worldâs greatest psychopaths in action. Understanding how a psychopath would behave when in charge forms a large part of not only Diathesis but also Dissonace, the fourth book in my series, and this does exactly that.
Itâs a difficult read emotionally, but thatâs more than offset by the examination of how a psychopath, and one recognized as such and as being unfit for any position, manages to rise to the top.
Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa storiesâall reenacted in an urban psychiatric hospital!
On locked ward 5C4, Josh, a patient with many similarities to Jesus, is hospitalized concurrently with Nick, a patient with many similarities to Santa. The two argueâŚ
Why am I passionate about psychopaths? Iâm not, but I am passionate about creating characters with depth that arenât the cardboard cutout tropes that litter science fiction, like used confetti. People are deeper, richer, and far more twisted than most authors imagine or dream. So knowing nothing about psychopaths, I found out. I read the books listed above and visited some nice (slightly amused but paid) psychologists for long chats, with the goal of making one central character in three volumes of my hexalogy as close to real as an imagined person can be. Why? So, Diathesis stands out from the crowd. So the reader can immerse fully in the story.
First, let me say that the book is garbage in its entirety. Thereâs nothing in it that I remotely support or accept, and I didnât love it.
But.
It was valuable to me in this exercise to see how far a psychopathâs mind could take them and to see it first hand, to read the words they put down. Not bedtime reading for sure, and not for everyone, but for me, here? Yes.
Step into the historical and ideological world of Adolf Hitler's provocative and controversial memoir, ""Mein Kampf"". This infamous text offers readers a firsthand insight into the mind of one of history's most polarizing figures, exploring his early life, political ambitions, and extremist worldview. Written during his imprisonment in the 1920s, ""Mein Kampf"" chronicles Hitler's formative years, his disenchantment with post-World War I Germany, and the rise of his nationalist and anti-Semitic ideologies. The book presents a chilling blueprint of the ideas that would later shape Nazi policies and World War II.Delving into themes of nationalism, propaganda, and racial theory, HitlerâŚ
Why am I an expert on recommending books about sociopaths and liars? I unknowingly shared a life with one for five years. Shattered, I grappled with the aftermath of deception. How could I have been duped for so long? Through therapy and reading, I discovered many smart, compassionate people fall hard for the charismatic charm and convincing stories sociopaths tell to get whatever it is they want from whomever they want it. Without a conscious and incapable of feeling, they often latch onto someone with high morals and emotional intelligence in the hopes of learning how to mirror those attributes only to destroy the ones who love them the most.
The only nonfiction book on my list, this memoir is written by a highly functional, medically diagnosed, nonviolent sociopath who shares how someone with this disorder thinks, feels, and acts.
She will shoplift for no reason. When her husband confronts her, she shows no remorse, but she does return the stolen item.
Like a child who will never learn, she constantly needs reminders of how to navigate a world of rules and regulations.
Personally, I have no tolerance or patience to constantly parent another adult who is wired without a conscious. Lucky for Thomas, she has a loving husband who should be nominated for sainthood.Â
The memoir of a high-functioning, law-abiding (well, mostly) sociopath and a roadmapâright from the sourceâfor dealing with the sociopath in your life.
â[A] gripping and important book . . . revelatory . . . quite the memorable roller coaster ride.ââThe New York Times Book Review
As M.E. Thomas says of her fellow sociopaths, âWe are your neighbors, your coworkers, and quite possibly the people closest to you: lovers, family, friends. Our risk-seeking behavior and general fearlessness are thrilling, our glibness and charm alluring. Our often quick wit and outside-the-box thinking make us appear intelligentâeven brilliant. We climb the corporate ladderâŚ
Iâm an activist, artist, and author of the breakout thriller, Where The Boys Are and The Other Side of the Mirror. I specialize in thrillers that highlight diverse characters (LGBTQ+ and people of color.) Iâm a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University and the Hurston/Wright Writers Foundation. As a graphic designer/copywriter/marketer by day and author by night, I can usually be found creating and designing behind the bright neon glow of my laptop. When Iâm not writing, I enjoy traveling to new destinations. I live and work out of my home in Las Vegas with âthe hubsâ and our two yorkies, and I'm currently writing my next novel, The Dark Side of the Mirror.
Book 1 in the Evelyn Talbort series, this cold-blooded crime-thriller will keep you thinking long after the final page. After surviving a horrific attack by her high school sweetheart who was never caught, psychiatrist Evelyn Talbot has dedicated her life to solving the mysteries of the psychopathic mind. Sheâs established a revolutionary new facility in the remote town of Hilltop, Alaska, where she studies the worst of the worst â a prison for the countryâs most prolific serial killers. What could possibly go wrong, right? Evelynâs truly a strong protagonist you want to root for as she navigates the inner workings of Hanover House and a mysterious new threat that has followed her to the cold wilderness of Alaska.
Psychiatrist Evelyn Talbot has dedicated her life to solving the mysteries of the antisocial mind. Why do psychopaths act as they do? How do they come to be? Why donât they feel any remorse for the suffering they cause? And are there better ways of spotting and stopping them?
After having been kidnapped, tortured and left for dead when she was just a teenagerâby her high school boyfriendâsheâs determined to understand how someone she trusted so much could turn on her. So sheâs established a revolutionary new medical health center in the remote town of Hilltop,âŚ
A Duke with rigid opinions, a Lady whose beliefs conflict with his, a long disputed parcel of land, a conniving neighbour, a desperate collaboration, a failure of trust, a love found despite it all.
Alexander Cavendish, Duke of Ravensworth, returned from war to find that his father and brother hadâŚ
The first books I ever read were a pair of Star Trek novels before I knew it was a TV show. These books were rich with an ensemble cast of characters and different points of view. Something that has very much shaped my reading habits and writing. I love complex character dynamics and storylines that weave between them. When I became a writer, it was something I strived very much to emulate in my own work. In 2020, author NT Anderson and I set up Tepris Press to publish our own works and help other indie authors realize their works.
Oh, my! The writing in this book is beautiful. As an author myself, I find this book to be one of those that makes me want to stop writing, as Iâll never write anything as horrifically beautiful as this. This is a Grimdark book, and the books in this series are dark with a capital D, so be warned, they are not for the faint-hearted.
The book follows two protagonists, Kyder and Rune, who are flip sides of the same coin, and the chapters alternate as you follow their parallel and tragic journeys. Be prepared for some utterly gorgeous prose. Scot writes with a sense of rhythm and timing that you ordinarily donât see in books. It's art in written form.
We all become monsters at the edge of the breach. In a post-apocalyptic world where season of birth determines power â spring healers, summer mages, fall shapeshifters, and winter shields â a man and a woman emerge from tragic childhoods to lead humanity on opposite sides of an interrealm war.
ââââââââââââââââ
There is a hole in the sky. They call it the Rift. A portal to the gods. The scar of a suffering world. Through it, the gods rule the last scraps of civilization, harkening war. As chaos beckons, two leaders emerge from the ashes of a dying planet.
Youâve got to root for the underdog, right? And thereâs no bigger underdog than fictional villains. While real-life criminals are doing very nicely, thank you very much, in fiction, the bad guy is screwed from the start. What could be more relatable than knowing on a bone-deep, existential level that youâve already lost? And what could be more heroic than stepping out onto the field of play knowing that no matter how hard you play, youâre still going down? Keep your flawed anti-heroes; theyâre just too chicken to go over to the losing side. Iâll cheer for the doomed bad guy every single time.
Everyone loves a bastard, and Pinkie, the hero of Brighton Rock, is such an awful bastard. He doesnât like his friends, hates his girlfriend, and is driven by a pathetically brittle ego that can never be satisfied. But itâs the fact heâs so hopelessly trapped in the prison of his own angry, petty horizons that makes me love him. I love a doomed character.
When an author can make you know, itâs all going to end badly and still make you hope it wonât? Thatâs magic. I love it when Iâm reading books that I can feel playing with my emotions but Iâm enjoying it so much I donât care. Pinkie is a bastard, and he sort of knows it, when it comes to the crunch, and he goes out like a coward, I canât help but wish heâd managed to pull it off.
Pinkie Brown, a neurotic teenage gangster wielding a razor blade and a bottle of sulfuric acid, commits a brutal murder - but it does not go unnoticed. Rose, a naive young waitress at a rundown cafe, has the unwitting power to destroy his crucial alibi, and Ida Arnold, a woman bursting with easy certainties about what is right and wrong, has made it her mission to bring about justice and redemption.
Set among the seaside amusements and dilapidated boarding houses of Brighton's pre-war underworld, Brighton Rock by Graham Greene is both a gritty thriller and a study of a soulâŚ
As a kid, I loved fantasy; it was my escape from real life. Portal Fantasy is one of the oldest sub-genres in that regard, with works such as Wizard of Oz, Through the Looking Glass, and Chronicles of Narnia, to name a few. LitRPG is a newer genre, though its roots extend back to the 80s. Fantasy is full of magical worlds that embrace the readerâs mind, allowing them to live beyond their own life. I have experienced what it is like to fall in love countless times, to fly a ship through the sky using magic and swordfight, and to die and be reborn. Through these stories, I have lived.
Portals, portals everywhere in this story. You get a portal, I get portal, even he gets one. Okay, not really, the MC does start using them a fair bit later on, but wow, this story gripped me.
That said, it might not be for everyone. The world is imaginative and vibrant, but the MC is slightly sociopathic. If you can ignore that, though, then you are definitely in for a ride. I know I was.
It is April 1st, 2038. Day 60 of China's blockade of the rebel island of Taiwan.
The US government has agreed to provide Taiwan with a weapons system so advanced that it can disrupt the balance of power in the region. But what pilot would be crazy enough to runâŚ
In my early twenties, I worked in a maximum security, Category A menâs prison. I got to know the prisoners, who were usually polite, funny, and, for want of a better word, ânormal,â even if guilty of terrible crimes. It made me realize you canât simply tell if someone is âgoodâ or âbadâ by looking at them. It left an indelible mark on me: a fascination with people who lie easily and fool the world. My fascination grew when I became a journalist, but writing fiction has given me the freedom to truly explore liars of all types and try to understand them.
Okay, itâs not told by a liar, but it is a fascinating nonfiction deep dive into psychopaths, how many there are, what makes someone a psychopath, the impact it can have on coming across one, and so much more. This is a subject that I canât seem to get enough ofâperhaps because Iâm a really bad liar! I couldnât put it down, and after reading the book, I bought the audiobook version, too.Â
Psychopaths realize pretty early on in their lives that they arenât like other people and have to find ways to pretend to be. Itâs not that theyâre bad people. Itâs just that they think differently from most of the population, so they learn early on to disguise that by studying and mimicking everyone else. Their âothernessâ fascinates me, I suppose not least because Iâm quite an intuitive, emotional person.
What if society wasn't fundamentally rational, but was motivated by insanity? This thought sets Jon Ronson on an utterly compelling adventure into the world of madness.
Along the way, Jon meets psychopaths, those whose lives have been touched by madness and those whose job it is to diagnose it, including the influential psychologist who developed the Psychopath Test, from whom Jon learns the art of psychopath-spotting. A skill which seemingly reveals that madness could indeed be at the heart of everything . . .
Combining Jon Ronson's trademark humour, charm and investigative incision, The Psychopath Test is both entertaining andâŚ
