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The Criminal Mind

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The Criminal Mind

By: Dr Duncan Harding
Narrated by: Dr Duncan Harding
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

An edge-of-your-seat journey into the darkest depths of the human mind from forensic psychiatrist Dr Duncan Harding


- A likeable young girl who’s burnt her family home to the ground

- A man with no memory of the night he killed his wife

- A teenager whose visions and voices have had murderous effect

One question binds these and others from the casebook of Britain’s leading forensic psychiatrist: Why?

What drives a person to commit seemingly inexplicable crimes? Dr Duncan Harding is the person the police and the courts turn to for answers.

An expert witness, he must try to establish a defendant’s mental state and motivation. And their fitness to stand trial.

Growing up in a broken, violent home, Harding became a doctor because he wanted to be good and kind. It led him on a journey that has brought him face to face with psychopaths, taken him to the limits of his compassion and to the darkest corners of his own troubled past.

But he’s never turned away nor given up hope. Mesmerising, insightful and redemptive, The Criminal Mind is his unforgettable story.

'Engrossing' DR RICHARD SHEPHERD, author of Unnatural Causes

‘A riveting memoir … interweaves Harding’s often very moving life story with his memories of working as a forensic psychiatrist … the book left me with a powerful respect for the people in the health and justice systems who put their lives on the line to keep patients, and the rest of us, safe’ - MAIL ON SUNDAY

©2024 Duncan Harding (P)2024 Penguin Audio
Law Murder Social Sciences True Crime Inspiring

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Critic reviews

A penetrating insight into the darkest corners of the human mind. The most moving, surprising and compelling book you’ll read this year (M.J. ARLIDGE, AUTHOR OF EENY MEENY)
Grips you from the start like a bestselling novel then takes you on an extraordinary journey that reveals, based on the author’s own clinical experience, why some of us lead lives of love and some of hate. Riveting (JOHN HUMPHRYS)
A fantastic read … a very accessible window into the darker recesses of human behaviour … hard to put down (JUDGE DAVID WILLIAMS)
Not just another forensic psychiatrist’s casebook, but a moving account of how Duncan Harding became forensic psychiatrist (KEITH RIX, PROFESSOR IN FORENSIC PSYCHIATRY)

What listeners say about The Criminal Mind

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fascinating insight

I am a psychiatric nurse by background and found Dr Harding's account of his past patients fascinating, showing the unpalatable side of humanity and society's need for answers which often felt more comfortable to be considered within the umbrella of mental illness rather than a deliberate choice to cause harm.

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Amazing and moving story

I would thoroughly recommend this absorbing and moving book. I am full of admiration for Dr Duncan Harding.

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Very engaging

Really captured the complexity and suspense was generated - an excellent book. Would recommend for anyone interested in understanding the reality.

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Fascinating!

This was a really interesting and well delivered book. The peppering of the authors personal journey throughout was perfect!

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Fascinating

Interesting insight into juvenile forensic psychiatry. A truly amazing line of work, one I’d wished I’d taken.

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chilling insight into à world that's not known to normal everyday people like myself

I loved that the author narrated and the sharing of his thoughts and thinking. great read

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Loved every word

This was so fascinating. I listened over a weekend. I could not stop listening. Thank you for writing this

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Highly recommended

A fascinating insight into Dr Hardings' life and career. Success through great adversary but written in such a way as to admire rather than pity him.
There are lessons from us all to take, how boundaries and consistency are just as important as love and nurturing our children.
I rarely write reviews for books I have listened to but really recommend this, especially if you have an interest in Psychiatry and the youth criminal justice system

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Super interesting five into psychology

The honesty in his storytelling is admirable. It's inspiring to hear someone from a lower class background make it in a difficult academic field through passion and tenacity. It's a rare and interesting look at child psychology and the criminal justice system. Really enjoyed this book and would recommend.

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Fascinating but,,,

Interesting stories, incredibly sad and reveals how much damage can be done to individuals both by their families and institutions/justice system. Largely well written and read. I did however find the author’s biases and prejudices crept into a lot of his recollections. E.g the one young female patients he focussed a lot on her size ( unable to hide his disgust in describing her dancing). The kid was being continuously fed, so hardly any wonder she was overweight, Whilst you know that people are judgemental, in such a book as this, it would have been better edited out of the story.

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