When a Killer Calls: A Haunting Story of Murder, Criminal Profiling, and Justice in a Small Town (Cases of the FBIs Original Mi

From John Douglasthe legendary FBI criminalprofiler, #1 New York Times bestselling author, and inspirationfor the Netflix show Mindhuntercomesa chilling journey inside the mind and crimes of Larry Gene Bell, one of themost dangerous serial killers Douglas confronted, and the desperate effort toidentify and catch him.On May 31, 1985, two days before her highschool graduation, Shari Smith was abducted from the driveway of her familyhome in South Carolina. Based on the crime scene and the abductors repeatedand taunting calls to the family, law enforcement quickly realized theywere dealing with a sophisticated and highly dangerous criminal. A letter arrivedthe next day entitled Last Will & Testament, in which Shari, knowing shewas to be murdered, wrote bravely and achingly of her love for her parents,siblings, and boyfriend, saying that while they would miss her, she knew theywould persevere through their faith. The abduction rocked her quiet town,triggering a massive manhunt and bringing in the FBI, which enlisted profilerJohn Douglas. A few days later, a phone call told the family where they couldfind Sharis body.Then nineyearold Debra May Helmick waskidnapped from her yard, confirming the harsh realization that Smiths murderwas no random act. A serial killer was evolving, and the only way to stop himwould be to use the study of criminal behavior to anticipate his next movebefore he could kill again. Douglas devised a risky and emotionally fraughtstrategy to use Sharis lookalike older sister Dawn as bait to draw out theunknown subject. Dawn and her parents courageously agreed.One of the most haunting investigations ofDouglass storied career, this case details how theeerily accurate profile he createdalongside his carefullycrafted and stagemanaged manipulation of the killers psychologycombined withdedicated police work and cuttingedge forensic science to end a reign ofcriminal terror. As Sharis family took incredible personal risks to lure herkiller from the shadows, Douglas and the FBI pushed criminal profiling to itslimits, culminating in one of his most dramatic andeffective confrontations with a sadistic and remorseless killer.