goodreads | Man jager et bæst og fanger et menneske

Title: Man jager et bæst og fanger et menneske (You Hunt a Beast and Catch a Human)
Author: Bent Isager-Nielsen
Genre: Memoir, non-fiction
Rating: 5/5
# pages: 267
Date read: August, 2010

"A murder investigation consists of thousands of tiny pieces that are brought to light by many dedicated policemen through detailed work. Only in TV a police officer solves the crime singlehandedly. Reality is different, but no less interesting. As head of the investigation in a number of spectacular murders and other criminal cases, I've been the one who put the puzzle together. Working closely together with the best specialists in Denmark, I've "read" scenes of crime, made profiles of killers and found their signature. I've travelled all over the country and followed all leads, Interrogated hundreds of suspects. And solved the worst of all crimes - murder."

A good friend of mine has worked together with Bent Isager-Nielsen for several years, so when she recommended this memoir of his, I was very keen on reading it. It's a fascinating account of how the police actually works in order to solve a serious crime, and a reminder that usually the killer is not that different from me or you - he's just less well equipped to handle setbacks.

Bent Isager-Nielsen makes a strong case for gun control as well as a national resident registry. He credits these two things for the fact that Denmark has a resolution percentage of more than 95% for murder cases (in 2007 39 out of 40 murders were solved) and no known serial killers.

"You Hunt a Beast..." is almost impossible to put down, and I was intrigued by this look behind the scenes and insight in the techniques and technologies involved in police work. Definitely a book well worth reading!