Love, Bombs, and Molesters: An FBI Agent's Journey

"Ken Lanning's memoir can be read as an autobiography of one of the giants in criminal behavior analysis, as a treatise on child sexual abuse, or as the story of how his romance with his beloved wife Kathy shaped his Navy career, which opened the door to an extraordinary FBI career. Here, he tackles past and current social controversies with his characteristic thoughtfulness, concern for objectivity, humility, and humor." Park Dietz, MD, PhD, Forensic Psychiatrist.

"Ken Lanning was one of the best instructors the FBI Behavioral Science Unit (BSU) ever had and he went on to became one of the leading experts in the country on the behavioral analysis of crimes against children. This book is the story of his life leading up to his assignment to the BSU and how he developed his expertise and inspired others during his 20-year career in the Unit as a bridge from the old BSU to the new Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU). I highly recommend the book to anyone wanting to better understand the evolution of the FBI BSU and the skills needed to objectively conduct professional behavioral analysis." John Douglas, Retired FBI Unit Chief, FBI Profiler, and author of Mindhunter.

"Ken Lanning's career was to the world of child molestation what "Silence of the Lambs" was to serial killers. As an FBI agent in the Behavioral Science Unit, he spent decades confronting people who sexually victimize children. Ken's research, publishing, teaching, consulting and courtroom testimony have influenced more cases than can be counted. Read this book to enter his world, and then you will understand what he did, why he did it, and why it made a difference to protecting children." Lt. Bill Walsh, Dallas Police Department (Retired), Coordinator of the Crimes Against Children Conference.

This book describes the author's journey from growing up in the Bronx, NY and wanting to get married, to becoming a Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) technician, then one of the first FBI bomb technicians, and finally the leading expert concerning the sexual victimization of children in the noted FBI Behavioral Science Unit (BSU). The author's evolving "profiling" career, spanning from the old Behavioral Science Unit of Silence of the Lambs to the new Behavioral Analysis Unit of Criminal Minds, lasted longer than that of any other FBI agent doing behavioral analysis. The book is relevant to a wider audience beyond readers simply interested in true-crime stories. The story of the author's journey illuminates how to better identify fake news and alternative facts, process and circulate information, and form opinions and make decisions about important issues. "In this engaging story of his personal and professional life, readers learn of the challenges and triumphs of his career and the overarching life lessons he learned along the way - lessons that will help anyone think more critically." Bette Bottoms, Professor University of Illinois at Chicago.