From 1990-1997, Drew Ross served as a forensic psychiatrist for the criminal justice system. His job was to judge the ""sanity"" of people charged with murder. The law requires black-and-white answers; unfortunately, Ross training had taught him that the human mind is more complex than the law would allow.

Looking Into the Eyes of a Killer details one mans journey into the darkness of the human psyche and the evils of a system. Standing at the crossroads of psychiatry and the law, Ross explores the many contradictions and misconceptions that prevail when juries and judges evaluate insanity pleas and issues of blame. Never falling prey to easy solutions, he makes a compelling argument for new guidelines for dealing with violent criminals, and shows how our failure to ""reform"" them springs from our unwillingness to confront ourselves.