An insightful guide that helps readers identify and protect themselves from manipulative individuals in various aspects of life. It offers practical strategies for navigating relationships and interactions with psychopathic personalities.

I found this book OK but not amazing.
I felt that it became a little repetitive & didn’t have half as much insight as the first book.

After reading and loving Surrounded by Idiots, I had high hopes for this book, especially as I am fascinated by learning about psychology and psychopaths, sociopaths, criminology etc.

While there were some fascinating insights, I didn't gain as much as I'd hoped. A lot of it felt too similar to the last book, and I didn't feel like it was fresh enough or different enough from others I have read.

An interesting book if a little worrying! Quite an eye-opening book.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

The author gives us the information we need to identify people who do and don't have our interests at heart. I think is a really good book to help identify red flags.

Although, the book doesn't state you needed to read the author's previous title Surrounded By Idiots, I found it helpful to read that first as it gives you a more in-depth idea of the four personalities and how to pick out the psychopaths in this book.

Above all, it's a book that could protect you and, as far as I'm concerned, knowledge is key!

Our world is full of manipulative people, narcissists and psychopaths and we are surrounded by them. They live like everyone else except that they hide behind a mask of normality.
They are abnormal by our standards, but at the same time fully aware of what they do. In their own eyes they are simply higher up on the food chain than everybody else. They think, but they don't feel.

Author describes four main types of people, each of which is associated with color (DISC system): red for dominance, yellow for influence, green for stability, and blue for compliance. People are too complex to be described completely, but more we understand, the easier is to identify them.

Thomas Erikson gives us the tools and knowledge about to which people we can trust and which are perhaps driven by some hidden agenda and how to protect from them. Prevention is the key.

Great book how to recognize who is genuine and who is not.

This was a very interesting look at behaviour and how to combat being manipulated, but for me, it was a little light on the psychopaths! Focusing on the DISC model, which was the primary feature of the author's previous book, Surrounded by Idiots, Erikson gives practical advice on how to spot manipulative tactics, both in the workplace and the home, depending on which of the four categories of personality type you fall into. For me, much of this felt like a repeat of the previous book, with quite a large section dedicated to an explanation of the DISC model and what each personality type's traits were. I personally haven't read Surrounded by Idiots, but even I had the feeling that much of this was going over old ground. However, there was some fascinating discussion about psychopaths at the beginning and the end of the book which was enough to keep me entertained.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Internationally bestselling author Thomas Erikson returns with another fascinating book which shows readers how to identify and avoid the psychopaths around them. Charming, charismatic, and delightful or manipulative, self-serving, and cunning? Psychopaths are both and that's exactly what makes them dangerous. Bestselling author of the international phenomenon Surrounded by Idiots, Thomas Erikson reveals how to identify the psychopaths in your life and combat their efforts to control and manipulate.

Using the same simple four-colour system of behaviour classification that made Surrounded by Idiots so popular, Surrounded by Psychopaths teaches readers how to deal with psychopaths in their lives by becoming aware of their own behaviour and their weaknesses. Vivid example stories illustrate ways that psychopaths can take advantage of various behaviour types, helping readers identify their own weaknesses and be proactive about protecting themselves. Erikson outlines some of the most common forms of manipulation used by psychopaths--and others--to influence those around them. Since manipulation can often be a feature of ordinary, non-psychopathic relationships, the book also includes practical methods and techniques to help readers confront controlling people and rehabilitate negative relationships into mutually respectful ones.

By understanding your behaviour as well as the tendencies and strategies of psychopaths, Surrounded by Psychopaths will teach you to protect yourself from manipulative influence in your workplace, social life, and family. It is an accessible, witty and riveting read and as a lover of true crime, and therefore interested by the inner workings of the mind of those who manipulate others, this really had me enthralled throughout. A layperson will easily comprehend the vast knowledge and information Erikson provides and the chatty, conversational writing style means you devour it quickly. I'd recommend this as an indispensable book for those in a relationship, cohabiting or acquainted with one of these types as Erikson gives tips as to how you can put a stop to the behaviour and exploitation, but I'd also recommend it highly to those interested in psychology, those who have a criminology background and true crime enthusiasts. Many thanks to Vermilion for an ARC.