The book covers the criminals behind nearly every show through the first half of the fifth season. The book will be published along with the release of season five on DVD as well as the launch of an as-yet untitled Criminal Minds spin-off starring Forrest Whitaker. This book is comparable to The Forensic Science of CSI, True Stories of Law & Order, and the Casebook of Forensic Detection. It goes on the same shelf as the books by FBI profilers John Douglas (on whom one character in the show is clearly based), Robert Ressler and Roy Hazelwood.