True crime author Frank Weber offers a glimpse into the criminal world at the Willmar Public Library

Nov. 18—WILLMAR

— As a forensic psychologist,

Frank Weber

has knowledge about criminal investigations most people never will. This background serves him well in his second job as a true crime novel writer.

"I have an advantage a lot of authors don't have," Weber said during a Nov. 4 talk at the

Willmar Public Library

. "I interview offenders, I know how they think, I know how they rationalize their behavior."

Weber was invited to speak about his books and how he came to be a author by the library and the Willmar Friends of the Library group, funded by the Legacy Amendment. In addition to his talk, Weber also answered questions, signed books and even hooked up an audience member to a polygraph system to illustrate how lie detector tests work and how he uses them in his career.

Weber didn't grow up knowing he wanted to work in law enforcement or criminal justice. He actually took a bit of a winding journey to get where he is today.

"My job, forensic psychologist, didn't exist when I was in high school, so how do you plan for it?" Weber said.

Growing up in Pierz, Minnesota, Weber had a family who made sure he grew up with humor, music and love, not to mention a very organized character thanks to a father who liked to label everything.

"Even the obsessiveness was a blessing. I am very focused on details, which makes me very good at my work," Weber said.

That work actually began first with a teaching degree in social studies and coaching. However, a family medical issue had Weber looking for a new career soon after he started teaching, and he ended up working for the state as a behavioral analyst.

The state then helped him get the schooling he needed to become a clinical psychologist. Weber would go on to get degree in community psychology as well.

From there he started practicing in a larger mental health clinic, working with victims of crime.

During this time, Weber started to see issues in the treatment programs geared toward the offenders — in short, they really didn't work as well as they should or could. Weber said he contacted the state Department of Corrections about his concerns after receiving more job training, and ended up going to work with the DOC, focusing on forensic work.

Weber also started a therapeutic services business called

Core Professional Services

.

"I'm the guy who gets called in on homicide, sexual assault cases, domestic abuse cases to do psychological assessments," Weber said, who has also done suspect profiles for cold case homicides and taken part in several television shows.

His career as an author started as a way for Weber to deal with all the horrendous details he hears and sees working with law enforcement and criminals. It isn't easy stuff to share with friends and family, so Weber started writing true crime novels based on the cases in which he was involved. At first those novels were not for publication.

"I put them in three-ring binders in the closet," Weber said. "I did that for little over a decade."

Eventually though Weber decided to finally send one of his manuscripts to a publisher. That book, titled "Murder Books," was published in 2017. It was the first of what has become seven completed novels.

"I was fortunate to be picked up by a national publisher," Weber said.

All of his novels are based on solved cases in Minnesota. He writes in the first person, but from different characters' perspectives — such as the victim, investigator and offender. Weber also likes to make sure he accurately portrays the communities and people in his books, even if all the names are changed.

His other published books include "Black and Blue," "Burning Bridges," "Last Call" and "The Haunted House of Hillman."

While Weber likes educating the public about criminal investigations and the work that goes into solving crimes, first and foremost the novels are for him.

"I write for me," Weber said. "I like being creative, challenging my ability."

That's not to say he doesn't share some very interesting crime-solving tidbits in his books or his author presentations. In Willmar, Weber talked about some of the latest ways investigators can gather clues from a crime scene. This includes how to get fingerprints off fabric using gold or how to lift a footprint out of snow, helpful when investigating during Minnesota's famously snowy winters.

Also, did you know the family dog could help identify an attacker if the pup nosed the assailant?

"A dog's nose print is as unique as a person's fingerprint," Weber said.

As for polygraph tests, while they are not permissible in criminal court, Weber said they have their uses. He has clients going through treatment take a polygraph test to see if they are really making progress instead of just paying lip service when in treatment.

The test measures different physical indicators of stress such as heart rate, blood pressure and perspiration while the subject is asked a series of questions. If a person is lying, there are often changes in those physiological responses, because they are stressing about the answer they are giving.

"You have to create something that didn't actually happen," Weber said.