✨ Series Title: Criminal Minds (心理罪)

🧑 Author: Lei Mi (雷米 ) – aka Liu Peng

🔄️ Translator: N/A

🌎 Country of Origin: China (Mainland)

💬Language: Chinese

🗓️Published: 2010s

🖨️ Publisher: 重庆出版社 (Chongqing Publishing House)

𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀 ISBN: 978-7229158637 (first novel)

🔢 ASIN: B078VW8TQS

#️⃣ Books in the Series️: 5 Books + Companion Work

⌛Age Level: Adult

Lei Mi’s Criminal Minds (心理罪) series is a psychological crime saga centered on the investigation of violent crimes through the lens of behavioral science rather than traditional detective work. The stories follow a succession of complex criminal cases in which understanding motivation, trauma, and cognitive patterns is as crucial as collecting physical evidence. Set primarily in modern urban China, the series explores how crimes emerge from social pressure, personal history, and psychological fracture, framing each case as both a criminal puzzle and a study of human behavior.

At the heart of the series is Fang Mu, a criminal psychology prodigy whose exceptional ability to analyze offenders allows him to reconstruct their thought processes with unsettling precision. Initially introduced as a university student and later working closely with law enforcement, Fang Mu serves as a bridge between academic theory and real-world investigation. His role is not to chase criminals physically, but to interpret their actions, predict their next moves, and expose the psychological logic that drives them. Through Fang Mu, the series emphasizes the idea that crime is not random but follows identifiable mental and emotional patterns.

Criminal Minds occupies a pivotal position in contemporary Chinese popular literature by helping establish psychological profiling as a mainstream narrative focus in crime fiction. Prior to the series, many Chinese detective stories emphasized procedural realism or puzzle-based mystery; Lei Mi shifted attention inward, foregrounding criminal psychology, moral ambiguity, and the long-term psychological consequences of violence. This approach broadened the thematic scope of crime fiction in China and introduced readers to concepts drawn from criminology, forensic psychology, and behavioral analysis in an accessible narrative form.

The series’ success directly shaped Chinese screen media in the 2010s, becoming one of the most adapted literary crime properties of its era. Its multiple web series and film adaptations helped popularize darker, more psychologically driven crime dramas and demonstrated that audiences were receptive to complex, morally challenging narratives. By influencing both storytelling style and production trends, Criminal Minds contributed to a broader shift in Chinese crime media toward character-centered narratives, serialized storytelling, and psychological depth, leaving a lasting imprint on how crime stories are written and visualized in China.

These focus on suspenseful crime investigations, psychological profiling, trauma, and dark human motives. Here’s a brief introduction and summary of the main ones:

Evil Minds (心理罪, 2015) — This first screen adaptation introduces Fang Mu, a gifted but emotionally withdrawn criminal psychology student whose academic talent draws him into real police investigations. When a disturbing series of murders erupts on a university campus, Fang Mu becomes an essential yet vulnerable participant in the hunt for the killer. As the case unfolds, he forms a close partnership with detective Tai Wei, and their collaboration anchors the series’ exploration of trauma, morality, and the psychological cost of confronting extreme violence. The show emphasizes atmosphere, character relationships, and psychological tension, setting the foundation for the franchise.

Evil Minds Season 2 (心理罪2, 2016) — Season 2 follows Fang Mu after his earlier experiences have reshaped him, now working more directly with law enforcement as a criminal profiler. Reunited with Tai Wei, he is drawn into new investigations that test both his professional judgment and emotional resilience. The series broadens its scope beyond a single case, focusing on how unresolved guilt, redemption, and personal responsibility influence both criminals and investigators. With a darker, more mature tone, this season centers on Fang Mu’s struggle to reconcile his abilities with the human consequences of using them.

Guilty of Mind (心理罪, 2017) — This theatrical adaptation presents Fang Mu as a young criminal psychology expert recruited to assist police during a highly unsettling serial murder investigation. As the killer’s methods defy conventional logic, Fang Mu must rely on behavioral analysis to uncover patterns hidden within the crimes. The film blends psychological profiling with fast-paced thriller elements, emphasizing urgency, spectacle, and the tension between intuition and evidence. It serves as a streamlined introduction to the 心理罪 world, designed for audiences new to the character.

The Liquidator (心理罪之城市之光, 2017) — Set later in Fang Mu’s career, this film portrays him as a seasoned profiler confronting a killer whose actions challenge society’s ideas of justice and punishment. Teaming up with a forensic specialist, Fang Mu navigates a case that unfolds on a citywide scale, where public opinion, fear, and moral ambiguity all play critical roles. The story emphasizes high stakes, ethical dilemmas, and the psychological burden of stopping a criminal who exploits the flaws of the legal system. This film offers a more mature, reflective take on the character and the series’ themes.

A third season of Evil Minds has been announced but there has not been any information about it since then.

Lei Mi (雷米) is a Chinese crime novelist best known for creating the 心理罪 (Criminal Minds) series, one of the most influential works of psychological crime fiction in modern Chinese popular literature. Trained in criminal psychology and criminology, Lei Mi draws heavily on academic theory, real-world case analysis, and behavioral profiling to construct stories that focus as much on the inner logic of crime as on its outward violence. His writing is marked by detailed psychological insight, moral ambiguity, and a persistent interest in how trauma, guilt, and social environments shape criminal behavior. Through the character of Fang Mu, Lei Mi helped popularize criminal profiling in Chinese fiction and significantly influenced the tone and direction of later Chinese crime novels and screen adaptations.

This will link to either the series itself or the first book in the series depending on the site