First published 1994
Blackburn sees the world filled with hypocrites and liars. He works as an auto mechanic, encounters law enforcement officers, meets writers and adulterers. Each person he meets represents another form of deception that frustrates him. The world's contradictions pile up around him until circumstances push him past a breaking point. He begins to kill. His victims number twenty-one in total. They include the cops, mechanics, writers, and cheaters he has encountered. Each murder stems from his twisted logic about their dishonesty. Blackburn believes he can solve the problem of human falsehood through violence. His crimes reveal different aspects of his fractured mind. He develops elaborate justifications for each killing. The murders become his way of responding to a world that disappoints him. Blackburn cannot stop himself once he starts down this path.
Genres: fiction, mystery, crime, thriller, psychological-thriller
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, thought-provoking
Tropes: unreliable-narrator
304 pages · Paperback · Hodder & Stoughton Ltd
Content warnings: graphic-violence, murder