First published 1994
Blackburn sees the world's hypocrisies everywhere he looks. Law enforcers break the rules they enforce. Writers spin lies for a living. Married people cheat on their spouses. Auto mechanics overcharge for simple repairs. Everyone lies about something. The contradictions and frustrations build inside him until he reaches a breaking point. Then he kills. Twenty-one times he crosses that threshold. Each victim represents a different slice of society, and each murder exposes another layer of his twisted psychology. Blackburn believes he has good reasons for every death. His rationale makes sense to him, even as it reveals the depths of his disturbed mind. The world created him, he tells himself. Circumstances forced his hand. He couldn't help what he became. Through each killing, we see deeper into his psyche and understand the dangerous logic that drives him to take life after life.
Genres: fiction, suspense, mystery, crime, thriller, psychological-thriller
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, thought-provoking
Tropes: unreliable-narrator
Paperback · New English Library Ltd
Content warnings: graphic-violence, murder, violence