On the back cover of this is the line that dared me to buy this book: “…no matter how depraved a person appears to be, there might still exist a spark of humanity.”

Pfft, I thought. So he thinks he’s figured out how to make a rapist appear human to me? I’ll take that challenge.

In “The Rapist” Les Edgerton takes the reader deep inside the disturbing mind of Truman Pinter. The clincher, or the hook that reels you into this story, is the uncertainty as to whether or not Pinter is responsible for the crime he’s convicted of. In simpler terms: while you may not doubt his guilt, you’re uncertain as to whether he deserves his punishment.

Aside from his tight grasp of the craft, what really impressed me about Edgerton is that this story took balls to write. The themes and ideas in this book are the very things that make the bleeding hearts that are always eager to take offense practically orgasmic in their shit losing. But this story is not about offending people. It’s not about taking a voyeuristic trip inside the mind of a sicko. It’s not about exploiting the crimes he committed. In my opinion “The Rapist” is about making you look inward. It challenges your personal morals and beliefs on many levels, and forces you to acknowledge that while everyone does bad things, some worse than others, we’re all human. We all share feelings, fears, thoughts and biases with even the lowest criminal. That fact is so disturbing and unpleasant that we choose to ignore it. After all, if we embrace such things, we must also concede that it’s possible for such darkness to lurk inside all of us.

Full review to come next week on OnFictionWriting.com. ( )

This book is simply genius. Genius to the point that I find it trying to even write a review worthy enough to describe said genius. I knew Les Edgerton was good, but DANG! This book demonstrated his abilities on a whole other level.

I won’t lie. When I saw the title of the book there was a little apprehension on my part to make the purchase. The cover is quite troubling, and the title….well I think that speaks for itself. However, being a big Edgerton fan, I knew I had to take the plunge. I am damn happy I did!

The protagonist, Truman Pinter, is a rapist, sociopath, and essentially a guy you will absolutely despise. Edgerton writes this character in way that should be studied by future and current authors. In fact, after reading the book, I am not at all surprised Les writes self-help books on the craft of writing.

The Rapist is a must read book. It’s flawlessly written, and the ending will leave you speechless. ( )