For me, SAVAGE NIGHT and HARD MAN aren't disturbing. Al has
the exceptional ability, and rare willingness, to take a
reader inside pain. There are scenes in both books which are
uncomfortable, but what I find truly disturbing in a book is
when I can identify with characters in a way that makes me
realize there isn't much a line between me and them, and in
the same circumstances I might do those same things. For that
reason, I would say Steve Mosby's 50/50 KILLER is one of the
more disturbing books I've read. I believe Jon Jordan said in
his review of it that it was a book that crawled under your
skin and stayed there longer than you were comfortable with,
and that's part of the reason it has such an impact. Mosby
takes the question of "Would you die for the person you
profess to love?" to a whole new level, and the reader can't
help asking what they'd do in the same situation, because the
killer targets couples and tortures one while the other
watches, but the one being tortured has the choice, to die or
to say they can't take it anymore - in which case the killer
murders their partner.
The idea of deciding whether or not you'll die
yourself, or live feeling partially responsible for your
partner's death... that's deeply disturbing.
Sandra
On Mon, Jun 30, 2008 at 6:21 AM, Nathan Cain <
IndieCrime@gmail.com> wrote:
> Allan Guthrie's Hard Man was pretty disturbing. His
new one, Savage
> Night, which I haven't finished yet, also
qualifies.
>
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