The Rapist

THE RAPIST

by

LES EDGERTON

A NEW PULP PRESS BOOK

First Printing, March, 2013

Copyright © 2013 by Les Edgerton

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher, except where permitted by law.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

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Praise for

The Rapist

“Les Edgerton is the king of hard-edged, bad-ass crime fiction, and
The Rapist
is his most harrowing book yet.”

—Scott Phillips, author of
The Ice Harvest

“Les Edgerton presents an utterly convincing anti-hero. The abnormal psychology is pitch-perfect.
The Rapist
ranks right up there with Camus’
The Stranger
and Simenon’s
Dirty Snow.
An instant modern classic.”

—
Allan Guthrie, author of
Slammer

“Edgerton’s brilliant archaeological dig into the motivations of a rapist is an unflinching look at the darker recesses of the human psyche.”

—Richard Godwin, author of
Apostle Rising

“Les Edgerton’s
The Rapist
is for those brave enough to acknowledge the ugly reality produced by our illusions
….
It poses hard questions and makes you look hard for answers. This is great, challenging literature.”

—Lee Thompson, author of
When We Join Jesus in Hell

“Take a Nabokovian narrator trying to convince the reader of his innocence and filter it through ‘An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge’ and you’ve got
The Rapist
, a raw and frightening journey through the inner psyche of a damaged man.”

—
Brian Lindenmuth, publisher of
Spinetingler Magazine

“… the breathlessness, nausea, anger, and confusion increase all the way to the end, at which point all I know is that the book is genius.”

—
Helen Fitzgerald, author of
Dead Lovely

“The Rapist
blends Camus and Jim Thompson in an existential crime novel that is as dark and intoxicating as strong Irish coffee. Les Edgerton pulls us into the corkscrew mind of Truman Ferris Pinter, a twisted man with skewed perception of the world, as his life spirals toward oblivion, like dirty dishwater down a plughole.”

—
Paul D Brazill, author of
13 Shots Of Noir

“Les Edgerton’s book
The Rapist
is Albert Camus’
The Stranger
retold as if by the lovechild of Edgar Allen Poe and Charles Bukowski…. This tale, with its many twists and turns, is definitely not for the faint of heart—but then, the title should have made that clear.”

—
Scott Evans, Editor,
Blue Moon Literary and Art Review

“This intellectual tour-de-force rips open the mind of a delusional psychopath taking the reader on a raw journey that challenges Dante’s Inferno. And the last line of the book is the penultimate example of a sociopath’s naked ego.”

—
R.C. Stewart, author of
The Blackness of Darkness

“The Rapist
is a challenging novel, not for the squeamish, and definitely not for anyone who dislikes being pulled out of their comfort zone. It quite simply blew me away. Destined to be a classic.”

—Heath Lowrance, author of
The Bastard Hand

“
This is a different voice than we’re used to, a different kind of hunger. What’s new here is the abandon. This is the kind of work you get from a writer with nothing left to lose, not one with nothing left to prove, and that’s the biggest surprise of all.”
—
David James Keaton, author of
Fish Bites Cop!

“Les Edgerton proves once again why he is one of the most exciting writers of this generation… [
The Rapist
] is one of the bravest pieces of fiction you are likely to read this year, and also one of the best. This is a novel you’ll want to read again and again; an outstanding read!”

—
Luca Veste, author of
Liverpool 5

“[
The Rapist
] is one of those books that each time you read it, you find another kernel of truth, a pearl of wisdom. It has that many facets wrapped in rich layers of dialogue, characterization and setting that pounded with each of the rapist’s heartbeat. I was hooked from the first page.”

—
Wendy Gager, author of
A Case of Infatuation

“Like Denis Johnson’s classic novel-in-stories,
Jesus’ Son
, Les Edgerton’s
The Rapist
is a dark, risky, disturbing story that grabs the reader in a haunting fashion and holds on tightly. The writing is taut and unsettling. Edgerton is a mighty talent.”

—
Tony Ardizzone, author of
The Whale Chaser

“A unique, riveting look into the mind of a very disturbed character. Tough to read, but tougher to put down. Only a writer with Les Edgerton’s skill could pull this off.”

—
Terrence P. McCauley, Author of
Prohibition

“The Rapist
is a disturbing look into the twisted mind of a narcissistic psychopath on death row. A vulgar odyssey reminiscent of Nabokov’s Lolita, although far more depraved, Les Edgerton has crafted a dark and brilliant story that leaves you as equally unsettled as it does in complete awe.”

—Julia Madeleine, author of
No One To Hear You Scream

“A deathdream swan dive from the existential stratosphere plummeting into the personal hell of a tormented, broken psyche… Les Edgerton melds introspection and visceral, human brutality in this death row narrative from a masterful storyteller, whose dissection of a psychopath will haunt you long after the final page.”

—
Thomas Pluck, editor of the anthology,
Lost Children Protectors

“
Les Edgerton’s masterly
The Rapist
is a deeply disturbing journey into the murky recesses of the mind of psychopathic death row inmate Truman Ferris Pinter…. Sympathy for The Devil, indeed, in this dark vision of a black heart that is both astoundingly honest and ultimately terrifying.”

—
Lesley Ann Sharrock, author of
7th Magpie

“
Against all odds, master wordsmith Edgerton has created the most mesmerizing and disturbing narrator since Patricia Highsmith’s Tom Ripley, an intense, strange, well-spoken villain whose story and sexual perceptions will frighten many more men than women.
The Rapist
is not who
—
or what
—
you think.”

—
Jack Getze, Fiction Editor,
Spinetingler Magazine

“I wouldn’t say that after you finishing reading
The Rapist
you’re going to have a feeling of satisfaction. In fact, I strongly suggest you’re going to feel as if you’ve just walked out of a House of Mirrors. You certainly will be confused, shocked, and puzzled. But
you will
realize that you’ve just read something amazingly original. Truly, magnificently, original.”

—
B.R. Stateham, author of
A Taste of Old Revenge

“In
The Rapist
, author Les Edgerton has penned potentially a career-defining work, challenging societal notions of right and wrong, crime and punishment, religion and philosophy, and wrapping the whole thing up in a taut, breathtaking, utterly absorbing account of narcissism, self-absorption and unchecked ego.”

—
Allan Leverone, author of
The Lonely Mile

“A writer who writes a book like
The Rapist
is a writer that holds no fear. That is clear from the outset. It alerts the reader to the fact this will be a challenging read–and it is. A challenge for the reader to trust the writer. Unreservedly. Trust the writer will keep them safe. In Les Edgerton, you are in the safest of hands.”

—
Ian Ayris, author of
Abide With Me

“
I’m thrilled to have a new author over whom to obsess. It’s been a while since I discovered Ted ‘Get Carter’ Lewis, Elmore Leonard and Thomas Harris. Decades since I saw my first Tarantino. Les Edgerton belongs in that company.”

—
Mark Ramsden, author of
Dark Magus and the Sacred Whore

“Years ago, the poet Ezra Pound issued his one and only commandment to all the writers and poets who would follow in his footsteps: ‘Make it new.’ Since then, many have tried. Most have failed. But Les Edgerton, in
The Rapist
, obeys that commandment to the letter. Les guides you home to port astounded, much wiser than you were—and in complete awe of the ambition and success of this sudden classic.”

—A.J. Hayes, noir poet, published in numerous venues

“Les Edgerton’s
The Rapist
reads like congress with the Devil himself—elegantly unsettling and with a hell of an after-taste.”

—Jedidiah Ayres, author of
Fierce Bitches

“A brilliantly narrated tapestry of violence, sex, and death in American heartland,
The Rapist
is a must read for all noir aficionados and serious readers of hard-boiled lit. Once again Les Edgerton proves that he is not only a master of the modern noir novel, but a literary stylist capable of delivering a contemporary classic.”

—Vincent Zandri, bestselling author of
The Remains

“Les Edgerton is the real deal, his work consistently unflinching and raw. And his new novel is no exception. Reminiscent of Hubert Selby Jr.’s
The Room
, Edgerton’s
The Rapist
takes us deep into the mind of a disturbed man. And while some would label the character a monster, Edgerton is much more interested in finding whatever shred of humanity he can within the darkness. Ambitious and provocative, as every novel should be.”

—Johnny Shaw, author of
Dove Season

“If you were familiar with Les Edgerton’s work
—
you aren’t anymore.
The Rapist
marks a whole new direction for the noir stalwart. He strips Kafka of genteel niceties and leads us on a searing voyage into the black beating heart of an implacable sociopath.
The Rapist
will leave you jittery for days and wondering what damaged human depths there remain for Edgerton to plumb.”

—Court Merrigan, author of
Moondog Over the Delta

“There aren’t many modern books like this, I’m pretty sure. Though it may not always be a fun ride, there’s an element of satisfaction for the reader who takes this on in undertaking such a perilous journey. I left
The Rapist
battered, bruised and exhausted—what more can one say about a book than that?”

—Nigel Bird, author of
Mr Suit

“I just finished
The Rapist
and… um… wow… just… I mean, holy… what a voice. What a… I mean, it’s so… wow. Damn. Seriously.”

—
Eric Beetner, author of
The Devil Doesn’t Want Me

For Mary, Britney,

Sienna, and Mike

Foreword

I was sitting in the Trident Bookstore Café in Boulder, Colorado in the summer of 2010 when I had the experience of reading Les Edgerton’s novel,
The Rapist
. I mention the exact time and location because just as time plays an incredibly important part in his story, the book itself gave to me one of those reading experiences which crystallizes you on the spot, freezing you in your chair and in time and space as you are transported. I’ll mention that reading the pages of
The Rapist
does not produce a static feeling—it is more like getting hurled through a plate glass window—but the actual experience was similar to that of being frozen in time, in Mr. Edgerton’s time, in his transcendent art.