Ben Bradford is not evil in the sense of a crazed psychopath. He is the ordinary man. With ease the author lulls the reader into a sense of empathy from which there is no recovery. As a professional with a spouse, two children, and a $500,000 suburban home, Ben is clearly a role model for success and a person to admire.

However, his existential angst is also easy to share. One can understand that Trusts & Estates law is neither glamorous nor exciting. Clearly, a sterile marriage can be dreary. Those with secret talents can understand Ben's lament that his photographic passion is unexpressed except as justification for collecting cameras. His personal treadmill is leading nowhere and the pace is ratcheting upward. Stress is rapidly creating an apothecary junkie.

The author painstakingly develops his lead character. As the story progresses, Bradford is increasingly troubled, and the reader is allowed to share the feeling. Angst becomes more palpable, but the discontent is a slow warming rather than an abrupt boil. The first third of the novel is very relaxed, but just as the eager reader begins to be tickled by boredom, there is a change in tempo.

The fabric of a violent, graphic confrontation has been so incrementally woven, that its arrival seems a natural phenomenon. From this point forward, both Ben Bradford and the plot take off. His attorney training has prepared him to thwart the legal authorities. He steels himself to engage in some gruesome activities as he schemes to escape the scene. Despite increasing horror, the reader participates in Ben's rationalizations of criminal behavior.

The ensuing journey is well worth the reader's wait. The plot details are exquisite and the ramifications to the central character are unique. The final, final outcome will surprise those expecting ultimate retribution. Rather than hell, Ben Bradford's final condemnation is to an allegorical purgatory. Some will be dismayed by the innocuous nature of the punishment, but others – who retain a strong empathy for this human character – will be relieved. A few may be offended by the author's implied definition of an aversive environment.

Ben Bradford is not evil, but, despite his punishment, he can not be pure again. The reader of this excellent novel will recover.

--Steve Nemmers