The Pure and the Hated

A man takes a stranger into his house only to unleash a savage lesson from the past. A psychological crime novel about the past, the nature of justice, family secrets, the nature of forgiveness, revenge, identity, hunting, and predation.

©2016 Richard Godwin (P)2017 WildBlue Press

truly captivating

The psychological twists in this story kept me captivated from the very beginning an enjoyable listen looking forward to hearing more

Dark, twisted story

A dark, twisted story of the how a violent, cruel, disturbed mind can corrupt and destroy those it touches. Brutal and sexually violent, the story twists back and forth on itself as you go from an act of kindness by an emotionally scared and grieving couple, to perturbing scenes of rape and murder, in this twisted tale of jealousy, secrets and savagery. The narrator does a good job of pulling you into the noir theme of the story; imparting the flatness of depression, the insanity of a distorted mind and the desperation of victims. The somewhat poetic nature of the writing gives the story a bit of an unrealistic feel and mitigates the horror of the tale to some extent but it still remains a disturbing, creepy piece of noir fiction. I received the audiobook at no cost and under no obligation to review.

Graphic violence with lyrical prose

It's frankly quite stunning to read descriptions of such graphic violence in a novella of lyrical prose. The descriptions of Vermont are beautiful while the suspense is intense.

Scott Cummings delivers an outstanding performance. He gives distinctive and very appropriate voices to the characters. His narration is spot on.

Although it's short (under 3 hours) this is an extraordinarily compelling psychological thriller.

NOTE: I received a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for this unbiased review.

Somebody might love it... not me

It would make a good storyline for a cheesy porno but if you’re looking to be taken on a suspense thriller ride... keep looking. I’m not prudish at all but the sexual scenes were too many without merit; they weren’t necessarily germane and it reads like a cheesy porn script (albeit with a plot - a weak one). I dislike leaving negative reviews but I couldn’t wait for it to end (kept hoping it would redeem itself somehow, I’m an optimist like that) - I felt compelled to at least warn prospective readers.... this is not a suspense thriller at all. If you’re a crime buff or suspense lover, you will be disappointed.