http://blogcritics.org/ A sinister cabal of superior bloggers on music, books, film, popular culture, politics, and technology - updated continuously. en Copyright 2005-2007 by the authors Sun, 24 Feb 2008 17:49:09 EST http://backend.userland.com/rss Blogcritics.org custom software http://blogcritics.org/archives/2008/02/24/135521.php#comment-697756 Alex, My name's Raven. I just put my edits right in because it was easier. [Personal contact information deleted] Basically, I reworded some stuff and took out one paragraph. On rare occasion there comes a novel that dives so deep into the mind of a killer that the reader feels like vomiting (or is nauseated) from the spectacle. I have yet to turn down a book for review, but with Stan Lerner's Criminal, I was tempted. The graphic violence and psychological depravity exhibited by the main character, Sam Noah, is unparalleled. Sam is a UCLA student who uses his job at a nightclub as a springboard for his ever-growing list of felonious enterprises. As a bouncer, he exhibits a joy for dominating unsuspecting patrons and taking advantage of underage girls. As a killer, he is as ruthless as any mob boss. Sam Noah is the very definition of a criminal in all of the worst ways. He is both the modern day Nazi and a calculating psychopath who cares so little about the value of human life (I don't like "so little). Any friend or passerby could be targeted as his next victim. I must warn of the blatant vulgarity of this novel. In one scene a woman is tied naked to a tree and her breasts are cut off with a carving knife. In another, two women are sniffing cocaine off the main character's erect penis. However, even through masochism and homicide, there is always a line of reasoning behind Sam's every action. Criminal reads like the literary version of Natural Born Killers. It shows the world from the antagonist's perspective and does not yield to self-censorship. As an epic tale it lacks the respect and structure of the Godfather and plays out more like the fast paced film, New Jack City. Stan Lerner should be applauded for assembling this enormous project, but his audience might be limited to those with morbid fascinations and strong stomachs. 697756@blogcritics.org Sun, 24 Feb 2008 17:49:09 EST