DOMENIC STANSBERRY
The Confession 2005 EDGAR ALLAN POE AWARD WINNER for Best Paperback Original
"A novel in the literary tradition of The Killer Inside Me, and every bit as powerful. Stansberry is an extraordinarily evocative writer." George Pelecanos, author Hard Revolution  "Compelling... Danser is a fascinating narrator" ”In Edgar-nominee Stansberry's compelling and incredibly dark modern noir shocker, forensic psychologist Jake Danser alternates between his day job¬—interviewing murder suspects then testifying to their culpability—and bedding as many women as possible without letting his beautiful wife catch on. When one of his mistresses ends up dead, the focus turns on Danser, and a weighty knot of a psychological puzzle begins to slowly unravel. Danser is a fascinating narrator because he's a shifty one, telling his story in small, measured bits ("it is true, there are a few things I haven't mentioned here about Angela and myself," he says nearly halfway into the story); the things going on in the world outside him are almost of secondary interest to what is going on inside his head. While the Hard Case series consciously strives for a pulp feel with retro artwork and packaging, the writing itself is infused with a modern sensibility - after all, Philip Marlowe never said anything like "for a minute I was a man within the void, and it was the void that imagined me." ...Lovers of industrial strength neo-noir will savor the book's thoroughly seamy atmosphere.” From January Magazine"A CLASSIC"
"If exploring the dark primordial passages of the human mind is your thing, then The Confession, by Domenic Stansberry must be added to your reading list. ...certain to become a neo-classic among pulp fiction fans.... Stansberry's exploration of abnormal psychology in this newest novel is thorough and sure, and the synopsis it provides of the field not only fuels the plot progression, but it enables the reader to accurately gage Danser's thought machinations. Stansberry masterfully sows a mixture of distrust in one character or another, without ever tipping his hand. His epilogue here confirms what the reader suspects throughout, and one can only be horrified at the grim existence of Danser's inner life. Stansberry delivers a winner," Reviewed by Anthony Rainone FROM THE BLOGS“One of the genre’s best writers” “Fabulous writing, excellent pace and a thoroughly unnerving unreliable narrator results in a book that sticks in your craw, your brain and your gut for a very long time. No question: Stansberry is one of the genre's best writers right now.” Sarah Weinman, Confessions of An Idiosyncratic Mind ****** “Consumate Page Turner THIS WEEK MAGAZINE ***** “Masterful" "A clever, very well-written, and very dark updating of the sort of psychological thriller that used to be written by Dorothy B. Hughes and Margaret Millar, among others.... a masterful job . James Reasoner, author of Texas Wind ****** “It's easy to see how Stansberry was nominated for two previous Edgar Allan Poe awards: he really knows his way around the psychological crime genre.” from CRAIG'S BOOK LIST "Jake Danser is in a hell of a fix. His wife Elizabeth has found out about his mistress Sara and wants a divorce. Sara wants a commitment but Jake want to save his marriage. In the meantime, Elizabeth has taken up with local prosecutor Minor Robinson during the separation. When Sara is found strangled with a tie very similar to Jake's own, he becomes the prime suspect and Robinson is determined to prove him guilty. Could he be guilty? Well, he does have this disorder where he blacks out for periods of time...
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