It’s not many authors that can write a book starring a character who’s at once repugnant and at the same time fascinating, but Bey Deckard seems to do it with relative ease, and not only that but then makes you experience a certain level of like and something bordering on admiration for him too. There is a chilling thrill of psychopathy and a growing emotional and physical dependency in this story that makes every moment spent reading it horrifying and intense. Or, rather, the question in the end becomes which of these men needs psychological help more. The only difference is that you’ll be treated to the shock and awe from the start rather than in a dramatic ten minute endgame.Īt its core, Max is a book of psycho-sexual addiction and pathological manipulation, and is even, to a certain extent, a case of role reversal in the doctor/patient dynamic. So, if you’ve ever seen the movie Primal Fear and recall the way you felt the moment Edward Norton’s character, Aaron, revealed himself at the end-not to mention the way Richard Gere’s Martin Vail must have felt in that exact moment he realizes he’s been played-then you’ll know how it feels to read this book. Review: Sometimes the best way to describe the mood and tone of a book is to draw a connection between it and something else. When the professional line between them thins, who gets to define where one man ends and the other begins? Charming, manipulative, and amoral, Max has exactly the sort of mind Crane finds himself drawn to with fictional characters.Īs Max weaves himself into Crane’s life, Crane realizes that while fiction might be safe, Max certainly is not.

Crane takes on a new patient who both intrigues and unnerves him. Category: Transgressive, Psychological ThrillerĪt a Glance: There is a chilling thrill of psychopathy and a growing emotional and physical dependency in this story that makes every moment spent reading it horrifying and intense.īlurb: Fresh out of school, Dr.

Max bey deckard