THE MADDENING
Paul Thaler
The Maddening by Paul Thaler is a dark psychological thriller set to end all thrillers, based on three main characters: a psychopathic serial killer who fashions himself after Edgar Allan Poe; the disgraced ex-cop-turned-crime-writer who pursues him; and a deeply traumatized young woman who experiences horrific acts of violence at the hands of the madman. From the very first page, readers are plunged into a world of fear and suspense as the killer strikes again and again, leaving behind gruesome and macabre crime scenes that are straight out of Poe’s darkest tales. But as the body count rises, one man is determined to stop the killer in his tracks. 
Quite the psychological thriller ‘The Maddening’ by Paul Thaler happens to be. This is the story of a horror writer that calls himself ‘Poe’ that lives his writings by really acting them out. Poe is a writer who seeks out another writer by the name of PJ Bones who Poe wants to read his manuscript. PJ Bones is a writer who happens to be in a relationship with a woman named Clara who has a few secrets as well. Bones is a writer of a popular crime series who happens to be a cop with issues. Poe sets up elaborate plans that involve all these characters in some way to get revenge and live the life of his favorite author. Paul Thaler wrote ‘The Maddening’ with the idea of writing a classic horror story set in the present time setting along with several references to Edgar Allen Poe in many scenes so the reader can visualize and feel the feelings of the victims of Poe as well as PJ, Baines, and Clara. ‘The Maddening’ is quite the page turner and the reader will read to the end to see how all the events turn out. This is a novel that would make a great horror movie with all the scene references to Edgar Allen Poe and just think of all the special effects.
The connections to Edgar Allen Poe permeate this thriller. The madman “Poe” creates a home in the author’s Gothic imaginings with his tattooed body as a surreal reflection of his malevolent existence. Detective PJ Bones is yet another refraction of the renowned author, besieged by alcohol and his personal demons, while readers will compare the lovely Clara Knox to Poe’s own obsessive yearnings with the women in his life, also beautiful, desirous, and ultimately doomed.
About the Author:
Paul Thaler is a professor at Adelphi University, and as a former journalist he is no stranger to crime stories having written: The Watchful Eye: American Justice in the Age of Television Trial; The Spectacle: Media and Making of the OJ Simpson Story; and Bronxland, his debut novel. He has been an on-air commentator on numerous national television and radio programs, including Nightline, Court TV, CBS News, the BBC, and National Public Radio.
2023ISBN: 9781958842089Amink PublishingAM Ink Publishing
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