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Content snapshot
Flag an inaccuracy →What's in this book, at a glance — five things readers want to know before they start.
Violence
A lot
Premeditated murder; multiple killings described in clinical detail
Language
Some
Strong language
Sexual Content
None
No sexual content
Substance Use
None
No substance use
Emotional Intensity
A lot
The reader is in the head of a killer who justifies every murder with economic logic — deeply disturbing and intentionally so
What this book is about
Westlake's 1997 satirical thriller follows Burke Devore, a paper mill manager laid off after a merger, who obtains his competitor's resume and methodically murders every other qualified candidate so he alone remains. Darkly funny, deeply unsettling. For adults.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Multiple murders
Protagonist is a killer
Dark satire of capitalism
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