There is a Serpent in Eden

Forget PSYCHO (if you can), THE CUNNING is Bob Bloch's best book. Told with his legendary wit, this suspense tale has everything Bloch readers have come to expect -- psychological intrigue, murder, mystery, and black comedy. What Bloch adds to the usual mix is an examination of real life issues pressing down on his main character to the point where he contemplates suicide. Bloch makes you feel for his people through the depth of his characterization. This work is more a mainstream thriller instead of the horror novel which it was marketed as. That marketing mistake probably cost this little known classic the audience it deserved. Bloch deftly performs some dazzling literary feats within these pages, one of which is that he effortlessly weaves through the points of view of every character during the course of a single chapter, symbolically tying them all together. Deliciously horrifying, sentimentally sweet, and tremendously funny all at the same time. Reading this, I knew I was in the presence of a master storyteller -- I laughed, I cried, I peed my pants. What more can you ask of a book?