nEveryone in Kenton Hills knows that short-tempered, tongue-tied Bob Talbert wasnt the one responsible for the brutal crime that ended Josie Eddlemans life. Nevermind that he was the last one to see her alive. n But in a town filled with the likes of an amoral tabloid reporter known only as The Captain, a district attorney wholl do anything for a confession, and Bobs parents, who care as little for Bob as they do for each other, guilt and innocence are little more than a matter of perspective. n n In a masterfully woven tapestry of multiple points of view, The Criminal explores the nature of guilt and responsibility in a psychological thriller of an entire town under the spell of an act of brutal violence. Jim Thompson unlike youre ever read him before.n