By 
M.F. Gross, the Author of “MADMAN” has written an edgy, suspenseful, terrifying and haunting novel. The Genres for this book are Historical Thriller,Biography of Serial Killers, Serial Killers True Accounts, and True Crime Thriller. The timeline for this story is 1949, and goes to the past when it pertains to the characters or events in the story. The locations are Crystal Beach Florida, and West Central Florida. The author vividly describes the dramatic, complex and complicated characters. In this well written account of a true story, the protagonist, “John Calvin”Rastus” Russell is a murderer and a “Houdini” of escaping prison. According to witnesses, the author provides various descriptions of the killer. In some cases, he is portrayed as helpful in teaching another person to swim, or caring for his mother, and showing some respect to his aunt. On the other hand, “Rastus” is described as a cold hearted violent killer and a skilled survivor capable of the most heinous of crimes. At times, he is portrayed as psychologically unbalanced and unhinged.
Questions are raised about “Rastus’ motives for choosing the house and people as victims. Did they owe him something? Is there more than meets the eye? In the small community, the protagonist is strong, and capable of living in the wilderness, stealing cars, and breaking into stores for cash and food. Is there someone who is helping him escape? There are past mistakes in the court systems, where “Rastus” never went where he was assigned. This would make a great movie and certainly is a memorable , terrifying and thought provoking book that I would highly recommend.
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