«Meeting Evil» by Thomas Berger

The author of the Pulitzer Prize–finalist The Feud blurs reality in this breakneck thriller following one man’s encounter with pure evil in high tops.John Felton is a creature of habit. His job in real estate comes with no surprises; it’s respectable work he can be proud of. Routine has been kind to him, but when a normal Monday of looking after the kids gets interrupted by a ringing of his doorbell, John may have to kiss his uneventful life goodbye . . .Richie’s car is stalled just at the bottom of the hill and he needs a push start. John agrees to help and then accepts a ride, though he’s not entire sure why. After stepping into Richie’s car, John is driven far away from the reality he once knew and dragged into Richie’s frightening world—one event at a time.To make matters worse, the longer he spends in Richie’s company the harder it is for the people around him to distinguish John from this curly-haired devil in a baseball cap. John must put an end to Richie’s mad and murderous adventure before it reaches the most terrifying place of all—John’s very own home.“The plot gets nicely complicated . . . and the entire contraption claps together in a great, unpredictable, satisfying calamity.” —The New York Times Book Review“Spare, meticulous prose . . . Sharply evocative of human weakness and rage.” —The Washington Post