by R. M. Kinder
Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Oct 2007
304 pages
Genre: Thrillers
Publication Information
Meet Arthur Blume: charming guy, small-town college English professor, struggling writer, and occasional murderer. In this chilling debut novel, acclaimed author R.M. Kinder draws on her firsthand experience of dating a convicted murderer to brilliantly channel the voice of a polite, even sympathetic man who just happens to be a serial killer.
An Absolute Gentleman opens in a prison cell, where Arthur Blume is hard at work writing an account of his life--one stained in places with abuse and cruelty, but also characterized by everyday banality. Only as the plot unravels do the chinks in Arthur's armor of normality begin to surface, and the monster beneath the pleasant façade appears as Arthur closes in on his next victim.
"[T]his artfully told tale of psychological suspense is as gripping as the spider webs Blume is so fond of studying. " - PW.
"Starred Review. The juxtaposition of the marginal "adjunct nomad" experience with the casuistry of the sociopathic mind will genteelly horrify even non-English majors." - Kirkus Reviews.
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
A first novel published as a paperback original. Rose Marie Kinder, who writes under the pen name R.M. Kinder, won the 2005 University of Michigan prize for A Near-Perfect Gift, a collection of short stories. Another collection, Sweet Angel Band, was awarded the Willa Cather Award in 1991.
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