If you would like to take a surreal ride on a wild rollercoaster, Freak is the book to read. It starts out in the bizarre house of Marilyn Purly. Ms. Purly is a recluse who has her walls and windows all painted black. She is hearing voices and in a trance-like state but with it enough to let Nicolas Villenov in and with it enough to unlock her front door when he was not in the room. A raid by police catches Villenov in the act of raping Marilyn. He’s arrested and yet after the event no one remembers it. They have the taped evidence but none of the officers remember any events other than barging in on a couple looking at a photo album.

The secret: don’t ever, ever look Villenov in the eye……... They say eyes are the windows to the soul, well if that is the case Villenov’s soul is pure evil.

He hires an attorney, Lawrence Abrams, with an impeccable reputation. Mr. Abrams despises Villenov the moment he sets eyes on him. Larry Abrams feels trapped in a case that he feels he shouldn’t win but also is terrified not to take.

The DA, Nelson Prentis, meets with Abrams and explains the bizarre circumstances of Villenov’s arrest also letting him know that his client has escaped. Since newscasters have been broadcasting about Villenov’s arrest, dozens of women have come forward telling their stories of rape by this monster. Prentis makes it his mission to get Villenov put away.

Thus starts a rollercoaster ride of events scarier than any ever built. Gruesome murders, suicide, and chaos reign wherever Villenov goes. In reality he doesn’t even have to be by a person or group of people to cause havoc. As his anger level rises all hell breaks out around the object of his thoughts.

He does get arrested again, goes to court and tells the story of his father who he hated and the power his father had over everyone around him and especially women. Villenov explains that his father was a ‘freak’ and each generation has stronger powers than the last.

To prove his point he asserts his telepathic power toward the judge when the judge makes the mistake of looking directly into the defendant’s eyes. At the judge’s declaration the trial is declared a farce and Villenov goes free.

Ron Sander‘s builds the excitement and tension to an explosion of events in the final chapters. The characters were interesting even though I was a little disappointed that there wasn’t a single protagonist that could resist Villenov’s powers. I guess though, that just corroborates the total power he had over everyone as well as his surroundings. He hated his father but in reality he had become just like him. Hmmm, underlying message there? I don’t really think that there is but it is interesting to hear Villenov’s diatribe about his father and his lack of insight. The final pages are no real surprise but it is a real trip to get there.
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