The story in the book Punishment and Sacrifice is a tale of parallels and examinations. It shows the parallels between good and evil, right and wrong, truth and lies, safety and fear, justification and rationalization, and sanity and insanity. But it also shows how fragile the line between the two can be and how easy it is to cross over the line. The story also takes an examination of the affects of
child abuse and how it can come back to destroy not only the person and people around him or her, but society in general.
Like the catch phrase at the beginning quotes; “The children we abuse today could become the monsters of tomorrow.”, this story shows what can spawn out of such situations and what impact it can have in the form of the dark side of human nature. It also examines the sometime ineffectual capacity of the judicial system to deal with these monsters of the deep to stop them from preying on the innocent and how to succeed in stopping them must include vigilance and an attitude of no mercy. The tale starts with a brutal
murder in a motel of two teenagers and the introduction of the two center pieces of the whole story.
Dr. Jack Barker; a respected psychologist, pillar of the community, and serial killer. On the outside he carries all the attributes of a successful and respected part of society. But underneath this mask of sanity is a monster driven by the demons of his past and the perceived injustices of the present. He carries out his mission of exacting his twisted revenge on the world and justifying his monstrous acts with the altruistic motives of doing society a favor by removing those he deems unfit to live in the same world as himself and his family.
Then comes Detective Mike Swanson. A broken recovering alcoholic who has seen too many of the atrocities that human beings can do to each other in his pursuit of serial killers over the years. But who is also haunted by the demons of his past, only he can’t remember the specifics of where these demons come from. As the body count rises and the chase ensues to stop Barker on his mission Swanson becomes aware little by little of just how close the two are and the truth of the link between his past and the past of Barker could destroy them both. The game of cat and mouse between the two will also test the strength of Swanson and carry them both to the edge of insanity, until it becomes evident that no matter who wins the battle they are both lost to their own individual madness.
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