The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner — James Hogg

A nightmarish tale of religious madness, this chilling classic of Scottish literature tells the story of a young man who falls under the spell of a mysterious doppelganger and is seduced into committing a series of murders. The killer's memoirs are framed by a mysterious narrator whose attempts to explain the dark story only succeed in intensifying its more baffling aspects. Is the serial killer deranged, the victim of a psychotic delusion, or has he been tempted by the devil to wage war against God's enemies?

Ignored when first released, The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner is now widely considered to be a masterpiece of the macabre. James Hogg's suspenseful, concept-driven mystery has influenced countless horror authors and movie-makers and is essential reading for fans of British mysteries.