Intent to Harm

Toby Parkman #1

by Stan Washburn

"Remarkably compelling... an amazingly detailed book, intricately suspenseful... It's easy to get caught up in the chase of Intent to Harm..." —Jackie Jones, San Francisco Chronicle

Unrelenting psychological suspense and a hauntingly realistic police investigation form the crackling center of this remarkable debut novel, which moves as swiftly and unpredictably as the assailant at its heart: a savage serial rapist. Taunting his intended victims with subtle violations of their homes—possessions slightly out of place, doors left ajar—he leaves no solid evidence except the awful degradations inflicted upon carefully selected women in a quiet college town.

Beat cop Toby Parkman jumps at the chance to join the manhunt; after all, the force's informal credo is "protect the weak, nail jerks." But after interviewing victims—imploring women to share details of a horror they can never forget—it's not easy for Toby to return home to the simple embraces of his wife and two children, or to back off when their best friend brushes away his concerns for her safety. With the attacks growing increasingly vicious, panic spreads, but a likely suspect finally emerges. Then a carefully laid trap backfires, and Toby is caught in the fallout—forces to confront the limits of the law... and to weigh the cost of stepping over them.

"Intent to Harm is a smart, fast-moving thriller of uncommon sensibility. Stan Washburn takes us into a world where intelligent cops must stare directly into the face of human evil." —Mark Childress, author of Crazy in Alabama

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Mystery Thriller

384 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

A multi-faceted artist, Washburn's etchings and paintings are in major collections throughout the country and his first novel, Intent to Harm, was a Book-of-the-Month Club selection in 1994, drawing upon his experience as a police officer.

Reviews

[Sir Blue · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story starts off with toby being assigned to work sex crimes as a special unit
Theres a streaker or flasher on the loose.
But then it heats up.
Theres a serial rapist on the loose.
Who beats the victims.
Then there on patrol.
They have suspects.
There collecting evidence.
A prostitute has a lead.
There office is upgraded.
The serial rapist even brakes in to Toby's house.
Then dorn is arrested.
But is released due to lack of evidence.
They catch him in a brake in where he falls out a window.
From scandalous home brake ins.
To tuff police work.
Every risky sex crime delt with.
Descent crime novel read.

[Paul · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a terrible thriller, but nothing to make time for if there are other books on your shelf that need to be read. It has one plot twist that's kind of interesting, but it's otherwise fairly predictable and doesn't really present much information that grabs the reader and demands attention. While I wanted to finish the book, I didn't have much trouble putting it down when other things came up.

[Tracy Smyth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read. Bit slow in places but an interesting & sometimes creepy plot

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one starts a bit slow. Sometimes Washburn gets bogged down in the detailed drudgery of police work. By the middle the story is rolling and is interesting. The ending seems weak straining to just wrap up the story. Not one I would recommend.

[Tamarin · Rating 3 out of 5]

"I always have the impression that rather than feeling happiness she is choosing firmly to be happy."

[Toesnorth's mom]

unbearable suspense and explicit at times