SOLVED. Boy who is never held as a child grows up to be a murderer. Read in early 2000s [s]

[Sparkbark]

I read this book maybe 8-10 years ago. I don't know if it was new at the time. It MAY have been written by a well known horror writer, or I may have gotten it confused with other books I was reading at the time. I probably got it from the public library, but there is a small chance it was an advance preview copy of a book... which might explain why no one knows what it is. I am pretty sure it was from the library, though.

It was about this boy who as a baby was basically just left alone in his crib and never played with or physically handled. I remember something about his crib being in the dining room, and he had brothers and sisters who did get normal affection I think? The story follows him when he is an adult and I think he's either already a murderer/serial killer, or is having fantasies and planning to kill. I remember something about a house that the man was living in that wasn't really his, I think maybe he killed the owner and then was living there? Maybe he was supposed to be the caretaker? I think an old woman owned it and he killed her.

There was a short passage about the man getting access to his victim's bank account by figuring out that their pin number was written in their address book under the heading "le pin" as if it was a restaurant. This is probably the most important clue because for some weird reason this is what I remember most clearly about the book. I am 100% sure that this passage is found in the book I am looking for.

There is a girl/women who features prominently, who I think is a girl he's recently starting dating/hanging out with. I think she starts to figure out that there is something weird going on with the house he's living in. There was something about a loose tile on the back step that led her to think something was wrong. I think the narrative switched back and forth between the woman's and the man's POV.

[Valerie]

I am pretty sure that the passage about the pin being in an address book under 'Le Pin' is in a Ruth Rendell book, I'm not quite sure which one. I read a lot of them one after the other a few years back. The details about the basement and the girl seem to fit as well. I will check further as I'm pretty sure I bought the book second hand and still have it somewhere around.

[Valerie]

I think it might be A Sight for Sore Eyes but I can't find my copy or a detailed enough review.

[Sparkbark]

That sounds really familiar-- I think that might be it! I'll have to check it out from the library and see. Thanks so much!

[Lisa]

Sparkbark wrote: "That sounds really familiar-- I think that might be it! I'll have to check it out from the library and see. Thanks so much!"

Sparkbark, Great! We hope it's the book. We'd appreciate it if you'd come back and post when you know for sure. Thanks!

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Sparkback, was it A Sight for Sore Eyes?

[Ann aka Iftcan]

Sent a PM to the OP. If there is no response, the next Mod to read this can move it down to Possibly Solved since the OP thought that it might be the correct title in his last post.

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

OP not active since 2011 but this sounds like the right book. Moving to Solved. Details confirmed from other reviews.