The Demolished Man

In a future society, extrasensory perception exists in a fraction of the world’s population. There are 3 levels of ESP (or espers as they are called in the book.) They go from mild to those who can intuit future actions and thoughts of an individual. Of course, these Level 1 espers are most likely to be on the police force. So when Ben Reich decides to kill a competitor, based on his own misinterpretation of the situation, he hires a “mental bodyguard,” a Level 1 esper who doubles as a psychiatrist. The bodyguard also believes that espers should rule the world, so he’s a dangerous ally to have. Additionally, Reich develops weapons and a song that destroys the concentration of the espers. These tools help him to cover his tracks. A very good introverted mystery has missteps that can doom the killer, and in this case, the victim’s daughter is a witness to the crime. The police prefect is also a Level 1 esper, which is not good for Reich. He discerns easily that Reich is guilty, but the game begins of trying to find the witness before the other. Why It Made the List The critics raved about this and it won the Hugo in 1953. Inverted mysteries are not all that common, and a great example of one is rare. Bester seemed to easily and flawlessly combine this sub-genre of mystery with science fiction to come up with a one-of-a-kind novel. This book is not to be missed. Read It If You Like future societies, ESP, police procedurals, inverted mysteries