The Demolished Man

To a desperate man in the 24th century:

The essence of murder never changes. In every era it remains the conflict of the killer against society. Be audacious, be brace, be confident and you will not fail.

In the year 2301, Ben Reich, owner of Monarch Utilities & Resources Inc., most powerful business firm in the solar system, committed cold-blooded murder to save himself from financial ruin.

The he fought ably and ruthlessly to get away with it, pitting the resources of his vast interplanetary empire against the advanced methods of crime detection possessed by society.

Enforcing the law were mutant men, Espers, who were able to read minds and had made escape from justice impossible. Yet Reich defied even the Espers—outmaneuvered them, corrupted them, battled them to a stalemate.

He was magnificent. Only on opponent anywhere could match his desperation. That was Lincoln Powell, Prefect of the Psychotic Division, an Esper leader who had vowed to send Reich to demolition.

For Powell loved a girl that Reich had hurt. And Powell alone realized how high the stakes were. This was more than a matter of trapping a cunning murderer. The future of the universe hung in the balance.

THE DEMOLISHED MAN is an extraordinary experience. You will be caught up in the fury of its struggle, held a fascinated spectator. Until a series of astonishing events—climaxed by the unveiling of Combat Psychiatry—have prepared you to accept the dred and joyous conclusion.