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The Four Stages Of Cruelty
Ditmarsh Penitentiary holds many secrets within its walls. A maximum-security prison, it contains every breed of hatred, self-destruction, greed, and regret. Its inmates aren't the only ones who grapple with these emotions. Under constant threat yet given absolute authority, the guards routinely cross the divide between law enforcement and criminality.
Corrections Officer Kali Williams takes pains to avoid the complicated traps of inmates and guards alike. Then a young inmate named Joshua comes to her for help. He claims that another prisoner has drawn an elaborate comic book, which holds a guide to the illicit underworld of Ditmarsh. The struggle to obtain the information encoded in its pages has been the cause of ever-increasing violence throughout the prison.
At first Kali can't take Joshua seriously. But soon afterward, the artist-inmate disappears completely. As she retraces his steps, she enters a labyrinthine world inside the prison with unexpected connections to the outside world. Along the way, she uncovers the most bewildering secret of all – the mystery of human compassion, the twisted forms it can take, and the violence and redemption it makes possible.
416 pages, Paperback
First published December 7, 2010
13 people are currently reading
172 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
December 17, 2010
“Four Stages of Cruelty” is a precise description of life behind bars as seen through both the prisoner’s and the guard’s viewpoints. It’s chilling. Kali is one of the few female guard’s at her facility and she feels like an outsider. Nineteen year old Josh is one of the youngest and newest prisoners and is completely lost as he tries to settle into life behind bars. Hollihan tells his story through both Kali and Josh’s eyes though Josh’s voice rings truer.
Josh’s next door cellmate Crawley has drawn a cartoon booklet and when feels his life is endangered he gives it to Josh for safekeeping. Josh doesn’t know what the drawings mean but senses they’re important so he tries to pass the booklet to Kali when she escorts him to his father’s funeral. Kali refuses to take it but continues to worry about its significance. She begins to investigate as riots break out in the prison knowing the booklet and the escalating violence are related. There are lots of twists and turns and a great ending in this book. Hollihan is very successful in keeping the reader’s interest though Kali comes across as a bit mechanical. His play with who is more imprisoned, the jailer or the jailed, is fascinating and clearly delineated; the best part of the book in my opinion. I can’t wait to read more from Hollihan.
Josh’s next door cellmate Crawley has drawn a cartoon booklet and when feels his life is endangered he gives it to Josh for safekeeping. Josh doesn’t know what the drawings mean but senses they’re important so he tries to pass the booklet to Kali when she escorts him to his father’s funeral. Kali refuses to take it but continues to worry about its significance. She begins to investigate as riots break out in the prison knowing the booklet and the escalating violence are related. There are lots of twists and turns and a great ending in this book. Hollihan is very successful in keeping the reader’s interest though Kali comes across as a bit mechanical. His play with who is more imprisoned, the jailer or the jailed, is fascinating and clearly delineated; the best part of the book in my opinion. I can’t wait to read more from Hollihan.
July 24, 2011
Very interesting take on the Corrections Officer profession, however it's a difficult book to recommend.
I believe that in order for this novel to be appreciated, the reader needs to have a working understanding of the profession of a Corrections Worker in order to really understand the situations the main character is put into and how realistic and likely these situations are. However, the book deals with corruption and what seems like the "worst case scenarios" of people employed into corrections. It may be perceived as mildly insulting and a bit offensive to those who enter these dangerous environments everyday to deal with high profile offenders and keep them away from the public.
The best advice I can give to people who choose to read this book is to recognize what you are getting in to, and understand it's somewhat "hollywoodized" to make an extremely corrupt jail environment. Not all Corrections workers are like that, and the main character is closer to the rule, rather than the exception.
I believe that in order for this novel to be appreciated, the reader needs to have a working understanding of the profession of a Corrections Worker in order to really understand the situations the main character is put into and how realistic and likely these situations are. However, the book deals with corruption and what seems like the "worst case scenarios" of people employed into corrections. It may be perceived as mildly insulting and a bit offensive to those who enter these dangerous environments everyday to deal with high profile offenders and keep them away from the public.
The best advice I can give to people who choose to read this book is to recognize what you are getting in to, and understand it's somewhat "hollywoodized" to make an extremely corrupt jail environment. Not all Corrections workers are like that, and the main character is closer to the rule, rather than the exception.
September 26, 2011
Interesting story from a woman CO point of view from inside a prison for males. The only thing I really liked was a brief mention of my all time favorite book To Kill a Mockingbird. That's about it. Weird and it made me feel kind of depressed once I was done. So-so!
December 29, 2010
Three and a half stars really. Maybe even four. A prison novel isn't exactly holiday week reading and, as usual, I read this one with repellant fascination. I think the reviews here do it some injustice, though: it's not that nasty. It's almost more of a crime novel with a mystery at the center, told mostly from the interesting point of view of a female corrections officer in a men's facility. It's also extremely well written, enough so to say that this is one of the better crime debuts of the year, one that was sneaked into publication in mid-December, which is odd, considering the subject.
Kudos to the cover artist, who brilliantly captures the book.
Kudos to the cover artist, who brilliantly captures the book.
December 31, 2010
This is not typically the sort of book I'd read, a seemingly violence-studded thriller with a mystery at its core, I was wowed. It truly engaged me. It opened my eyes to another world, the underbelly of prison life. It wasn't pretty, but it was a fascinating story of survival and morality, told through the eyes of a female corrections officer who discovers surprising criminal alliances that involve her fellow officers and the inmates.
Must read!
Must read!
December 9, 2014
This is a gripping and visceral book. A literary achievement unlike anything I've ever read. Agree, though, that its content and situations make it difficult to 'recommend' per se.
August 12, 2023
I definitely took a gamble on this book. Just reading what it was about it was a book completely outside of my wheelhouse to what I'd normally read but I was on the edge of my seat throughout, especially the ending which I won't give spoilers. You really form attachments to the most unlikely characters. I never really knew where the book was going but I enjoyed every page.
May 31, 2025
Hell on earth
A pair of insiders, a prison guard and a young, new “fish” relate the day-to-day horror of life behind bars. The minutiae of details, provided by a group of knowledgeable folks, provided the author with all he needed to spin this horror story. Approach this novel if you have a strong stomach and even then, you’ll need a hot shower after you put it down.
A pair of insiders, a prison guard and a young, new “fish” relate the day-to-day horror of life behind bars. The minutiae of details, provided by a group of knowledgeable folks, provided the author with all he needed to spin this horror story. Approach this novel if you have a strong stomach and even then, you’ll need a hot shower after you put it down.
December 25, 2025
A pair of insiders, a prison guard and a young, new “fish” relate the day-to-day horror of life behind bars. Guards, inmates and administrators are all mixed up in a stew of intrigue so thick you’ll be unable to tell the good ones from the bad ones right down to the last page.
January 28, 2022
Did finish because I found the writing to be boring.
February 15, 2013
I was reluctant to read this book because I thought it was going to be a sad story without much action about a young convict that I was supposed to feel sorry for. Why did I think this? I dunno, the cover? Once I began, though, the plot just took right off and I barely gave a shit about the kid. Graphic and fast paced, this book would make a great movie.
Every so often, I hear someone on NPR rave about a "crime fiction" author. Lee Child and Carl Hiaasen come to mind. I go and read the authors and I'm utterly disappointed because the writing sucks even in the best of them and they aren't very creative. I feel like I can hear the authors brain scraping an empty plastic bucket looking for fantastic plot devices.
This book, though, is the one I was searching for. It is well written and delivers the grit and adventure of the crime genre without the baggage of that genre. I enjoyed the feeling of not knowing what would happen next. I enjoyed the author's clever turns of phrase and I did care about the main character, a woman corrections officer.
The prison had this magical realism quality to it. This made me not able to completely trust the world it was set in. For example, I couldn't trust that the inmates wouldn't wake up one morning with the ability to fly because so many unlikely privileges were delivered to them. I heartily recommend it and my copy is already in the hands of one of my co-workers.
Every so often, I hear someone on NPR rave about a "crime fiction" author. Lee Child and Carl Hiaasen come to mind. I go and read the authors and I'm utterly disappointed because the writing sucks even in the best of them and they aren't very creative. I feel like I can hear the authors brain scraping an empty plastic bucket looking for fantastic plot devices.
This book, though, is the one I was searching for. It is well written and delivers the grit and adventure of the crime genre without the baggage of that genre. I enjoyed the feeling of not knowing what would happen next. I enjoyed the author's clever turns of phrase and I did care about the main character, a woman corrections officer.
The prison had this magical realism quality to it. This made me not able to completely trust the world it was set in. For example, I couldn't trust that the inmates wouldn't wake up one morning with the ability to fly because so many unlikely privileges were delivered to them. I heartily recommend it and my copy is already in the hands of one of my co-workers.
July 19, 2014
The narrator, a 39 year-old female correctional officer (CO), is wonderfully realistic. Her past, her present, are skillfully rendered such that her values and ideas align with what we know of her. The place she works, a maximum security prison is almost as realistic. Her colleagues and the men under her supervision are mostly fully realized. If this were only a novel of the experiences of a beleaguered CO, and the prison at which she works, it would be quite extraordinary.
But Hollihan grafts on to this story a preposterous plot about a comic book and its role in prison corruption and a sort-of buried treasure.
I'm also a littler blinkered by the fact that this prison's inmates are all white men. Maybe here are U.S. prisons like that. But the appalling statistics of racial disparity in who gets sent to prison suggests that this is a wee bit of fantasy.
Oh, and the title of the novel: it refers to a quartet of engravings done by British artist Hogarth depicting one man's life from horrific childhood to his eventual hanging for murder. Perhaps a more sensitive reader than I can parse how it applies to the novel. The book is divided into four sections: Stage One, Stage Two, etc. But I couldn't figure out how the stages in the novel differed from one another or how they referred back to the Hogarth engravings.
But Hollihan grafts on to this story a preposterous plot about a comic book and its role in prison corruption and a sort-of buried treasure.
I'm also a littler blinkered by the fact that this prison's inmates are all white men. Maybe here are U.S. prisons like that. But the appalling statistics of racial disparity in who gets sent to prison suggests that this is a wee bit of fantasy.
Oh, and the title of the novel: it refers to a quartet of engravings done by British artist Hogarth depicting one man's life from horrific childhood to his eventual hanging for murder. Perhaps a more sensitive reader than I can parse how it applies to the novel. The book is divided into four sections: Stage One, Stage Two, etc. But I couldn't figure out how the stages in the novel differed from one another or how they referred back to the Hogarth engravings.
July 12, 2011
Joshua Riff, a 19-year-old convict at Ditmarsh Penitentiary, puzzles Kali Williams, a 39-year-old corrections officer, in Hollihan's impressive first novel, a complex and atmospheric thriller. The other COs are protecting Josh by keeping him segregated in the infirmary next to an enigmatic inmate, Jon Crowley. Josh has been helping Crowley illustrate a densely symbolic comic book based on prison life called The Four Stages of Cruelty, which conjures up history from Ditmarsh's dark past. When Crowley disappears, Williams investigates on her own. The clues take her beneath the prison to the long-abandoned isolation chambers that older convicts refer to as "the City," and from there things really get interesting. Hollihan manages to combine a labyrinthine plot, full of intrigue, secret societies, and arcane lore, with a nuanced, character-driven narrative that provides insights into prison life while keeping readers guessing until the last page.
Although I really loved the writing, I was still disappointed. Kali let me down as a "detective" probing for the secrets of Ditmarsh. Perhaps she wasn't as strong of a character as I had hoped. All the characters were sad, depressed, dark, and crippled. I was hoping Kali would come out stronger and smarter but I didn't really get that.
Although I really loved the writing, I was still disappointed. Kali let me down as a "detective" probing for the secrets of Ditmarsh. Perhaps she wasn't as strong of a character as I had hoped. All the characters were sad, depressed, dark, and crippled. I was hoping Kali would come out stronger and smarter but I didn't really get that.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 19, 2011
What's a nice, tough girl doing in a place like Ditmarsh Penitentiary? The unlikely narrative of Kali Williams, a CO (corrections officer) there along with many strange people with hidden agendas and a stark prison that hooked me enough to make this a fast page-turner.
While we dont get to know Kali, we get an impression that she's strong-willed enough to work at Ditmarsh and principled just enough to work through some mysterious plots in a prison where the underground guard network may be just as bad as the prisoners. It's an interesting mystery of personalities that have little to loose except their prison reputations and ruling hierarchies that seem to run the place despite being under lock and key in a maximum security prison.
Wrap this story around a secret internal investigation, coded drawings, secret rooms, and a prison riot and you get four stars of interest from this review. Not the most exciting or clever book but one you're likely to be locked up with once you start reading.
While we dont get to know Kali, we get an impression that she's strong-willed enough to work at Ditmarsh and principled just enough to work through some mysterious plots in a prison where the underground guard network may be just as bad as the prisoners. It's an interesting mystery of personalities that have little to loose except their prison reputations and ruling hierarchies that seem to run the place despite being under lock and key in a maximum security prison.
Wrap this story around a secret internal investigation, coded drawings, secret rooms, and a prison riot and you get four stars of interest from this review. Not the most exciting or clever book but one you're likely to be locked up with once you start reading.
February 22, 2011
I was in a reading slump when I saw this book at a local book shop and decided to send a sample via amazon to my kindle. I enjoyed the sample and bought the book. Unfortunately, this books price was set by the publisher and it was well over $10. It looses one star for that.
I really enjoyed this book and had no problems finishing it. I found the characters interesting despite it being set in a prison, which I normally would not read. There was just enough action and intrigue to keep me picking it back up to see what happens.
My only complaint about the novels quality was how we find out the ending. It is told to one of the two main characters by someone who witnessed it, so many details are left out. I was a little disappointed in the author for doing this.
But other than the ending, I found the book a delight to read and it was easy to tell the author was a professional writer.
I really enjoyed this book and had no problems finishing it. I found the characters interesting despite it being set in a prison, which I normally would not read. There was just enough action and intrigue to keep me picking it back up to see what happens.
My only complaint about the novels quality was how we find out the ending. It is told to one of the two main characters by someone who witnessed it, so many details are left out. I was a little disappointed in the author for doing this.
But other than the ending, I found the book a delight to read and it was easy to tell the author was a professional writer.
March 26, 2011
Promises a hard look at the human capacity for cruelty and compassion; the mysteries of why we do what we do. I think the idea is that no one is untainted by corruption or free from complicity in horrors; conversely, everybody has the capacity to do good, to extend compassion if not forgiveness.
The problem, here, however, is that this compelling story takes place inside a prison and it becomes too easy to rely on the old prisoners are animals theory when needed. Apart from that, the setting imposes strict rules on behavior for those in its hierarchy, and the interplay between factions as the mystery of the comic book is unraveled is interesting.
The problem, here, however, is that this compelling story takes place inside a prison and it becomes too easy to rely on the old prisoners are animals theory when needed. Apart from that, the setting imposes strict rules on behavior for those in its hierarchy, and the interplay between factions as the mystery of the comic book is unraveled is interesting.
January 12, 2011
Intensely visceral writing, with well-developed main characters. Some of the peripheral characters end up not making a lot of sense though, and the mystery / thriller plot line in the novel ultimately didn't really work for me. I started out being totally enveloped in the book, and ended up a bit disappointed. Worth reading for Hollihan's scene-setting and the darkness of the thing, but frustrating too from the craft standpoint.
December 15, 2010
A "Beat the Reaper" in terms of brutality -- and equally engaging although not nearly so fast pace. An interesting psychological study, I found myself rereading many a passage & deep in ponder (yeah, my brain ain't totally frozen after all). In other words, it was nice to read something that made me think for a change -- even amidst the scenes of torture (not really my thing) & having recently read "The Accidental Librarian" made the book all the more interesting.
January 14, 2011
This is a gritty, seemingly realistic prison novel. The story is told through two voices, a female prison guard, Kali, and a young inmate, Joshua. Some of it is quite well-written, and the reader can feel what the "inside" might be like, and the view of the COs and other guards working in the prison is evoked nicely. But the narrative kind of lost me at times, as the thread of the story/mystery felt a bit disjointed. But it's a good debut novel.
March 5, 2011
An intricate mystery, well-spun and well-written, set in the background of a maximum security prison. Holliahan takes you through the ins and outs of the Ditmarsh Social Club, a group of dirty corrections officers and inmates as they hunt the nooks and crannies of the prison, looking for a hidden treasure. Sometimes funny, sometimes violent, but always poignant, The Four Stages of Cruelty is a real page turner.
September 6, 2011
This is not even close to the usual type of books that I read, but it was on a list of the best books of the month by popsugar.com. It is very graphic, disturbing and more real than other books that have to do with psycopaths, plot twists, and other graphic content such as in a James Patterson book. I don't know if I would recommend it unless you have a strong desire to find out what it is like to work as a Correctional Officer as a woman in a major lockdown jail.
October 18, 2024
The Four Stages of Cruelty was an interesting read. At times feeling more like a biting character study than an actual mystery or thriller, the novel is well-written with compelling characters and a gritty prison setting that showcases the poignancy and starkness of emotional connections. Highly recommended.
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August 2, 2011The narrator/female lead is a complete foil: in other words, a very poorly established character (from the get go). Meanwhile, the characterization of the penitentiary environment is well developed--it's a grimy, gritty, painful world. I would disagree with anyone who suggests there are any but superficial impressions/statements made in this work: this is not a literary novel.
May 9, 2012
This book was good, definitely different, I don't read about prison life very often. A little depressing, it does show how cruel people can be but also shows a little speck of hope. Overall the story got away from me, had the potential to go in too many directions and seemed it couldn't decide what it wanted to be.
May 21, 2012
Violent and depressing. Also quite good. This is the first time I've read a book with this tone that has a female narrator. Normally, with male narrators, you'll get some variety of the chip-on-the-shoulder, don't-give-a-damn attitude, but Kali's perspective didn't come with those typically macho aspects, which definitely made for a fresh and interesting read.
August 28, 2012
Set in a prison, it's told from alternating points of view of a young female prison guard and a young inmate. There is something mysterious going on in the prison, something evil, all told in a comic book created by the inmate, Josh. I enjoyed this one a lot. Lots of twists and turns and good, distinct characters.
February 7, 2011
Excellent debut novel. Complex characters caught in an interesting situation. I couldn't decide who was a "bad" guy and who was a "good" guy. I finished the book and I still don't know for sure. Good reading and I recommend it highly.
July 30, 2012
Lots of twists and turns, like being dropped in the middle of a cornfield maze-blindfolded. This book will keep you busy long after you're supposed to do chores. Can't wait to see what Keith Hollihan writes next. He's good.
April 16, 2013
I really enjoyed this book. The characters were authentic and the author did his research and knew the lingo, environment, etc. very well. I'd recommend it to anyone who likes any kind of psychological horror or crime drama.
September 29, 2013
Fantastic story. The writing is impeccable and beautiful even though the subject matter is horrible and frightening. The main character is a woman, but the voice does not ring true to me as feminine. But that is just the tiniest of complaints. I loved this book very much.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews