Almost Rapist: A True Crime Memoir

by Joyce Miller

A dark-humor, true-crime memoir, Almost Rapist is a story told against the backdrop of the Great Recession when Jöyce, a lapsed cult member, lands a Craigslist job assisting an Oscar-winning composer, filmmaker, and jingle writer on the eve of what she finds out is his Supreme Court rape trial following a near-deadly stroke.



While her employer laments his physical recovery as the sole obstacle to his artistic and romantic comeback, Jöyce unravels mounting sexual-assault charges from newspaper accounts as reporters appear near her boss's Upper East Side apartment. Legal inquiries...surveillance...deception...private investigators posing as lovers and victims...murder...and greed...all converge in this stunning debut that strikes at the core of the Sacred Human State grappling with a world that's been built for Commerce.

664 pages, Paperback

Published October 15, 2025

Reviews

[Hannah Dupont · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book on a whim from a cute little bookstore in NYC. The handsewn binding and velour cover attracted me and I couldn’t refuse its calling. I truly had no idea what to expect, especially given that there are not any reviews of this book. Let me just say- I was pleasantly surprised. I read this memoir in four days. Jöyce chronicles her time as an assistant to an old, crass, condescending, wealthy, successful songwriter/composer/filmmaker who is on trial for rape. Though there is not necessarily a climax nor are there any plot twists, I found this to be a page turner. I felt as if I was living in Jöyce’s mind, learning about her eclectic past, her worldview, and her approach to a challenging life as an artist in NYC. I found myself often chuckling from her musings and the interactions between her and Jooks and I constantly wanted more. I’d recommend this book to friends and I’d absolutely pick up another Jöyce book if she writes any more! I also commend her bravery for writing a factual memoir about her time working with this man. It’s not easy to write honestly, much less publish the story to the public. Thank you, Jöyce, for publishing the truth so boldly.