Lesser Evil

Lesser Evil (2002) by Robert Simpson — Pocket Books
ISBN: 0743410246
Condition: Used (a bit scuffed, morally complicated, still entirely readable)
Offered with a slightly guilty conscience by Crappy Old Books

Sometimes life doesn’t give you a “good” option. It gives you bad and slightly less bad and then tells you to pick one before the whole situation explodes. Lesser Evil leans cheerfully into that problem and refuses to apologise.

In this 2002 thriller-from-the-dubious-moral-high-ground, Robert Simpson plays in the grey zone where heroes aren’t spotless, villains aren’t totally wrong, and everyone is one bad day away from saying, “Look, I never said I was the good guy.” Expect tough choices, questionable motives, and the comforting realisation that whatever mistakes you’ve made lately, the people in this book are almost certainly doing worse.

Inside these pages you’ll likely encounter:

• A protagonist who has absolutely read the manual on Doing the Right Thing and then quietly set it on fire.

• Antagonists with just enough logic that you’ll hate yourself for thinking, “Okay, they might have a point.”

• A chain of events where every solution spawns fresh problems like some kind of ethical hydra.

No neat halos. No pantomime moustache-twirling. Just people stumbling through situations so morally compromised you’ll feel better about still not sorting your recycling correctly.

This particular copy, sourced by the deeply ambivalent curators at Crappy Old Books, is proudly Used. Which means:

• The cover may show light wear, scuffs, and the faint suggestion that it once rode around in a commuter’s bag, absorbing the stress of public transport.

• The spine likely has a dignified crease or two — physical evidence of “just one more chapter before bed” turning into “oh no, it’s 2am.”

• The pages may be gently tanned and a bit softened at the corners, like a book that’s seen some things and is not entirely okay about them.

Cosmetically, it’s not pristine. Morally, it fits the theme.

Is this the kind of book that restores your faith in humanity? Absolutely not. Is it the kind that makes you mutter “oh, that’s not going to end well” and turn the page faster anyway? Very much yes.

Perfect for:

• Readers who like their thrillers with ethical knots instead of simple goodies vs baddies.

• People who enjoy muttering “I mean, I get why they did it, but still…” at fictional characters.

• Anyone who appreciates a paperback that has clearly lived, suffered, and survived — like its cast.

Adopt this Used copy of Lesser Evil, set your own standards aside for an evening, and watch a bunch of fictional people prove that sometimes the right choice is just the one that doesn’t get everyone killed.

Is buying it the lesser evil? We’d say so. But then again, look who you’re asking.

Keep browsing: See more Science-Fiction books Other books by Robert Simpson