The Child of God, Cormac McCarthy
This is a short book or novella, only 190 pages long. It's worth reading, though. McCarthy's prose is superb, very lyrical and he is describing some horrific things in a way that makes it clear what is happening but not in a grotesque horror fiction way. Fortunately fictional but they could be true because they are very possible.
1960's Tennessee. Lester Ballard is a young backwoodsman who is very violent, introverted and voluntarily solitary. He is wrongly accused of rape and when released goes on to commit some appalling crimes in the backwoods. He does not have a permanent home and there is no way of tracking him. He does get caught eventually and I won't spoil the ending but it's not what you'd predict.
McCormac's prose is breathtaking in places and utterly sublime in others, despite some of the grotesque things that are described. I've never read anything like it. The characters are utterly real, the plot is believable and the story is of it's time (i.e. no mobile phones or for that matter, much in the way of land-lines). I also got the feeling that the fact that Ballard is capable of committing said crimes is also unheard of in the backwoods of 1960's Tennessee.
Very recommended.