''Primal Fear'' is a 1993 American thriller novel by

William Diehl William Diehl (; December 4, 1924 – November 24, 2006) was an American novelist and photojournalist. Biography Diehl was a successful photographer and journalist, when he began his novel-writing career at 50. His first novel, ''Sharky's Ma ...

about Aaron Stampler, an altar boy accused of murder, and Martin Vail, the attorney defending him. It was adapted into a film of the same name in 1996, starring

Richard Gere Richard Tiffany Gere ( ; born August 31, 1949) is an American actor. He began in films in the 1970s, playing a supporting role in '' Looking for Mr. Goodbar'' (1977) and a starring role in ''Days of Heaven'' (1978). He came to prominence with ...

and

Edward Norton Edward Harrison Norton (born August 18, 1969) is an American actor and filmmaker. He has received numerous awards and nominations, including a Golden Globe Award and three Academy Award nominations. Born in Boston, Massachusetts and raised ...

. The characters of Stampler and Vail appear in two additional novels by author Diehl, '' Show of Evil'' and '' Reign in Hell''.

References

1993 American novels American thriller novels Legal thriller novels English-language novels American novels adapted into films Villard (imprint) books {{1990s-thriller-novel-stub