Life Without Parole

“I first became conscious of the pain and then of the stench of rotten meals and an unflushed toilet. Where am I? I blinked, terrified, seeing only four cement walls. Memories of the past night caught up with me as I groaned in anguish. I was busted. . . .

“Stumbling to the sink, I stared into the dull metal mirror, catching a glimpse of something hideous and deplorable. Instead of the smiling blond-haired blue-eyed, young man I expected, a gaunt face surrounded by greasy, stringy hair stared back at me. What has become of me?”

Nothing in Rick Fleck’s childhood had suggested that he would end up in prison for life on a murder charge. Rick was a third-generation Adventist. He grew up living close to nature on a farm near Canadian Union College, in Alberta, Canada. His parents sacrificed to send him to Christian schools. He was outgoing, popular, and a star athlete.

Rick Fleck gives an honest account of himself as a college dropout turned carnie pitchman obsessed with money, prestige, and life in the fast lane. At first cocaine was just something to take so he could work harder and earn more money. The charming kid with so much potential had begun his inevitable transformation into the visage in the steel mirror.

This is a story of rebellion and redemption you will not soon forget.