Primal Fear is a 1993 American thriller novel by William Diehl 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 and Edward Norton. 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