I think that the reason people like it so much is probably because most of your readers are women, and the plot appeals to an atavistic sense of outrage in them all. Okay, so maybe that's a generalization. Truth is, rape is a touchy subject. It's a very real threat that, on some level, constrains who we are and how we behave. Justice is rarely served in such cases, particularly in a case of date rape, so to see the perpetrators, even in fiction, dealt with so deliciously well, is very satisfying. Who wouldn't want to see Justice served so well, if they were attacked in such a brutal fashion? There are not many people who would be forgiving of such a violation, though granted, some of us might have evolved enough not to wish it done so violently. That any of us can feel like that is disturbing but it doesn't make us any less human. It is what happens when whole groups are made to feel that Justice will always be qualified when it comes to crimes committed against them.

Still, it would be interesting to hear a guy's perspective.