Reviewed by Roberta

TITLE: The Next

AUTHOR: Rafe Haze

PUBLISHER: Wilde City Press

LENGTH: 83, 600

BLURB: He never thought he’d become one of the agoraphobic sludges of New York City—trapped with one view of a courtyard and a head full of wrenching memories. Dumped, disconnected, and depressed, he surrenders to spying on the neighbors as his only entertainment.

Until one day, without warning, the lascivious and suspicious behavior of the closeted lawyer in the huge apartment across the courtyard leads him to a spine-tingling conclusion… his neighbor is a murderer.

Perhaps collaborating with the beautiful and fierce Detective Marzoli to catch the killer can finally breathe life back into a man suffocated by the stranglehold of a tragic past. Unless the killer across the way decides to make him… The Next.

REVIEW:  I read the blurb for this book and thought, what an interesting concept for a book.  I’d like to get in on that.  I’m glad that I did.

Our MC of this book, whose name I couldn’t find, is one very messed up man.  I mean MESSED UP!! His childhood was a bunch of violence, anger, death and destruction.  He’s dealing with depression that is eating away at every part of his life.  His girlfriend, Johanna has left him, he’s a songwriter that hasn’t written a song in about a year.  He’s steps away from losing everything.  He’s haunted by the things that happened in his childhood and the memories are taking their toll on him.  What he doesn’t know is that his life is about to get an injection of WTH real soon.

Detective Marzoli is this young guy who’s trying to solve the murder of a young man.  He has empathy for this young man who was murdered and wants to solve this murder.  He meets or MC who lived under the young man and questions him.  He’s also attracted to this guy. He really wants to have his life be better than what it had been before.  He’s confused regarding wanting our MC and needing to solve this case.  Marzoli is guy who has his own demons that he’s fighting against.  An horrific attack from his father when he was young that has left him scarred and so very unsure of himself, that he portrays himself almost perfectly when it comes to his appearance.  He knows what the murdered young man went through being kicked out and having to survive on your own.  He wants to solve this for this young man and every other young person who was thrown away for being who they are.  Marzoli has such this great heart and he cares so very much.

This book came at you and dragged you into this world.  You were hit with flashbacks happening to our MC at any moment and you were seeing what he was seeing.  The resignation of his home life.  The death and destruction of homes and life.  The horror of what his grandfather planned for him and his brother, Paul.  When he learns of Paul’s death by suicide on this 40^th birthday, that drives his depression into overdrive.  This book took you on this journey and didn’t let you go.

I will say that not knowing the character’s name is disconcerting, but it’s also kind of a neat.  You just get this story from this guy’s point of view.  You are thrown into this world of depression, mystery, horror and self-discovery. You walk in his shoes and feel his every emotion. This book was a great read and it really kept you entertained and engrossed in the story. 

Very worth the read.

RATING:

BUY LINKS: Wilde City Press