Review: ~ Review by Beverley
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 13, 2014
5 of 5 starsFor original review see The Prism Book Alliance Blog onlineThe first few chapters of this novel are scene setting, and in particular showing us why this otherwise healthy but down on his luck songwriter, is confined to his apartment. In the film the MC is confined to a wheelchair with a broken leg, but this disability would not have worked in this novel, or in these modern times. The author’s description of a descent into agoraphobia and depression is creative and expresses the emotions beautifully,Sergeant Flunky tried calling back and received my voicemail, which was the equivalent of tossing message in a bottle down a dry well.This novel is written in the first person, which it would have to be as the Main Character is alone so much, and it lets us look into his thought processes. In chapter three, one reason for the title ‘The Next’ is explained and as the blurb mentions being the next victim of a murderer is another. However, he is steadily becoming ‘the Next’ lost soul in New York, possibly ‘the Next’ lonely eccentric, ‘the Next’ homeless person or suicide victim. Chapter Three is where things begin to change as he reaches rock bottom,…pointing my sunken eyes at the television and imagining the sound and sight of the impact that evil glass and metal apparatus would make if I dropped it off a gargoyle at the top of the Chrysler Building. Or imagining dropping myself off that gargoyle…He also attributes his resulting agoraphobia to his waiting for ‘the Next’ thing to happen,Perhaps waiting for the Next is what eroded my desire to exit. Then my ability to exit. The gradual dismissal of all external stimulus, inch by inch, imprisoning me within a six-hundred and fifty square foot cell…The irony is that the deaths of two young gay men indirectly saves our main character’s life because it brings the  police detective Marzoli, forcibly into his life. Marzoli replaces the female character, played by Grace Kelly in the old film, and is, crisply turned out at all times, and it seems interested in our hero. Marzoli  is obviously ‘the Next’, but after all the waiting, our MC’s low self esteem and disgust at what he has become, does not allow him to believe this or accept it. The fact that he has just broken up with ‘Johanna’ his girlfriend, does not seem to be an obstacle to his acceptance of attraction to another man. His greatest obstacle is more that he cannot believe that such a man would seriously want him.The sexual tension between the MCs is incredible,  highly enjoyable and underlines their whole relationship. The writing style is reminiscent of film noir at its best, and the storyline and relationship twists are layered so that the reader is drip fed information and kept in a permanent state of tension and wanting to know more.There are so many quotes and incidents I could put in this review, but I came upon this novel knowing very little which, meant I could enjoy it as the author intended and I would like you to as well.One last intrigue…you may have noticed I never give the main character a name and that is because I don’t know it ;-)