BOOK SYNOPSIS
Harry wants out. The daily grind has ground him down and his dreams are fading fast. Desperate times call for desperate measures and as a last-ditch resort he fakes his own death to claim on the insurance planning to set himself up on Easy Street.
Wife Lena has her doubts. Harry’s always had a hand in the hustle, but going for broke was never his style. She goes along for the ride just to see how far he’ll take it, down Mexico way, returning “widowed” and soon-to-be wealthy, waits out the weeks till they can reunite.
Only Harry sounds funny on the phone. And she knows how he gets when he’s been drinking.
Then there’s the irreversible nature of death to consider.
Harry’s scheme is seamless but the schemer has a flaw, and instead of getting what he wants might just get what he deserves.
This story is written from the perspectives of Harry and Lena and the plot centres around their plan to pull off their own insurance scam and the consequences and repercussions of their actions. Only, their plan (or that should be Harry's plan) was more twisted than the Darwin's and at first Lena was reluctant to get involved. Especially considering that she would have to do the vast majority of the work involved to ensure that the plan would succeed. Harry and Lena were complex, flawed individuals and I had mixed feelings about both of them as the story unfolded but especially about Lena. There was moments when I liked her and moments when I didnt. I felt a lot of empathy for her during her interactions with her mother and I thought her feelings of loyalty toward Harry and her fears about his well being were admirable. But, was she genuinely worried about him or was she more worried about herself and that the possibility that he would blurt out their secrets. One aspect of Lena's story that I loved was her relationship and interactions with Chester/ Luke the dog.
Harry might have behaved like he was related to Del Boy Trotter but in reality he was a vulnerable individual who liked to drink...a lot. The problem with being a addict is that they can very often find themselves trapped in a vicious circle, Harry would stop drinking and sort himself out when Lena was around but he would fall off the wagon as soon as he was alone. He didn't help himself at times and adding to his problems were the continuing repercussions from his and Lena's actions in Mexico.
what did fate have in store for Harry and Lena? Would they find themselves spending time in prison? Were they destined to stay together or would their actions in Mexico be the catalyst for the end of their already volatile relationship?
I thought this was a captivating, character driven drama that I really enjoyed reading but I couldn't honestly tell you why. The plot contained all the elements that a reader loves to find in a book including some moments of danger and suspense. There was a point in the story that I found myself at the edge of my seat with a lump in my throat. The characters were a mixed bag of vivid, diverse, realistic individuals, some likeable some not so likeable. I thought this was a very entertaining read and I would gladly read more of this author's books in the future.
AUTHOR BIO
Tom Larsen and his wife lived in the Pennsport section of South Philadelphia – home to Mummers, Flyers and that screw you slant that made this city great – for a decade in the 90s then moved away, then back again. Where the heart is, yo. For a writer auditioning characters, the 19148 zip code is a casting gold mine.
Thanks for the blog tour support x
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