Distasteful Humor

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I received a complimentary digital copy of this arc book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

The preview written in GoodReads is probably best explains the story but contains many spoilers in my opinion.

This story alternates between the life of Owen Berk, investigative reporter and the novel being written by Owen Berk. This a bizarre story overlap particularly because Owen Berk is a morally corrupt voyeur. I found this book to be less than thrilling and far from humorous.

The only redeeming quality is the concern that Owen takes to protect and assist his 92 year old neighbor, Basha-Rose at their apartment building in Central Park. Skip, a hypochondriac editor of the Angle, asks Owen to investigate the suspicious death for his cousin Betty Snaedeker. Her brother was a psychiatrist who mysteriously died when he “exploded” in the OR during a routine polyp removal from his colon. The hospital investigation concluded that the tragedy was due to the patient’s inadequate bowel prep before surgery. The theory is that he was known to have a gastrointestinal disorder in which his body overproduced methane.

If that isn’t enough to turn your stomach, Owen continues an inappropriate relationship with Kjirsti, a college student in her 20’s. She involves herself in his investigation into this bizarre death. I found the story as absurd and ridiculous as The Chatelaine, the novel Owen is writing which oddly reflects his life.

Although the author’s biography states he is American born and educated, I was confused by the unusual use of language. I did not enjoy this book and found many parts unnecessarily explicit which I guess contributes to its corrupt humor.