Book Review - Maybe, Misery by C. S. Bailey

If not for the opinions of a few reviewers that I trust then this gem of a debut novel might have passed me by. It also helped that the blurb intrigued me, I'm always up for reading about dark and enigmatic characters. And the the main character here is a very dark individual, he starts of enigmatic but by the end of the book we know him much better.

The early parts of the story have an American Psycho feel, we have a happy psychopath with prodigious talent, charm and an overactive sex drive. A word of warning - there is a lot of sex in this story. It's not in any detail, so far from being an erotica story, but it does seem to be the lead character's favourite pastime.

At first he seems like a shallow man, but before that becomes a certainty the format of the story changes. We are taken back and forth in time through his life and discover other traits that he posesses.

This strength of building the character does have a downside - it makes the plot more difficult to follow. My main issue with the book is that it develops the character more than the story. The jumping through time creates gaps in the story that become harder and harder to link together. On the plus side it does allow for some stories and I do enjoy being surprised in a story.

This is an excellent debut novel for the author and one I'm happy to recommend.

Click on image to buy from Amazon

Maybe, Misery is the début novel by author C.S. Bailey.

It follows the life of genetic researcher Talon. His childhood marred by tragedy, the escapades of his twenties and finding the love of his life.

As Talon grows, so does his wealth and desire to cure the big C... Cancer.

Unfortunately for Talon, a series of events change his life for the worst leaving him a hollow empty husk, whose only care is greed.

Blinded by his ego, he fails to see his own shortcomings which could end up costing all of humanity.

Friends quickly become enemies and our anti-hero finds himself on the path for redemption; whether he deserves it or not.

Click here to buy Maybe, Misery from Amazon US / Amazon UK (and it's a well written debut novel - well worth checking out) - It's also free for download today!