Fadeaway Joe

by Hugh Lessig

Perfect for fans of S. A. Cosby and Allen Eskens, Joe Pendergast must go all in one last time as he grapples with the ghosts of his past–and present–in this gritty, high-stakes thriller.

Sixty-four-year-old Joe has known violence his entire life. For forty years, he’s worked as an enforcer for loan shark and close friend Maxie Smith, breaking more than a few bones along the way. When Maxie abruptly fires him, Joe isn’t sure where to lay the blame—on Maxie, the man he once considered his brother, or on the early-onset Alzheimer’s that made Maxie lose faith in him in the first place.

To keep his head above water, he begins to operate a food truck that’s barely getting by. Desperate to regain some purpose in his life, Joe makes a life-altering he’s going to take down Maxie Smith by any means necessary, once and for all. However, his plan of revenge is sidelined when he meets twenty-two-year-old Paula Jessup, a wise-cracking amateur detective with a few scheming cards up her sleeve, who’s on the run from a trafficking ring she’s been investigating. The two form an unlikely Paula needs some protection and Joe needs a purpose.

With the stakes running high and the clock ticking down—will this gamble pay off?

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Fiction, Crime, Audiobook

Paperback

Expected publication January 2, 2079

About the author

I grew up in a slate quarry town in Pennsylvania, but I've called Virginia home since 1997. I spent 30-plus years as newspaper reporter. I've covered everything from small city council meetings, where it was just me and them, to the earthquake relief effort in Haiti, where I was embedded with the Navy on the USS Bataan.

I began writing crime short stories around 2005, and was fortunate to land a few in places like Thuglit, Shotgun Honey and Plots With Guns. Those online markets were gold for writers just starting out. (Seriously, check out the table of contents for any Thuglit issue. A bunch of those writers are famous today.)

My debut novel, FADEAWAY JOE, came out in August 2023 from Crooked Lane Books. It's about an aging criminal battling early-onset dementia and his own thirst for revenge, and a street-smart homeless woman who just might get him to switch priorities.

My more recent short stories have appeared in several anthologies from Down & Out Books. Check out my website at www.hughlessig.com for more information, and feel free to leave a review of FADEAWAY JOE is you feel so inclined.

Reviews

[Bharath · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is something to be said about easy reads. They give you a respite from serious stuff which requires a lot of concentration & note taking. This is one such – few but loveable characters and a straightforward story with some out of the usual elements thrown in.

Joe has worked for Maxie and been friends with him for over 40 years. It was a tough job as a bouncer for most of the period, and Joe was loyal. Joe is diagnosed with early stage Alzheimer's and is sacked. Max has however helped a little in setting Joe up with a food delivery service. Joe is sore though, as he has also lost his girlfriend Kathy in the process, who is now with Max. His neighbour Donna is friendly, realizing he tends to get confused sometimes and checks in on him periodically. Joe, one morning, finds blood in his boat and is unsure if he had something to do with it during the night. At work one day, he meets Paula Jessup, who seems to be in danger from some thugs. Joe and Paula are an unlikely pair who team up to see if they can help each other get over their troubles.

As a person struggling with early-stage dementia and coping with acute disappointment alone, Joe is a very interesting character, and this story is all about him. I liked the tough character Joe is, while also being vulnerable & unsure with being alone and coping from dementia. While there is potentially a good story with respect to Paula, it is not well developed. Donna is a great supporting character in the story. There is not much novelty in the plot and Joe’s rivalry and attempts to get a step ahead of Max are simplistic.

My rating: 3.5 / 5.

Thanks to Netgalley, Crooked Lane Books and the author for a free electronic review copy.

[Faith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joe has been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s. For many years he has worked as an enforcer for his friend Maxie. When he is fired by Maxie, the 2 have an ugly and violent confrontation. Neither man is the forgiving sort. Joe wants revenge, and his chance encounter with a young woman provides a way to get even with Maxie.

The blurb describes this book as a “gritty, high-stakes thriller”. I did not think that it was very gritty or thrilling. Maybe if Joe had stuck with his original plans there would have been more grit. Maxie did not turn out to be a very impressive foe. I’m not looking for a lot of description in books, but this book could have used a little more. I got no sense of the locale or time period in the book. However, the book did hold my interest because I cared enough about Joe to want to find out how his story would end. 3.5 stars

I received a free copy of this audiobook from the publisher.

[Stefan Bogdanski · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is being said that revenge is a dish best served cold. It's also being said that Justice is truth in action. So can the action of dishing out revenge also be a form of justice? I'm afraid the real world isn't that simple - but lucky for us, books and stories can be simpler and enable us to feel the sweet, sweet taste of revenge without needing to justify it. And anyway, there's the koan of deniability - if you can't remember the crime, you can't have really committed it, right?


No, officer, I can't remember doing anything like that. I'm innocent!

Joe Pendergast (no relation to Aloysius, I'm sure) was once a man of action, although to be honest: truth and justice don't really come into play when a mob enforcer takes action. So for forty years, he did the dirty work for his boss and friend Maxie - until Alzheimer started to kick in, and Maxie lost faith in Joe. Now he's driving a food truck (at days he can remember that is his business), and he's plotting his revenge.

It's also being said that misery loves company, so it's no wonder he teams up with young Paula, who's scheming her own revenge against organized crime. Let the fun times begin!


Not for you, honey; for the readers on the other hand ...

Of course, Alzheimer itself is a serious disease, there's nothing remotely funny about it. But it's the way Hugh manages to wrap everything into Joe's personality that takes the bitterness out and puts a touch of lightness into everything. I'm not even feeling guilty about enjoying Joe's bouts with himself about his lost times - because Joe himself is not taking everything too serious. It's clear he knows what's happening to him and has made his peace with it.

Young Paula is the second protagonist in this tale, and naturally, her perspective is different. I really liked the way the novel switches between them, and Hugh manages to give both his heroes a distinct voice of their own.


Joe Pendergast tries to be a reasonable man, but he's not necessarily a nice man.

The pace of the story is great. It hits a slow spell the first time we are introduced to Paula as a narrator, but after that, it gains traction, really speeding up towards the end. It's a page turner, and I was really sad having finished it so soon.

Regarding the ending - I think it was okay. It's a nice, touchy happy end, although I would have loved seeing Joe going down guns blazing. Personally, I think that would have been more fitting for his character.

There were some great emotional moments when Joe realized he had done something stupid, which added a layer of depth to the narrative. I would have wished to implore upon them a little farther. So all in all, highly entertaining, 4.5 stars!

Disclaimer: I’ve received a free Advanced Reader’s Copy and am leaving this review voluntarily.

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Read this review on the blog - the layout is better 😃.
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[MikeLikesBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listen to the audiobook for Fadeaway Joe. It is marketed that if you like S.A. Cosby you will like this book. It does have a vibe similar to Cosby’s books. The characters are all morally gray. There is murder, human trafficking, and violence. Joe and Maxie are like brothers but there is a falling out and they now want to kill each other. Joe is in early stages of dementia. He hitches his fate to Paula who doesn’t have the best home life. Joe’s ex girlfriend, Cathy is spying on him and a neighbor, Donna, quickly becomes an ally. The book takes us on a ride of the challenges their lives take, that don’t seem to be going the way they want. In the end, some end up dead and others carry on. I enjoyed the book. It’s a debut novel for the author. I highly recommend you give this book a try.

I want to thank NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for a copy of this audiobook. This review is voluntary and is my honest opinion. I look forward to the release on August 22, 2023.

[Star Gater · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for accepting my request to read and audibly review Fadeaway Joe.

A thinker with likeable characters. The mafia bullying as the backdrop of the story is light. The author doesn't tell or include gruesome crime-related details. Joe worked for a boss until he didn't. It turns out Joe had early onset Alzheimer's. When things come up missing and details are sketchy Joe worked for the wrong group, and was let go.

The story flows well. I thought the author did a good job developing and showcasing the main characters around Joe. This would be a good rainy/snowy weekend read. (3.5 stars, not rounding up.)

Both narrators did a good job.

[Annarella · Rating 5 out of 5]

You cannot help loving Joe, the old man with a colourful past and a onset of dementia. His story and his characters are well done and he's good guy who did bad things.
There's a lot going on and there's fast paced and adrenaline fuelled final.
A good story, a tense thriller and a cast of well developed characters
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

[Lyle Boylen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blew thru this in less than 24 hours. Great story and easy to read. A wonderful first novel for Lessig.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m giving this audiobook 3.5 stars. The first half was a little confusing with the intersecting stories of a bunch of bad guys and it took some time for me to to put it all together. I really enjoyed the story after that. I was initially drawn to this because I’m a big fan of Karissa Vacker but I also really liked the narration of Lewis Arlt as Joe. He played “crusty old bad guy” really well.

Thanks to NetGalley for my review copy.

[Mtm66]

3.5

[Marie | Word Addict · Rating 5 out of 5]

Damn, a tough down on his luck old codger ends up more or less adopting a down on their luck young person / kid...this is my favorite type of story. I had a neighbor that the main character reminds me of very much. Also, I read this book on my way home from visiting Georgia a few weeks ago, after I had done there to spend some time remembering my dad the week he died. I sometimes wonder if his changed and antagonistic behavior towards me 6 years ago which ended our relationship was a change in his mind that was more chemical/neurological than any of us realized. This mystery novel about a main character with early onset dementia who still manages to be a hero (sorry for the spoiler) was comforting for me.

[Leah James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Former bouncer Joe Pendergast is starting a new chapter in his life as owner/operator of Joe’s Takeaway Food Truck with a major strike against him—he’s in the early stages of dementia. It’s a condition he discovered only after he engaged in a punching match with his long-time boss and wound up in the ER.

Club owner and small-time loan shark Maxie Smith had been Joe’s boss for years, ever since they were boys growing up along the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia. Maxie’s always been the boss, and Joe has always been happy to play the subservient role. But when Maxie tosses him out after years of dedicated service as Maxie’s chief collections enforcer, Joe is humiliated, and decides to get even.

His plans are sideswiped when 20-year-old auto parts store clerk Paula Jessup, who is facing a few major problems of her own, decides to take on Joe as a project.

Not only can Paula help Joe get back at Maxie without bloodshed, but she can solve her own issues and start to make a better life for herself. And surprisingly, Joe finds himself wanting this young, wise-ass, wanna-be detective to have that better life.

Joe has a violent history and is disturbingly at ease with meting out corporal punishment, but Lessig digs under Joe's tough-guy exterior to reveal his basic humanity. I might not be comfortable meeting Joe in a dark alley, but I sympathize with his plight. I want him to be well and live out his remaining days in peace, not looking over his shoulder.

A victim of childhood trauma, Paula is even easier to like. She might have adopted a hard-shelled attitude, along with tattoos and a Mohawk haircut to match, but inside she’s a softie. She cares about people, like the young neighborhood girls she sees being victimized. She even cares about Joe. It’s easy to pull for Paula to make that 180-degree turn toward a life of meaning and fulfillment.
A supporting cast of been-through-the-wringer characters help to round out the story, and Lessig brings them to life with crisp, snappy phrasing and a judicious use of thug-talk.

My bottom line: Masterful writing, great story telling.

[Cathy Geha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fadeaway Joe by Hugh Lessig

Dementia is a difficult and deadly disease that eventually sees the diagnosed fading away. Joe will fade away at some point in the future but he finds he still has quite a bit to accomplish before that day will arrive and hopes to have the time to achieve the new goals that he begins to see and focus on in this story.

What I liked:
* Joe: enforcer for Maxi, worked hard in his parents’ business, never had a true childhood, finds himself alone at the end of a long association that has suddenly hit a wall, has some interesting experiences during the story, lethal, tough, intriguing
* Donna: Joe’s neighbor, hippy parents, exotic dancer who became a real estate agent, concerned about Joe, Butterbean’s human, caring, kind, has some secrets of her own, a good friend
* Paula: survivor, orphaned young, intelligent, insightful, mechanic, has some bad guys after her, sees something in Joe, good friend, caring, really liked her
* Mia: runs a women’s shelter, someone Paula trusts and confides in, admirable
* Jennifer: someone who tries to counsel, help, and stay in touch with Joe – has some secrets, too
* The location, plot, pacing, and writing
* That I could relate to and like characters who might not be considered “good”
* That the bad guys were thwarted and HOW it was accomplished
* The feel-good ending

What I didn’t like:
* Who and what I was meant not to like
* Knowing that there are evil people in the world like the ones in this book

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more by this author? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

[Lata · Rating 4 out of 5]

After forty years of loyal service as Max Smith's debt collector and bouncer at his boss' club, Joe Pendergast is kicked to the curb, and given a food truck as a consolation prize.

Joe was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's disease, and though beginning to struggle with his memory and focus, Joe has made a plan. A plan that sees him killing Max on the debut evening of his food truck. That Joe will be in jail or dead afterwards is immaterial; he's a man who has lived with violence a long time, and neither outcome displeases or concerns him.

The intervention of Paula Jessup during a critical moment derails Joe's plan temporarily; he figures out soon that Paula is on the run and needs his help, whether she realizes it or not.

For a dangerous man, Joe shows a surprising amount of gentleness and compassion to Paula. He takes her into his home and gradually shares his plan with her and the running of the truck with him, which proves beneficial to both of them: she has a safe place to hide from the people after her, and Joe has someone to interact with, challenge, him and keep his brain active and engaged.

Joe's neighbour Donna, a former club dancer, and now successful real estate agent, is concerned about and Paula's intentions. Meanwhile, Paula's friend Mia, in charge of a women's shelter, is equally concerned about Joe and reputation for violence.

Paula's situation and Joe's plan dovetail as Paula begins digging into both the ring of traffickers she's hiding from and Joe's former boss, which leads to attacks on the pair, more information about the traffickers, and a hotly contested plot of land in the countryside.

This was a surprisingly enjoyable read. Joe is tough on the outside, but has a softness and wistfulness about him that makes him unexpectedly endearing.

Paula's brashness was an interesting contrast to Joe's quiet and laidback attitude. Her connection with Joe was the centre to this book, and their relationship was an amusing study in contrasts. Donna was a welcome addition to the story, with her oversharing, caring, persistence in checking in on Joe, and her role in the resolution to Joe's plan (which was simplistic, but anything too convoluted would not have been in character with the man).

This wasn't deep, but was a fun book.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Crooked Lane Books for this ARC in exchange for my review.

[David Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joe was once the 'best bouncer in Hampton Roads,' an area I'm very familiar with. But Joe is older, and though he's worked for his boyhood mentor and idle, Maxie, for decades, when Joe is determined to have early-onset dementia, Maxie basically tosses him aside.

Joe is planning his revenge when, as they do in the best books, things start getting strange. His plan to murder Maxie goes awry, derailed by a friendly bartender, a girl named Paula who has had a rough life and ends up crossing his path at just the right time, a real-estate agent neighbor and an old flame.

I'm not a fan of books with multiple narrators. I felt as if the Joe narrator, Lewis Arlt, could have handled this one alone and it would have resonated more fully, but I loved the story, the history, and the snarky back and forth between the protagonists. Some of the female parts were performed by Karissa Vacker, who did a good job, but, in my opinion did not strengthen the overall production by adding a second voice.

I felt like a few things were forgotten, or not carried through as far as I'd have liked, including a piece of evidence that appears important and then is never mentioned again, and a story about Joe's past, and his first love, that never fully gets told except through flashbacks... would have liked to know more about how that ended.

This is a solid crime book with anti-heroes galore. Highly recommended.

[Barbara Schultz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Name of Book: Fadeaway Joe
Author: Hugh Lessig
Narrators: Lewis Arit and Karissa Vacker
Publisher: Dreamscape Media
Genre: Crime
Pub Date: August 22, 2023
My Rating: 2.7 rounded up
Pages: 288

Joe Pendergast is sixty-four years old and is slowly fading away from early stages of Alzheimer's. Joe has been a bouncer for forty years but is let go. Maxie Smith Joe’s boss who let him go has set Joe up with a food delivery service.
Joe is not happy with this situation as it brings in little money. He wants to get back at Maxie.

He meets twenty-two-year-old Paula Jessup, who is an amateur sleuth and is on the run from some trafficking bad guys she has been trying to investigate.

Other characters in Joe’s life ~
* Donna: His neighbor, who was an exotic dancer now a real estate agent,
* Mia: runs a women’s shelter, someone Paula trusts
* Jennifer: is someone with secrets but wants to help Joe.

I wanted to love this but I am not a fan of profanity so it wasn’t as enjoyable as I hoped.
I know that not every book is suited to every reader so you may totally love this!

Want to thank NetGalley and Dreamscape Audio/ Crooked Lane Books this early Audiobook.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for August 22, 2023.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fadeaway Joe by Hugh Lessig

I wasn't sure what to expect from this novel. The description calls it a gritty, high-stakes thriller, but the summary makes it sound much grittier and high-stakes than it felt to me. What I got was an easy-to-follow story that includes found family, revenge and a cursory look at a couple of serious issues. With only a handful of characters and minimal backstory, it was enjoyable to just go along for the ride. With just enough past detail to provide some context, the focus is on the present story. The characters were easy to like or dislike as intended.

If you're looking for an easy read with a bit of a thriller and some quirky elements thrown in, this novel may be for you. It's not a book that will stick with me long after reading, but I'm glad I came across it.

I listened to the audio version and thought the narrators did a good job.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #CrookedLaneBooks for a free copy of #FadewayJoe. All opinions are my own. This review will be posted to retail outlets and Goodreads.

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joe Pendergast spent the last 40 years working as an enforcer for Maxie Smith, his close friend/loan shark, until the day he is fired, right before being diagnosed with dementia. As a parting gift, he is given a food truck, which Joe plans to use to take down Maxie and go out in a blaze of glory before the dementia completely overtakes him. However, 22-year-old Paula Jessup interrupts his plan, and he finds himself wrapped up in her own troubled life. Protecting Paula gives Joe a reason to live, but how long can the two stay safe?

Joe, Paula, and Donna were all entertaining characters. I loved that seeing a book whose main character had dementia, as you rarely see that. Lewis Arlt and Karissa Vacker did a good job with the narration of the audiobook. The cat named Dale Earnhardt was an Easter egg that was one of my favorite parts of the book. I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this story, but I really enjoyed it!

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

A debut crime thriller novel, Fadeaway Joe by Hugh Lessig is a pleasant thriller revenge tale. Joe is a sixty-two-year-old loan shark enforcer who is fired by his close friend and boss. As Joe is forced to run a food truck to survive, his deteriorating health makes him decide to get his revenge. He meets Paula Jessup, a twenty-two-year-old from a difficult family background, who is in need of protection and they form an unlikely friendship. Together they plan to halt a Cassino project and together risk their own safety in a climatic finale. A truly engaging read with wonderful characters that discover the strength in their friendship, which makes for a four stars rating. With thanks to Crooked Lane Books and the author, for an uncorrected advanced review copy for review purposes. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own, freely given and without inducement.

[Christiana · Rating 5 out of 5]

To start off, I have to say that the title of this is fitting given that the main character (Joe) has early onset dementia. With his mind slowly fading away the title fits. However,I feel like it’s also a fun ironic title because Joe’s character refuses (in some aspects) to fade away but rather go out with a bang. Just love that!

This story is a fast paced page turner with some good surprises. I enjoyed meeting each of the characters and seeing their depth develop as the story progresses. I thought that each character’s personality were intriguing and it was interesting to see the relationships evolve though the story. The surprises were not what was expecting and the story was not predictable at all which I really appreciated. Overall really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it!

[Ira Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joe Pendergast is slowly fading away from dementia. A former enforcer, he’s fired from his manager’s job by his longtime friend and boss, and is reduced to managing a food truck. A young woman, Paula, who is fleeing human traffickers, becomes involved in his life, and she also helps Joe plot his revenge against his former boss.

Fadeaway Joe is an intriguing look into the mind of an early dementia patient, and how he deals with others. This unique plot wrinkle adds to the story, and helps keep it from becoming yet another ordinary revenge yarn. The characters seem real, and Joe’s neighbor, Donna, adds humor to the proceedings. Well plotted.

My thanks to the publisher and to Netgalley for providing an ARC of the book.

[Claudia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the premise more than the actual story.
The first section introduces, Joe, the MC. It seemed rather disjointed, and maybe it was supposed to because part of the story involves his early dementia. Joe seemed to be a bumbling old man with a bad guy history. I kind of liked Joe, maybe because I felt sorry for him. The author made him a sympathetic character.
The story came together somewhat in the next section which focused on Paula.
They formed an unlikely partnership. There was a lot of criminal activity in this novel both in the characters' past and in the current storyline. I did not think all of it worked well together. I found myself wondering why they were doing something or involved in something. There were also several peripheral characters involved in the crimes.
This book was okay. To me it felt more like a draft than a finished product.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Kathleen Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joe did some questionable things for Maxie over the 40 years that he worked for him but now he's plotting revenge against him. Joe has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's and while it's the early stages, he's not up to snuff for Maxie, who sets him up with a food truck. Odd choice but Joe's got a good support system around him, especially once Paula turns up. Both of them are are looking for revenge- Joe against Maxie and Paula against a host of others, This is as much about a found family as it is about their quest, It's an unusual set up but the characters are good. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

[Patti Procopi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. One of the things that get me into a book is the characters. I have to like at least one of them to continue. It surprises me how many books have no characters to like! But I really liked Joe who was not a good person but he was doing the best he could to turn his life around. I also liked Paula who was one of those people who was dealt nothing but bad hands throughout life but was still a good person. So I was hooked from the first pages. Also, I live in the area that the story takes place in so I enjoyed being able to say - oh yeah! I know that place. Good book. Recommended.

[Allyson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I gave 3.5 ⭐️

I would like to extend my gratitude to #goodreadsgiveaway and #HughLessig for providing me with a copy of this book. Overall, I found this to be a satisfactory read, particularly considering it is the author's debut novel. The premise of the story, which revolves around a man with onset dementia forming an unlikely friendship and partnership with a young woman, was engaging. The author successfully wove together two distinct plot lines, but the conclusion felt somewhat rushed. The narrative built up considerable momentum throughout, only to be neatly resolved in a rather abrupt manner towards the end.

[Dale · Rating 4 out of 5]

The main character here, Joe, has lived a tough life and is not doing well. With dementia eroding his actions and future, he's also in deep with some bad people, and trying to remember if he just killed someone. Then a problematic young woman with a strong agenda crashes into his life to complicate it further. They've got separate plans for revenge, but reluctantly team up to complement each other.
Lots of action and layers in this tale, with trips down scary pasts that might determine their fate. Well done.

[lori pennington · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many thanks to Net Galley and Dreamscape Media for a free audio book in exchange for my honest review. This is narrated by Lewis Arlt and Karissa Vackercopy, both of whom do a great job.

Joe is a previous bouncer who has early stage Alzheimer's. He is used to roughing people up, and in his confusion still does at times. I kind of liked Joe as he is a sympathetic character. But, with only a handful of characters and minimal backstory, I enjoyed just going along for the ride in listening to the story.

Recommend as an easy read.

[Shavona Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like that this was narrated by both a male and female to differentiate between the characters much easier. It's difficult for a male voice to do justice to a female character. That said, this was well crafted but a little on the dark side discussing human trafficking, the mob and murder. The author is a talented writer however, my preferences are much lighter topics.
Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media, LLC for this advanced review copy. In return, I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good and quick read, I appreciated the storyline and the characters.

Joe is a man in his 60s who has recently been diagnosed with early dementia. After spending his adult life being a henchman for a loan shark, he finds himself out of work and at odds with his former employer. He attempts to seek revenge.

While that is the short version of the story, it is so much more. Joe meets a young woman who is going through her own crisis, and they form an unlikely partnership. This, to me, was the essence of this story. Through their individual challenges, they develop a relationship that supports them both. There is some mystery in the story that added the element of surprise, but mostly it’s a story of meeting the need of human connections . It’s a story of an unlikely friendship based on the needs of the people involved.

Adding to the story are an array of unique characters, some likable, some not so much. They each have a background that contributes to the story.

I appreciate NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for providing an advanced audiobook in exchange for this honest review.
#Dreamscapemedia #fadeawayjoe

[Liz Butler · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fast and easy read. I really wanted to love it, but for some reason I struggled to connect or care about any of these characters. I was kind of hoping for something along the lines of S.A. Cosby, but unfortunately, it didn't quite get there. The narrators did a good job telling the story. Thank you to NetGalley, Hugh Lessing, and Dreamscape Media, LLC for this ALC in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Laura Prindable · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many thanks to Net Galley and Dreamscape Media for an audio copy of Fadeaway Joe.

This novel has an old feel to it. Kind of reminded me of Columbo. I don't know why, don't ask me. Joe is a previous bouncer who has early stage alzheimers. He is used to roughing people up, and in his confusion still does at times.

This was a good, easy read.