Bender

by Brian Pinkerton

After a night of heavy drinking, business traveler Bill Rowe wakes up in his Chicago hotel room with an epic hangover: pounding headache, memory loss and a naked dead woman in his bed. Forced to go on the run, Bill must piece together the sequence of events during his alcohol blackout to prove his innocence. Pursued by mysterious assailants, he discovers he's been framed as part of an elaborate scheme to cover up a shocking secret. Brian Pinkerton's BENDER is a thriller fueled by whiplash twists and turns of the plot and one man's relentless fight for justice.


PRAISE FOR THE AUTHOR:


"Pinkerton is a master at tightening the tension until it spills out across the page.” – Nate Kenyon, author of Bloodstone

ebook

First published November 7, 2014

About the author

Brian Pinkerton is the author of Abducted, Vengeance, Rough Cut, Killer’s Diary, How I Started the Apocalypse, Bender, Anatomy of Evil and The Gemini Experiment. Select titles have also been released as audio books, ebooks and in foreign languages.

Brian’s short stories have appeared in anthologies including Chicago Blues, PULP! and Zombie Zoology. His screenplays have finished in the top 100 of Project Greenlight and top two percent of the Nicholl Fellowship of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. His academic background includes the Iowa Writers Workshop and Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. His web site, brianpinkerton.com, includes his cartoon series The Ruts.

Reviews

[Jo-Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Bender we meet Bill Rowe who's life is an absolute mess. He had become an alcoholic thanks to the stress of his job. He went through several jobs and his drinking got progressively worse. His AA sponsor was a big help to him and got him through some tough times. When Bill was job hunting, his sponsor suggested he apply for a job at his company. Bill got the job and was feeling great about his life, especially after landing a big client. His co-worker said they had to celebrate. Bill tried to order soda but the co-worker kept ordering him alcohol. The next thing Bill remembered was waking up nude in bed with a dead woman. Bill goes on the run and tries to prove his innocence. Since Bill had black-outs when he drank a lot, he wasn't even positive that he WAS innocent. I wondered throughout the book if he was the murderer or not.

I easily got caught up in this fantastic thriller. I love Brian Pinkerton’s writing style. It’s so expressive and detailed. The amazing plot had so many twists and turns that I found it addictive and didn't want to put it down. As the story progressed I thought, "What?" and never suspected the outcome of this book.

The characters were very well developed. I didn't like Bill much in the beginning. I don't have much experience with alcoholics so I didn't feel sorry for him at first. But this author explained what Bill was going through so well that I did start to feel sorry for him and like him. All the secondary characters really helped the story along. I liked that not everybody was a good guy. I particularly liked Bill's daughter. She was spunky and helped her dad as much as she could.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good thriller.

[Jason Parent · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and the tension and futility of the protagonist's situation. The writing was solid and the plot complex yet well woven. My criticisms would be limited to the author's use of humor, which seemed out of place and jarred me out of my suspension of disbelief, with the ending falling into an action blockbuster tone that seemed a far cry from the suspenseful tale that had led me to it.

Still, quite an enjoyable read.

[Fred · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read. A recovering alcoholic gets set up for a crime he did not commit and works his way through to understand the reasons he was set up and prove himself innocent. Interesting plot with lots of exciting action. I quite enjoyed this one.

[Elidoyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hectic read

Moved very quickly. Started out great, became somewhat unrealistic, but held my attention throughout. I will read more by this author.

[Filipa de Oliveira · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Bender”, written by Brian Pinkerton, starts off like many other crime stories. It is quite a cliché when a business man wakes up in his hotel room to find a dead, naked woman lying next to him. How many times have you seen that? I know, many, but don’t let this stop you from reading. After you get caught up in this action packed story, you will not want to put it down.

From the start, this book is filled to the brim with suspense and lots of unexpected twists that will make you want to read on and on. This crime was so meticulously planned and the intrigue is so woven and interwoven that, even after reading 75% of the book, we still cannot believe that Bill wasn’t the murderer, although we want to. Despite the fact that all evidence points towards him, the reader cannot help but feel sympathetic for Bill. He is one of those characters that one easily connects with, a person with many flaws, but with incredible qualities as well, a person with a troubled past that tried to rebuild himself, but faced some obstacles along the way. This is what makes Bill feel real, and the same goes for the other characters who were, in general, very well developed.

Constantly providing you with new bit of clues, but still revealing very little, Brian Pinkerton keeps the reader interested by providing a brain-twisting problem that seems to have no solution, compelling you to read on to get to the bottom of this.

Don’t let the beginning put you off, this story has a lot to offer and I truly recommend it. It is an amazing and contemporary crime story that will keep your brain cells working!

[Gina Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is fabulously written, edge of your seat thriller. Bill Rowe the main character is down on his luck due to his drinking problem when he gets an offer to interview for a company through an acquaintance. Can this be the second chance he was looking for? When Bill makes a great pitch for the company his associate insists they go out and celebrate. Unfortunately this leads to Bill having one drink which leads to another and so on. Bill finds himself waking up in a motel room with a stranded naked prostitute with no memory of what happened. Bill is convinced of his innocence and goes on the run to try and find out why he was set up, and who is responsible for it. Who can he even trust? This book will grab you in the beginning, but be forewarned it will be hard to put down. I plan on reading more from this author.
* I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

[Rachel Horon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast paced and full of twists

The story of someone waking next to a dead body is not a new one. What sets that hook higher than the rest is the adventure and mystery that follows. "Bender" is one of those books. Your mind will race wondering how he is going to get out of each road block while it also tries to prove or disprove every possible conspiracy theory. You feel for Bill as he has struggled enough from childhood to his own alcoholic past, and what would you do if you found yourself in a coverup that was larger than yourself as one moment has a way to unraveling your whole world? Can he trust his colleagues or was he destined to be the fall guy? The pace was great and it was hard to put down after chapters because you will sit at the edge of your seat as you watch the world unravel for Bill and many of the characters affected by one night.

[LyndaVee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an entertaining thriller that was only marred for me by the whole premise of a man waking up after falling off the wagon and having the bender of his life only to discover a naked murdered girl in his bed. I really have read this before and the idea of men waking up after a bender, remembering absolutely nothing about the last 24 hours, has been the subject of so many books and recent films (The Hangover parts 1 and 2 spring to mind).

That said, at least this thriller is well-written, with credible characters so that one is definitely on the side of poor Bill Rowe, who is running for his life as he uncovers that a monstrous conspiracy lies at the heart of his being framed for murder. Take this book with you to the beach, enjoy a couple of cocktails and just go with the flow – you will enjoy it.

[Shelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story!

First, I was given a free copy of this book for an honest review.
I loved this book. It started out with a man trying desperately not to drink because his alcoholism had almost destroyed his family. It seemed very true to life as the issues facing him.
He is on a business trip when things begin to go terribly wrong. He has a drink to celebrate a great and successful presentation and things go downhill from there. He wakes up after a blackout with a dead woman in his bed and everything goes straight to hell.
No spoilers here but it takes twists and turns I never saw coming. Just when you think you have it figured out, it has a new direction to go that you'd never guess. I could not put it down. You should buy it right now if you like books that keep you on the edge of your seat. This one really delivers!

[Sdan12 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A massive frame-up
Poor Bill Rowe is battling with alcoholism and has one last chance to prove himself to his wife and daughter. In his new job as a P.R. consultant he makes the pitch of his life. Amid all the accolades of his successful pitch, he allows himself to celebrate and fall off the wagon in a spectacular fashion. Remembering very little about the previous evening, he wakes in a hotel room in bed with a strange woman. Not only does he not have a clue who she is, but she is also dead. Cue a mad race to discover the identity of the girl and why he was in bed with her. As he evades capture for murder, Bill discovers that he has been framed for a reason. He must prove his innocence but does not know who he can trust.
The story is entertaining and propels the reader briskly to its satisfying conclusion.

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

God grant me the serenity to figure out who screwed me over and the power to get back at those mother f@ckers.

This one reminded me a lot of Brian Keene in the beginning. I don't know if it was just Chet's narration or if they have similiar writing styles. Doesn't matter either way, I guess. I enjoyed it regardless.

Bill is not the sharpest knife in the drawer and makes some super poor decisions to get himself into quite a jam. Then he continues to make poor decisions to try and figure out what happened.

[Bev · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bender is a fast paced mystery thriller that will have you guessing to the end. This is the first book I have read by this author but it won't be the last! Great characters,and the story line runs smooth and easy. I highly recommend this book to those who like mysteries, thrillers, and action. I received a copy of this book for an honest review.

[Dayna Vanover · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hooker Hijinks!

Brian Pinkerton is a master of sixpence! His books start out great and have a crazy twist to them. If you're looking for a good suspenseful novel this is the book to read.

[Joyce Ortis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great author.

I read 3 Pinkerton books this snowy weekend. They were all great and filled with twists and turns, along with surprise endings. I'm adding Pinkerton to my list of favorite authors. Great books.