Deadbeat Dad

by J.P. Bloch

Nathan Nightbridge is a genius at getting away with murder. . . or is he? True, people who offend him have a way of turning up dead, but maybe he has bad relationship karma. Nathan beats the court system so many times he develops a cult following. Some see him as an ice-cold sociopath, but perhaps he's just shy. Nathan's story is told by his deadbeat dad of a father, a double-psychotic homeless man who goes on and off his meds. When Dad is not hounded by the CIA or called back to his home planet, he spies on his son from afar. Dad is the bum in the alleyway that no one notices. He grins from the edges of our bad dreams. And Nathan is his pride and joy. Dad also may have more than a little something to do with the murders. When he steps forward to meet Nathan, everything gets resolved. . . but not in the way one might expect. Life is as unknowable as death in this dark comedy that celebrates love in all its debauchery.

240 pages, Paperback

First published July 30, 2015

About the author

JP Bloch writes dark (sometimes funny) psychological thriller and mysteries. Sometimes he adds a dash of the supernatural. JP believes that life's problems can be a wellspring for creativity. Don't get mad, write a novel!

JP likes to write in the alienist genre—loners and anti-heroes who have trouble feeling connected to other people.

His turn-offs include Brussels sprouts, bigotry, and people who think life is simple. He enjoys people who have gained wisdom from hardship, and ask questions more than they assume answers. Tumultuous skies are preferred over sunny ones.

Reviews

[Shaun Meeks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deadbeat Dad is the first novel I've read by JP Bloch, but it won't be the last. Deadbeat Dad is a novel about a man who's mind is out of sorts watching the life of his son at a distance. I think this might be one of the first novels I've read where it's written in the first person of someone who's watching the events of another's life. You do get to know the dad quite well, but the focus of the story is on Nathan, a boy who may have inherited his dad's issues, or who just has a string of some very bad luck and happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. The novel flows nicely through the Nathan's life, introducing some great characters along the way and giving one of the better endings I've read from a lesser known writer in a long time.
Highly recommend this one.