Razor: Becoming a Hero

by Wilkie Martin

A mourning husband can’t live with his guilt… ... he decides to die, not by his own hand, but in heroically helping the vulnerable.Since the peaceful Cotswold countryside offers limited opportunities for heroism, despite the presence of some weird and dangerous inhabitants, he ventures further afield. To his annoyance, new and unlikely friends mysteriously appear everywhere he goes, foiling his plans and sending him back to square one. Will he succeed or will he come to terms with his grief first? Was his wife as blame free and perfect as he thought or will lurking suspicions of infidelity be proved right? 'It was ironic that having nothing left to lose except his life, his life had become interesting again.'

If you like fantasy thrillers, you'll love Razor by Wilkie Martin.

Genres: Fantasy, Amazon, Mystery

395 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 22, 2019

About the author

Wilkie Martin sets his Unhuman series of novels in the Cotswolds, where he lives. He introduces readers to a close-knit, small-town community filled with quirky and occasionally dangerous inhabitants, and an ‘unhuman’ policeman who maintains law and order.
Read/listen to samples of his books with these Nielsen widgets:

Inspector Hobbes and the Blood - unhuman I - http://book2look.com/vBook.aspx?id=ZrFHGPVxgR

Inspector Hobbes and the Blood was shortlisted for the Impress Prize for New Writers 2012

Inspector Hobbes and the Blood audiobook narrated by Tim Campbell was nominee for Audiobook Reviewer Listener Awards 2018 Mystery, Fantasy, Humor

Inspector Hobbes and the Curse - unhuman II - http://book2look.com/book/NqlwpcMhNm

Inspector Hobbes and the Gold Diggers - unhuman III - http://www.book2look.co.uk/vBook.aspx?id=o8I6rbXQPo

Inspector Hobbes and the Bones - unhuman IV
- http://www.book2look.com/book/6EJ4xgUg5Z

Inspector Hobbes and the Bones audiobook narrated by Tim Campbell won Independent Audiobook Fantasy 2019 and was a nominne for VoiceArts Award Fantasy 2019


Razor - https://b2l.bz/qPxBBc


Wilkie Martin Website
twitter @wilkiewrites

Reviews

[Steph Warren · Rating 5 out of 5]

*I received a free ARC of this novel, with thanks to the author, Witcherley Books and NetGalley. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*

I adored this book!

One would expect a book that centres around a man attempting to commit suicide due to grief at the death of his wife would be a gloomy or tragic read, but Wilkie Martin has actually created an upbeat supernatural romp with plenty of humour.

I particularly enjoyed the side characters – from Kev and Miranda, to Rocky – as they brought the rather pathos-filled storyline into lighter relief and added pace and action. Ray/Razor is really the ‘everyman’ foil to this supernatural worldbuilding, as he bumbles from disaster to disaster, failing to achieve anything he intends, and especially failing to go out in a blaze of glory as a vigilante hero. He couldn’t be a more unlucky antihero… other than in his apparent ‘guardian angels’!

Honestly, this book had a bit of everything I enjoy; it is simultaneously funny, sad and mysterious, and begins with a slow burn that accelerates into faster-paced action as the plot really kicks in.

I already had Martin’s Unhuman (Inspector Hobbes) series on my wish list, but this book has bumped them to the top of my list!


'He’d once been a stickler for structure in his life, but since Flit’s untimely death, almost everything had been beyond him. Helpless with grief and regret, all he’d been able to do was drag his body through one guilty day after another. This, he recognised, would be unlikely to present the right opportunities—he needed to work out how and where to put himself in harm’s way, though even then he suspected intervening in a crime would more likely result in a bloody nose than death. Most hoodlums, even violent ones, tended to stop short of murder. Yet, surely, if he was in the right places at the right times, the odds for a valorous ending would improve.'

– Wilkie Martin, Razor


Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
https://bookshineandreadbows.wordpres...

[Eileen · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

I have to start out by saying that I just finished reading A Man Called Ove yesterday, which also stars a man who is trying to kill himself after the death of his wife. But the men are two very different people, lol. In this one, Raymond, aka Razor, is too chicken to kill himself, but he also feels a lot of guilt in the death of his wife, so he comes up with the bizarre idea that he will redeem himself by dying during the hero rescue of some innocent. The story started out a bit slow and I had no idea where this was going, but the more I read, the more I couldn't put it down and things started leaving you to wonder about who some of these people are and if there might even be an element of supernatural or fantasy in the works. Kev cracks me up with his way of talking in Shakespearean or other literary quotes and Miranda is just as mysterious in the beginning as she is in the end. Other interesting characters include Rocky and Winston. Razor himself has to come to terms with who he was in the past and who he will be in the future. I don't want to spoil the story for anyone, but this ended up being a really fun adventure with a little bit of mystery and thriller material thrown in. This is my third book by the author, although the other two were children's picture books with a twist of Grimm, and I can say that I find his writing style to be a lot of fun and his characters to be very interesting. I can definitely recommend this one.

Thanks to #WilkieMartin, #NetGalley, and #Witcherley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun book. Ray/Razor distraught over the loss of his wife goes looking for death, a noble death defending a damsel in distress would be best. But somehow he make a right mess of everything he tries. With the help of two very mysterious strangers who soon become friends, Kev and Miranda work to not only keep Razor alive but to also untangle a mystery involving a coworker of his late wife's. Quite fast paced and an easy read I went through this during a quite trying time in my life and it really helped me escape if only for a while. I certainly will be looking for more by this author.

[Jim Halsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

It starts slow but builds to the point where you can't put it down

Wilkie Martin is an effortless writer, by that I mean he's excellent. I started reading the book, and pretty soon I was back in a lovely spot of Sorenchester. Eclectic, and entrancing. As Kev would say... Alas tis over too soon. Great read very fun. I always enjoy the characters Wilkie develops. I guarantee you will not want the book to end, and as I, will look forward for the next book.

[Alison Vicary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again Willie Martin has written an amazingly enjoyable book. I adore the Inspector Hobbes books and was slightly concerned that this would not be so good. How wrong I was to worry the story of Razor (Ray) was so consuming I read the book in 2 days reading at every chance I had, because I had to know what happened. There is a nod to the Inspector Hobbes books but this is a stand alone story that just begs to be read. I would whole heartedly recommend this book to all. Just read and enjoy.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent read, fun characters interesting locations.

Highly recommended to all my good reads friends.

[Anjana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I embarked upon this very random light pick(or so I thought) without much thought given to the contents. It turned out to be anything but light, and I am glad I stumbled on it. The writing style is probably the only 'light' thing about it. This off-hand style of narration might create an impression that the mental crisis that our 'hero' Razor is going through is a frivolous phase, but it is more convoluted than that.
As the blurb rightly proclaims, a mourning husband has a lot more than regular survivors guilt. He forces himself into situations that he ordinarily wouldn't, trying to hasten the end he craves. But fate has other plans for him. Every time he (and we as readers) think that any particular encounter would be the last, and the story was winding down, an unexpected (and at the time, unwanted) help arrives, and the tale takes a whole new path.
The writing was easy to read, and although the content was emotionally heavy, it seemed appropriately dealt with. The ending(s) was highly unexpected, and probably why I did not give this a slightly higher rating.
I was not as taken by the conclusion as I could have been. Even with the talk of twists of fate, I would not have expected some of the pieces to turn the way they did! It seemed to mo

[Abe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun and light way to begin the year. This is a book about a man dealing with loss . Razor wants to die but he doesn't want to kill himself or harm any innocent in the process . So he comes up with a plan to heroically die saving someone . But thats not as easy as it seams. We also meet his sort of guardian angels and a few weird individuals. I want more from razor and his friends .

[Jane Pennington · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to the author publishers and Netgalley for a free ARC of this ebook.
This was the most unexpected, total joy of a book. I absolutely loved it. Its the unhinged story of Razor, love lost, a possible Troll, a dead Shakespeare scholar, a ghoul, kindness and much more besides. There's love, murder, fraud, knives, shotguns, lots of falling in the water and a memory stick. There are loads of laughs, a little bit if sadness and a whole lot of humanity. I'm only knocking half a star off a full 5 because I thought it ended in a bit of a rush. It was fab, I'll look out for Wilkies other books as and where they are. Brilliant.

[Hans · Rating 5 out of 5]

If, like me, you've already read and loved Wilkie Martin's "Unhuman"-series about the not entirely human Inspector Hobbes and his good for nothing sidekick Andy, you'll probably like this one, too. If you haven't but can imagine liking a mix of cozy mystery, comedy and a hint of the supernatural, you should also take a look.

Although not exactly a spin-off, "Razor" takes place in the same region as the "Unhuman"-series , Wilkie Martin's native Cotswolds. The books also obviously share the same universe, as is hinted by certain references and a few unnamed cameos. There is one bar scene where I think Hobbes and Andy are mentioned and I'm almost certain that Rocky IS in fact Inspector Hobbes or at least someone very much like him. While "Razor" also shares roughly the same humor and a very similar atmosphere, it's not as slapsticky as the "Unhuman"-books.

The protagonist Ray, or Razor (,although nobody except he himself calls him that,) blames himself for his wife's death as the result of a mugging and out of guilt has decided to end his life. The thing is that he is actually too afraid to do so by himself and so he gets the ill-conceived idea to die as a hero by helping people.
Of course that doesn't go quite as planned and after some failed attempts at suicide by heroism, which weren't that enthusiastic to begin with, Razor ends up avoiding the police and being followed around by a well-meaning grifter who helps him out and keeps him from harm for no apparent reason. During a series of mishaps and lucky coincidences, a mystery begins to unfold and Razor has a few brushes with the supernatural, which begin to distract him from his gloomy mood and his frankly rather idiotic plan.

All in all, this was a very fun and unusual read and some rather unexpected twists. I very much hope Wilkie Martin will write another "Unhuman"-book or something in the same universe at least.

[Daphne Sharpe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this most unusual book!! I have never read any works from this author, but fully intend to seek them out, whilst hoping the high standard of this novel is maintained in his other published stories.
Ray( Razor) is a widower, not through choice, but because his wife died during an incident that he ran away from, in order to save his own skin.
That's what the Police believe, and eye witnesses agree upon, only Razor knows the truth, but proving his side of the argument is impossible, so, in his deep despair, he decides to commit suicide.
But, that's not easy. Every time he finds the perfect spot, railway bridge/ deep canal, or hopes to be beaten to a pulp by a well known bully, somehow- Razor survives all attempts to end his miserable life. It's almost like he has a guardian angel watching over him, but, all he has, is a rather annoying man, named Kev, and his equally mystifying cousin Miranda. The three of them go through unusual and inexplicable experiences, where the body count increases at a steady rate, before Razor realises that strangers may care more for your wellbeing, than older established friends, with ulterior intentions.
Is it wrong to laugh out loud at someone trying to commit suicide? I had a stupid grin on my face for most of this book, it was refreshing and so insightful at the same time!! The ending was decidedly spooky, I had an inkling where this story was going, but I was not disappointed at all, to be proved correct.
I have given this book a four star rating, only because, I felt that some of the story was too repetitive at times. This does not suggest that it is not a good read, because it is. I will post a review to Goodreads today. Thank you for a most entertaining read, I will seek out other titles from this author.

[D L · Rating 3 out of 5]

Being a fan of the Hobbes books by Wilkie Martin I had high hopes of this being just as enjoyable. Unfortunately, I was a little disappointed with the whole thing.

Raymond (or Razor), is a mourning husband who has decided he wants to die but to go out heroically. The first half of the book is Razor finding himself being the unlikely hero to a number of crimes and injustices. It is during this time he meets Kev and Miranda who always appear at the right time to help and save him. This premise takes up half of the book and eventually becomes repetitive.

The second half is where the book picks up but only slightly, as we learn more about the death of Razor’s wife and those involved which then leads to a conclusion that falls a little flat.
As a standalone book, Razor felt like a bunch of ideas thrown together during a break from the Hobbes books. This is a shame as he can be a good writer as his previous books have shown. The only thing to take from this is Martin’s continuing use of his central character (something also seen in the Hobbes books) constantly slipping, sliding or tripping and falling over every ten or so pages which after a while just becomes annoying.

This was provided by Netgalley for an honest review

[John Hammond · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was very excited to find a new book by Wilkie Martin - I loved the Unhuman series and checked his website occasionally to see if anything new popped up.

Razor has the same fun humor of the Unhuman series, and I really enjoyed Kev, the somewhat ridiculous, mysterious, but very helpful new friend.

The book takes place in the Unhuman world - much of takes place around Sorenchester and we see passing references to some of our favorite characters (saving teeth for a friend , for example), and we get to learn more about Rocky of the Old T oll House, who is out standing in his field as usual.

These pieces made the book enjoyable, but unfortunately the main character wasn't Kev. Ray/Razor was an okay main character, but he didn't inspire me to devour the book. It took over a week just to finish the last twenty pages because I just didn't care.

Ray's hapless but he's no Andy Caplett.

I'm glad I read the book, and I'm grateful to Witcherley for giving me an advanced copy to read for honest feedback. And I'm grateful Wikie Martin is still writing. I'll definitely keep reading everything he writes - I just hope it's more Kev, Rocky and Miranda and less Ray.

[Ann Dewar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this during Coronavirus lockdown, the book proved a perfect, light-hearted antidote to the anxiety of everyday life at the moment.

To give a flavour of this book, try to imagine if A Man Called Ove were to cross-breed with Off to Be the Wizard, with a dash of Mort thrown in for good measure. It’s a fun, easy read with occasional dashes into a darker narrative.

So why 4 stars, rather than 5?:
1. Certain parts of the storyline were simply too repetitive ie Kevin and Miranda’s appearances, meaning that there was never total lift-off because of lack of narrative tension. Razor never seemed in real danger.
2. The fights always seem pantomime, again a lack of jeopardy keeps us at a slight distance.
3. Rushed ending. So much seemed to happen at the end after a slow pace through the rest of the book. Pacing could be better.

Overall I really enjoyed it and will definitely look out for other books by this author.

I would like to thank the author, Publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Bruce Retallack · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have not read any of Martin's other books, but with the high rating and rather glowing reviews (mostly) I was eager to give this one a go. It was supposed to have everything I enjoy - humour, an inept Wodehouse-y hero, casual urban fantasy, and a mystery. High hopes - sadly disappointed. Yes there was some lovely wordplay, but I never found his supposed misery to be either emotionally engaging or delightfully superficial. He just said it. A lot. I did enjoy the supernatural characters, but again their repeated deus ex machina appearances wore a bit thin. Most of all, I found the book revolved around highly similar incidents during a tour of the countryside. Only at the end did anything resembling a plot start to emerge, by which time the conclusion was pretty obvious. Frankly, I got quite bored, but kept reading thinking there couldn't be much more. But since I started thinking that about half way through, there was indeed much more to go.
Based on the reviews of his other books/series', I may give Martin another try, with perhaps less anticipation.

[Denis Wheller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This starts as a somewhat confusing attempted suicide by the protagonist (Ray), interrupted by trying to rescue a damsel from a mugger in distress, followed by the mugger throwing the protagonist in the river, from which he is pulled by a mysterious, probably female, saviour. At which point Ray decides he should be called ‘Razor’. That’s the first page or so. If that sounds confusing you need to hang in because it quickly gets more confused and ‘otherworldly’. There is an underpinning mystery concerning the earlier, accidental, death of Ray’s wife, and a cast of unlikely, even improbable, characters, mostly bad. Surprisingly, the story works well although the reader’s willing suspension of disbelief needs to have its cables well tightened. So it’s a bit of a challenge but enjoyable nonetheless.

[Pop Bop · Rating 4 out of 5]

Odd, But Surprisingly Fun Odd

This book ended up being a bit more than I expected; all good.

It's partly a thriller, and a bit of a mystery, and certainly a picaresque adventure. There are touches of the weird and the strange. We spend our time in the company of an interesting and engaging hero, and a cast of quirky characters, and just sort of rollick about until it's time for the book to end. Sometimes that's just what you want, and if so, here it is.

(Please note that I received a free ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

[Patrick Chadd · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting read, it takes place in the same universe and in the same locale as the Inspector Hobbes series of 'unhuman' books and refers indirectly to some of the characters in them. I enjoyed the connection and this books shares some common elements to the the way in which the Inspector Hobbes books are written.

This is a tad darker than the Inspector Hobbes books but once the story got along, I was interested enough to read through it in a single sitting.

I do really enjoy the world that Wilkie Martin has created and would give that five stars, I also enjoy a number of the characters that inhabit this world; but there are elements that keep me from giving either series the 5 stars that it could have.

I do look forward to more from Wilkie Martin.

[James Frederick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 4th or 5th book I have read by this author and I have enjoyed them all. This is the first one I have read outside of the Inspector Hobbes series. Some of the characters from that series make appearances, here. And some of the locations will also be familiar to readers of the other series.

This was entertaining and parts of it were very amusing. It has some of the same tone and atmosphere of the Hobbes books, which is to say, quirky and quaint. The characters are unusual and for the most part interesting.

I will say that the character I had the most difficulty with was the main character. That, too, is consistent with the other books.

I think there is a writing manual that many writers adhere to with religious fervor, that states that your main character MUST be a deeply flawed individual in order to be "relatable, believable and/or redeemable." The deeper the flaws, the better! The problem is...if you take this to too much of an extreme, your MC turns into a jerk-face jack-a$$ that is neither believable nor likable. When you stop rooting for the MC and start rooting for the baddies, then that becomes a problem.

I listened to the audio-book version of this with my wife. After a while, she started yelling back at the narrator. The MC is a hopeless mess. He never really gets redemption because he comes across as too far gone to be redeemed. The flaws and recriminations are simply too much, after a while. The MC does not like himself and we are not given any reason to like him, either. We might feel sorry for him, to a point. But after a while, we start to feel like he is worthy of whatever pain and punishment he gets. When YOU want to push him off the bridge to his icy demise....well...that is a sign that perhaps the writer has gone too far.

The tale itself is okay. There is a somewhat satisfactory resolution to the story, although we are left to wonder certain things. That may be because other further tales are planned. Or it may simply be the author's way of leaving a few things unanswered.

I gave it 4 stars because of the creativity and the setting. It was a decent yarn. It would have been SO much better if the MC was not SUCH an annoying idiot. His deep flaws and the unending proof/demonstration of them made the book a good bit less enjoyable (and less realistic) than it could have been. This reads somewhat like a story of Inspector Clouseau, but if he was a suicidal, unemployed (and unemployable) jerk. Actually...if I kind of look at this as a twisted Pink Panther story, it makes it worthy of the 4 stars.

"Does your dog bite?!?"

[Vicki G · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read!!

I had read all of the Hobbs series, so was happy to see this new series.
Many times when a new series starts, I find that the new series is just like the previous one. This was totally different and led the reader on a wonderful journey with different plot lines and mysteries. I kept wondering if Razor might run into Hobbs and kind of hoped he would.
Ready for the next one Mr. Martin.

[Waheela · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book with a great atmosphere.

However it dragged in the middle with no real progres to the protagonist. There were a tad too much deus ex machina where he finds himself waking up in a bed. I know it was kind of a premise but it got repetetive and didn't really add to the story or the protagonist.

[Dottie Hunt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Suspense, funny and the unexplained.

Started out slow, but once I read further, I couldn't put it down. I really felt sorry him, then it got funny. Ray / Razor started getting into all kinds of trouble. A bumbling hero or vilian? I hope there is another book. It seems Razor has more to do, like find Miranda and Kev. I have read all the Hobbs too.

[Matthew Shelton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Strikingly original

Strikingly original
I love the premise of the book and the main character is development as it goes along. It is dark without being depressing and yet there are some surprising moments that will make you laugh out loud. I love the secondary characters and the setting, too.

[Niki · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book because I finished the Inspector Hobbes series. It was good to see some of the old characters in this book. I would like to read more about the interesting inhabitants of Sorenchester.

As for this book, it was funny in parts and held my interest. Razor was a bit dim witted sometimes but that was often used to advance the story. I enjoyed this book.

[Annarella · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a darkly funny and well written story I truly enjoyed.
I liked the well crafted plot, the characters and the setting.
I look forward to reading other stories by this author.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

[ukkindlecustomer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Supernatural Redemption

Gradual coming to terms with regrets for anti-hero perpetually in the wrong place at the wrong time. Fast paced, witty, often laugh out loud dialogue in at times surreal black comedy with a twist.

[Edithanne Fritz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read, funny and thoughtful

This was a fun read. It covers some really uncomfortable topics but I enjoyed the way the author made them more of. Abackground to the current story. I was able to follow it, be amused, and think a bit too.

[Tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad! A pretty interesting story and really great characters - Kev was a delight to follow & read about. It probably just didn’t hit the spot for me but I don’t have anything bad to say about it! 😁

[Richard Kettlewood · Rating 4 out of 5]

RA

A lot of getting hungry trudging about country lanes knee deep in mud. I've known a couple of Kevs: they were characters, and Kev was a great character in this almost weird, not quite bizarre, entirely pointless, but in a very British way, intriguing yarn.

[Martin Vick · Rating 5 out of 5]

A relaxing read!

It’s great (as a Gloucestershire person) to work out the places real locations. I always enjoy these tales of misery and fantasy.