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The Best Possible Angle
A Midwesterner gets eaten up by the City of Angels. Can he survive the fallout from a mortal
mistake?
African American actor Kendrick Black is so close to blockbuster stardom, he can almost taste it.
With the press tour for his latest film imminent, his only worry is a girlfriend upset he won’t
introduce her to his family. But he’s soon terrified his breakneck career climb will dive into a
tailspin after he’s forced to cover up a tragically fatal traffic accident.
Plagued by guilt and fending off ever-increasing threats to reveal his deceit, Kendrick fears his
girlfriend’s selfish blackmail will leave him broke and blacklisted. But his promising future falls
completely out of focus when he’s stunned by news of his sister’s death.
Will the troubled star’s only claim to fame be a shameful true-crime?
The Best Possible Angle is a standalone psychological suspense novel for fans of fast-paced
thrills. If you like compelling characters, emotionally raw turmoil, and edgy twists and turns,
then you’ll love Lloyd Johnson’s arresting story.
Buy The Best Possible Angle to put the truth in the spotlight today!
mistake?
African American actor Kendrick Black is so close to blockbuster stardom, he can almost taste it.
With the press tour for his latest film imminent, his only worry is a girlfriend upset he won’t
introduce her to his family. But he’s soon terrified his breakneck career climb will dive into a
tailspin after he’s forced to cover up a tragically fatal traffic accident.
Plagued by guilt and fending off ever-increasing threats to reveal his deceit, Kendrick fears his
girlfriend’s selfish blackmail will leave him broke and blacklisted. But his promising future falls
completely out of focus when he’s stunned by news of his sister’s death.
Will the troubled star’s only claim to fame be a shameful true-crime?
The Best Possible Angle is a standalone psychological suspense novel for fans of fast-paced
thrills. If you like compelling characters, emotionally raw turmoil, and edgy twists and turns,
then you’ll love Lloyd Johnson’s arresting story.
Buy The Best Possible Angle to put the truth in the spotlight today!
294 pages, Paperback
First published August 5, 2017
20 people are currently reading
21 people want to read
About the author
Lloyd Johnson
39 books5 followersSome writers are drawn to heroes, others glory in bringing villains to life. Lloyd Johnson has always felt most comfortable in the dark, murky landscape that exists in-between. It started early, when his mother received a call from an alarmed schoolteacher. Lloyd’s latest essay was too conflicted for a ten-year-old mind; he was melancholic, fatalistic, a drug-addict in the making! “Or he’s just a damn good writer,” his mother had snapped, before telling Lloyd he had a gift to pursue, and a duty to explore the expanses of his imagination. Wherever it might lead him.
After early interests in fashion design and acting, Lloyd came home to writing. He tends to break important rules like writing across genres and breathing life into characters and subjects most authors avoid. To date he’s published three novels, including a women’s contemporary fiction titled The Dog Catcher, the erotic novel Tricks for a Trade, and most recently The Best Possible Angle, a mystery thriller.
Johnson draws much of his inspiration from his extensive travels overseas. When he isn’t sitting in cafes, spying on unsuspecting characters-in-the-making, he’s working on his next four novels.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 9, 2019
“The Best Possible Angle” is a book full of suspense and classic “who done it” mystery vibes right from the start. Kendrick, the main character, is on the cusp of achieving his dreams, but then tragedy hits and keeps hitting, and the people around the burgeoning movie star quickly show their true colors. Everyone in Kendrick’s immediate circle has something to hide and gain, and as one secret leads to another, everyone starts threatening betrayal, and things, well, escalate. And come the end of the story, you wish more characters had been punished. The story starts with a gruesome murder that becomes clear as to whom died at around the 60% mark of the story, but that’s far from the only murder cover up going on in the book, and those get teased out well before that point.
The synopsis really does paint this as a thriller, and the author does craft what I can only describe as authentic characters—in that they are severely flawed, and like some people we know, they aren’t great people. The book starts dark, with heavy themes and language, and it keeps that up all the way through, so be forewarned. Also, some of the characters are pretty homophobic so there are chapters where members of the LGBQT community are not portrayed well. The main character may be Kendrick, and the synopsis may paint it as though his secret and career are the focal point of this novel, but that’s not really true, as his friend, Lenox, and girlfriend, Sabathany, all have equal page time, and their secrets are just as big, and some are certainly much more damaging then Kendrick’s. There was a lot going on, a lot of questions about who was hiding what, how far they’d go to protect their secrets, and who they were willing to destroy along the way—and for what price. So if you like a cast of characters that are all bad—as in their personality types—and thrillers that are more focused on the secrets then on police or detective work, this may be right up your alley. I will say I don’t think this book was what I was expecting based on the synopsis, and therefore wasn’t the kind of suspense thriller I most enjoy.
Let’s start with the characters: I didn’t like any of them. Not that they weren’t written well, I had no problem keeping them apart and the author is great at writing their dialogue, but more of they all felt irredeemable to me. And, again, that does go to the realness of them, but for me personally, it’s hard to enjoy these characters or appreciate their plight when I have no character that I want to see ‘win” so to speak. Just when I think one will get to a point where they will endear themselves to me, they do or say something so awful that I just can’t… despite many of the characters tragic back stories. Also, Kendrick’s guilt over his secret never felt as big as the brutal things some of the other characters are involved with (which I won’t state to avoid spoilers) so I was far more interested in those characters being caught then Kendrick or his career. When “justice” is served, I didn’t feel all that satisfied, as I wanted their crimes to be discovered, for other characters to be redeemed, and that just never happened. I also wasn’t a fan of how every woman in the book, with the exception of Kendrick’s mom, is viewed through a sexual lens; their only value to the main character being sexual gratification. It made all the women feel shallow—though the men fell into that camp too, as all their wants and desires were pretty superficial, too. And then the portrayal of all the LGBQT characters... I won’t keep belaboring the point, but suffice it to say, when characters are key for me, this fell below the mark in that area for pretty much every character. There were also a lot of characters in general, maybe too many given all the secrets that each harbors.
This book was hard to get into, it starts off so interesting with this gruesome murder but the detectives are barely present to really investigate, and the characters… I wish I liked them, any of them. The author has a flair for writing intriguing chapters that make you want to continue on and figure out what’s going on and what lengths the characters will go to, but when the traps start closing in, you aren’t rooting for anyone to get away. Which is probably for the best given how the book ends—no spoilers. But even that didn’t feel like it went far enough given what some of the characters do and say to one another. That being said, I truly appreciate the diversity in this book, which is always important to have. And, again, if you enjoy books where you can really dig in and hate the characters and watch them get what’s coming to them, this may be more your jam then it was mine. Hence the 2 stars, but, again, while I couldn’t connect to the characters and found them to be distasteful people for a lot of reasons, the author can write an engaging suspense novel. And thanks to the author for providing me with a copy for an honest review!
The synopsis really does paint this as a thriller, and the author does craft what I can only describe as authentic characters—in that they are severely flawed, and like some people we know, they aren’t great people. The book starts dark, with heavy themes and language, and it keeps that up all the way through, so be forewarned. Also, some of the characters are pretty homophobic so there are chapters where members of the LGBQT community are not portrayed well. The main character may be Kendrick, and the synopsis may paint it as though his secret and career are the focal point of this novel, but that’s not really true, as his friend, Lenox, and girlfriend, Sabathany, all have equal page time, and their secrets are just as big, and some are certainly much more damaging then Kendrick’s. There was a lot going on, a lot of questions about who was hiding what, how far they’d go to protect their secrets, and who they were willing to destroy along the way—and for what price. So if you like a cast of characters that are all bad—as in their personality types—and thrillers that are more focused on the secrets then on police or detective work, this may be right up your alley. I will say I don’t think this book was what I was expecting based on the synopsis, and therefore wasn’t the kind of suspense thriller I most enjoy.
Let’s start with the characters: I didn’t like any of them. Not that they weren’t written well, I had no problem keeping them apart and the author is great at writing their dialogue, but more of they all felt irredeemable to me. And, again, that does go to the realness of them, but for me personally, it’s hard to enjoy these characters or appreciate their plight when I have no character that I want to see ‘win” so to speak. Just when I think one will get to a point where they will endear themselves to me, they do or say something so awful that I just can’t… despite many of the characters tragic back stories. Also, Kendrick’s guilt over his secret never felt as big as the brutal things some of the other characters are involved with (which I won’t state to avoid spoilers) so I was far more interested in those characters being caught then Kendrick or his career. When “justice” is served, I didn’t feel all that satisfied, as I wanted their crimes to be discovered, for other characters to be redeemed, and that just never happened. I also wasn’t a fan of how every woman in the book, with the exception of Kendrick’s mom, is viewed through a sexual lens; their only value to the main character being sexual gratification. It made all the women feel shallow—though the men fell into that camp too, as all their wants and desires were pretty superficial, too. And then the portrayal of all the LGBQT characters... I won’t keep belaboring the point, but suffice it to say, when characters are key for me, this fell below the mark in that area for pretty much every character. There were also a lot of characters in general, maybe too many given all the secrets that each harbors.
This book was hard to get into, it starts off so interesting with this gruesome murder but the detectives are barely present to really investigate, and the characters… I wish I liked them, any of them. The author has a flair for writing intriguing chapters that make you want to continue on and figure out what’s going on and what lengths the characters will go to, but when the traps start closing in, you aren’t rooting for anyone to get away. Which is probably for the best given how the book ends—no spoilers. But even that didn’t feel like it went far enough given what some of the characters do and say to one another. That being said, I truly appreciate the diversity in this book, which is always important to have. And, again, if you enjoy books where you can really dig in and hate the characters and watch them get what’s coming to them, this may be more your jam then it was mine. Hence the 2 stars, but, again, while I couldn’t connect to the characters and found them to be distasteful people for a lot of reasons, the author can write an engaging suspense novel. And thanks to the author for providing me with a copy for an honest review!
November 27, 2017
Welcome to the crazy and dysfunctional world of Kendrick Black. Meet this B-List movie star that is about to get a boost in his career with the upcoming release of a new movie and a hosting gig on a popular show. This rise to stardom is deferred when the life of a young child is taken. This is where the road starts to get rocky.
Kendrick is dating Sabathany. Now this chick is just a gold-digger. She is trying to come out on top. First she tried to trick him with the have a baby situation but when she gets a whiff of what else is going on with Kendrick she thinks her money train has arrived. The question is will it arrive and let her board, arrive and pull off or not even show up at all.
Now the other players in the game that are looking to profit from Kendrick’s ordeal is his friend, Lennox and Paris. Lennox in some cases considered to be Kendrick’s right hand man but he has a secret. This secret has to do with Kendrick’s sister Paris. Will they be able to get what they need from Kendrick in order to keep the love affair going and take it to the next level or if the love affair is exposed who will be the last standing between Paris and Lennox?
Talking about a rollercoaster of a book. It was plenty of times I was saying what the what. Times where I had to reread to make sure that my eyes weren't deceiving me. My hat goes off to Mr. Johnson. This book was all that and even more. There was never a time I was able to predict anything that happened in the book. With no grammar mistakes that were noticeable or any issues with comprehension, I was very pleased with this novel. The story kept evolving and changing but stayed consist. Meaning it never lost the image of the main character. With reading a couple of the first chapters, I thought the character development would be an issue. I was so wrong. You can see the character’s interaction with every situation and see them stay true to the rule that they were playing in the novel.
Kendrick is dating Sabathany. Now this chick is just a gold-digger. She is trying to come out on top. First she tried to trick him with the have a baby situation but when she gets a whiff of what else is going on with Kendrick she thinks her money train has arrived. The question is will it arrive and let her board, arrive and pull off or not even show up at all.
Now the other players in the game that are looking to profit from Kendrick’s ordeal is his friend, Lennox and Paris. Lennox in some cases considered to be Kendrick’s right hand man but he has a secret. This secret has to do with Kendrick’s sister Paris. Will they be able to get what they need from Kendrick in order to keep the love affair going and take it to the next level or if the love affair is exposed who will be the last standing between Paris and Lennox?
Talking about a rollercoaster of a book. It was plenty of times I was saying what the what. Times where I had to reread to make sure that my eyes weren't deceiving me. My hat goes off to Mr. Johnson. This book was all that and even more. There was never a time I was able to predict anything that happened in the book. With no grammar mistakes that were noticeable or any issues with comprehension, I was very pleased with this novel. The story kept evolving and changing but stayed consist. Meaning it never lost the image of the main character. With reading a couple of the first chapters, I thought the character development would be an issue. I was so wrong. You can see the character’s interaction with every situation and see them stay true to the rule that they were playing in the novel.
November 28, 2017
Too many storylines
The Best Possible Angle was a pretty good book. My only complaint would be that there were entirely too many storylines all happening at one time. The book revolves around an up and coming actor named Kendrick Black. Kendrick is finally becoming recognizable enough where people ask him for pictures and autographs and despite enjoying the fame, he likes to convince himself that he's still a good person and a small town boy at heart. On a visit home to visit his family in Minnesota, he hits a little girl with his Escalade. Instead of being the good person he claims to be and reporting it, he leaves the scene of the accident, leaving the little girl dead in the street. He calls his childhood friend Lenox and together they cover up the crime. Kendrick then goes about his life with his gold digging girlfriend acting as though nothing happened. Unfortunately, his girlfriend is not just a gold digger, she is also a blackmailer who finds out his secret... But this is not the only storyline..his girlfriends mother is murdered, his friend Lenox is having an affair with Kendricks sister Paris (who has a secret of her own), Paris is murdered.. By the end of the book, someone is in jail, someone else has been murdered, and a few people are no longer mentioned.. Its a very full and somewhat complicated story..
The Best Possible Angle was a pretty good book. My only complaint would be that there were entirely too many storylines all happening at one time. The book revolves around an up and coming actor named Kendrick Black. Kendrick is finally becoming recognizable enough where people ask him for pictures and autographs and despite enjoying the fame, he likes to convince himself that he's still a good person and a small town boy at heart. On a visit home to visit his family in Minnesota, he hits a little girl with his Escalade. Instead of being the good person he claims to be and reporting it, he leaves the scene of the accident, leaving the little girl dead in the street. He calls his childhood friend Lenox and together they cover up the crime. Kendrick then goes about his life with his gold digging girlfriend acting as though nothing happened. Unfortunately, his girlfriend is not just a gold digger, she is also a blackmailer who finds out his secret... But this is not the only storyline..his girlfriends mother is murdered, his friend Lenox is having an affair with Kendricks sister Paris (who has a secret of her own), Paris is murdered.. By the end of the book, someone is in jail, someone else has been murdered, and a few people are no longer mentioned.. Its a very full and somewhat complicated story..
January 21, 2018
Nah
Too dark and depressing for me. None of the characters were likable and seemed to have no redeeming qualities. The story moved slowly...
Too dark and depressing for me. None of the characters were likable and seemed to have no redeeming qualities. The story moved slowly...
November 25, 2017
A new movie star hits it big at the beginning of The Best Possible Angle by Lloyd Johnson but soon finds himself in the middle of not one, two, but three police cases that involve his girlfriend, best friend, and sister. To make matters even more complicated he also finds himself changing love interests midway through the whole ordeal. Can Kendrick deal with the crime he has committed or will he turn himself in? Will everyone honor the blackmail agreements they have on each other or who will win out on the blackmail agreements? Are the main characters really capable of murder? All these and more are questions you’ll be flipping through to the last pages of the book to find the answers to.
The characters to this book are absolutely stunning. I can’t remember the last book I read where by the end of the book I was disappointed in every single character that was developed but still loved the book. The choices the characters make over the course of the story are life changing and very serious choices and none of them made good ones. Some of the characters were more easy to like such as Brenda and Kendrick but by the end of the story I felt I had misjudged their characters and they were just as bad as the characters who felt like the villain from the beginning of the book. My favorite character for most of the book was Brenda. I can relate to her and I felt like the relationship she had in the book was very realistic for us big girls and the esteem issues she had. I was also drawn in by the way she handled herself but not caving in to the relationship from the start and the language she used to make herself the prize. I liked Kendrick because he seemed to be humble despite having mad it big and was connected with his family. I think his actions at the end of the book shocked me the most however.
The plot was very exciting and full of plot twists. There seemed to be new details and murders throughout the entire book which truly kept me guessing till the end right along with the police who were trying to solve them. Multiple characters’ perspectives were used which gave away different clues and kept the air of mystery. Each character had different chapters but they were shorter chapters and kept the reader interested in everyone’s role in the story as well. The book was well edited and laid out. Each chapter was able to move the story along and added something to the overall development and everything as in sync.
This is a very well written, fast packed thriller/mystery book with lots of murder and secrets to keep any reader interested and turning till the final page. The characters are unforgettably and though they make horrible choices readers will still want to follow them through the story and find parts of them easy to relate to. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys this genre.
The characters to this book are absolutely stunning. I can’t remember the last book I read where by the end of the book I was disappointed in every single character that was developed but still loved the book. The choices the characters make over the course of the story are life changing and very serious choices and none of them made good ones. Some of the characters were more easy to like such as Brenda and Kendrick but by the end of the story I felt I had misjudged their characters and they were just as bad as the characters who felt like the villain from the beginning of the book. My favorite character for most of the book was Brenda. I can relate to her and I felt like the relationship she had in the book was very realistic for us big girls and the esteem issues she had. I was also drawn in by the way she handled herself but not caving in to the relationship from the start and the language she used to make herself the prize. I liked Kendrick because he seemed to be humble despite having mad it big and was connected with his family. I think his actions at the end of the book shocked me the most however.
The plot was very exciting and full of plot twists. There seemed to be new details and murders throughout the entire book which truly kept me guessing till the end right along with the police who were trying to solve them. Multiple characters’ perspectives were used which gave away different clues and kept the air of mystery. Each character had different chapters but they were shorter chapters and kept the reader interested in everyone’s role in the story as well. The book was well edited and laid out. Each chapter was able to move the story along and added something to the overall development and everything as in sync.
This is a very well written, fast packed thriller/mystery book with lots of murder and secrets to keep any reader interested and turning till the final page. The characters are unforgettably and though they make horrible choices readers will still want to follow them through the story and find parts of them easy to relate to. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys this genre.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews