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megankass 's review for:
Beat the Reaper
by Josh Bazell
Well, this was the darkhorse I did not expect! I've had this book on my to read list for probably a decade and couldn't remember why I wanted to read it. Then I randomly started it and woah, am I glad I wrote this title down. It's like Dexter meets ER meets Arrow. Seriously, the main character has to be played by Stephen Amell, because at no point could I not imagine Pietro as anyone other than Oliver Queen in a bad mood. I listened to the audiobook version read by Robert Petkoff, who does an amazing job.
The story basically goes as follows (no spoilers): NJ homeboy Pietro infiltrates the mob (in a way that's scarily disciplined and ruthless for a teenager) to avenge his grandparents' murders, falls for the lifestyle while he's at it, becomes a hitman with scruples, eventually leaves the mob, goes into witness protection, becomes a doctor, and while he's doing his internship, is discovered by a mobster patient. The book jumps between the present, where Pietro is already a doctor trying to quiet the aforementioned snitch, and the past, with Pietro's origin story. I would have preferred a linear narrative, but Bazell made it work.
Bazell clearly knows his medical stuff, and teaches his audience lots of interesting tidbits along the way. There's well disguised foreshadowing that hides among lots of red herrings that could be foreshadowing or could be coincidences. There's lots of foul language and tough guy talk. Pietro is master of the bad mood (Hello, Friend!). Warning for the end of the book which contains some very graphic, very hardcore badassery. Seriously, it's graphic, and not like what you'd typically expect from a tv show. But daaaaaaamn, dude, hardcore.
The story basically goes as follows (no spoilers): NJ homeboy Pietro infiltrates the mob (in a way that's scarily disciplined and ruthless for a teenager) to avenge his grandparents' murders, falls for the lifestyle while he's at it, becomes a hitman with scruples, eventually leaves the mob, goes into witness protection, becomes a doctor, and while he's doing his internship, is discovered by a mobster patient. The book jumps between the present, where Pietro is already a doctor trying to quiet the aforementioned snitch, and the past, with Pietro's origin story. I would have preferred a linear narrative, but Bazell made it work.
Bazell clearly knows his medical stuff, and teaches his audience lots of interesting tidbits along the way. There's well disguised foreshadowing that hides among lots of red herrings that could be foreshadowing or could be coincidences. There's lots of foul language and tough guy talk. Pietro is master of the bad mood (Hello, Friend!). Warning for the end of the book which contains some very graphic, very hardcore badassery. Seriously, it's graphic, and not like what you'd typically expect from a tv show. But daaaaaaamn, dude, hardcore.