Books of Horror admin posted the Indie Author Brawl round 1 schedule yesterday and I was reminded that I am not nearly through the list. Fortunately most are fairly short and I own them in either kindle or audio format, so it’s just a matter of going actually reading them. My progress has nothing to do with the books themselves. I am just always reading too many at once and starting whatever catches my attention. No focus. I’m working on that. That is easier to do with a schedule. Of course, I had only read one of the Day 1 books. The Cursed Among Us, by John Durgin. I loved it. I set to continue on the list, focusing on the ones up for vote earlier in the week.

So instead of turning on my computer to bang out another level in Diablo IV, I turned on my TV and found a nice beach ambiance video, gathered my crochet project and beverages, and hit play on Audible. I was immediately struck by the narrator’s lovely voice and diction. This is the first Steve White narration I’ve heard and it was quite pleasant. A quick Audible search of his name shows he’s quite a prolific narrator. I’m sure I’ll be enjoying his talent again.

The title of this book perfectly describes its main character. We meet Dave as a teenager who, with the help of a good coach, discovers and hones his talent as an athlete. He’s the fastest runner around and his coach turned mentor/father figure thinks he has what it takes to become an Olympic athlete. Dave is on top of the world. And then suddenly he is not. A car accident takes the life of his coach, some of his athletic ability, and nearly all of his will to live. It’s clear that he isn’t handling his grief well, and instead of getting the help he needs, he lashes out and becomes alienated from everyone who loves him. Only his mother sticks around, and he’s a total shit to her for no real reason other than he is hurting and just doesn’t give a shit anymore. He spirals for the next several years. A good chunk of this book describes Dave’s continuing descent into a depression that has no floor. He mistreats the only person who gives a shit about him, and the way he talks about his neighbor when he hears her screaming makes it hard for the reader to empathize with him. But as the saying goes, hurt people hurt people.

Anyway. One night Dave is up to his usual evening activities, watching horror movies, drinking, and smoking pot, when he hears screaming coming from the neighbor’s house. He assumes it’s one of her nightly visitors slapping her around as usual and ignores it. The next day he is visited by police, who tell him that she is missing and her place is a mess. Dave is rattled, but carries on. Then his mother goes missing and this is when he goes from rattled to straight up terrified. He is determined to catch whoever abducted and possibly murdered his neighbor and mother. But he is no hero. Will Dave be able to pull that off? Things are about to get a lot worse.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 stars for me (rounded up to 4 for Goodreads). It is a good story, but it could use some fleshing out (har har). Dave’s progression from depression to lashing out at his father to straight up abusing his mother needed more. There were clues leading in one direction while the story took another, which I enjoyed. It’s fun to guess what’s going to happen but even more fun when you’re wrong. There were parts I really liked, like Dave’s mental decline while he’s sleep deprived in his attempt to catch someone in the act. And the entire warehouse scene. I’m not sure I love the ending, but I’m still thinking about it the next morning so that’s something.

You can buy A Life to Waste, by Andrew Lennon on Amazon for a couple bucks or read it as part of your Kindle Unlimited subscription. Get it.