Just Books’ Pick of the Week

Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell

Even at first glance, Dr. Peter Brown does not appear to be a normal intern at the most rundown hospital in Manhattan. Along with a shift from hell, he has a hidden past with close ties to the Witness Protection Program. Everything is actually going pretty well, until a new patient arrives in the ward. Nicholas LoBrutto, better known as Eddy Squillante, recognizes Brown as Pietro “Bearclaw” Brnwa, a hit man for the mob. Eddy triggers a chain of events that brings Brown’s old friends and enemies running.

Bazell’s debut novel is the most savage, thrilling, and utterly hilarious book I have read in a while. Peter Brown’s narrative is bold and original, even educational. The recounting of his background in the mob actually induces sympathy; Brown turns out to be a hit man with a conscience, doing his best to get by, just like everyone else. Beat the Reaper will draw you in for a wild ride through Brown’s eight-hour shift from hell, with the mob, the government, and the Reaper closing in fast…

Beat the Reaper is available at Just Books, 28 Arcadia Road in Old Greenwich.