Like passing over the event horizon of a black hole, once you start your journey into this book you are driven by an invisible force until the dramatic conclusion. There is no escape, no other options, No Second Chances.
In this epic tale of violence, verve, and vindication, characters’ loyalties and limbs are tried, torn, and twisted. When savagery and serendipity collide, survival is the best one can hope for in the City of Angels.
Aspiring actress Kitty Rae is still waiting for her big break after tossing caution to the wind and moving to LA. Getting by as a drug courrier for a lower level meth dealer, Kitty is given a big opportunity… just not the one she was expecting. When Johan Fly, aka The Cali Viking, convinces her to come and work for him instead, Kitty is suddenly thrust elbow to elbow with the rich and famous. Johan uses his status as a YouTuber and Instagram influencer to establish a drug enterprise catering to the Hollywood elite.
The most famous… well, infamous… celebrity in Kitty’s life is actually her neighbor, who she just happened to rescue from taking his own life. Luke Kingsley, former star and alleged wife killer, has had little to live for the past three years since the disappearance of his soul singer wife, Lisa Hayes. He has even less hope of things ever turning around, that is until Kitty enters the scene.
When Johan catches on to Kitty skimming his wonder drug for her own personal use, things go very badly… very quickly. Dragging Luke into the situation only complicates things as the pair cook up an elaborate scheme to keep Kitty and her family safe. With a bit of dumb luck while implementing their plan, clues from the night Lisa went missing resurface, along with the former LAPD detective hell bent on putting Luke away for life.
Rio Youers initially guides you by the elbow as he shows you around the L.A. universe of his creation like a man at a housewarming party giving a tour of his new multi million dollar mansion. He points out areas of interest, introduces you to some intriguing folks, and then half way through he says he wants to show you something special. By all accounts up until then it’s been an interesting and pleasant experience so you trust him. What could go wrong?
Then Rio smiles, opens a side door and gives you a full force shove over the edge of a cliff, suddenly you are flying through the air, catapulting down the Hollywood hills with no way of stopping yourself until the very end.
Udo Kier once said “the villain is the character people remember” and I have never felt that statement ring more true than in No Second Chances. Rio has crafted one of the most believable, brutal, and bombastic villains of all time. With a violent streak that would make even the most ruthless of his Viking ancestors blush, Johan Fly will go down as one of the greatest antagonists I’ve ever read. There is a simplicity to his logic and a purity to his barbary. The man is evil incarnate, masked with a golden smile and tens of thousands of adoring fans lapping up every morsel of carefully crafted bullshit that he broadcasts over social media.
I realize it is incredibly early in the year, but I just cannot see No Second Chances and Rio Youers not picking up a truckload of awards come the end of 2022.
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