Hitman Sam by Morgen Bailey
A British Lad-lit Crime Novella
My first foray into Lad-lit had me googling to find out just what it is and I found from various sources that it is:
* fiction about young men and their emotional and personal lives
* about a young man is in his 20ās-30ās
* āa marketing term of the 1990s in Britain, referring to a new kind of popular fiction concerning the āladā of that period, a supposedly carefree hedonist devoted to football, beer, music, and casual sex: a figure created in contrast to the feminist-defined āNew Manā of previous decades. he is carefree, hedonistic, has trouble with women, may be obsessed with booze, sports or other things
* literature for men written by men
* have plotlines that typically revolve around issues of manhood like career, friendships, family, love, relationships and sex.
Had I known the above I might not have chosen to read and review this book for a blog tour but since I did opt-in I am now writing up a review that will reflect on this new-to-me genre of book.
First of all, the story ticked all the boxes for lad-lit except that the author is male. It is about Sam who at 27 owns his own home, has lost his job and his live-in girlfriend recently moved out. He is at loose ends and ready to do something ānewā so when contacted by THP (The Hitman Program) wondering if he would like some excitement in his life that might also prove to be lucrative he thinks, āWhy not?ā
As he works his way through the training program doing his best to comply with the steps he is given to follow he also meets and bumbles through a few interactions with women, hones some skills, interacts with neighbors, spends some time with male friends and daydreams about his future and whether or not he might become a James Bond-like man in the future.
There are some twists and turns and surprises that I was not expecting toward the end and as they happened I kept wondering how a 27 year old software designer could be as gullible as Sam was. Having just finished my first lad-lit book I am not sure I would read another one BUT I do believe there is a market for this type of book and this one is well-plotted and written for the reader it is intended.
Thank you to the author and BOTSB for the ARC ā This is my honest review.
Having been made redundant as a photocopier software designer, Sam Simpson is lured by a cryptic advert. As he learns it is for a trainee hitman, will he be tough enough to see the job through? Even James Bond had to start somewhere and Sam, as his alias Josh Bradley, looks forward to enjoying James' lifestyle, although soon embroiled in a love triangle, Sam hadn't expected things to get so complicated so quickly.Ā
Morgen Bailey (Morgen with an E) is an author (of novels, short stories, writing and editing guides), freelance editor (for publishers and indie authors), writing tutor (in person and online), Writersā Forum magazine āCompetitive Edgeā columnist, blogger, speaker, and co-founder of Northants Authors. The former Chair of three writing groups, she has judged the H.E. Bates Short Story Competition, RONE, as well as the BBC Radio 2, BeaconLit, and Althorp Literary Festival childrenās short story competitions. She also runs her own monthly 100-word competition. 2018 events include talks and workshops at Troubadorās Self Publishing Conference speakers, workshops and panels at Delapre Book Festival, interviewing and workshops at BeaconLit, and NAWG Fest with her āEditing your Fictionā weekend residential course. Morgen can be found on Twitter, Facebook, and many others. Her blog is http://morgenbailey.wordpress.com, and email address [email protected].Ā
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