This author creates well-drawn, complex characters, and knows how to build tension and drama that hold readers to the end. With several plot twists it managed to keep me guessing until the end. Even then I was surprised. I’m not easily surprised.

This is the first in a new series of books centred around Dylan Kasper, a former police officer who left the force after his 14-year-old daughter Rosie took her own life. In this story, Kasper meets a young man named Tommy at the gym and soon becomes embroiled in Tommy’s family and the nightmare that he and his sister have become involved in. When Tommy kills himself, Kasper finds that he cannot turn his back on Tommy and his sister, and he begins to put himself and his loved ones in danger as he delves further into their troubled past.

The book deals with a number of difficult topics and is a very gritty read! But the subjects are handled well and there is a nice balance of humour through some of things Kasper says and thinks. The characters are really great, and I warmed to so many of them – from his landlady Dr Steiner to Jazz and Tommy’s poor sister and dad.

I loved Elliot F. Sweeney’s writing style – it was really enjoyable and easy to read, and had a bit of a New York detective story sort of feel about it. I kept having to remind myself we were in London because I couldn’t help reading it in a New York accent! But I thought that was a good thing – I could just really see it playing out as a film or a series.

I’m not really sure why it was called The Next to Die though – I thought that made it sound like a serial killer book and I’m not sure it was the best title. However, I am thoroughly looking forward to reading book 2 in the series and joining Kasper on another mission!

This is a dark, gritty debut novel by this author.

The plot is very heavy in places, and may be disturbing to some readers. I enjoyed the book; it left lots to think about and consider when reading.

It’s definitely not for the faint-hearted!

Elliot F. Sweeney's debut is an accomplished piece of gritty London Noir, with some profoundly disturbing and harrowing themes. 43 year old Dylan Kasper is a former police officer whose life fell apart 5 years ago with the suicide of his `14 year old daughter, Rosie, leading him to become a recluse, leaving all remnants of his former life behind. He is divorced from his wife, Carol, no longer in the police force, he ended the relationship he had with DS Diane McAteer, seeking solace in the demon drink, often wondering if there is any point in him being alive. A haunted man weighed down by guilt, he is now renting, living with former psychiatrist, Dr Steiner, and her cat, Marmite, and working in a rough pub for money, It is at a gym that he meets the young traumatised and self harming Tommy, feeling a connection, so when he is offered the job of protecting him from Tommy's father, Professor Saul Berkowitz, he accepts.

He is horrified when Tommy commits suicide, it raises the ghost of Rosie, and it is this that pushes him on his quest to find out why the vulnerable Tommy felt he had to kill himself to save his family. Despite facing grave dangers, Kaspar cannot let go, putting little thought or strategy in what he does. H keeps stumbling into trouble, although his expertise in boxing helps to keep him alive. He reconnects with McAteer, allowing him to draw on the police resources that he needs, but none of this prevents him being hit by tragedy, and the thought crosses his mind that the time has let his investigation go. However, he is persuaded to return, this time thinking carefully until the bones of a plan begin to emerge. Kasper uncovers the desperate pressures that Tommy had crumbled under, his desire to do all that he could to support his sister, Harriet, but it was never going to be enough, and learns of the nightmare terrors Tommy and Harriet faced as children.

Sweeney treads very unsettling territory, creating a wide, disparate and mesmerising cast of characters, veering from the villainously ruthless, the criminal, the good, to the vulnerable. This is a dark gripping story that will not be for everyone, beautifully written and well plotted, inhabited by some unforgettable characters, my favourites included Dr Steiner, Jazz and Mani, and which culminates in a surprising achievement of a semblance of justice. The central protagonist, Kasper, having only just survived by the skin of his teeth, begins to sees the glimmers of a possible future, something that seemed out of reach previously, when he considers becoming a PI. Highly recommended. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

The Next to Die by Elliot Sweeney Is an absolutely stunning debut. It’s hard to believe this is the first novel to be published by this author so accomplished that it is.

This is gritty, atmospheric, British crime Noir at its very best. Simply put, this is damn good reading.

Dylan Kaspar is an ex cop, he’s pretty much down and out, he’s lost everything, but there is always hope. He finds himself trying to help a rich kid gone wrong and that ends up with Kaspar in a world of hurt.

What follows is action packed, explosive, and genuinely upsetting at times and Elliot Sweeney pulls no punches as he delivers a belting, hurtful, violent tale that just sings off the pages.

It has a Raymond Chandler vibe and the biggest compliment I can pay , is that I enjoyed it as much as any Marlowe book.

Kaspar is a creation I’ve instantly connected with, he’s got his stuff going on but he’s so human and real , that he doesn’t just feel like words on a page…

As another reviewer said it’s hugely addictive, and for me, it’s fresh, modern, whip smart with sizzling dialogue and at times downright dirty, it’s probably the best book I’ve read this year. Yeh it is the best, Wow,

5/5
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

This book follows Kasper, an ex policemen, who gets caught up in the problems of the Berkowitz family all whilst dealing with his own unresolved issues from the past.

Firstly I want to say that this book definitely needs to come with a bunch of trigger warnings before reading. It covers a lot and it gets dark in places.

The Next To Die is definitely an intriguing story that had me wanting to know more from the first few chapters but it also did become a little chaotic.

There was a lot going on throughout and it was hard to keep track of it all. Nothing really shocked me, even twists that I think were supposed to, it was predictable. I found myself losing interest and struggled to the finish line.

Unfortunately I also struggled with the characters. I feel there were too many. I couldn’t connect to any of them and felt no connection between the characters themselves.

Overall I believe the main point of the story with Kasper and what the author wanted to portray but it was just a little too messy.

There is a lot going on in this book drugs, suicide, mental health issues and lots more. I think reading it makes the reader think about all of these issues possibly wondering how it would or should be handled. An interesting thought provoking read.

This was a dark and gritty read that kept me gripped all the way through. The stroyline was compelling and the charcaters were well developed although I found myself disliking the majority of them, but I think that was the point. Fast paced and had me hooked.

Rating: ⭐⭐/5

⚠️ Content warning: attempted suicide, suicide, pills, graphic description of self-harm, profanity, death, overdose, homophobia, mental health illnesses, alcohol use, physical assault, cancer, sexual situations, prostitution, cheating, drug use, relapse, voyeuring, blood, derogatory slurs, gun use, gambling, animal cruelty and death, sexual harassment, arson/petrol bomb, vomiting, child abuse, underage porn, paedophilia ⚠️

Dylan Kasper (more commonly referred to as Kasper) has been a recluse since his daughter Rosie died by suicide five years ago. However, he snaps out of this hermit mode when he meets Tommy at a gym that Kasper regularly goes to, where the two strike up a friendship and Kasper (employed by Tommy's dad) begins to act as Tommy's bodyguard. However, Tommy dies in similar circumstances to Kasper's daughter, which sparks Kasper on a path of justice to figure out what led Tommy to think he did not have another way out. Kasper's former colleagues think Tommy's death is just a suicide, however there are more sinister forces at play, which leads to Kasper having a target on his head.

This book was an interesting enough read, however it felt like a struggle to finish this book. This book does spark an interesting conversation around males' mental health and the stigma that surrounds males talking about their mental health and in turn, how this impacts males and their ability to reach out for help. I do like how this book attempts to challenge these stigmatised views by Kasper confiding in Emmanuel, Dr. Steiner and Jazz, as well as Jazz confiding in Kasper. However, I feel like in some parts, this book reinforces the stigmatised view of males who look a certain way discussing their mental health by one of the interactions Kasper and Jazz have where Kasper repeats what Jazz had previously said to him ("no more feeling sorry for yourself"), to which Jazz responds "it's not a good look for us hardnuts." I think this would have been an excellent opportunity to deconstruct that stigmatised view that just because a male looks a certain way, it does not mean that they cannot discuss their mental health.

There were a lot of things in this book that made me very uncomfortable as I was reading and I think there definitely should have been a warning at the beginning of the book due to the heavy content that this book covers (for example, suicide, drug/alcohol use, male prostitution etc.) and resources provided for those who may need them. Furthermore, I really did not like how there were a lot of slurs used within this book that are used against homeless people's living situation, as well as gay male prostitutes. These slurs were unnecessary and are incredibly harmful to the communities that they concern.

I also did not find any of the characters to be likeable as I did not connect with any of them. When there were moments within the book that definitely could have resulted in a person having sympathy for some of the characters and what they have been through, I found myself indifferent and not experiencing any sympathy due to not a) not finding them likeable and b) not having a connection with the character so I would not feel emotionally invested in them or rooting for their success.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and the publisher, Headline, Wildfire for the opportunity to read this book!

I have posted this review to my NetGalley account. I will also post a review on my Instagram and Tiktok a week before the publication date (2nd February 2023). This book will be available to purchase as an e-book on Kindle for £8.99 or a hardback for £20.