The Downfall of Raymond Rainbow

This was a great read! I loved the author's writing style, as it is hard to find empathy for a character that is living the life of luxury and then has a fall from grace due to their own devices. The author wrote this part in such a way that I felt for Raymond. The writing style made it easy for the character to feel invested and not question the decision to use sordid methods to get back the lifestyle he was used to. Great read!

OMG. I loved Raymond Rainbow. Michael Milford is one great writer. He painted the story where you not connected but loved Raymond. Poor guy was in a train and it was full speed. I just did not want it to end. All good things end... and wow, great ending. Brilliant read!
Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy to review, and Thanks to Michael Milford for a great book all time worth spent.

Raymond Rainbow has it all - idyllic childhood, perfect job with a nice promotion in the offing, the perfect fiance to whom he is about to propose; he's a good looking man and knows it. Yet, with one wrong turn, "things can change in a split second" and it all goes to hell in a handbag.

We are literally witness to this one man's fall from grace, as he struggles to keep his life and career intact, whilst avoiding the consequences of his mistake - which he compounds, one after another - Raymond's carefully constructed house of cards has come crashing down around him - will he man up and own his mistake or will he continue ".. going downhill as fast as a train whose brakes have failed ..:

Oh how I loved this story .... great noir style fiction. You cannot but empathise with Raymond and his predicament, you want him to come out on top, you are almost shouting at him to stop and think before acting, you find yourself physically shaking the book as if to shake some sense into him.

And then the ending .... craftily written as we are led down the proverbial rabbit hole, coming out on the other side to ..... well, read on ... there will be no spoiler alerts here.

A very empathetic story. You want Raymond to succeed as he is a likeable character but unfortunately his fall from grace is a hard one. Very well written and definitely recommend if you want something to keep you enticed.

Do you ever think 'my life's a load of old rubbish, I need to read a book about someone who has it worse!' Well, if you do, you've found the right book. Raymond Rainbow is not particularly likeable, so I was right chuffed when things started to go downhill for him. I won't give any spoilers as to how the book progresses, but I will say that after a time, he started growing on me. It's a grower, not a shower, you might say.

If this is the kind of book that Michael J Milford is capable of turning out, it's a definite shame he wasn't published sooner. Had he been, his oeuvre of work, by now, would have been a veritable treasure chest of entertaining stories with which to wade through. But alas, I'm appreciative that we have him later than never.

Thanks to Matador, Netgalley, and the man himself - Michael J Milford for permitting me to read this book without charge in return for an honest review.