5 Star ARC Review ☆ THE GOODBYE MAN by Mary E. Palmerin & A. Giannoccaro

Reviewed by Jacqueline

The Goodbye Man Mary Palmerin and Ashleigh Giannocarro

ARC received for honest review

Mary Palmerin, once again you have created a story so dark and taboo it needed a disclaimer! This time you brought in Ashleigh Giannocarro to co-write this book and what we end up with is a book that will change your life. This book is not for the faint of heart. It is not a knight in shining armor to rescue the girl. What this amazing book is a raw, gritty, taboo, holy sh*t kind of book. I loved every freaking page of it. It is not an easy read and the content will make you cringe, but if you can see past all of that you will find a story that will draw you in and for me became a story of healing and how to love and be loved again. The right way. That is what I took away from it. You may get something else. The characters are not shiny happy people. Svetlana (Lettie), a young girl raised by a man who only needed her for one thing and learned to just take anything. Caesar, a man who offers a way out for some and a new life for others in the underground market. Mateo, his assistant and nephew, does what he is told, unable to love or be loved. Their worlds collide in a messy way but truths are learned.

Never once did I question the sanity of Mary and Ashleigh. I couldn’t put this book down until it was done. I guess I should repeat what other reviewers have said. Read the disclaimer. But if you know these two authors, it will make no difference to you. You know what you are in for. Take that leap and read it. Mary and Ashleigh, thank you for shaking up the norm with this book and creating something amazing.

Blurb

Dysfunctional empires were made to fall.

I am Caesar. Broken and conflicted. I am a man who gives false goodness to those who crave it. I provide solace to the ones who beg to be saved, giving them the goodbyes they want. But, my quiet little world is about to be shattered by the whispers from heaven and hell.

I am Mateo. Unlovable and unworthy. I am the boy everyone runs from. I keep love close to me in little jars of perfection, reminding me of a thousand goodbyes I never had to say, because I left them before they could leave me.

I am Svetlana. Dirty and Used. Birthed into brutality while still trying to comprehend my version of normal. I am an injured lamb, eaten by filthy wolves day after day. Just as salvation seems like it’s within reach, a goodbye from this awful world is all that I wish for.
**Graphic content warning including detailed depiction of brutal, bloody acts. Physical and emotional abuse is also apparent throughout this book with graphic sex scenes, both consensual and non-sensual. Reader discretion is highly advised. Not suitable for readers under the age of eighteen or those who are easily offended by the above mentioned acts.**

Excerpt

After many years of trial and error and a wake of useless dead bodies, we know the best way to get them exactly where we need them to be. If you buy an organ on the red market it is not going to be a healthy, fit person who gave it up. It’s an urchin that has been used and abused by themselves and others. You never know what you are going to get and I really don’t care. I save your life, but sometimes it’s not what it seems.

I let the girl lie next to me for the night. I know she doesn’t sleep much because she has to choose to suffer and live or to die and never hurt again. I have no problem sleeping at night as I am not conflicted, confused or troubled. I am who I am and I own it. I am able to sleep for six hours despite her constant tossing beside me, and when her shuddering from the cold wakes me in the early hours of the morning, I instinctively pull her into me. Her bony body stills next to mine, waiting for the horrors that should follow. They won’t come from me; the horrors that I have are silent, quiet and unseen. She won’t feel her death, but she can feel me taking her body in ways that she isn’t used to. There is little point to sex if you don’t both enjoy it, so I don’t understand the need to beat or hurt a girl to get off. I like them to feel good, because if they feel good I feel even better. She relaxes into me as I take her from behind, my slow rhythm making her breaths hot and needy, like the way she arches into me as we both get the release we were seeking. I don’t need sex for the connection; I need it to set the demons of my mind free, as it quiets my voices. The incessant din inside my mind where I hear the voices of a thousand goodbyes and the screams of those who I couldn’t save from the demons of Hunts Point. Sound is the one thing that can hurt me; I need quiet, and I crave silence. I have tried earplugs. I soundproofed my home, but somehow the voices always get inside. Soft, sweet, beautiful voices are the devil in my mind that drives me to do bad things.

-Caesar, The Goodbye Man

About the Authors

A. Giannoccaro