Deathwish (Superhero, #2) by Justin Richman

Deathwish by Justin Richman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Fast-paced and exciting, Adam's a regular guy with superhuman ability, and his story may be better than the debut of the super series.

Adam's body has the unexplainable ability to heal itself almost instantaneously, and he's been supplementing his income from his retail position by fighting for money in the alley behind his best friend's bar. But one night, after an encounter in Decker City with the vigilante crimefighter known as The Gray Hood, he begins to consider the possibility that he, too, could put his special ability to better use. After he loses his day job, he goes on a ride-along with a police friend, Lt. Shane Cranston, and Adam's smitten: he wants to fight crime. 

At this time, Decker City is a hotbed of violence and criminal activity, but Adam's hometown, nearby Mapleton, is fairly quiet until Adam and Shane get involved in some of Decker City's investigations. Suddenly, both their lives are on the line, and Adam is finding out firsthand how much damage his body can take and still come back.

Deathwish is the second novel in author Justin Richman's great new Superhero series, and I believe it is even better than his debut outing. It's a fast-paced, exciting, and entertaining story about a regular guy with a superhuman ability to heal even his most grievous wounds instantly. Adam was dealt a tough hand when the ability was discovered and has really been on his own his whole life. I really liked the clever and snarky guy, even his (at times) "Dad joke" dialogue. He's an extrovert and ready to take action, shake things up, and make things work. I loved that he jumped into action even as bullets were flying, knowing absolutely nothing about what he was doing or heading into. I laughed out loud quite a bit and would have read this book cover to cover in one sitting if I hadn't had to deal with real life.

As in Richman's first Superhero book, there are some great secondary and supporting characters. Shane Cranston, Adam's friendly connection in the Mapleton PD, is a nice guy who is good at this job and genuinely tries to help the wayward Adam find his way. The same can be said for Adam's best friend, Chuck, who is the only other person who knows Adam's secret. I liked Adam's flirtation with Kate Phillips and would love to see that go somewhere for Adam. However, there is a particularly interesting lock-picking officer, Liz McKenzie, who would be fun to get to know better.

I also enjoyed the crossover between this and book one, The Silver Hood. Usually, a series will maintain the same setting throughout, but in the second Superhero book, we're actually in a nearby city. It was interesting to see the towns all used the same radio dispatcher until Decker City got so busy and crime-riddled that they had to set up a separate system. It was reasonably true to life regarding the lack of cooperation and exchange of information that can arise between agencies. I appreciated that the author didn't let Shane and Adam "poach" on Decker City's jurisdiction without the DC PD initially asking for assistance and, later, the two rightfully anticipating repercussions for overstepping.

The action in the story is steady, with exciting, almost frantic moments regularly kicking the pace up a notch (to "Eleven"). A major plot twist made me exclaim aloud; I was that surprised. There is a bit of a cliffhanger ending, and there are still some shadowy things and people lurking in the background that predict this author has much more planned! There is also an intriguing explanation for how Adam acquired his unique healing ability.

With its entertaining premise and non-stop excitement and action, I recommend DEATHWISH to readers who enjoy fantastic superhero tales. (This book has some death and destruction and drinking, but no drugs or "kissing scenes," if that is a consideration for sharing with a younger audience.)

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from Reedsy Discovery.


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