Reviewed by Anne-Marie Reynolds for Readers' Favorite
Better Days by Len Joy is an action-packed thriller. The FBI wants to talk to Darwin Burr. Why? His best friend Billy has disappeared and the FBI needs Darwin to help them find him. He’s happy in his life with a beautiful Latvian wife, Daina, a great house, a job helping coach his daughter’s high school basketball team. Who could want for more? He didn’t reckon on Fariba Pahlavi, the flirty coach, and he didn’t reckon on turning up his wife’s secret past, a past that threatens her life. He’s fallen hard for Fariba but he can’t leave Daina and their daughter, Astra. As the hunt for Billy begins, Darwin starts to find out things he wished he never knew. With the FBI’s sights set on him, and his wife taking on a teenager whose family is being targeted by gangs, Darwin’s quiet life is about to undergo major disruption. Can laidback, happy-to-let-the-world-drift-by Darwin cope? Can he find Billy? Or is all hell about to be let loose and turn his life upside down?
Better Days by Len Joy is a fast read, highly entertaining and written in the first person by our main protagonist, Darwin. Packed with action, Better Days takes us on a journey with plenty of twists, some humor thrown in for good measure and a great plot that just keeps you reading. This is more than just an action story. It explores and deals very well with the issues of betrayal, loyalty, gangs, racism, and trust. It is a unique plot that starts off on a steady note but be prepared; it soon revs up and takes off at high speed, leading you through the twists and turns of a shady life as Darwin begins to uncover secrets and lies he wishes had stayed buried. It has some incredible characters, rich, colorful and entirely relatable; this is an exciting story written from the heart by a very talented writer. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and it is highly recommended for anyone who wants to lose themselves in a great adventure.