"Brad Spencer weaves a suspenseful story of revenge, friendship, and second chances in his thriller The Upshot. I was interested in the story as soon as I read the description, and the thing that reeled me in was the secret burden three friends carried through their lives, that changed the path they originally intended to take.
"One night changed everything for these three, and the ripple effect it had on their lives is what drives the intense plot line. The characters are endearing, and as the description promises, I loathed the villain. The secret they kept is slowly revealed, and the suspense it creates pulled me in, eager to discover the truth.
"This story makes you root for the heroes, however flawed they may be, and the intimate details of their friendship was my favourite part of the story. It is true to a fact that I believe, which is no matter how far life takes you away from those you loved, or how much people change, you always hold a spot in your heart for the moments you shared with them.
"What to expect: Mature content, action, suspense, complex characters, and a well crafted story that leaves you wanting to read more books by Brad Spencer."
“The Upshot by Brad Spencer is a gritty and beautiful story of three childhood friends whose lives and friendship are thrown far off course by a tragedy in their youth. Sam, Holly, and Jimmer somehow emerge seemingly whole twenty-five years later after laboring through life under their shared horrid secret, but their memories have silently haunted them. The magnetism of kindred spirits pulls Brad Spencer’s characters back together, but not without further turmoil as The Upshot’s trio spirals into the world of drug trafficking, gangs, prostitution, violence, and life’s disappointments.
“From Chicago to the Phoenix desert region, The Upshot lays out a nightmare-worthy villain, and a hard and harrowing journey for the characters to overcome that shows what true friendship is really worth.
“The Upshot is a horrifying, realistic, and heart-wrenching journey of three lost souls trying to find their way back to life’s fleeting peace. Spencer crafts a beautifully endearing friendship straight out the gate with his characters leaving the reader yearning for their success.
"From PTSD, to sexual trauma, insecurity, and guilt, the heroes of The Upshot suffer vivid agonies and poignant internal conflict you can taste with each paragraph.
“The Upshot glues you to your chair with details that take you into the heart of an underworld, every secret of the Arizona desert, and the capacity of the human heart.
“As an Illinois native, a former Arizona resident, an Army veteran with PTSD, and a woman, I highly recommend this book and can tell you Spencer has hit every mark he broached.”
“They say a hit song should grab you within the first 15-20 seconds. When it comes to books, I’ll give them up to 5 minutes. But when a story grips you within 30 seconds, you know it’s a winner and that’s what The Upshot by Brad Spencer did to me. I was hooked before the end of the first paragraph.
“The Upshot is a graphic book, both in language and events. There’s blood, gore, drugs, guns, sadism and sex. But Brad Spencer isn’t trying to titillate: he’s using these elements to drive home how deeply a single incident can impact and alter the lives of three decent people. Readers of The Upshot will come away profoundly moved by this story and keen to read more books by Brad Spencer.”
