Genre

THRILLER, MATURE AUDIENCE, DRAMA

Brief

When his wife leaves him for the leader of a biker gang, a mild-mannered maintenance man is cruelly hounded by other members of the gang. The harassment causes him to lose his job, and he gives in and moves across the country to get away and save his life. He quickly gains a reputation of being fearless with his new coworkers. His new life is disrupted again when his wife and her new boyfriend are killed in a traffic accident and he’s suspected of the crime.

Overall Rating

GOOD

Point of View

FIRST PERSON

Narrative Elements

Authors Writing Style: FAIR

Characterization: FAIR

Commerciality: EXCELLENT

Franchise Potential: GOOD

Pace: FAIR

Premise: EXCELLENT

Structure: GOOD

Theme: GOOD

Accuracy of Book Profile

It is accurate.

Draw of Story

The novel has a strong hook that immediately pulls you into Greg’s story. He’s going through something awful, and it’s not something that most people will have any kind of familiarity with. This is intriguing straight away, and it leaves an audience wanting more. It is a little confusing at the outset to figure out what’s going on and why, and clarifying that a little will help to ground the reader better in this world. Once that’s established in the book, the story begins moving at a better pace and we’re allowed to connect more with the protagonist.

Possible Drawbacks

The writing itself could be a little clearer, especially in terms of dialogue. There are sometimes pages of dialogue in a row with none of it tagged to a specific character. This puts the onus on the reader to figure out who’s talking and keep track, which can be challenging. Presumably this is unintentional, but there are unsettling trends of misogyny, racism, and homophobia coming up throughout the book. These crop up through the story itself as well as character dialogue, and it makes the novel feel out-of-date and could make for an uncomfortable read for many. Nearly all the female characters are cheaters, housewives, or intend to somehow live off a man’s money. Sandy is perhaps the one exception, but she’s meek and she disappears by the final half of the novel. The racism arises with the fact that several of the Black characters Greg meets are illiterate, and some of his coworkers and the tenants feel like cliched stereotypes. The homophobia primarily comes up in dialogue, but it’s strangely harped on with Greg feeling the need to repeatedly defend his heterosexuality throughout. These are all small things in the scope of the story, but they add up to give the wrong impression of the book.

Use of Special Effects

THE STORY RELIES A LITTLE BIT ON SPECIAL EFFECTS

Primary Hook of Story

The premise is incredibly unique, and that’s the perfect hook to this. Biker gangs haven’t been seen too often on screen, and the ones that come to mind have very different stories and, most importantly, focuses. This story centers on a man targeted by the gang members, rather than the members themselves. This makes it original and interesting.

Fanbase Potential

Yes, the story is compelling and unique enough that it would draw in a large and loyal fanbase. This could be a must-see movie or limited series, the kind everyone talks about.

Awards Potential

Due to the fact that it’s a drama and inspired by true events, this could absolutely have traditional awards potential. It’s easy to imagine award categories like director, screenwriter, and actors being nominated for this kind of story.

Envisioned Budget

MEDIUM BUDGET

Similar Films/TV Series

SONS OF ANARCHY, RUN ALL NIGHT, UNCUT GEMS, MAYANS M.C.

What’s New About the Story

This is expanded on below, but the story itself is very original. To make it stand out even more, addressing the pacing and the structure will go a long way. Right now, the story feels like it’s split into two distinct sections that have very little to do with one another. Once Greg leaves and moves to Alabama, it feels like we’ve started a brand new novel. He’s the only connective thread between the first (roughly) 300 pages and the last 200. The themes aren’t carried throughout, either, and the plot is fairly stagnant in the final 200 pages. Everything Greg is experiencing and everyone he’s meeting are certainly interesting once he gets to Alabama, but there’s nothing driving the story forward. Instead, it reads more like a slice of life suddenly. Finding a way to better connect the whole story and focusing more on a central arc that spans it all — with clear plot points — will help an adaptation to be more successful in this aspect.

Lead Characters

Greg is drawn into a battle that he didn’t start and has no interest in finishing, and his ability to keep a level head and be rational about it all makes him endlessly sympathetic. What he’s going through is horrific, and it’s the kind of thing that most people wouldn’t be able to imagine experiencing. Because of this, it’s important to also make him empathetic. The audience needs to feel connected to Greg. We need to root for him, which right now is difficult since his only goal is to passively survive (and he doesn’t even feel too invested in that). He needs a goal and a stronger motivation. He also likely needs more of a hand in what’s happening. He needs to make a choice early on, something that could potentially make his life worse — something that drastically impacts the plot and changes where it’s going. This only happens when he decides to move over halfway in. Though he shows some emotion about his failed marriage toward the beginning of the novel, that largely falls off by the end. Giving him something to work toward, as well as an emotionality that is shown through his actions, will help him to feel more well-rounded.

Uniqueness of Story

The premise itself makes this a rare gem, and this is especially true given it’s based on real events. We’ve seen gang narratives, and even biker gang narratives, but this is really a new twist on the whole genre. Greg’s career is used to the fullest extent as well, and it really rounds out how unique this is. This is the kind of story that proves that sometimes the truth is stranger than fiction, and it does so with aplomb. Fleshing out the characters and ironing out the disjointed story will make this whole thing shine.

Possible Formats

Film: Studio, Indie, Streaming TV Series: Limited Run / Mini-Series

Analyst Recommendation

RECOMMEND

Justification

This is an exceedingly entertaining book, and the fact that it’s based on a true story is a big selling point. The action scenes are cinematic, and it’s easy to envision almost everything on the page translating well on the screen. From Greg saving kittens to being chased by bikers to all the crazy residents he runs into at his job, there’s so much happening in this that will pop visually — plus keep an audience on the edge of their seats. The concerns with characterization and pacing could be easily fixed in an adaptation, and that shouldn’t hold back the possibility of it being adapted in the slightest. The other issues identified are all with the writing, which won’t be a problem when it’s transmuted into a script. With stronger characters and a clearer story arc, this is a formidable project.