Still @ Minus: A Bishop Book

by Jeffrey Alan Brandzel

282 pages, Paperback

Published July 28, 2025

Reviews

[Rebecca Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this novel all the way through, and it reads like grief wrapped in a political thriller. The structure moving between present-day investigation and Bishop’s fragmented One Time… entries mirrors his fractured psyche. His lines, “I’ve died once. This is my encore,” aren’t dramatic flair; they become his operating system.
The dynamic with Emily grounds the story. Her volunteering at the women’s shelter, her decision to return to San Francisco State for ecopsychology, even their quiet nights watching Casablanca those scenes humanize Bishop before he drifts too far into vengeance. Meanwhile, LB’s layered identity (lawyer, DHS NOC, Hong Kong loyalist) and the shadow presence of BOCO Boss and General Fahey expand the scope beyond a personal vendetta into international intelligence maneuvering.
The cemetery visit, with the three stones placed on the headstones and the sycamore tree overhead, felt like an emotional hinge. From there forward, Bishop’s meeting request with Elizabeth Kayne signals escalation. The ending doesn’t deliver catharsis in the conventional sense. Instead, it leaves us with a man who understands that justice, revenge, and closure are not synonyms.
That restraint is what elevates the book for me. It trusts the reader to sit with discomfort rather than resolve it cleanly.

[Willie Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read a lot of spy and political thrillers, and what makes Still @ Minus stand out is its emotional realism. This isn’t a story about an unstoppable hero saving the day it’s about a man trying to make sense of a tragedy that shattered his life. Bishop’s physical injuries from the shooting mirror the deeper emotional damage he carries throughout the book.

The hospital chapters are particularly effective. Emily’s refusal to believe Bishop would remain in a coma gives the story an emotional anchor right from the beginning. When he finally wakes up, the relief is quickly replaced with the reality of Nikki and Jamie’s deaths, and from that point forward the novel becomes a study in grief as much as investigation.

The mystery surrounding Zishon and Global Vision unfolds gradually in a way that feels believable rather than forced. Instead of dramatic twists every chapter, the author allows information to surface naturally through Bishop’s reporting work and personal contacts.

This is a thoughtful and intelligent thriller that values character as much as suspense, and that combination makes it memorable.

[James Readnerd · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who reads a lot of espionage fiction, I appreciated how grounded Still @ Minus feels. Bishop isn’t a super-agent he’s a columnist with a damaged shoulder and PTSD flashbacks trying to understand why a decorated ex–Navy SEAL murdered his fiancé and best friend. That premise alone kept me invested.

The investigation into Global Vision is where the story really deepens. The internal memo listing cryptocurrency operations, offshore accounts, and agricultural holdings across multiple countries suggests a global network that might explain the assassination attempt. Learning that Zishon was Yin’s nephew complicates everything and removes any simple explanation.

Characters like LB add texture. His background as a Hong Kong missionary kid turned tax lawyer and Homeland Security asset gives the intelligence side credibility without overwhelming the personal story.

By the time Bishop prepares for his meeting with General Fahey, the stakes feel international but the motivation remains intensely personal. That balance is difficult to maintain, and this novel manages it well.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Still @ Minus straight through, and Bishop’s grief felt painfully authentic from the first chapter to the last. The opening hospital scenes where Emily refuses to accept the doctors’ coma diagnosis set the emotional tone perfectly, especially when Bishop wakes up and immediately thinks not about survival but revenge. That felt brutally honest.

Some of the quietest moments stayed with me the longest. Bishop putting Nikki’s moccasin slippers on the windowsill and deciding they would stay there “forever” says more than pages of explanation could. The visit to Nikki’s grave, where he plays her old voicemails and learns Global Vision is sending flowers without a stop date, hit me especially hard.

What impressed me most is that Bishop never magically recovers. Even as he begins meeting with people like Elizabeth Kayne and preparing for the meeting with General Fahey, he’s still carrying the same wounds. The book respects how long healing really takes.

[John Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still @ Minus succeeds because it builds tension through uncertainty rather than constant action. Bishop spends much of the novel searching for answers about the murder of Nikki and Jamie, yet every lead seems to open more questions. That slow-burn structure works well for a story centered on investigation and recovery.

The sections involving LB and the financial analysis of Global Vision were particularly interesting. The combination of offshore accounts, cryptocurrency activity, and agricultural holdings suggests an organization with far-reaching influence, which raises the stakes without becoming unrealistic.

I also appreciated that Bishop’s injuries and limitations remain part of the story. His shoulder never fully heals, and he struggles with sleep and concentration long after leaving the hospital. Those details keep the character grounded.

Readers who prefer character-driven thrillers over action-heavy ones will find a lot to appreciate here.

[Thomas A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up expecting a standard thriller, but it turned out to be much more reflective than I anticipated in a good way. Bishop’s return to everyday routines after the shooting walking through Venice Beach, trying to focus at The Summons, and spending quiet evenings with Emily gives the story a sense of realism that a lot of thrillers skip over.

One moment that really stuck with me was Bishop writing a will for Emily even though he’s not planning to die anytime soon. It shows how deeply the attack changed him. The same goes for the scenes where he replays Nikki’s old messages just to hear her voice again. Those details made the characters feel real.

There’s plenty of intrigue with Global Vision and the questions around who ordered the attack, but the emotional side of the story is what makes this book different.

[RICHARD Armitage · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book doesn’t flinch. From Junior being shot in the head and Nikki dying with her hand in Bishop’s, you know you’re not getting a neat redemption arc. Bishop’s PTSD spirals rolling a joint but not lighting it, ghostwriting his own obituary in One Time…, hearing phantom gunshots outside The Summons feel painfully real.
What hit hardest for me was the reveal that Yin is Zishon’s aunt and the mounting suspicion around Global Vision. The corporate bullet-point memo about offshore accounts and poppy fields isn’t just background it shifts the entire narrative into geopolitical territory.
By the end, Bishop isn’t healed. He’s changed. There’s a difference. And the book respects that difference.

[Ernest C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some books entertain you for a few hours and then fade away. Still @ Minus stayed with me long after I finished it.

The image that remains strongest is Bishop visiting Nikki’s grave and realizing that Global Vision intends to keep sending flowers indefinitely. It’s a quiet moment, but it captures the unresolved tension that runs through the entire story. Someone powerful is still watching.

At the same time, the relationship between Bishop and Emily gives the story warmth. Their conversations, dinners, and movie nights show that life continues even after tragedy, though never in quite the same way.

By the end, Bishop is still searching for answers, and that unfinished feeling seems exactly right. This is a thoughtful and emotionally grounded novel that earns its five stars.

[Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

What stood out to me most was how the story balances espionage with everyday life. Bishop can be planning to track down whoever hired Zishon one minute and arguing with Emily about Scrabble words the next. Those normal scenes make the darker parts feel more real.
I especially liked the newsroom chapters at The Summons, where Bishop goes back to work too early and admits he’s really there to investigate the killing rather than write his column. His One Time… entries read like private confessions, particularly the will he writes for Emily late at night.
The novel ends with questions still open, but that felt appropriate for a story built around uncertainty and loss.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished this book thinking about Bishop standing on the Venice Beach deck, watching the boardwalk while feeling like a stranger in his own life. The story begins with violence, but it’s really about what comes after.

The scenes with Emily walking to dinner, watching old movies, talking about her return to San Francisco show the life Bishop might still have if he lets himself live it. At the same time, his determination to find who hired Zishon never fades.

It’s a quiet, serious novel about loss and unfinished business, and it stayed with me after the final chapter.