Epiphany Jones

by Michael Grothaus

Jerry has a traumatic past that leaves him subject to psychotic hallucinations and depressive episodes. When he stands accused of stealing a priceless Van Gogh painting, he goes underground, where he develops an unwilling relationship with a woman who believes that the voices she hears are from God. Involuntarily entangled in the illicit world of sex-trafficking among the Hollywood elite, and on a mission to find redemption for a haunting series of events from the past, Jerry is thrust into a genuinely shocking and outrageously funny quest to uncover the truth and atone for historical sins.

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Mental Health, Crime, Romance

400 pages, Paperback

First published March 5, 2016

About the author

Michael Grothaus is a novelist and author. His latest novel is BEAUTIFUL SHINING PEOPLE, a speculative coming-of-age story set in Tokyo that explores how the things that cast us as outsiders can be the very things that draw us together, and examines whether there is an inherent meaning in the world to come, or if we must create our own.

His debut novel, EPIPHANY JONES, a story about sex trafficking among the Hollywood elite, was longlisted for the CWA New Blood Dagger Award and named one of the 25 “Most Irresistible Hollywood Novels” by Entertainment Weekly.

Reviews

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had no idea what to expect when I first started reading Epiphany Jones. Billed as a thriller, I was expecting the usual formulaic writing that is often the case with books these days. However, from the opening chapters, I knew I had something special in my hands.

When we meet Jerry Dresden, he is in the midst of a graphic sexual hallucination. It is a shocking intro, but it gives an insight into his fragile mind. Working in a Chicago museum, Jerry is muddling along in his life. Plagued with all sorts of hallucinations, it’s difficult for the reader to even distinguish between what’s real and what isn’t.

When Jerry stands accused of stealing a Van Gogh painting worth millions of dollars, he flees his apartment and ends up meeting the enigmatic Epiphany Jones. Jones, who hears voices purporting to be those of God, is convinced she needs Jerry to help her on her quest, and in turn she can clear his name.

What follows is a graphic, often violent and darkly comic take on a thriller. Epiphany Jones is most definitely a genre-bending book. Echoes of the twisted Tarantino movies are intermingled with underworld Hollywood dealings in this truly unique novel. It is a very cleverly written novel and Grothaus has done a superb job in bringing trafficking and the seedy underbelly of Hollywood to life between the pages.

Epiphany Jones is quirky, graphic, funny and moving in equal measure. The characters were so well written, and by the end of the book I was genuinely invested in the fates of the characters that I raced to the end to find out what happened. I cannot praise this book or Michael Grothaus enough for taking a genre, picking it apart and making it unique enough to stay with me for a long time.

[Ian Patrick Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was sent a copy of this book by the publisher for an unbiased review.

I read many books on varied subject areas but I hesitated at starting this one due to the subject matter explored, namely sex trafficking. For the record, I have investigated crimes against children and didn't know how I'd feel about the subject being written into a novel.

Where do I begin? This book is incredible. Grothaus managed to hit every emotion in me that, as a reader and writer, left me in awe. This book not only explores love, life and loss but manages that in a a diverse subject area that includes mental health, sex trafficking of children, rape and murder. They are subject areas that are often left well alone unless in a police procedural or a book based on research. Grothaus somehow manages to weave these important areas into a novel that educates as well as makes you laugh. Yes you read that correctly, it makes you laugh. This is NOT a comedy book. That must be made clear. Some of the writing is graphic but it is not gratuitous it is there for a reason. Grothaus is NOT mocking or belittling these serious topics in our society. He has managed to create a work of beauty out of depravity. The narrator has issues and these are explored in a sensitive way. In every human there is a history. As a society we can be too quick to judge and hold court without all the facts. If you love Chuck Palahniuk you will love this. I don't, as rule, like comparing writers but it gives you an idea of style before you commit to reading it.

This is a debut that will be debated and talked about for years to come and for me it is outstanding and deserves every accolade it can get.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Epiphany Jones is the authors debut novel and what he has created with this novel is really quite mind blowing.

We start off meeting Jerry who suffers with psychotic hallucinations and depressive episodes. He is certainly a character that grabs the readers attention. As well as having hallucinations, he has a highly over active imagination and to be honest I didn’t really know what was real and what wasn’t sometimes. He is also quite hung up on sex and it is something he thinks about a lot. And I mean a lot!

To start with the storyline is quite light hearted and I found a few parts quite funny. One incident in particular really tickled my funny bone though and I couldn’t help myself from thinking back to it. When a family friend and work colleague is brutally attacked though and later on dies, things take a very drastic turn for Jerry.

For me this is when the story gets a whole lot darker. When Jerry meets Epiphany, the reader like Jerry to start with, thinks she’s just part of his imagination but it’s not long before he realises she’s real.

Through Epiphany we are taken down a very dark road into the world of sex trafficking. The author doesn’t hold any punches when it comes to giving the reader an insight into this dark and truly disturbing world.

At times I thought this book was quite bonkers. Jerry and Epiphany are two characters that to start with just felt like they had totally lost their marbles. As the revelations started coming though, I saw everything in a different light. The revelations are certainly quite disturbing and left me questioning everything like Jerry was.

Epiphany Jones is quite a quirky novel. It is very different to anything I’ve ever read before. It actually left me at a loss for words, which takes some doing believe me.

A very different but highly enjoyable read.

My thanks to Karen at Orenda books for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh. My. Gosh! I have never read a book quite like Epiphany Jones before. From the moment I read the blurb I HAD to read this book. And look at that cover!! Absolutely stunning. This is a brand new reading experience so I suggest you do everything you can to get hold of a copy. Did I mention that I have NEVER read a book like this one before…??

Jerry suffers from figments, imaginary people who pop into and out of his life at the most inopportune moments. This is due to his traumatic past; his young sister died of leukaemia and his father died in a horrific car accident, Jerry was also in the car at the time. Oh, and he’s addicted to porn. He can keep the figments at bay though by taking his meds, but there’s this one figment who keeps appearing. She even appears in his dreams!

Whilst Jerry is at lunch one day a priceless painting goes missing from the museum where he works. He is accused of the theft but only digs himself in deeper by lying when confronted. Upon his return home he is aghast to find the stolen painting in his apartment. Confused and wanting to distance himself from the booty he leaves his apartment only to bump into his figment, literally. But that can’t happen. Figments are created by his mind and they are not real. Except this one is and she’s not really a figment. She’s Epiphany Jones…

This book contains some pretty dark, gutsy themes and you do need a strong stomach for parts of it. Saying that I am hugely impressed with the way Michael Grothaus has handled these themes within the story. None of the sexual content felt gratuitous and it was very much necessary for the story. Even the moments when Jerry is alone (I shall say no more and let your mind fill in the blanks)…

The story flows smoothly and at an enjoyable pace. My interest was kept from the very first word to the very last. I couldn’t predict where the story was going and I was always surprised by the twists and turns (full marks from me for that!). The humour I adored. The blurb is correct, you do find yourself laughing at things which you know you shouldn’t.

I didn’t like Jerry, I did like Jerry and then I didn’t like Jerry again. Now I have reached the conclusion of the book I definitely DO like Jerry. The rest of the characters I’m not so sure about. That is, except Epiphany. Epiphany is an amazing character, quite possibly my favourite fictional character…ever!

I have to congratulate Michael Grothaus on his use of the word ‘mosey’. It’s not a word I see often in books but it’s one of my favourites. Thank you for using it with such aplomb Mr Grothaus.

Would I recommend this book? I most certainly would. I would, however, add a cautionary note about it not being for the faint hearted. There is a lot of bad language, copious amounts of sexual content (it’s about sex-trafficking and Jerry is addicted to porn, after all) and a fair amount of graphic violence that even made my tummy flip and that’s saying something as I love blood, guts and gore in my books!

Five stars out of five.

Thanks to Karen Sullivan at Orenda Books for my copy of Epiphany Jones in exchange for an honest review.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Epiphany Jones – A Highly Original Debut

It would be easy to call Epiphany Jones a stunning debut but it is better than that, it is jaw droppingly brilliant, highly original, thrilling and funny. How do you turn pornography, sex trafficking, Hollywood with a splash of comedy in to an exciting and inventive thriller? It should not work, but it does and that is down to the writing of Michael Grothaus proving that he is a talent that needs to be watched, as he will only get better.

This psychological thriller looks at the modern phenomena the addiction to pornography, through the aid of the internet, the centuries old sex trafficking still going on today and being able to atone for our past sins and those of others.

They say the opening line of a book should capture the reader from the start, and people will often quote the opening to The Tale of Two Cities as the classical opening. Well when Epiphany Jones opens with the sentence “Tonight I’m having sex with Audrey Hepburn” and then we find Jerry cracking one off to the pornographic image, it really is a case of welcome to the modern world, and an unspoken addiction many have.

Jerry has never been the same since his father, a Hollywood PR guru died in a car accident, while Jerry was in the car. At the same time his younger sister Emma had died through leukaemia, he and his mother had moved to Chicago to start over again. Jerry is a single young man, who lives with his imaginary friends alone, and works in an art gallery.

His mother’s ex-lover had helped Jerry get a job at the gallery, a job he does not particularly enjoy, but it is a job. While setting up an exhibition a priceless Van Gogh is stolen and one of the curators is murdered, Jerry is accused of murder and theft. He somehow has to head underground but not before he attacks his mother with a dildo, you will have to read to find that reason out!

When one of his figments of his imagination turns out to be real, but hears voices from God, can Jerry’s life get any worse? Epiphany Jones insists that she needs Jerry and that he needs to trust her as she leads him down to Mexico, then on to Portugal and France.

Does he really believe Epiphany Jones when she tells him his late father was a monster, one of many in Hollywood, and she needs Jerry to help find her daughter. When faced with a real monster, a trafficker who wants Epiphany, he knows he will never be safe.

As we see Jerry and Epiphany head to Europe in to the belly of the beast, Jerry falls in love for the first time and his imaginary friends start to behave themselves. But as always Epiphany seems to come crashing and thrashing about in his life, as he ultimately heads for an unlikely redemption, that even he did not expect.

What we see is a highly entertaining psychological thriller that looks at some of the taboos of modern society, mental health, addiction, pornography, celebrity and trafficking and tackles them head on. At times darkly humorous, but that is used to ease the reader through some of the very tough subjects dealt with, just as in real life we use humour to conquer bad situations.

This is truly my debut thriller of the year for some many different reasons, as Michael Grothaus has crafted a stunning debut that really will grab you from the start. Epiphany Jones is a rollercoaster ride of emotions, funny and disturbing all in one book with twists you cannot anticipate. This really is a highly original debut proving the Michael Grothaus really is a talent to watch.

[ReadsSometimes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jerry has a traumatic past that leaves him subject to psychotic hallucinations and depressive episodes. When he stands accused of stealing a priceless Van Gogh painting, he goes underground, where he develops an unwilling relationship with a woman who believes that the voices she hears are from God. Involuntarily entangled in the illicit world of sex-trafficking amongst the Hollywood elite, and on a mission to find redemption for a haunting series of events from the past, Jerry is thrust into a genuinely shocking and outrageously funny quest to uncover the truth and atone for historical sins.

This book is genuinely outstanding. From the first few chapters, I was hooked. I would even say it's quite addictive. The story and the writing are beautifully unique and the writing is a revelation.

It certainly doesn't hold any punches, though. Oh no...it has a very dark storyline and is quite explicit and graphic all the way through. But alongside this is a wonderful and very dry humor - a dark but enjoyable humor. You do wonder if you are laughing at the right places, but I guess everyone would interpret it their own way.

This has to be one of the best books I've read in 2016 - seriously...it is that good! It was a pleasure and a joy to read! A massive 5*+ I can't recommend this one enough.

i was sent this book by the publisher - Orenda Books for an honest review. Thank you.

[Anni · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a timely, harrowing and graphic account of the sordid side of Hollywood celebrity culture, including sex-trafficking, child prostitution and pornography. The unreliable narrator is on the run as the prime suspect in a violent crime and is suffering from psychotic hallucinations. Though there is plenty of dark humour to lighten the mood, the reader should be prepared for a severe assault on their sensibilities.

Reviewed for Whichbook.net

[Tripfiction · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thriller: from Chicago to Mexico to Portugal to France...

This review first appeared on our blog where we also talk to the author about trafficking, writing and Cannes and more... http://www.tripfiction.com/novel-set-...

A venal, yet at time darkly humorous novel that plumbs the visceral recesses of human life. Jerry Dresden is a child of the early 80s, who has been severely bullied at school. At the age of 10 his little sister is diagnosed with leukaemia and passes away just as he is emerging into his adolescent years. He loses not only his sister but also his father, a PR in the Hollywood film industry. His mother is an expert on the life of Joan of Arc, and a seminal moment comes in his life – early in the book – when he clubs his Mother with her dildo.

The profound loss suffered in his early teenage years is plugged by an ever increasing interest in pornography and sex. Astutely observed, this activity is indeed “a cover for your misery“. His early experiments escalate until it all “begins to snowball” out of control. This is sexual addiction writ large, compounded by psychosis. Jerry is an increasingly isolated young man, stuck at the emotional age of early adolescence, when the traumas in his life took place. Soon he finds that he is accompanied by Epiphany who is a charismatic flesh and blood character yet at times an ingnis fatuus (IF) who guides, harasses and cajoles him …. Even she is not free of his sexual predation.

A van Gogh painting is missing and the finger of culpability is soon pointed at Jerry.

This is a strong and at times shocking read, that challenges, and leads the reader into a world that could be starkly drawn by the medieval artist Hieronymus Bosch, where anything is possible, where people are trafficked, abused and misused. Not a lot has changed in the intervening centuries it would seem. And yet, there is black humour which relieves the bleak and complex meanderings of a deeply troubled man navigating his way through life. It is a struggle to really like him, as the self referring chaos that accompanies his life is hard to stomach – take his response to the news that an orphanage has burned down, to which he replies that that is like Disneyland compared to his life; or that he dabbles with under age prostitutes.

In search of a video tape, which hopefully will exonerate him from a murder charge, Jerry sets off in the company of his female IF, Epiphany, from the West Coast of America towards Mexico. Jerry makes for an absurd sight in his My Little Pony T-Shirt, but this is a novel of the absurd. From there it is on to Porto in Portugal, where he meets Bela and then further on to the South of France.

The history of Joan of Arc is integral to the narrative – a woman who was revered and reviled, people either loved or hated her. The women in “Epiphany Jones” are used and abused but can also be sage and insightful in the eyes of this one man, who weaves in and out of reality. Women were horrifically burned at the stake in the 15th century of Joan of Arc, and contemporary chronicler and artist of the time Hieronymus Bosch imaginatively recorded the horrors of life and from his own (psychotic?) imagination. Today women are just skewered in other ways. This is not a novel for those who are uncomfortable with scenes of violence and a sexual nature.

[Shelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the descriptive blurb of Epiphany Jones, I was really unsure of what to expect. Was this going to be a dark comedy? Bizarro fiction? A serious indictment of Hollywood's seedy pedophiliac underbelly? A stark look at international sex trafficking? Was it going to be a mystery, or a thriller? And didn't I detect a hint of magical realism?

The answer to all these questions… is "yes".

The book starts off running right from the first page, and doesn't let up for the next 365 pages, which is, coincidentally, exactly how long it is. The opening chapter is both wickedly funny and totally irreverent as we get to know the protagonist, Jerry, who is a bit hapless and has clearly made some questionable life decisions while simultaneously hinting at unplumbed depths from childhood tragedy and loss. But however whip-smart Jerry might not be, the writing is – engaging with every sentence, describing weird borderline absurdist happenings while still conveying great heart and genuine pathos.

We soon meet Epiphany Jones, and, along with Jerry, try to figure out: first, if she's even real or just a hallucination, if she's an ally or foe, what she's hiding, and if she herself is hallucinating. Epiphany is a unique character – a mystery who is by turns an avenging warrior, a vulnerable little girl, a manipulative shrew, seemingly imperturbable and impenetrable, and profoundly compassionate. It takes the entire book for us and for Jerry to know what exactly to make of her, but she is a brilliantly written, absolutely compelling character you will not soon forget.

Epiphany completely upends Jerry's world, both externally and internally, shattering his present, influencing his future, and bringing to the surface his past. Jerry evolves a great deal from those wacky and weird circumstances of the early chapters, and along with him, the book evolves, too: the situation becomes more serious and the stakes higher, tension mounts, themes get darker, the predicament more dire. It doesn't happen all at once; like the proverbial frog sitting in the slowly-heating pan of water, the suspense and intensity kept building – just barely perceptibly at first, but with increasing acceleration, until I realized I was reading with eyes as big as saucers and gnawing on my fingernails.

And then the twists started coming.

My partner started to tease me for the number of times I would seemingly randomly vociferate, "OH MY GOD!" from my side of the bed (not to mention how long I'd continue to stay up reading long past the time he'd put down his own book and gone to sleep). And yet each twist and turn, regardless of how much of a shock it initially imparted, was also a completely organic and logical next step in the story as it had already unfolded; there were no long-lost uncles springing out of the woodwork to take the plot on some crazy left turn, no deus ex machinas to contrive or deflect some new development.

At this juncture I feel like I should interject a warning to potential readers. The serious indictment of Hollywood's seedy pedophiliac underbelly and the stark look at international sex trafficking that I mentioned in the first paragraph could not be more serious or stark – and unfortunately, that comes with a lot of graphic details. Anyone with a history of childhood sexual abuse may be seriously triggered, and it's no walk in the park either even if you have no such history. It's dark, it's intense, and it's violent. Although the humorous moments remain throughout the book, the more severe and disturbing elements intensify as it progresses, and they're not in the least bit surreal or fantastical; they are grittily realistic, and, in the case of Hollywood's pedophilia, according to Corey Feldman, Elijah Wood, and other former child actors, completely representative of what actually does go on behind the scenes. Combine that with an equally ripped-from-the-headlines narrative about international sex trafficking, and you have some extreme and difficult real-world topics to contend with in this book. Be prepared.

But the payoff is so worth it. This book that I started out describing as deliciously weird actually ends on a transcendent note: poignant, hopeful, and heart-wrenchingly beautiful. Epiphany Jones packs a wallop on so many levels; it is not to be missed. This is a brilliant debut outing for Michael Grothaus, and I can't wait to see what his future novels will bring.

I am grateful to the publisher, Orenda Books, for providing me a paperback copy of this book via Goodreads Giveaways. The opinions in this review are 100% honest and completely my own!

[Jackie Law · Rating 5 out of 5]

Epiphany Jones, by Michael Grothaus, is a book that took me so far beyond my comfort zone that I was tempted to set it aside. The challenging subject matter – child sex trafficking, pornography, and man’s ability to look the other way – left me feeling depressed and disturbed, not least because I am aware that these things happen in real life. And little is done to clamp down on the sex trade when the wealthy, the powerful, and the famous are involved. It is easier to look the other way and get on with ordinary life, easier for all except the victims.

Such a story could not work, and this one does work, if it were not tamped with humour. Unusually this humour is not fueled by women, whose feelings and behaviours are so routinely mined and mocked for men’s amusement. Rather it is the wider attitudes of society as a whole, and in particular the cult of celebrity, that are deftly unmasked. Asides are scattered throughout the horrific aspects of the tale, leading to laughter at the most improbable of situations.

The reader is taken into the dark heart of what some men will do if they think they can get away with it, how the powerful will use the vulnerable as a commodity from which personal pleasure and profit may be derived without concern for the pain this will inflict. Alongside are the conceits and foolishnesses that colour everyday life. The story is as cleverly written as it is challenging. I couldn’t set it aside because I needed to know what happened next.

The protagonist, Jerry Dresden, is a man with problems. He is addicted to porn and is plagued by people he hears and sees who do not exist. When he manages to sleep he suffers vivid, recurring nightmares. Through a friend of his parents he has been given a job at a museum which he hates.

Early on we learn that Jerry’s little sister died before she reached her teens, and that he blames himself for her death. A few years later he was a passenger in his father’s car when it hit a tree, killing the man. Jerry’s mother moved them across the country, away from Hollywood where her husband had worked in PR for a successful film producer. Jerry coped with these traumas by immersing himself in tacky television and the darker side of the internet.

The action kicks off when a young woman Jerry remembers from a dream, Epiphany Jones, ambushes his life. She frames him for theft and murder in order to blackmail him into accompanying her to Mexico. There he discovers a world controlled by violent pimps and people traffickers. Epiphany will not explain to him what she is trying to achieve, only that she is being instructed by God.

As Jerry and Epiphany travel from place to place the violence they encounter rises. The slow reveal of their backstories is as shocking as their ongoing problem with a powerful and sadistic thug named Nico. He has an empire to protect and the money to buy immunity from the law. He also has a history with Epiphany.

The denouement draws each thread together for a dramatic finale which, whilst upping the death count significantly, continues to poke fun at the foibles of a public intent on idolising their celluloid heroes and the behaviours this creates in the stars. The glitterati are as much a commodity to the Hollywood money makers as everything else these career making men encounter. The edifice they construct, built on the shallowest of foundations yet coveted by so many, brings out the basest of behaviours in their successes who consider themselves entitled to whatever they desire.

A sobering read that left me reeling, yet also a brilliant depiction of a skewed world where style matters more than substance and people are reduced to product. The writing is raw and unflinching, the story deftly put together with a depth that offers much for the reader to ponder. It has been said that good fiction’s job is to disturb the comfortable – this book is an extraordinary read that unstintingly succeeds.

My copy of this book was provided gratis by the publisher, Orenda Books.

[Raven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entering the surreal and dark world of Epiphany Jones is very much akin to being thrown out of an aeroplane and spiralling into a freefall with the initial euphoric feeling that, yes there is a rip cord, but then being stricken by the fear that this rip cord may well malfunction. From the outset you will be repulsed, gripped, endlessly unsettled, and yet strangely moved, as you become more deeply enmeshed in the scatological and disturbing world of a certain Mr Jerry Dresden…

I will confess that on embarking reading this book there was an overwhelming sense of just what the hell is going on here, and who the hell is this crass, sexually gauche and downright weird individual that I am meant to be engaging with? But, I promise you wholeheartedly, that as much as your teeth are set on edge by the sheer social awkwardness and sexual ineptitude of Dresden, it is a testament to the bravery and cleverness of Grothaus’ writing that every preconception you initially hold will be fundamentally challenged as the story progresses. It’s a risky strategy, but what is life without a little bit of risk taking, and producing writing that genuinely challenges and stretches your reader? Such is the case with Grothaus’ unique approach in the characterisation of both Dresden, and the manipulative and deeply emotionally scarred Epiphany Jones, who crashes in to Dresden’s small world with the power of a heat seeking missile. Grappling with his own psychotic delusions, Dresden is inveigled in a world of blackmail, violence and exploitation that proves as much as an epiphany to his own sense of self, as the fractured and dangerous world of Epiphany threatens to destroy them both. At one point Dresden comments that he feels ‘like a figment, of a figment, of a figment’ as the unreliability of formative memories and the blurring of truth and lies, the real and the unreal are consistently explored both in his character and that of Epihany herself. As the powerfully emotive details of Epiphany’s manipulation and abuse, within the world of sex trafficking come to the fore, there is a reshaping and shifting of Dresden’s character that is joyous to behold. When these two characters are not directly interacting with each other there is a palpable lull in the tension of the book, that Grothaus ramps up when their paths cross again setting up a compelling ebb and flow to the rhythm of their relationship, and giving a real vitality to the characterisation throughout, superbly manipulating and toying with the readers’ emotional responses to both.

I think it’s worth reiterating here that if you want to get a real handle on the dark social and political recesses of any society, that crime fiction is the most reliable narrative form to accomplish this, and this book demonstrates this beautifully. Not only does this book present us with a stark, and painfully truthful, depiction of the nefarious world of sex trafficking, made all the more powerful by the reportage style of Epiphany’s testament, but also challenges and plays with the reader’s sensibilities, and view of the world consistently. So along the way you will also encounter God, cybersex, the overblown world of celebrity, social alienation, and psychotic disturbance, in a sharp, acerbic style and at times underscored with a humour of the blackest black, and top notch satirical observation, which was hugely appreciated by this reader.

Epiphany Jones is a real seat of the pants read, and utterly uncompromising. It’s graphic, visceral, mordantly funny, thought provoking and at times profoundly moving. It’s not for all, but it was certainly all for this one. I absolutely loved it, and big kudos from the Raven for Mr Grothaus for such clever, risk-taking and challenging fiction writing. Highly recommended.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Epiphany Jones by Michael Grothaus was published in paperback by Orenda Books on 30 June 2016 and is the author's debut novel.


Michael Grothaus is a daring author. Epiphany Jones is a dark, disturbing story that dances with the most sordid and sleazy of subjects and people, yet it is also quite beautiful and compassionate and incredibly funny.

The reader meets Jerry in quite alarming circumstances, some people will be shocked, but many, like me, will be intrigued, and Jerry certainly is an intriguing and complex character. Perfectly created, with layers of contradictions and a depth that is quite intense.


Jerry's life has been full of drama and trauma. He spends his time watching porn on the TV in a darkened room. His world explodes when he becomes the main suspect in a murder and robbery, and this is also where Epiphany Jones enters the story. She's another wonderful character, she's damaged, but she's assured ... because God speaks to her, and he will make sure she's OK.

The reader, along with Jerry is thrust into the world of sex trafficking, drug dealing, porn, abuse and the hedonistic lifestyles of the Hollywood celebrities. It's absolutely full-on, it's uncomfortable and it's vividly imagined, but it's so compelling, so well put together and the black humour is absolute genius.

I was left with a feeling of sadness, and horror and a lot of anger about the world that Michael Grothaus so cleverly portrays within this story. There is no doubt in my mind that the things that happen within these pages really do happen in the real world, and the fact that people continue to allow this to happen, to actually make it happen is a very sobering thought.

Epiphany Jones is a book that certainly took me away from any comfort zone that I have, and there are scenes that are shocking. It isn't often that I struggle with words to describe a story, but Epiphany Jones is a book that is very difficult to review. .I enjoyed every page of it. It's witty and dark and quite extraordinary.

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[Jena · Rating 4 out of 5]

“In Hollywood it’s not what you create that matters, it’s the image you portray.”

Before I start this review, I need to warn readers that this book has almost all the trigger warnings a book could have. It is dark, brutally so, and deals with very real but very horrifying issues like child sex trafficking, rape, abuse, and mental illness. These scenes, while not overly graphic in nature, are very realistic and chilling.

This review may also contain minor spoilers. I will avoid them as much as possible, but be warned, minor spoilers may find themselves below.

Epiphany Jones is a difficult book to describe. It feels strange to describe a book that so accurately explores grotesque topics as good. But for all its horror, it is a very good book. Grothaus balances the gut wrenching scenes with sharp dark humor, and the combination is both unsettling and entertaining.

Jerry, a unique unreliable narrator, struggles with mental illness. He is subject to hallucinations of a very visceral sort, believing that these people he sees are real at first. He also has a massive porn addiction. Of course, he’s been in therapy and these visions go away when he’s on medication. The problem is, he isn’t always on his medication. And it doesn’t really do anything for the porn problem.

“When you think something isn’t real you just don’t pay too much attention to it. But you sober up quickly when your imaginary friend stabs you with a spork.”

Unfortunately for Jerry, he finds himself off his meds and in the middle of the theft of a priceless Van Gogh. And he’s the main suspect. Which forces him into hiding with Epiphany Jones, a woman who hears the voice of God. She is his only chance at redemption.

But in order for Jerry to clear his name, he must solve the mystery of Epiphany and what she wants. And that takes him down a dark road into both of their pasts.

“I’m pretty sure Epiphany doesn’t have a three-strikes-and-you’re-out rule. It’s gotta be two, at most. After that she probably kills you.”

At the beginning, we don’t know how or why Epiphany has chosen Jerry to help her find whatever she’s looking for. It is a very violent path that we go down unraveling the mystery behind Epiphany and, surprisingly, Jerry as well.

Their two histories are intertwined in ways that Jerry refuses to believe until the evidence is overwhelming and pieces of his long buried memory begins to surface. This truth forces Jerry to confront the demons of his past and decide who he wants to actually be moving forward.

“People in real life, when something bad happens, they don’t turn into action heroes or detectives, like they do in the movies. In real life you take the path of least resistance. You do the easiest thing that ensures your survival.”

Even though this book was published June 2017, the subject matter is hauntingly relevant, given news coming out of Hollywood lately. Grothaus has taken the shiny veneer of off what we believe Hollywood to be and taken us into the dark, black rumors that have been whispered about for decades.

It isn’t even raising the idea that Hollywood executives could take place in sex trafficking, of children no less. It’s the entire dirty underside of Hollywood. How people in power abuse their power. Whether it’s the publicist who gets a young woman to sleep with his son over promises of stardom, or succumbing to the whims of a Super Star who must be given whatever perverse pleasure they demand. There is a side to Hollywood carefully controlled and very well hidden.

“The people with the real power in Hollywood don’t need to be recognized. They make the celebrities. And they know each star is just a cog in the wheel. A brand. Each star will be replaced when the time comes.”

What makes this book so good, even though the subject matter is so difficult, is that you can’t help but feel the truth in his words. Sex and power always go hand in hand, and abuse of both always follows closely behind.

But what makes the book even more exceptional, is the accurate examination of trauma and how these deep, deep traumas that occur in childhood, scar and haunt their victims forever. Both Jerry and Epiphany experienced traumatic shocks when they were young. And the extent of that trauma shows in their adult lives.

These fissures in their mental health are clearly shown throughout the plot to be attributed to their experiences as children. Sometimes it’s easy as a society to rank someone’s trauma as better or worse than others. It would have been easy to do that. To show that Epiphany had far more reason to behave in the ways she did than Jerry had. Instead, we get their mental illnesses shown to us as separate and unique as their personalities.

Their experiences shaped them, molded them, and we are shown their pasts in a slow reveal. Grothaus takes us down dark roads and blind alleys, making us assume opinions of both characters. It’s only after opinions are formed that he shines the lights and opens doors to give us more truth and fill in the missing gaps. It is an exercise in empathy. It is an exercise in judgment. And it’s bloody brilliant writing.

“The guy who’s heart you broke when you cheated on him thinks you’re a manipulative bitch, but the homeless person you gave five dollars to thinks you’re a gift from God. The thing is, in a way, everyone is right.”

There is humanity dripping off of these pages, demanding that you open your eyes and look around. It’s easy to hide from these dark subjects, to turn and pretend that it doesn’t happen, that it couldn’t happen. But Hollywood is literally the business of turning humans into a commodity. All Grothaus does is ask us to examine the possibility of what that can truly mean.

This book won’t be for everyone. As I mentioned, there are some dark parts that are very difficult to read. But beyond those passages, this book is stunning in it’s black humor and keen insight. This is a book that will change you, and stay with you long after you close the cover.

Thank you Orenda Books for sending me a copy to read and review!

[Thelastwordreview · Rating 5 out of 5]

The opening line of the book is “Tonight I am having sex with Audrey Hepburn.” I have to admit that I have been struggling for a few weeks trying to write a review for Michael Grothaus’s debut novel Epiphany Jones that will do the book justice not because I did not enjoy reading this but really quite the opposite. It is one of the most incredible books I have read. The difficulty is what the story is about and the content. This book will take you to some of the darkest places in your head than any book I can remember. But it is a book I whole heartily recommend you read.

Some subjects are so difficult to write about let alone incorporate into a novel and I must give credit to Michael Grothaus for the writing a story and making sure that that it is done in a way that is both moving and sensitively written. The statistics on sex trafficking involving children is shocking then there is also the human trafficking and the more you read the worse the it gets so it is important for us all to become educated on what is really going on in our world and in Epiphany Jones the author does just this by telling a story and at the same time educating the reader.
Don’t get me wrong this is not all a dark and depressing read, there is humour in the story there has to be for it to work and that is why it really is so well written. What people do and get away with in our world leaves me cold especially some men. And through the pages of Epiphany Jones it goes to the heart of the very problem.

We get to meet Jerry Dresden, a man with so many problems and when you first meet Jerry you will wonder just what the hell this is on, he is really messed up. Addicted to porn and people that wander in and out of his life, the problem is none of these people actually exist, they are not real life people. These are psychotic hallucinations. Here is a young man with a sack full of problems that he has to carry around with him every day of his life. Some years before we learn that his little sister died and so carries that around with him as he blames himself her death.

Jerry is given a job at the local museum and later is accused of stealing a priceless Van Gogh but Jerry is not quite sure if he did steal the painting and the killing of a colleague at the same time and the lies he tells when he is confronted just make his situation more precarious. Jerry decides it is best if he is not around and goes into hiding along with his hallucinations, then into his life comes Epiphany Jones who now frames him for theft and murder and with a message from god. Epiphany Jones is not an hallucination the problem is she is real and drags Jerry to Mexico there the sheer horror of human trafficking pours out of the pages as they both now seek answers to their very past. It is Jerry who is narrating and Epiphany Jones through him.

My honest opinion is that this is not an easy read and the graphic detail contained within the story will shock some people but this should not put you off reading what is without doubt a blockbuster of a novel. It is not a comfortable read but one that can only be written and told from someone who has spent time as a journalist covering the sickening sex trafficking trade in the US.

Going back to my opening line “Tonight I am having sex with Audrey Hepburn” this is a brave opening line in any book I have ever read for some it will simply shock for others they will see through the opening line you must as your eyes and mind start a journey that at the end you will only be pleased you did. It may leave you reeling like it did with me but you will have just read one of the most extraordinary works of fiction you will have ever read. Some will weep for Jerry as a character some will weep for the blind eye that the authorities take on the human trafficking and sex trade that takes place. We all should.

My thanks to Karen from Orenda Books for the review copy.

[K.E. Coles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! First book I've ever read in one sitting. The subject matter is about as far out of my comfort zone as it's possible to get, but I couldn't stop reading. The main character takes the term 'unreliable narrator' to a whole new level. I was often unsure whether events and people were real or in his imagination. That he has been damaged by traumatic events is obvious almost from the outset, but as the truth comes out, little by little, it just gets more and more horrifying. It makes for a compelling, poignant read. At first, the story is fairly benign and amusing. It doesn't stay like that but gets darker and darker - and darker again. There were passages I found incredibly difficult to read and that I know I won't forget. The fact that the story reflects what actually goes on in reality makes it even more disturbing and heartbreaking. It's tragic, brutal, shocking - and magnificent.
Disclaimer: I was given a copy of this book by the publisher, Orenda Books, in return for an impartial and honest review :)

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jerry Dresden – loser, loner and internet porn addict. Deeply affected by the death of his sister and subsequent loss of his father, Jerry has little to nothing going for him, his only comfort coming from entertaining himself with fake celebrity porn and taking his little yellow pills. Only he hasn’t been so good at taking his pills of late and has been having some really tortured dreams of a young woman running in fear of her life. And his hallucinations are back, the ones his pills are meant to keep at bay. Including her. The woman from his dreams.


When a colleague from work, Roland, is attacked and a valuable painting stolen, Jerry, as the last person to see the painting, immediately becomes the prime suspect. But that is the least of his problems. His hallucination, the woman from his dreams, is following him. She calls herself Epiphany and no number of pills will make her go away. It soon becomes clear that Epiphany is anything but a hallucination, that she has been looking for Jerry and that she is somehow involved in the attack on Roland.

Epiphany is no ordinary young woman. Tortured and out for vengeance she insists that he is the only one who can help her. Knowing he has no choice other than to go with her if he wants to prove his innocence, Jerry becomes her unwilling companion on her quest. But what he will learn, about his dreams, about his family and about the strange woman at his side, is far worse than he could possibly expect. Framed for murder, on the run from police with a very dangerous man on his trail, and trying desperately hard to escape Epiphany, Jerry finds himself sucked into a world of sex-trafficking, horrific abuse and the darkest secrets that Hollywood has to hide. Will he ever be able to prove his innocence or to atone for the sins of the past?

…

Wowsers. This book is quite something. Opening on Jerry getting how can I put this delicately… ‘physical’ over an image of Audrey Hepburn, you can tell from the off that this is a book which will live life on an angle. Don’t let that put you off. This is far more than one man and his porn, although Jerry really does seem to like porn. A lot. Beyond that, Jerry is also a man with mental health problems, a kind of stress disorder which has caused him to hallucinate, seeing people who aren’t there, which is what feeds his initial paranoia over Epiphany. The girl from his dreams. Just another in a long line of imaginary people making his life problematic.

Where to begin with Jerry. He is so very wrong and yet I really grew to like him as a character. He is flawed, oh boy is he, but his dry, somewhat sardonic observations, really make this book something special. Along with some of the unbelievably crazy situations that he finds himself in, his thoughts add an element of humour to what is otherwise a very difficult subject. He is not your average Joe, but he is living a pretty average life, at least until the point he meets Epiphany. He is deeply affected by the death of his sister when they were younger, and his affection for her which threads throughout the story is beautiful. The descriptions of their times together, of how he read to her in the hospital, is a moment of light in a whole world of darkness. And when he finally finds love, he is a man who loves with all his heart.

Epiphany is somewhat of an enigma. Initially even the reader is uncertain as to whether she really is one of Jerry’s hallucinations. But as Jerry soon finds out, she is very, very real. Her past is very dark and disturbing, and her quest far more selfless than you may imagine when this story starts out. Despite her methods, I have a lot of compassion for her character. However, Grothaus has written her perfectly so that you will remain on the fence about whether to trust her for the longest time.

Now, despite the humour in the opening and the far too funny scene in which Jerry attacks his mother (oh lord I don’t think I’ll ever forget that one), this is a book with a very dark soul. This is a story of kidnapping, sex trafficking, abuse of minors and very extreme violence. And yet nothing is told in a particularly gratuitous way. There are scenes which will make you cringe, scenes that will make you angry, and scenes that will make you want to look away. But the way in which it is told, through Jerry’s voice as he recounts what he has seen and been told, gives the reader a layer of protection. Makes the sickening world that Epiphany has known as accessible as a subject like this can be. While books are always essentially there to entertain, this is a tough story to make light of, but Grothaus has captured the delicate balance of horror, humour, outrage and compassion perfectly.

Beyond being a story about abuse and the horrific world of modern sexual-slavery, this book also takes a very stark look at the dark side of money and power. Set within the sphere of the Hollywood elite, this could easily be any world where money and power can buy you whatever you want, and souls and morals are optional. Grothaus has depicted the vacuous side of fame perfectly; the too-white smiles; the willingness to do whatever it takes to make it; the secret addictions, money, drugs, sex, which afflict even the richest and most loved people in society. The belief that being rich and famous makes you untouchable. Guess what guys. Epiphany begs to differ.

This book never makes light of the abuse, and it does not play out for shock values. But it will shock and it will affect you. The murders are graphic, the abuse nauseating. But there are tender moments between Jerry and a woman he meets in Portugal, Bela, and the scene with the jack-o-lanterns is particularly touching. However, it is at the end, when Epiphany’s quest is finally over, when Jerry does what he does best and tells a story, that you will be truly moved. When you will shed a tear for all that has been lost and all that has been found. When you will realise that for all the humour, the porn, the abuse and the darkness, this is a completely brilliant piece of writing.

A disturbingly funny, grotesquely wonderful 5 stars.

[Gordon Mcghie · Rating 5 out of 5]

From page one, I knew I was going to love this book. What I hadn’t realised at that early point was just how much!

Meet Jerry. He has had a rough old time of it whilst growing up. He sees imaginary people (his ‘figments’), he is depressive, dangerously addicted to celebrity internet porn (fake) and may have stolen a Van Gogh painting from work (but he isn’t sure). Jerry’s life is about to change in ways that he could never possibly have imagined and it is all down to a girl called Epiphany Jones – but can Jerry even be sure she is real?

If you read the introductory text from the book and took in the phrase sex-trafficking and then spotted my reference to internet porn you will realise that Epiphany Jones may not be catering for everyone’s tastes. There are some very dark, graphic and disturbing scenes in this book. They are powerful, emotive, chilling and excellently handled by the author. The harsh backdrop of the story is often lifted by laugh out loud moments as there are some wonderfully comedic scenes to enjoy too…Jerry’s visit to his mother’s house is worth the admission price alone.

So with Jerry’s life in turmoil what of the titular Ms Jones? Well she is something of an enigma. Her history is a closed book. She shares nothing more than she has to and she maintains she hears God’s voice as He is guiding her mission. Jerry and Epiphany are the oddest couple I have encountered in a long time yet it works!

It absolutely and totally works.

Their conflicted relationship (not that type) bounces from flashpoint to flashpoint and the pair frequently clash. Well Jerry clashes – Epiphany just deals with it as she knows that God has brought them together for a reason.

Grothaus has taken the dark subject of sex-trafficking and made it a bedfellow of the glitz, glamour and sleaze of Hollywood. Worlds collide in spectacular fashion and Jerry and Epiphany are caught up in the middle of the carnage. It makes for utterly compulsive reading.

I cannot say enough good things about Epiphany Jones, it was a phenomenal read and, at the end, it left me somewhat traumatised. I have concentrated on the dark subjects and the black humour but there is a love story lurking, a story of self discovery and a tale of a lost soul trying to be found. This is a book that needs to be read – assuming you can handle it.

Epiphany Jones is the perfect blend of thrills, comedy and darkness. It is going to take something special to top it this year, but I know already that this is going to be a book that I will recommend for many years to come.

A 5/5 review score for Epiphany Jones – but only because I cannot score it more than 5. It blew me away.

[Tony · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Tonight I'm having sex with Audrey Hepburn. Audrey’s breasts are different from the last time we fucked; they’re bigger, not as a firm. There’s a hint of a stretch mark on the left one. The leading lady is bent over, gripping the bedpost.”

….and so begins one of the most impressive and original books I've read to date. Michael Grothaus’ Epiphany Jones is a blisteringly sharp and biting novel that will drop jaws with every revelation.

A précis from the jacket / pr:

Jerry has a traumatic past that leaves him subject to psychotic hallucinations and depressive episodes. When he stands accused of stealing a priceless Van Gogh painting, he goes underground, where he develops an unwilling relationship with a woman who believes that the voices she hears are from God. Involuntarily entangled in the illicit world of sex-trafficking amongst the Hollywood elite, and on a mission to find redemption for a haunting series of events from the past, Jerry is thrust into a genuinely shocking and outrageously funny quest to uncover the truth and atone for historical sins.

Yep; one hell of a premise. Michael Grothaus expertly treads the line between outright hilarity and darkly disturbing, maintaining sufficiently steady a balance to keep readers gripped without . That’s not to say it doesn't shock and appal – indeed, despite the sputter-your-coffee opening this novel is definitely not one for the light-hearted. Without wanting to give too much away, Epiphany Jones runs the gamut – from celebrity-porn addiction, the vacuity of Hollywood and the obsession with celebrity culture to moments which touch upon the very worst of humanity and some that are genuinely shocking in their brutality.

It takes a very brave writer to take his audience down those roads and a very gifted one to do so in such a way as to keep them with him. From the opening chapter it’s clear that Grothaus is just such a writer. He knows how to get a reader hooked and hooked in such a manner as to hold them, no matter how dark the road is going to get. The plot leads in gently – Jerry, king of the asides, is a celebrity-porn obsessed guy who also happens to suffer from psychotic hallucinations who goes from a mundane life working behind the scenes at Chicago’s Art Institute (when he’s not taking me-time breaks with Variety) to a violent life on the run that leads him to blowing open an international child sex-trafficking ring. Humour helps (if my First Aid training didn't teach me not to put fingers down a choking person’s throat then this book did), as does the brilliant pace and the fact that the characters are brilliantly realised and intriguing enough to get you fully invested in them. As the plot unfolds there is so much to take in that it’s impossible to not want to see it through, Grothaus baits the narrative with enough mystery and intrigue to keep you desperate for more with each jaw-dropping revelation leading to another.

Back when I took my Literature degree I took what many considered an odd choice and wrote my dissertation on the use of humour in the works of Hemingway and Steinbeck. Yeah because books like The Grapes of Wrath and A Farewell To Arms are known fodder for stand-up routines. But, you see, we need to laugh when dealing with heavy stuff. How many times do you need to hear “laughter is the best medicine�� or see examples of gallows humour when we’re trying to cope with darkness? Just as Papa mixes his comedy with vulgarity or Steinbeck peppers his dialogue with left hands covered with Vasoline, in Epiphany Jones, too, the humour is key – from the dry observations to the occasional slapstick, it’s how Grothaus manages to pull you through and keep you with him. It’s how he helps lure you down into darker waters – by the time it gets real dark over the Mexico border, for example, you know you’re already in good hands – and yet it never threatens to take away from the seriousness of just what is being exposed. It even manages to ensure that while he’s not top of the likeable list at the start of the book, the reader develops an increasing soft-spot for Jerry and will share in his devastation at the end. Indeed, don’t be fooled; when the jokes stop Grothaus can hit you with an emotional and dramatic punch like the best of them. Here, too, are occasions when you may need to put the book down to truly process what you've just witnessed.

Everything is in here – from gripping pace to outright shock, from murder to birth, abuse to revenge and from comedy to tragedy. Epiphany Jones is a very, very clever, tightly-knit book that delivers more depth, pacing and reading pleasure than most and an ending that leaves you with just as many questions and “now what?”s as it does conclusions. I can’t recommend it enough.

[Anne Goodwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

If the plot seems to creak ever so slightly in places, it’s just the sound of another piece of the jigsaw being transferred to a more intriguing place. In the end, everything fits: character, back story, setting and incidentals building an outstanding debut novel.
Full review
Two novels about young men forced to face the real world http://annegoodwin.weebly.com/1/post/...

[Karen Cole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Epiphany Jones is not an easy book to read. This isn't a criticism but the subject matter means there's dark then there's Epiphany Jones dark. So it was a book that took me a while to read, every so often I had to leave it for a bit to process my thoughts. The main protagonists in the book, Jerry and the eponymous Epiphany aren't straightforward characters, they are multifaceted, frequently unsympathetic and hard to like. Jerry has a serious porn addiction, the story is told through his voice and he is an unreliable narrator who has suffered hallucinations (his figments) since the death of his younger sister. At first he appears to be violently misogynistic and it is a testament to the author's writing that as more is gradually revealed about Jerry's past I came to not only sympathise with him but to actively root for him as the 'hero' of the book. Epiphany is a fascinating character, I don't want to give too much away here but she is a brutal yet vulnerable enigma and for me the novel is at its strongest when she appears.
Jerry is forced to go on the run after his colleague is murdered (a camera tripod through the eye) and he is prime suspect. Epiphany holds the key to his proving his innocence but she demands his help first and he is drawn into a murky world of violence, blackmail and child sex trafficking. It is the child abuse that makes this book hard to read, the author pulls no punches. His writing is searingly honest which given the hideous subject matter really should be applauded. It would not be right to gloss over such heinous crimes and Grothaus ensures the abuse is described as horrifically as it should be. However, the book is still darkly comic at times, particularly when the author uses razor sharp wit in exposing the superficiality of Hollywood and the cult of celebrity. Epiphany Jones began as I book I wasn't sure I'd like, as the layers of secrets and lies were stripped away I found myself drawn in - albeit needing to take a break occasionally - and by the denouement I was in unable to put down territory. It's an extraordinary book, raw, brave and does what fiction at it's best can do - it shines a light on those dark recesses of society and forces us to confront the truth that behind the glamour is often something far more sordid and seedy. It's a book that will stay with me for a long time.
Epiphany Jones is published by Orenda Books and is available in the UK now. Many thanks to the publishers for my advance copy.

[Maggie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I know this had had seriously good reviews and so I am totally in the minority here but I did not enjoy or like it and kept going hoping I would enjoy it more but alas no...
The plot in my opinion was part drama and part thriller. Humour was used where I thought "I am supposed to laugh now" but didn't. I guess it is in part 'dark' comedy but one would have to like the shade of 'dark' portrayed which I did not.
The book is extremely explicit with sex acts throughout. To describe them as seriously illegal and immoral does not even cover it.
I read that the author researched sex trafficking for some time as a journalist. I could believe this as sex trafficking is a serious theme here up close and personal.
I could not personally recommend this and hope I can soon forget it and never come across it again.

[Kev · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great novel. Brilliantly written. Uncomfortable to read at times, as it should be. funny in parts, sad in others. I can't speak highly enough of this book. There were a few unresolved issues at the end, but overall, this is a brilliant piece of work.

[Nelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was quite an extraordinary read, harsh and I suspect true to life in places. Highlights just how truly awful some people can be given the chance.

Highly imaginatively written and I would recommend for fans of the not your average thriller variety.

Huge thanks to Orenda Books for my ARC.

[David Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the heart of this book is a quest for redemption and atonement. It also confronts head on a real sense of darkness in our culture. There is no denying though that it is a tough book. I don't normally attach trigger warnings in reviews but for this book, I should say that there are themes of sexual abuse and violence.

There's intermittent controversy amongst readers and online reviewers about "likeable characters" in books. One sees, for example, reviews on Amazon where books are downvoted "because I couldn't like the characters". My view is that this is an over naive approach to literature - but if that is your outlook you may not get on with this book.

The two main characters in Epiphany Jones are Jerry, a young man who has the mother of all Internet porn addictions, and Epiphany, a young woman with a dark and troubled past. Epiphany has a goal and is ruthless in her pursuit of it: Jerry seems to be he chosen means of achieving the goal.

The shark picture on the book's cover alludes to Jerry's role in the book, explained by a story quotes early on - hoiked out of its natural environment and flung onto land to be assaulted and destroyed in an alien world. That's Jerry's (who tells the story) point of view from the start, right from the moment he finds himself under suspicion of theft and murder. The reader (well, this reader) doesn't sympathise with him much. He's a bit of a slacker. While it's clear early on that he has "issues" - a dead sister and father - his way of coping with those (a library of pictures in which the faces of well known actresses are photoshopped onto the bodies of porn stars) is, if perhaps true to life, also pretty squalid. It is a sad subculture he's part of, a fact which Grothaus conveys in ways both amusing - as in this online exchange:

'Just this person' I type, not knowing how much I should say.
'OMFG!!!' he types 'IT'S A GIRL ISN'T IT?!?!?!?!?!?!'
And I don't type back.
'Where did you meet one?' he types.

- and also downright repellent. On a couple of occasions, Jerry's anger at a woman seems to be expressed by him considering sexual violence towards her.

Jerry is mixed up in other respects as well, seeing "figments", people who aren't there, both of real people he's met and wholly imaginary ones and making up girlfriends (a fiction his work colleagues and mother see through immediately). In particular he's haunted by a dream of a young girl - a girl he begins to think he sees, though older, in real life...

Anyone less suited to go on the run from both the police and a people trafficking mafia - sans money, sans meds, sans everything, aided only by a woman who talks to God - would be hard to imagine.

Epiphany seems more straightforward, if more driven and indeed more driving of the plot. She is working towards a definite end (although she won't share what it is). Jerry's mother is an expert on Joan of Arc, and there's a clear comparison between Epiphany - with her voices, her suffering - and Joan, as women who, despite enveloping male violence, set out to achieve their goals. It's a mystery for most of the story exactly what those aims are and perhaps even more why she would want anything to do with Jerry at all much less see him as the means to those ends.

Grothaus produces a compelling story out of these tensions. Saying much more about the detail of the plot would spoil it, but it's essentially an international chase to an uncertain end and once things really get going, you simply have to keep turning the page to see what will happen next. The writing, which is excellent, simply keeps things moving on. Grothaus uses a loosely noirish style, written in the present tense:
'Listen,' I say, 'I'm going with you to Ensenada, right? So you need to start being open with me. Who were you talking to?'
She says nothing.
'And, I mean, what's in Mexico?'
Again, nothing.
'And, why Ensenada?'
And Epiphany says, '...'
In particular he has a way of introducing Epiphany's, and other characters' but mainly her, speech, with variations on "And Epiphany, she says..." which have the effect of making it sound sound natural, inevitable, almost Biblical, underscoring the drivenness of this story and of course the supernatural voices she claims are leading here and Jerry to their uncertain end.

We gradually learn more about Epiphany's shocking background, the wrongs she has suffered, and what she will do to save others from what happened to her. The tragic events in Jerry's life also become clear bit by bit (although I have to say, I had guessed the very final revelation some time before it came). There are some extremely dark aspersions cast at the reality of the Hollywood film industry: both about what actors may be forced to do to get that big break, and how wealth and power are used and abused by the men at the top.

Greater knowledge may not mean you like Epiphany or Jerry more - she does some terrible things, he adds to his flaws an unpleasant strain of cowardice and indecision - but you will I think come to care about them and indeed to cheer them on to success (though in the shabby world portrayed here, just what that might mean isn't always clear).

Grothaus deserves credit for tackling some traumatic themes head on (and Orenda for publishing the book) and doing so with verve and humour. This will though be a hard book for some to read and isn't for everyone, but ultimately, will be rewarding for those who do (as well as frequently funny: one death towards the end is almost laugh out loud funny and had me shouting "YES" as I read it).

[Mary Picken · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some books just grab you from the beginning and Epiphany Jones is just such a book. This is proper revenge tragedy, with guts, death, blood, pornography and downright sadism.

Jerry is a sad man. His sister died at a young age, and his father was killed in a car accident in which he was a passenger. Jerry’s sense of guilt leads him to hide away in the dark watching porn and having conversations with people who are not there; figments of his porn addled brain.

He is the archetypal anti-hero, living a small, angry, disappointing life.

Suddenly his miserable life is turned upside down when he is accused of stealing a priceless work of art and of the murder of its curator. And this is where we meet the avenging angel who is the eponymous Epiphany Jones. Dark, amazing, sexy, Epiphany takes hold of Jerry’s life and hauls him well out of his gloomy comfort zone. Epiphany is driven by her communications with God. She knows what has to be done, and she is absolutely convinced that Jerry is the man who must do it, whether he wants to or not.

In a writing tour de force she turns our reluctant anti-hero into a powerful force for good, taking on the despicable world of sex traffickers; taking down drug dealers and finally, laying bare the Hollywood culture that was ultimately responsible for everything that has been rotten about Jerry’s life.

He does not turn into Superman; rather Grothaus takes our reluctant hero, blackmailed into travelling across country; bullied into taking on dangerous villains and with humour and finely crafted dialogue, turns Jerry from anti-hero into a man we cheer on to succeed and become a true hero. This is a real bobby dazzler book with its roots in the finest dramatic traditions, made new for the 21st century.

Epiphany Jones is a compelling read and a very worthy addition to the already very impressive stable of authors at Orenda Books.

[Rob Kitchin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Epiphany Jones is a rollercoaster of a read as its two principle characters, Jerry Dresden and Epiphany Jones take a long-distance journey, trying to track down the latter’s daughter, leaving in their wake a trail of violence. Both Jerry and Epiphany are mentally damaged. While Jerry has suffered a couple of traumatic events and sees and has relationships with imaginary people, Epiphany has lived through the hell of sex trafficking and talks to God’s Angels. Grothaus immerses the reader in their worlds and psychoses, their fraught relationship, their struggles, despair and hopes as they undertake their quest and navigate a criminal underground. It’s certainly a hard hitting tale that pulls few punches and there’s barely a likely character throughout. I found it quite a difficult book to get into at the start, and the narrative was a bit episodic and uneven. The more the tale progressed the more it seemed to gain coherence as it moved towards the denouement. I’ve been umming and ahhing about what rating to give the book. It’s difficult in the sense of I can see the merits of the tale and appreciate its ambition and affective punch, but it’s not a story I particularly enjoyed reading, not because of the subject matter of sex trafficking and mental illness, but rather I just never really felt connected or invested in the characters or narrative. 3.5 stars

[Timea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel makes us face the hard reality of modern day slavery; the cruel, gruesome world of child sex trafficking is an eye-opener and an uncomfortable topic to discuss or write about. Girls are groomed to be sold for pleasure and Michael Grothaus does a brilliant job introducing us to the dark, ugly side of celebrity life. He does it not only with very graphic descriptions and explicit language but also with some humour to lighten the mood at places.
Forced into this repulsive, abusive world is porn addict main character Jerry, who also suffers from serious mental health problems. I have to admit that it did take me some time to warm up to his character. The turning point came during his "This is your life" flashbacks when I got a better understanding of the root of his problems. His partner in crime is Epiphany Jones, who blackmailed Jerry into helping her and is calling all the shots (based on the voice of God she hears). You can't help but root for their success throughout their journey.
A great debut novel that I definitely recommend reading.

[Laura Jayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow this was quite the debut....thrilling, complex and incredibly dark! Jerry, the main protaganist, has lived, so far, quite the traumatic life and now suffers from seeing figuments...most of which feature his dead sister Emma. When a robbery happens at the gallery he works at things soon go from bad to craptastic! Enter Epiphany Jones...another hallucination or Jerry's saviour...well with all the twists and turns in this novel it ain't always that easy a distinction to make!
The character development is so unique and interesting; quite often you go from hating Jerry to loving him all in the space of one chapter. I also really enjoyed the back story of Epiphany...like a cross between The Dragon's tattoo and a Chuck Palahniuk novel she is the ultimate flawed heroine. This novel will shock, entertain and ultimately stay with you long after you have finished. Incredible!

[Kathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I won this book on Goodreads.

This was a good story. I would not go so far as to say I liked it only because I have no intention of re-reading any part of it again. The plot was mostly drama and thriller. There were some instances of humor, but I would never describe it as "outrageously funny" or a "dark comedy" (both from the back cover).

Warning: The book contains much swearing and multiple sex acts. It also has multiple occurrences of illegal and extremely immoral acts. The reference to sex-trafficking in the book description should be taken seriously.

[Marina Sofia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very graphic and hard-hitting, this made me profoundly uncomfortable in places, but it certainly was original and full of va-va-voom.