Everyone Dies Famous

by Len Joy

As a tornado threatens their town, a stubborn old man who has lost his son teams up with a troubled young soldier to deliver a jukebox to the wealthy developer having an affair with the soldier's wife.

First Prize, Top Shelf Book Awards for Southern Fiction, 2020
Silver Medal, IBPA Ben Franklin Awards for Midwest Region fiction, 2020
Book Excellence Award winner — Aging
Readers Favorite bronze medal award winner, Fiction - Sports 2021

It's July 2003 and the small town of Maple Springs, Missouri is suffering through a month-long drought. Dancer Stonemason, a long-forgotten hometown hero still grieving over the death of his oldest son, is moving into town to live with his more dependable younger son. He hires Wayne Mesirow, an Iraq war veteran, to help him liquidate his late son's business.

The heat wave breaks and the skies darken. Dancer tries to settle an old score while Wyne discovers the true cost of his wife's indifference and turns his thoughts to revenge. When the tornado hits Maple Springs, only one of the men will make it out alive.

"Everyone Dies Famous" is a story from the heartland about the uncommon lives of everyday people - the choices they make, how they live their lives, and how they die.

Genres: Fiction, Ebooks, Audiobook

269 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 1, 2020

About the author

Len Joy had an idyllic childhood, growing up in the gem of the Finger Lakes, Canandaigua, New York. As a typical small-town boy, he had a wide range of interests, most involving sports. He lettered in four sports in high school and went off to the University of Rochester with dreams of becoming a football hero and world-famous novelist.

When he awoke from those dreams, he switched his major from English to Finance and quit the football team, but started dating one of the cheerleaders – Suzanne Sawada. Three years later they were married, and four decades later, they still are.

They moved to Chicago where Suzanne became a corporate lawyer and Len, with his MBA and CPA, became the auditing manager for U. S. Gypsum. Despite the thrill of auditing gypsum plants, Len found himself wanting a different challenge.

He bought an engine remanufacturing company in Arizona and for fifteen years commuted to Phoenix. Despite the travel, he managed to stay married and have three kids. While flying, he read hundreds of novels, which renewed his dream of becoming a world-famous author.

In 2004 he wound down his engine business and started taking writing courses and participating in triathlons.

While world fame remains elusive, Len has made advances in his writing career.

His third novel, EVERYONE DIES FAMOUS, was published by BQB Publishing in August 2020. KIRKUS described it as a “…a striking depiction of small-town America at the dawn of the 21st century.” It won 1st Prize in the 2020 Top Shelf Book Awards for Southern Fiction and a Silver Medal in the IBPA Ben Franklin Awards for Midwest Region fiction. It was also a Book Excellence Award winner in the category of Aging.

Kevin Wilson, NY Times bestselling author of Nothing to See Here and The Family Fang had this to say: “Len Joy's Everyone Dies Famous is a clear-eyed examination of how we live in an uncertain world. By creating imminently understandable characters and skillfully linking them to a specific landscape, one that is so evocatively described, he shows us all the ways in which we're connected, how fragile those threads are. In clear prose, Joy does real work here. I'm grateful for it.”

Joy’s first novel, AMERICAN PAST TIME was published in 2014. KIRKUS praised it as a “darkly nostalgic study of an American family through good times and bad, engagingly set against major events from the ‘50s to the ‘70s as issues of race simmer in the background…expertly written and well-crafted.” It was the 2019 Readers’ Favorite gold medal award winner for Fiction – Sports and took 1st Prize in the Top Shelf Book Awards contest for Fiction – General.

His second novel, BETTER DAYS (2018) was described by FOREWORD Reviews as “a bighearted, wry, and tender novel that focuses on love and loyalty.” KIRKUS called it “a character-rich skillfully plotted Midwestern drama.” It was the 2019 Readers’ Favorite silver medal award winner for Fiction – Sports and was a finalist in the Indie Excellence Book Awards in the category of Fiction: Midwest.

Today, Len is a nationally ranked triathlete and competes internationally representing the United States as part of TEAM USA. His three kids (a son and two daughters) have grown up and moved away, although the daughters return frequently to Evanston to do their laundry and get legal advice from their mother.

Reviews

[Nursebookie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a story about...

A tornado
A father and son
A small town with memories

Everyone has a story, a past, and regrets. In this character driven story we learn that despite all our mistakes, it’s never too late to move on and look toward a more hopeful future.

Joy wrote a compelling story that was well written, catches your attention despite the mundane stories of ordinary people, and yet so resoundingly relatable.

This hooked me!

Loved it!

[Lel Budge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everyone Dies Famous is the story of Dancer Stonemason, he is grieving the death of his son Clayton and is a bit distant with his other son.

A tornado is heading for the small town of Maple Spring, unknown to the inhabitants.

In this small town, everyone knows each other’s business, they remember your past, your mistakes and failures and they don’t let Dancer forget. But it’s also the tale of kindness, family, tragedy and redemption. It paints a picture of life in a small town with great characters and all their quirks. Beautifully written and full of emotion. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Thank you to Anna at FSB Associates for an eARC of Everyone Dies Famous. This is my honest and unbiased review.

[Susan Hampson · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I read this story I was unaware that there had been a previous book about these characters but it didn’t spoil the enjoyment of this story. The story begins at the end after tragedy has struck the small town of Maple Springs, then drops back to fill in the pieces. The story centres around Dancer Stonemason and the events that brought him back to this town and how his decisions that day change the course of other peoples lives as the day goes on.

I liked the laidback pace of the town and getting to know the people. It is weird because knowing at the beginning of the story that some people die feels terribly sad but at that point, I didn’t know those people, by the end I do and the feelings are so much deeper. The author brings this town to life, the way they live, the pace and the hidden hurts that have festered for years because of lack of communication. The things that matter in life.

The author created a perfect atmospheric build-up throughout the book, with the last few chapters being both intense with the characters and the elements. It certainly brought out true heroes and heart in my mouth moments.

If there were any lessons to be learned by this book it is never to take anything or anyone for granted, because you never know if you will see that person again.

I wish to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.

[Gary D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dancer Stonemason is back in Len Joy’s powerful EVERYONE DIES FAMOUS, a sequel to AMERICAN PAST TIME. In the first novel, Dancer is a rising star baseball player, who, through a bizarre series of incidents, is left, finally, with nothing. EVERYONE DIES FAMOUS picks up Dancer’s story thirty years later, after his return to his hometown of Maple Springs, Missouri, the scene of his former fame and disgrace. After years of estrangement, Dancer becomes reconciled with his son, Clayton, but by the time the story opens, Clayton has tragically died when his truck runs off the interstate highway and Dancer is left trying to put his life back together. Set against the backdrop of an impending violent tornado and a brooding river, apt images for the turmoil surrounding Dancer and the cast of misfits who inhabit his world, EVERYONE DIES FAMOUS races dramatically to an ending both sad and hopeful, desolate yet marked by a simple act of human kindness that says, yes, redemption just might be possible. Mr. Joy writes with a strength of vision and language manifested in straightforward, unblinking prose that drives a moving investigation of human folly and defeat leavened with a sense of dignity and compassion for his characters that comes from a writer in complete and confident control of his story.

[Kevin Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

This sequel to American Past Time picks up the story of Dancer Stonemason later in his life, shortly after he’s been set adrift by the death of his older son. The stage is set with the wreckage of a tornado that has just hit Dancer’s midwestern hometown. The clock is then rewound 24 hours, and through events of the day and flashback, we are introduced to characters both new and old - family, friends, lovers, heroes and villains. I really like the plot construct of setting the devastation up front, then getting the reader invested in the characters so that the tension and interest in finding out how they fare builds as the tornado strike draws closer - an event the reader knows is coming, but the characters do not.

I had been looking forward to this sequel, and Len Joy does not disappoint. The story of broken dreams and redemption continues, and plays out amidst intertwined family dynamics that are satisfyingly well developed and complex. You wait for the climax...and it is excellent.

[Gringa Novelera · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Everyone Dies Famous” has me at the title. I never heard that expression before, but now I won’t forget it.

I loved this story- set in a small Midwestern town that is failing in about every way a small town that no longer seems relevant can fail.

The author takes us quickly between several characters all connected in different ways, all moving towards tragedy. (In the beginning that was a little confusing, until I got to know that characters better.) They are all moving towards something terrible and don’t know it. We know it from the opening pages, and as the book progresses I had a feeling of doom that grew heavier with every chapter. Which I loved.

If I can’t wait to see how a story ends, it’s a 5-star story.

And if you like stories set in the Midwest, you’ll love this one.

I’d recommend it!!

[Lori Shriver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joy begins this tale, July 18, 2003, with Dancer Stonemason, standing is his dead sons Clayton's driveway, whistling for Clayton's dog, Russell.

Dancer is known for pitching a perfect game. He had two sons Clayton and Jim. Jim is the largest GM dealer in Southern Missouri. Interestingly, Jim's wife Paula once had a close relationship with Clayton.

Ted Landis, a wealthy developer, now owns the home where Dancer had been staying. Dancer is walking downstream to visit two women, Phoebe and Lucy. They live in the ramshackle cottage and are refusing to sell their property to Landis.

At the cottage, Dancer meets Wayne Mesirow who recently returned from a National Guard tour in Iraq. Wayne will help Dancer deliver JukeBoxes to Landis. Oddly enough, we learn Wayne's wife is having an affair with Landis, while Wayne is trying to come to terms with the suicide of his buddy, Sonny.

I was captivated by the eerily quiet prologue. There are many tragic connections in this skillfully written storyline and the observable similarities between Dancer and Wayne evoke multiple senses.

In one day, we learn it is the hottest summer in years. The people in Maple Springs Missouri have secret relationships and are grieving a loss in one way or another.

We see flashbacks and life-changing incidents that afford us the opportunity to recognize we all are created to interact and support one another. And, like an impending tornado, we often leave a cloud of debris behind and are in need of rescue. Yes. Everyone dies famous.

I received a copy of this book through the generosity of Anna Sacca, Senior Publicity Manager with FSB Associates.

[Brenna Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was sent this novel from FSB Associates, and was already incredibly taken with the title before I even cracked the spine. One of my favorite Miranda Lambert songs, 'Famous in a Small Town', deals with the same concept; that when you're from the smallest of communities, anything you do will be seen, heard, and scrutinized. Life in Maple Springs, Missouri is no exception. We are presented with a rural area on the verge of drawing life and visitors back to the area when disaster strikes. In the beginning chapter, a tornado rips through the sleepy area, and then we get to see the moments before tragedy. What follows is a beautiful character study divided into five separate voices, and in those accounts we see the hidden heart of Maple Springs, and the broken people keeping it alive.

I've lived in one small town or another my whole life, and so this novel felt like home to me. I recognized people I know and love in the faces of the jilted veteran, the grieving father, the girl and her beau with dreams far larger than the space they're in. It was so easy to fall for these characters, and to care about each one. As they were woven into each other's stories, you start to slowly see the connections tethering them, and how close some are to breaking. Joy has done a fantastic job of painting different shades of grief across this narrative; some with a yellow beacon of hope and others with the black tinge of despair. It was an emotional rollercoaster, especially knowing the horror that awaited these people who are trying to get their lives back together. It is extremely lifelike in that way; you never know how much time you have, and it certainly beckons the reader to rise above the waters of life that threaten to drown them.

Through its diverse cast of characters and the idyllic setting, this novel gives you stories that will live on long after you have read it. You will ache with wishes that these families that have been torn asunder will find themselves whole again. It's a short read, but an important one. I think everyone deserves to die famous. I think Joy's work shows that no matter what type of life you lead, there will always be whispers following you. However, it's the people closest to you that will carry you with them. The running theme of Dancer Stonemason's late son, Clayton, still being such a prominent figure in the hearts and minds of our narrators speaks beautifully to the book's title, and the unlikely friendship between the father and a young National Guard soldier reminds you that even after loss, there is always another adventure to be had.

[Constance Groh · Rating 5 out of 5]

What, really, is important in this life? How do we cope with change, transition, and loss? How do we find meaning when life’s center seems to collapse? These are questions all of us must wrestle with, perhaps particularly at times when expectations are upended by unanticipated events. Len Joy’s superb new novel, Everyone Dies Famous, opens with a catastrophic scene – “they were bringing the bodies to the high school gymnasium. It is 7:00 p.m. on a July evening in 2003. The tornado had arrived from the north, surprising the so-called experts.” Thus the reader knows, from the first lines of the novel, that chaos has just erupted in the lives of the characters we are about to meet. The tornado, as tornadoes do, has torn through the little town of Maple Springs, Missouri and its environs, leveling some structures – including a Chevy dealership and a fancy townhouse project – and leaving others in place. A lonely man, hearing the news of where the dead would be taken, begins walking toward the high school, fearing for his son.

The scene shifts. It is fourteen hours earlier, just before dawn on the day of the tornado. “Soon the sun would rise above the tree line and the hot-towel Missouri heat would wrap everyone in its sticky embrace.” We meet another father grieving for a son, this one known to be lost. Dancer Stonemason, one-time baseball hero, is clearing out the newly sold A-frame house where he had been living and working with Clayton, his eldest, who has died in an apparent accident. Clayton was a Viet Nam veteran who had opened a jukebox restoration business and brought his father on board, a gesture of reconciliation after a long estrangement. Readers familiar with Len Joy’s work will recognize Dancer as the protagonist of Joy’s first novel, American Past Time. Dancer once pitched a perfect game, making him a legendary figure in Maple Springs. However, the exhaustion brought on by that accomplishment had robbed Dancer of his chance to win a spot on a Major League roster, sending him into a downward spiral. Reconciliation with Clayton and work in the jukebox business had given Dancer a new lease on life. Now “Clayton’s death had ripped a hole in his gut that was never going to be filled.���

The next scene and each subsequent scene in the novel mark the ticking down of the clock on the day of the storm. Tension builds as we come to the moment of the tornado and its immediate aftermath. We meet the residents of Maple Springs – among them Wayne, a musician and unemployed National Guard soldier freshly home from deployment in Iraq, whose father we’ve met in the book’s opening scene; Anita, Wayne’s estranged wife; Jim, Dancer’s ambitious younger son, owner of the soon-to-be destroyed Chevy dealership and would-be savior of downtown Maple Springs; Kayla, Jim’s daughter and protégée; and Ted Landis, aggressive businessman and real estate developer, “that asshole” largely responsible for the downtown’s decline. Most of the townsfolk know one another, and people have long memories. In the words of Dancer’s daughter-in-law Paula, “This is a small town…everyone dies famous here.” And yet, as the reader will quickly discover, the residents of Maple Springs have secrets – some seemingly well-meaning, others not so much. Indeed, powerful deceptions are unraveling even as the tornado bears down on the town.

Everyone Dies Famous is a fast-moving book and a real page turner for the reader. The characters are forced in various ways to sort their priorities, to decide what really matters, who and what they care about. And it all seems to be unfolding even as we the tornado’s strike approaches. All the while the reader wonders, who will survive that tornado, and who will not? How will the survivors cope with the loss?

Despite the quick pace of the novel, the reader is bound to pause at times to savor Len Joy’s well-crafted and colorful prose. Each chapter tells its story from the perspective of one of the central characters – Dancer, Wayne, Anita, Jim, or Kayla. This device allows the reader to experience events through that character’s eyes and provides a window into the character’s inner world and memories. From Wayne we learn the story of Sanjay (Sonny) Patel, a fellow soldier with “the greatest smile” and encounter another of the novel’s bereaved fathers. In Anita we glimpse the life of a young woman in transition, shedding her “gawky ugly duckling” image and planning to shed her marriage to Wayne as well. From Jim we see a vision of the town that Maple Springs could have been and indeed, still could be, were it not for the tornado coming from the north. In Jim we also feel the grief and, yes, the resentment of the faithful younger son toward an elder brother who broke with their father Dancer – the brother who would then reclaim his position as Dancer’s favored one, in spite of Jim’s hard work. The relationship between Jim and daughter Kayla is especially poignant, and the question “how will this turn out?” looms large as the tornado approaches.

Don’t miss Everyone Dies Famous. The book’s setting in 2003 gives this reader hope that it will turn out to be the second of a trilogy. I cannot wait to meet these characters again.

I received an advance reading copy of the novel for the purposes of this review.

[Cathy Eades · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy in exchange for a review.

I should start by saying that I have not read the first book and this in no way affected this book.
I really enjoyed this. The pace was good and the chapter length perfect for squeezing on the odd chapter at work. The characters are simple and they felt real and relatable. There is quite a lot going on, but they never felt overloaded with information. The author sets up the story and the crescendo seems inevitable and yet still surprising.

I definitely preferred some characters to others and I like the way their true stories are revealed at the end. I'm not entirely sure what I think about the ending. It was abrupt and fitting and disappointing and satisfying all at the same time. There is a definite uncertainty and I guess you get to decide for yourself what happens next.

I will definitely add this author to my read list.

[Gregory Renz · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Everyone Dies Famous by Len Joy there’s a storm brewing in Maple Springs, Missouri. The gripping opening charged the entire story with riveting tension. I was enthralled with the ominous undercurrents of what was to come. Joy’s skillfully paced narrative never sagged. The vivid descriptions and sensory details brought this small town and its deeply flawed characters to life. Len Joy is a gifted writer and storyteller. I’m eager to read more of his work. Bravo, Mr. Joy

[Sara Strand · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are looking for a book that will suck you in with characters you'll finish the book completely invested in all of the characters? This is the one you need to read. I loved the inclusion of a veteran and featured a lot of the commons issues they face upon coming home. I really liked this book and finished it in one day.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really got into this. I just couldn’t see while I was reading how anything would ever work out, but it surprised me and delivered a very satisfying ending. The characters are intensely evoked and the book has a heck of a crescendo. All in all an excellent way to revisit the world of Dancer Stonemason.

[Monika · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Maple Springs, Missouri some people live in their past glories, trying their best to adapt to the future. This is a purely character driven novel about regret and redemption, with a heart for veterans. Joy is a talented writer, most of the character driven, emotional novels move slowly; but not this one. I read it in two days!

Thank you BQB publishing, Netgalley and Len Joy for the arc. This is my own opinion.

[Madam · Rating 5 out of 5]

An enormously powerful tornado approaches Maple Springs, Missouri in July 2003, ready to roil the lives of everyone in the small town. What Mother Nature doesn’t know is that existing in this dying southern town is so miserable that some residents might find total destruction an appealing prospect.

Dancer Stonemason, the town’s failed hero, is reluctantly shutting down his son Clayton’s business, the one in which they’d harmoniously worked together for a decade. But Clayton died several months earlier in a single-vehicle crash, leaving Dancer with unremitting grief and the remnants of what seemed like a promising vocation.

Wayne Mesirow’s National Guard unit has just returned from Iraq, and he’s still struggling with the death of his best friend, Sanjay, better known as Sonny, who drowned in the Tigris River during a construction project. It doesn’t help that his wife, Anita, is divorcing him as part of a self-improvement plan that includes breast implants, tight clothes, and a rich new boyfriend twice her age. Nor does he achieve the peace and forgiveness he seeks from Sonny’s father — Madman Patel, the Electronics King of Joplin — who hurls insults and physically attacks him in the middle of a new store while violently rejecting Wayne’s clumsy effort to present Sonny’s Sig Sauer as a final gift. His last hope is joining the locally renowned band that recruited him just before he shipped off to Iraq, unwilling to trade his dream of rock stardom for a humdrum life in an everyday job.

Jim Stonemason, Dancer’s ever-dependable and successful auto dealership owner son, holds on tightly to the biggest secret and honor of his career, as well as the belief that his father never valued him as much as his late brother. He plans to put his daughter and best salesperson, Kayla, in charge of the project, but has no idea she and her accountant fiancé, Barry, have decidedly different plans.

Ted Landis’ mission in life is to ruin what little is left of Maple Springs’ downtown. After building a mall on its outskirts ironically named after his late ex-wife, whose legacy was her affair with Dancer Stonemason’s wife, he now pursues Anita Mesirow as his latest trophy, the arm candy to escort through his finest development, a steamboat casino and upscale resort on the Caledonia River that will rival the Redneck Riviera and turn Howell County, Missouri into a luxury vacation destination.

On the night that Landis plans to debut his resort, a squall that was predicted to veer away from the town turns into a thunderstorm spawning a monstrous tornado onto Maple Springs. Some will find new strength and inspiration in its cyclical destruction, while others find the freedom to let go of the burden of survival. The whirling winds alter nearly everything in town, and when the twister finally passes, life — and lives — are changed beyond recognition, with the line between existence and exit blurred beyond recognition.

[Debbie Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Len Joy once again delivers his "Richard Russo-ish" small town story that centers around conflicts, intimate friendships, and loss. If you've read Len Joy's first novel, American Past Time, you're familiar with Dancer Stonemason, the main character. Dancer lost his chance at baseball because of an impulsive, short-term focussed decision--go for that one big night, that no hitter. This one night ruined his arm and career, and his life's trajectory reflected that overwhelming loss.

We are now with Dancer all grown up. He's old, grumpy, but still compassionate in that way that makes him lovable and forgivable. Once again, he's dealing with loss—the loss of his beloved son. Loss is a huge hole that seems to be in this man forever. Loss of hope, loss of love, loss of child. He now meets up with a war veteran dealing with all kinds of identity issues and personal conflicts. They strike an unusual friendship that slightly alters each other’s paths.

Actually, the novel develops several complicated characters. The writer moves the camera from story to story, connecting each one with various conflicts. In fact, as a massive storm moves towards the town, with all of impending doom, an emotional storm moves amongst the denizens. Those with short term focus of course suffer the more painful consequences. And unfortunately consequences of one in small towns are consequences of many.

Another fast, well written, novel by a writer who understands small towns and the men who live there.

[Marie (IfCatsCouldRead) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Everyone Dies Famous starts off with a gripping tornado scene then goes back in time 14 hours. The author organizes this small town drama by characters who are all intertwined. A young soldier takes on a small day job with the town’s cranky former baseball hero who has to deliver a couple of jukeboxes to a man who he had trouble with in the past. Throughout the timeline in the story, we are brought up to speed with events that happened in the past to see why characters act the way they do. Like most people, there are joys and regrets, as well as growth when moving on. How will the tornado affect these characters?
Although the characters are well developed and seem like real people, a few of the events left me confused. Because the main characters are men, this would be a great book for men who have gone through tough times or like to read about small towns without too much female drama. We see some very real trials that people go through handled in a very realistic way.
Thank you to BQB Publishing and FSB Associates for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. I look forward to reading more by Mr. Joy.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found a charm about this book. Dancer and Wayne are good. They each were "broken" but they helped each other. In regards to relatability; they were relatable. This book is one of those character driven stories.

Which you have to be right on the money with the characters in order to fully appreciate the overall tone of the story. In the case of this book, I was feeling Wayne and Dancer. However, what didn't really work for me and took away some was the pacing of the story.

I felt that the story did move at a very slow pace. There were times when I would kind of skim the paged to speed up the story. Overall, as far as this book is concerned, I may not have "loved" it but there were enough good things that I did like about it; that does make me want to read another book by this author.

[Lissa Hattersley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone Dies Famous is a continuation of the story of Dancer Stonemason (seen first in Joy's American Past Time), one-time local hero, now a middle-aged wanderer in search of a meaningful, connected life. Those of us who've escaped the confines of small-town living think they know the landscape here. But Len Joy delves into the backstories of a colorful bunch, giving the reader reason to care about their outcomes. When nature threatens to throw the curve ball, the reader wants to know who will catch.

At a point in time when other people's stories are at a premium for a locked-down reader, this is a good read! This reader spent some time "casting" roles for the movie; maybe Mr. Joy should think about screenwriting too.

[Moraye Potgieter · Rating 5 out of 5]

“This is a small town, Dancer. Everyone dies famous here. “

This book was a joy to read, even while the characters are dealing with their own personal grief.

These characters show great personal growth, and acceptance of themselves and their circumstances.

I was captivated from the first page and stayed like that throughout the rest of the book. You want to know what happens next. All the characters are relatable in some way and you miss them when the book is done.

Len Joy leaves you wanting more.

[Aida Alberto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprised myself by how much I enjoyed it. I loved the writing This story has a strong voice that draws you in and keeps you enthralled from beginning to end. It's gut wrenching. It's about choices and redemption. Vivid characters that insist you keep reading. And so will you. A must read. Happy reading! #EveryoneDiesFamous #NetGalley

[Louise Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an incredibly well written book. The dialogue is compelling and I felt like I knew each and every character. I loved the premise - the analysis of what we leave behind. There was a sense of an ending throughout this - it’s not a depressing or dark book but there is something somber behind even the uplifting aspects of this tale. I can’t quite explain why, but I loved it.

[Heather Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone Dies Famous is a a suspenseful page turner. The characters are interesting and well developed. I thoroughly enjoyed the book.

[Anja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Len Joy is a seemingly effortless writer who describes the extraordinary lives of ordinary people. All his books are page turners and his characters are full of life.

[Vanessa Lafleur · Rating 5 out of 5]

Expertly woven multiple perspectives, believable characters, and a fast paced story line effectively capture the interconnectedness of life in a small town.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thrilling, deeply absorbing read! I was completely drawn in by the cast of characters in Maple Springs, who are constantly battling their own demons in the confines of a small town. The story pushes them all to their limits as a raging storm bears down.

I appreciated the new complexity and meaning that was added to each character’s background, and I found myself wanting to return to his previous Dancer Stonemason novels to revisit the moments that still resonate so loudly with the people in his stories. It’s a compelling read, and a moving portrait of the struggles that make us who we are as human beings.

(This review was based on a complimentary pre-release copy, although I’ve bought two previous books by Len Joy and thoroughly enjoyed them.)

[Alizah Teitelbaum · Rating 5 out of 5]

bs"d
Len Joy was one of my old online friends from a a workshop called the Flash Factory. Even then you could see his writing had a way of getting his imaginary people and places under your skin.

From the start, it was hard to pull away from this story of an unlikely friendship between an old man and a soldier, each suffering from his own sorrow.

Len’s tornado in his prologue introduces you to a small town in Missouri and its characters. You get a tour from one wrecked home to another. It hurts, but Len holds your hand and opens your eyes. In the end you are glad to have stuck it out.

Len describes the scene and tells his story, and without warning throws you a line of prose that makes you cry, like the one about the mother who says she is coming and leaves her kid waiting in a seedy diner.

She never comes.

The story unfolds in Len Joy’s fine-honed storytelling process with startling sensory descriptions and fragments of conversation, letting you experience the lives of people you thought you knew and now realize you did not.

You get this strong buildup of tension that hurts, and it won’t stop until you see what happens to these people, because Len makes you love them.

Len Joy is a writer with heart. Learn something from him.

[Sandra Cruz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book! Excellent story, relatable characters.


My Review

[George W.Kimble · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read all the time, but never bother to write a review. Just a QUICK note to state that this book is worth the effort...worth reading, and worth letting other readers know that Len Joy is a new, upcoming author to follow.

[Anne Elliott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Len Joy renders a small Missouri town full of heartbroken men, deferred dreams, and the kind of haunting regret that shapes lives. Love—complicated love—is frequently the motive behind flawed decisions, spawning consequences for generations. The narration inhabits multiple perspectives, giving us a diverse cast of characters fighting the natural elements outside and inside themselves. Everyone Dies Famous is a true lesson in empathy.