A Dying Wish

Razor #1

by Henry Roi

Elaborate cons, impossible heists and high-speed chases were his thing. His talent in boxing and engineering made life a gamble with death he never wanted to quit. Then, he left the world of crime with his woman, a blonde bombshell also accomplished in boxing, and his engineering equal. But their late boxing coach gives them a reason to return to their past life; his will instructs his former pupils to join with other talented individuals to form a team - and finish the job Coach Eddy started before he was murdered.

Genres: Audiobook

222 pages, Paperback

Published May 14, 2021

About the author

Henry Roi was born and raised on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and still finds his inspiration in its places and people.

As a GED tutor and fitness instructor, working both face to face and online, he is an advocate of adult education in all its forms. His many campaigning and personal interests include tattoo art, prison reform and automotive mechanics.

He currently works in publishing, as an editor and publicist. He particularly focuses on promoting talented indie writers - arranging reviews, delivering media campaigns, and running blog tours.

If you're not lucky enough to catch him fishing round the Biloxi Lighthouse or teaching fitness in your local gym, he can usually be found on Twitter or Facebook @HenryRoiPR.

Reviews

[Glen]

The sub title says martial arts thriller. In this case, the martial art is boxing.

A boxing master criminal is given the task of stopping a Vietnamese gang from taking over the gulf coast. He snorts a lot of cocaine, and beats up a great many people, as does his crew, who all tool around in gaudy vehicles.

Way too much braggadocio and posturing, no real tension or suspense.

[Isobel Blackthorn]

A Dying Wish tracks the brutal antics of ex-criminal boxers Razor and Blondie, who join forces with girl-beast boxer Shocker and her associates to fulfil their personal trainer’s Mission Impossible instructions, namely to deal with the rise of Vietnamese street gangs in America’s Deep South.

Roi deploys his usual economy with words in this fast paced noir thriller brimming with out of the ring fight scenes. The author clearly knows his theme. A Dying Wish is also earthily sexy in a blatantly masculine, voyeuristic way, erring on the side of lustful self-contempt, and summed up in the phrase ‘Fifty Shades of Razor’. It is this theme that lends humour to the narrative.

Edgy, raw, tense with a pleasing touch of the futuristic - electro-active polymers and liquid crystal coating a car and rendering it invisible - A Dying Wish is very much a four-to-the-floor race of a read, tempered only by Razor’s self-reflective moments. Since Razor is not that deep, these moments give the reader a chance to catch their breath in what is one wild ride. Recommended.

[Sara-Jane Keenan]

This book was not for me. It’s written in a very masculine point of view, with lots of bravado and drugs but it also has an almost teenage boy immature feel to it too. I couldn’t get away with this ‘hard man’ saying things like boobies, johnson and pubbies. It just didn’t match up for me.
There was a continuous theme throughout as well, that women are always jealous of each other and it felt very childish.
Unfortunately I really didn’t enjoy this book and found it hard to finish. This is just my personal opinion however and it wasn’t the right fit for me.

[Carly Rheilan]

This is a book to listen to when you just feel sluggish and need your energy back! High intensity, high adrenaline, lots of action of all kinds - and a cast of characters to die for. OK, so they're criminals, the lot of them, including the badass good-guys. And the main character isn't put together to draw too much sympathy, even though there's a thread of integrity running through him that the author just somehow couldn't keep out. Henry Roi is a writer who injects exuberance into every scene and carries the reader along with such wild abandon that you can't help loving the ride, even if you're being taken somewhere that you never expected or planned and wouldn't have said yes to if he'd asked before he swept you up.

I loved this book!

The narration is perfectly judged. Jamal West clearly completely ""got"" the book, and didn't miss a beat at any moment in the reading of it. Sharp, sassy, full of energy. Perfectly captured the spirit of the book, and the Razor's delicious voice.

Life-enhancing badness!

[Matthew Burton]

Buckle up because A Dying Wish from the Razor series by Henry Roi doesn’t just start with a bang—it explodes off the page and never lets up. From the first scene, I was pulled into the chaos, grinning like a maniac as our main character faced down danger with pure exhilaration instead of fear. Roi builds him as the kind of man you can’t help but root for—lightning-fast reflexes, a sharp tongue, and a heart that beats for the thrill of it all. His boxing skills and mechanical genius make him larger than life, yet his flaws and choices keep him real.

One of the things that absolutely blew me away was the dialogue. Roi writes banter that snaps with humor, grit, and authenticity. The exchanges between the MC and his partner, Blondie, are pure gold—funny, raw, and perfectly timed. Their connection is electric, with an unspoken loyalty that runs deep beneath all the wild racing, fighting, and rule-breaking. They’re rebels with morals, living fast but grounded by their own code, and that makes them impossible not to love.

[Graham Sillars]

Firstly I would like to thank Blackthorn Book Tours for an audiobook edition of this book. and thoroughly modern with A Dying Wish by Henry Roi is a great first instalment of what I hope becomes an equally great series. The audiobook edition was so well narrated. The narrators voice and tone really lent itself to the gritty nature of the story he was reading. The book is fast paced and totally full on. Full of fist fights, motorbikes and pure unadulterated grit! A brilliant piece of character led noir fiction. A raw and deeply dark thrill ride of a book! Bring on the next one!

[Bookworms.161212]

This was a little bit different from my usual books.
It contains mature content, sex, drugs, and violence.
The story itself was amusing and filled with action!
A group of "criminals" is taking care of what needs to be done and the law doesn't have the resources to deal with. You follow this group, that is joined by a former manager and friend, giving them this task/challenge.
What happens after that, well you will be amused and get a great deal of violence on the way!
I give this book
4 out of 5 possible, and wish you all a great time!❤️

[Stephanie]

Wasn't for me doesn't mean it's not for you.

DNF at 30% and even that was hard. The pacing felt slow and getting so much of the main character’s thoughts felt unnecessary because a lot of it was just off hand comments about other characters or situations that didn’t seem to matter. I was already struggling to get through it but the second time I read “my bitch and my bike” I just lost all interest.

[Diane]

Fast paced action from start to finish that made you want to know more. Great characters and fight scenes. Looks like this may be the first of a trilogy, I really hope so. If you love something with action and quick paced then this is the book for the you.

[The P.Turners]

Please see blog for [K]'s review:

https://thepturnersbookblog.wordpress...

[Eddie]

Just don't.

[Erin]

I was asked to listen to and review this audio book by Blackthorn Book Tour. Thank you very much for allowing me the great pleasure and opportunity to review this book.

Razor and his girl Blondie are not a force to be reconned with. Both former boxers, trained by the same coach, had also lead a life of crime that they walked away from, for what they thought was forever. Until present day when they were sought out by Ace and Shocker to bring them to take on a task they never saw coming. A task that was to be finished as a last request for their mentor, their friend, their late boxing coach, Eddy. What is the task? To take on the Vietnamese Mafia.

Though this isn't something I would typically pick out on my own, it definitely has a strong energy to it. The narrator for this book is perfect. He sounds exactly like  what I would think Razor would sound like.

It's a quick fast paced book that keeps you feeling like you're part of the action. Full of drugs, sex and fighting, it keeps the speed going and definitely keeps your interest. The characters have strong bold personalities and Roi does an amazing job at bringing them to life. I'm rating this book ⭐⭐⭐⭐.