Slow Down is a parody of the Hollywood scene and the creative process in general. Moviemaking in its essence is all about improvisation and, if no one quits gets what you are doing, that’s not important. What’s important is that people are so hungry and desperate for a role that they’ll do whatever they are told no matter the consequences. Often though the consequences teeter on tragic because fame and booze and drugs all seem to coalesce. But everyone wants whatever someone else has. It’s only when you get everything you always desired that you realize the emperor has no clothes or the person you have desperately reached for all these years is just another drug addled groupie.

While a bit dark, this is pretty engaging. The author is pretty imaginative, and writes both plot and characters well. I'll have to pick up some of this other books. Most mystery fans will probably enjoy this.

I really appreciate the review copy!!!

4.5 stars

While, reading, I kept imagining how this story would come to life through the lens of Nicolas Winding Refn. If you're a fan of movies such as 'The Neon Demon' or 'American Psycho', where the delirious obsession with fame drives one to extreme actions—'Slow Down' will be right up your alley.

Essentially a story about a filmmaker being pressured to write his next 'big' movie, Lee Matthew Goldberg blends many familiar 'Rags to Riches' themes within a razor sharp narratives about filmmaking: life imitating art (or vice versa), never meet one's hero, and power struggle within relationship. The story is purposefully filled with unpleasant characters; if you're familiar with the aforementioned films and Chuck Palahniuk.'s 'Fight Club' (which was referenced multiple times), you'll have a good grasp of the archetype populating this story: self-righteous, headstrong, and turbulent. 'Slow Down' satisfies our macabre curiosity of just how far one would do, with extreme malevolence and beyond morality, to quench assumed life-depending desire or reputation.

It might be bizarre to call a book 'cinematic', but that is exactly how 'Slow Down' reads; Lee Matthew Goldberg set up multiple recurring visual cues, which all come to satisfying revelation as the story wraps up. My only minor gripe with 'Slow Down' is it's truncated ending, which abruptly brings everything to closure in a way that is too naive and dainty for the events prior. BUT, within its meta, cyclical storytelling structure, the choice is also completely intentional and justified; so the final verdict really depends on personal preference: would you prefer an all-out, emotionally gutted ending, or one that is less thrilling, but thematically appropriate?

To close, if you have been a fan of hypnotic Neo-noir narrative where characters self-destruct and being their absolutely worst to others for questionable victory, then you'll definitely find 'Slow Down' a worthwhile read.

A very modern thriller, I felt like the cynicism which seems to come for many in today’s world was captured perfectly. It reminded me of The Black Dahlia in terms of the atmosphere the author built. Not an uplifting read by any means, this book nonetheless appeals through the sheer artistry of the dialogue. A very impressive book indeed.