This story is told in third person from a single point of view. I was intrigued by the summary of this story about a man who wakes up with amnesia and tries to piece together the events of his life that led up to his wife’s death. Shortly after beginning the book, I was left aghast at the decisions by the main character, Bob, and the characters around him including a responding police officer from not calling an ambulance after Bob had his head bashed against the brick wall in the alley behind the bar to his brother-in-law letting him drive himself home and “sleep off” a head injury.

This was followed with Bob conveniently remembering key points in his life upon just “thinking” about them such as the password to his computer and the location of his lockbox. I had a hard time suspending disbelief during a lot of this book. Bob often goes through a series of events that starts with trying to engage a memory, having a flashback from the far past that connects to his present and what may or may not be going on around him. At times the storytelling reminded me of the movie Memento and the ambiance would be clear then it would give way in an almost hallucinatory style. I enjoyed the concept and the overall story arc, but the narrative bogged it down in a manner that wasn’t quite successful.

Thank you to Netgalley and Oceanview Publishing for the free copy provided for an honest review.

First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, William L. Myers Jr., and Oceanview Publishing for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.

Happy to read another book by William L. Myers Jr., I turned to this standalone, which packs just as much punch as his Philadelphia legal thrillers. Myers shows that he is versatile in his writing and grips the reader from the opening pages with this story that has a number of twists to keep things on point. Fans of his series will see some of the same spark in this piece, which will surely solidify their admiration for William L. Myers Jr.

It is all a blur to Jackson Robert Hunter, but when he opens his eyes outside a bar, all he has to show for it is a sore head and no memory. He’s soon told that his wife has committed suicide, but Hunter has an inkling that it was staged as part of a murder plot, with the killer still out there. He’s determined to find out who was behind this and ensure justice is served.

As he begins to investigate, Hunter realises that his amnesia has been cover something even more problematic, namely his own sordid past. His marital history is anything but pristine, with betrayal towards his wife and a lover he left hanging on at least one occasion. Broken hearts are only part of the issue, as there are a number of dirty cops who turned the other way, ready to exact their own revenge on him. Could his wife’s murder be the cost of it all?

From a small community in Kansas, Hunter finds himself in various parts of the US, discovering family secrets he did not know existed. His hopes of tracking down the killer is mired in his own dark past and those who remember all too well what he did to them. His chase intensifies as he realises that he is also trying to piece together his own life, which is anything but reputable. Myers offers another winner that is sure to keep the reader flipping pages well into the night.

There is something about Myers’ writing that pulls me in every time. His direct approach and wonderful storytelling makes for a great reading experience, no matter the topic at hand. A clear cut narrative offers the reader something wonderful to use as a guide and provides ample time to get excited about the experience until the final page turn, when all comes crashing together. Whether this is a deviation from his Philadelphia series or the start of something new, I am eager to see what else Myers has to offer in the coming years.

Jackson Robert Hunter is a wonderful character whose life is full of gaps, primarily related to the amnesia he suffered when his wife died. He progresses throughout the book, offering both personal backstory and some development in the hunt for his wife’s killer, providing the reader something of a larger picture. Hunter’s struggles are real, though he does not know them all, leaving him to meander through a darkness he cannot easily navigate. Myers effectively creates and dismantles his protagonist throughout the story, leaving the reader to judge what sort of man they have before them.

I have always enjoyed William L. Myers Jr. for his writing and the spin he places on his stories. While I am used to something highly legal in nature, this was a great move away from it, offering the reader a different flavouring. A strong narrative is complemented by great characters and a stirring plot. The chapters are succinct enough for the reader to want to push through, though also offer the chance to take a momentary rest. Myers spins a tale like few others I have known and makes the reading experience enjoyable. I am eager to see what he has next on his publication radar, hoping it will be just as enticing.

Kudos, Mr. Myers, for another great piece. You shine like few in the genre.

In the aftermath of his wife’s apparent suicide, Jackson Robert Hunter wakes up outside a bar with a badly battered head and no memory. Revelations convince Jackson that his wife’s death wasn’t a suicide, but a murder, and he sets out to find the killer. Thank you for this advanced copy which was a great read, I had trouble putting this down!

3.5 rounded up.

Myers normally writes legal thrillers so this was not what I was expecting but it was, nevertheless, a pleasant surprise. The title is apt!

Bob - J. Robert Hunter is grieving the loss of his wife a couple of weeks ago. Helen was depressive but on the morning of her death she was happy and told Bob she had a surprise for him when he got home. Some surprise, she’d killed herself with an overdose of tablets. He gets mugged, his head bashed against the wall leaving his brother-in-law’s bar one night and when he comes to he has no memory. He doesn’t know who he is. Luckily he still has his wallet and his driver’s license tells him his name and address.

Once home little snippets of memory come to him but he still feels a void. He also learns that Helen was pregnant when she died. That makes no sense. They’d been trying for a baby for seven years and she would have been overjoyed. That was probably what the surprise was supposed to be so Bob assumes someone must have killed her as Helen would have been overjoyed. He carries on a bit longer, goes to work, fakes it when he can’t remember people but as more things come back to him he realises that he was supposed to be dead. He had run from his previous life in Philly 10 years ago. He remembers he has stolen $1.2 million from his boss, a corrupt Philadelphia police officer, faked his death and run away. But he can’t remember why he stole the money. In any case it was swiftly stolen from him the minute he got his hands on it.

Now convinced his former boss Donny Franco had Helen killed he heads to Philly to seek the truth. It’s quite the journey and along the way he learns more and more about himself and realises he was not a very nice person. Can he find redemption and right some of the wrongs of the past? But he also feels, more strongly every day, that someone is pulling his strings!

The Bob character, who turns out to actually be Jackson, is someone many of us could relate to. He is complex and has his faults and weaknesses but he is not all bad. This was an immersive, character driven story with surprises at every turn as Bob/Jackson remembers more and more about his past. He learns his backstory. Many thanks to Netgalley and Oceanview Publishing for the much appreciated arc which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly.

Unfortunately my copy I received from NetGalley is all messed up with missing words, letters and it was hard to piece things together. I gave up at 35%. That's a shame because it sounded like a good book. To be published June 2022.

Amnesia Is A Problem With A Checkered Past

The novel opens with Bob having been searching for his wife returns home and finds his wife in her car in the garage. At first, she does not respond to Bob. He enters the passenger side and asks where was she. She says that she went to a hotel. Bob asks her if she was alone. She says that she was with her seducer. A short time later, Bob is attached and hit in his head. When he regains consciousness, he finds himself in a bar. People there seem to remember him, be he does not recognize them. Bob realizes that he has amnesia. He does not even remember his own name.

The main storyline is told solely in the voice of Bob, and the reader only learns what Bob discovers in his journey. That journey is not straight forward. To start off, he doesn’t want people to know that he has amnesia, and that makes it interesting driving home and going to work. The main storyline makes extensive use of short flashbacks that people or events trigger or in dreams. As Bob starts with a clean slate quite literally, the snippets of his past and his trying to work out what they mean concerning his life before his wife’s recent suicide. In one of the early flashbacks, he remembers that he called someone and says that he assumes he’s still dead! In addition, the gate guard where he works told him that someone is asking about him. I, as the reader, quickly realized that Bob is not what all of his friends believe he is. The author unravels this story in little revelations and, then, Bob’s interpretation of that new information and his resulting actions. This technique captured my interest quite quickly and kept it all the way to the end.

This novel is unusual in that the main storyline is the B-storyline. As Bob learns more about himself, I was intrigued how his previous behavior fought with the current behavior for dominance. This enriched my enjoyment of the entire novel.

There are not any actual intimate scenes but this aspect and the vulgar and rude language is a strong yellow flag for this novel. This level was not a distractor for me but it may be for some, so let the reader be forewarned. The violence for the large part described as it occurs so the violence generally is more edgy.

This novel has aspects that I like and some that I do not. As I wrote above, the way, which the reader learns who Bob really is, captured my interest. The hold became tighter as Bob’s past grows darker, but at the same time for me it made him a less sympathetic character. As the novel was heading for its conclusion, Bob’s behavior becomes more unrealistic. The author pulled it out at the end, but didn’t restore my satisfaction with the ending.

I have read the last two novels of his Philadelphia Legal Series. I liked them so much that I purchased the first two novels. Based upon those two novels, I put this author in my Must-Read. This effort was not a home run. It wasn’t a strikeout either. It was more like a check swing infield hit so I won’t change my author rating yet. This novel fell between 4 stars, enjoyed reading, and 3 stars, mixed feelings. I will recommend reading but not a strong recommendation. I rate this novel with 4 stars (3½ really).

I received a free e-book version of this novel through NetGalley from Oceanview Publishing. My review is based only by my own reading experience of this book. I wish to thank Oceanview Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this novel early.

I received this book through "NetGalley".

I have read several books by this author and I was looking forward to this one. Unfortunately, where his other books were of the Leha Thriller variety, this one was not. I found it hard trying to follow what was going on since other than trying to remeber things, it really had no plot until the very end. As he visited places, more bits of his memory came back.

I enjoyed the last part of the book where he pursued his father for what he felt happened to his wife.

In closing, even though this book had issues with words missing , I found the ending as the best part. It answered what happened in the beginning.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. Like others I had missing letters, words mad typos but the story was good with a man who was hit in the head and has lost so much of his memories of who he is and if he is a good man or bad man. There’s a lot that goes on as he travels to try and help his half sister and niece. He knows they are with his father and that he is an evil, powerful man. It kept my interest and I was anxious to see how it all would play out in the end. I would recommend.

Robert "Bob" Hunter is a man trying to find himself -- literally. He has amnesia and has recently been beaten up. His wife also passed away recently, though he doesn't remember it. He keeps getting small 'snippets', memories of his past but not enough to answer any questions. Plus, some of them confuse him enough more, showing him, he wasn't such a nice guy and doing something illegal. He feels the need to "Get out. Run. Break free" but from what or who? A well written story. I enjoyed it very much. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

I received an ARC of this upcoming novel through NetGalley. Many thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley.

Ah, the amnesiac who must figure out what kind of person he is, what he has done in the past, and how involved he is in bringing about the current circumstances he find himself in. I enjoy this kind of book, but I feel like I wasn’t perhaps paying enough attention while reading this.

This is the book review for Backstory written by William Meyers. This was a book that was so addictive that I just couldn't put It down. It's all about one man's ordeal to find out the secret of his past so he goes on a journey. Basically he is on the road the entire book and searching and searching for answers and we are searching with him.
This book was very difficult to put down. I just couldn't stop reading it. It was engrossing, thrilling and kept me guessing at each and every turn of the book, every page of the book, every chapter- what's going to happen.
I have difficulty remembering the protagonist's name because he goes by so many aliases but the other characters are memorable. The protagonist keeps searching for his identity throughout the book. His life is just mystery to him and he is desperately trying to unravel it.

I liked where the story was going in the beginning but somewhere in the middle there was mob, Mafia,gangs and corrupt police involved that it was really difficult to understand.

At this point I may have to include some content warnings about some explicit scenes and also some amount of implied incest that took place in the book.

From the middle of the book onwards it is all about trying to find lost relatives and lost siblings and kind of didn't wind up very well for me personally but overall it's a great story with very good writing and totally captivating.

Really good sorry. This was the interesting story that I just really wanted to keep reading and reading I know you will enjoy it

I’m a big fan of this author but unfortunately I found this book really difficult to read as there were a lot of typos and errors. Nothing to do with the author at all, I’ve never read a book of his I didn’t love. Will absolutely be purchasing a copy of Backstory! Low stars only because formatting made it hard to read!

J. Robert Hunter comes to in a bar with a gash on his head and no memory of who he is, where he is, or how he got where he is. Through the use of flashbacks, we learn Bob Hunter’s story of a guy who is a royal jerk sometimes and at other times he’s just an average joe. Lots of trauma in his life, starting from when he was a young boy, leaves Bob filled with anger which causes him to make poor choices, pulling friends and family along with him. This is a psychological thriller that will pull you in and not let go, bringing you back to it for the final flashback. Thanks to NetGalley for incorrectly proof of an author I had no familiarity with.

A better title would be "The Road Trip From Hell' as we have current moments and flashbacks along with this story. I have never been so glad getting to the point at the end for it was just a mishmash of weird happenings intertwined with a back story I found extremely hard to take seriously.
An independent review NetGalley / Oceanview

I wanted to absolutely love this book, the blurb about it had me absolutely hooked, however, it just wasn't meant to be. The story moves painfully slow, not really giving the reader much for the first 1/3 of the book. After that, it did get exponentially better, but that really isn't saying a whole lot. I constantly felt like something was missing, that the really good parts were rushed through and others were drug out. Excellent concept but not stellar on the execution.

Somewhat disappointing read by Mr. Myers. Way too facile. Hope he gets better edits in athe future.d

I really enjoyed this story once I got through it. At the beginning I was slightly confused and had trouble getting into it. This makes sense as you get further in and discover Bob is trying to regain his memories. It definately felt like the later half picked up and I was able to read through it quite quickly.I liked the way the story was layered and that he had lived different lives. I really enjoyed the ending and the way everything came together. While this book wasn't something I would normally get into, I would recomend it to someone who likes a good mystery and would definately pick up another title from this author.

After the suicide of his wife, Jackson finds himself confused and beaten up outside of a bar without a clue in the world as to what happened. His memory is completely blank.

As Jackson moves forward after his wife's death he starts to uncover clues that lead him to believe that she did not kill herself but was in fact murdered. Jackson needs to know the truth and will find his wife's murderer hell or high water.

As Jackson proceeds forward in hopes of catching his wife's killer he also is fighting an internal struggle, he betrayed his wife, he messed with the wrong people and now his world is starting to come undone .

As we follow Jackson across country, twists and turns are at every corner. Is Jackson the hunter or the huntee? Or is the person he should fear the most, himself?

This was a wild ride and I feel honored to read and review this novel prior to its June 7, 2022 release date. Backstory, is a book you do not want to miss! 5 stars!

Once again William L Myers, Jr. has hit a home run.

I have read his Philly lawyer series and enjoyed all of them. This book goes in a different direction, much different. The hero is a kind of bad guy-good guy. It isn't set in Philadelphia but does have roots there and he does return to the city. The story is a play on the angel/devil sitting on a persons shoulder and who wins out.

Very good book and I look forward to more reads from Mr. Myers.