Luke's plan was to explore Europe before starting a writing program in London. It was not to get blackmailed into hiding a stranger's body in Paris. But after that terrifying night with his best friend Cash, he hopes to leave the past behind him and pursue his dream of being a writer. His curiosity gets the better of him, though. Following a lead from his blackmailer, he befriends a gang leader named Shane and the other young men receiving "work" from him. Before long, Luke finds himself comfortably in with this group: doing violent drug deals by night and vaguely fictionalizing them for his writing course by day. The money is good, and the new family he's found is there for him much more than his real family back in North Carolina.

But things quickly fall apart. Between Luke's own loose lips, his many injuries, and his violent temper, he makes a name for himself that gets back to his school. His growing animosity with Profit, a member of a rival gang, causes trouble for everyone around him. Even the girl he fancies is warning him off his current trajectory. Misfortune strikes Luke many times, but it isn't until it strikes someone else that he realizes something needs to change.

By Way of Paris is couched as what it is in real life: a Master's thesis. And it's understandable why this has received recognition. Luke as a character is complex and troubled, but he rises above his nihilistic forebears by the end of the book. He sees himself, as he reminds us regularly, as the protagonist of his own story. But this way of thinking is extremely dangerous for himself and for everyone else around him. Books like this often end up being very dark and self-destructive, and there is a bit of that in By Way of Paris, but it's ultimately a hopeful story about breaking the cycle of abuse and violence. And even in its darkest scenes, it's a love letter to London—not its more iconic locations, but the out-of-the-way places and daily routines that are bizarrely easy to fall in love with.

Luke's life in North Carolina sucks until things start to look up when he sets off for a writing program in London, spending the month before his course exploring Europe. But his dream trip quickly derails in Paris after he discovers a body at a party and is blackmailed into hiding the evidence. Arriving in London, Luke decides that crafting the perfect novel will help him overcome the Paris catastrophe. He befriends Shane, a gang leader, and shadows a band of criminals as research for his manuscript. Luke finds a family with the young gang, but this new world is filled with violence and toxic masculinity, which strains his academic career, eventually entangling him in the London underworld as he embarks on a slew of crimes, making dangerous enemies along the way. When friends start dying and detectives begin calling, Luke is forced back to France, realizing that he's not the hero of his own story. Searching for an ending that could free his friends from Shane, Luke wants to bring justice to the murder that happened … by way of Paris.

Loved it. Will recommend to others.

Such a great debut! The writing is sharp, characters are complex, and the author did a fantastic job with descriptions. The setting alone had me hooked. I hope he continues to write...

A complicated and dramatic tale. When I first came across this title in my search through NetGalley, the plot initially reminded me of Bert Kreischer's "The Machine" story with a much more deadly and dangerous undertone.

Thank you to NetGalley and Collective Link Ltd - Roundfire Books for this ARC.

This is a wild story about Luke, a 28 year old man from North Carolina doing some travelling in Europe with his BFF Corey Cash, where he is doing banal touristy things like drinking beer in Munich and visiting museums in Rome, before he takes up a master's creative writing programme at a London university.

However, while in Paris, he finds a dead young woman in drug dealer Rémy's house and helps him and new friend George to hide her body. The story here makes a jump - one moment we get blue police lights in Paris, the next we are in London without an explanation, where Luke seeks out George's cousin Shane in a rundown pub in Catford and becomes a drug mule for him, joining his gang.

I didn't like the protagonist at all. He's got a terrible temper and can't control himself, carries an illegal knife, drinks too much and is incredibly violent, constantly getting into fights with other people, enthusiastically embracing his new life as a criminal. He swears like a sailor and constantly and irritatingly mentions the skin colour of everyone he meets. He also seems obsessed with homeless people, and not in a good way. He goes from one stupid and impulsive decision to the next, with his immature, rash actions getting him into all kinds of scrapes. And no, I didn't care about his violent father and his distant mother.

The story is overblown and I didn't like the writing style either: Clumsy, chopped sentences ("a few homeless people who had no home") like this one.

This book needs tighter editing and proofreading, there are too many grammar mistakes and typos to be found. Also, Rémy's French needs translating - the reader shouldn't be forced to have to use a translation app.

This debut novel served as the author's dissertation for his master’s programme and was awarded a distinction. I congratulate him for that, however it didn't hold my attention and wasn't for me. Might be interesting to Americans though for the European touch and for lovers of illogical action films where you can fall into the cold, strong current tidal Thames with a knife wound and come out not just alive but barely needing treatment.

Superb plotting, cartoonish action. Utterly preposterous AND beguiling. Dial your willing suspension of disbelief up to ten (or 11 if you are a fan of Spinal Tap)and enjoy the juxtaposition of a young man carrying long held trauma endeavouring to write his way to a better future as a creative author whilst simultaneously being both a pawn within and the author of his egress from a horrendous criminal underworld not initially of his own choosing. An excellent read.

This was everything that I was looking for and enjoyed the concept going on. The characters were everything that worked in this story. I thought it worked well with the true crime element and was engaged with what was happening. Christopher J. Newman has a strong writing style and can’t wait for more.

I love debut novels and if this is a first attempt then I am excited with what the author next offering will be.

It follows a young author as he travels around Europe. In Paris he discovers a dead body and wht happens next is thrilling,intense and scary.

Firstly I love the cover of this book. Like the writing, it is edgy and modern.

This is a brilliant crime drama, and has a lot of drama and the main character is well developed and purposeful.

I loved it

I Loved this! Its exciting, well developed, interesting and cool. The cover is excellent and the little drawings within add interest. This is a debut novel that punches hard and if you find yourself in a reading slump, give this a go it will eliminate all the fog. Really brilliant and its obvious the author has film making experience its reflected in the action within.