Emotionally hollow, The Other Side of Night was a 5-star read that came out of nowhere for me, so I was very excited diving into Adam Hamdy's new title. I think expectation kind of tainted my experience with Deadbeat, as this new novel's intent and tone are vastly different from The Other Side of Night — more of a gritty, ultra-masculine action thriller, rather than the genre-bending, nuanced mystery that was The Other Side of Night.

For me, the most immediate comparison is Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby, with both stories spotlighting a father figure as its protagonist, and the reader following him through action-packed ordeals in the name of his children. Unfortunately, Deadbeat never manages to engage me emotionally with its anti-hero, so as the set pieces get more grandiose and ridiculous, I feel disconnected and can't fully sympathize the character's decisions at each critical junction. There are also some nitpicks I have with the overall storytelling: the overuse of the word 'deadbeat' as punchline (at least once in every chapter), and an predictable twist that arrives far too late to be effective.

While action thriller is not really a sub-genre I gravitate towards, it has worked for me in the past (such as the aforementioned Razorblade Tears), but Deadbeat just doesn't quite click: the writing style tries too hard to be urban and grungy (though the dash of the supernatural is a nice touch), the plot meandering and its drawn-out delivery really kills the twist (too many hints beforehand), and the protagonist too impersonal to form an attachment (a lot of telling not showing). I'm all for author diversifying their output, but the drastic difference between The Other Side of Night and Deadbeat makes me cautious to whether I should pick up Adam Hamdy's next title.

**This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated!**