the writer's journey

David Alvarez is on a downward turn. His first novel did well, earning him a six-figure contract and lots of good publicity. He had a great apartment in New York City and a boyfriend who loved him. But his second novel didn’t do so well. His earnings stopped. Jeremy broke up with him. David had to move into a studio apartment, where he tried to think up a third novel and drank too much. His publisher wasn’t interested in his latest work. And his agent is thinking of retiring.

As David’s bank account dwindles down to its last few thousand dollars, most of which he needs for rent, he feels even more desperate. He can’t focus enough to write. So he decides to hit the dating apps. His last experience through the app was not worth writing home about, but this time David gets a response from a good looking man wanting to meet him at the Plaza for a drink. The man introduces himself as Robert, and as they drink champagne and bar hop, David starts to think that they may have a future. This man is a really good match for him, smart and sophisticated. They end the night back at David’s apartment, and David finds that Robert is still there the next morning.

But there’s a problem. Robert is still there, but he’s no longer breathing. David doesn’t know what to do next. He thinks through all the people he could potentially call to help him. He realizes that the only person still in his corner is his agent, Stacey. So that’s who he calls. They debate whether to call the police or not and finally decide to take him back to his room at the Plaza. That fateful decision changed everything.

They successfully take care of the problem, and David takes the opportunity to turn the experience into his next novel. But while the police close their investigation and move on, there is someone else who seems to have David in their sights. Will this new novel be his new breakthrough bestseller, or will it just break him?

I Might Be in Trouble is a dark thriller with humorous overtones from author Daniel Aleman. It’s partly an honest look at the challenges that full-time writers face in their careers and partly crime caper, with plenty of soul-searching and bad decisions.

I enjoyed the story of this novel, but I did want it to be more light-hearted overall. David had a lot of childhood issues that brought shadows of pain and struggle into the story. There isn’t anything wrong with that, of course, but I felt like it was sold to me as a dark comedy, which I love, and while this definitely had the darkness, I thought it lacked that irony that could have brought more comedy. For me, it was mostly just dark. I still enjoyed it. I just didn’t quite love it as much as I’d hoped.

Egalleys for I Might Be in Trouble were provided by Grand Central Publishing through NetGalley, with many thanks.