Book Review: Third Wheel by Richard R. Becker

Synopsis:

Las Vegas, 1982. Brady Wilks, a teenage transplant from the Midwest, navigates life in the dusty suburban outskirts of this aberrant 24-hour town built by the Mob. Outcast as a newcomer, Brady forges a brotherly bond with an older teenage neighbor, Mick, and his friend, Brett. But when Brett unexpectedly moves away, Mick invites a new kid into their pack, squeezing out the last remnants of their childhood in favor of a new world laced with cartel-supplied drugs and the deal of a lifetime.

Third Wheel is a powerful novel about belonging, betrayal, and breaking away from paths laid out by others, even when it means grasping at an uncertain future. It is the story of a boy trying to find his identity without the benefit of a role model by taking chances on random and fragile relationships forged in the predawn hours of a future boomtown.

Desolate and gritty, Third Wheel is a triumphant debut novel, and Brady Wilks is remarkable as a transformative protagonist. Four-time award-winning author Richard R. Becker once again shares his unique insight into the human condition with a longer, captivating tale.

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Review

Whether you are fourteen in 1982 or today, it can be a tough age to be. You want to act all grown up but don’t have the knowledge to make grown up decisions. But it all turns back to the grownups, the people who are supposed to be parents, but are not. In Third Wheel by Richard R. Becker, life for this teenager was difficult. Getting his head around the fact that his mother didn’t really care made it that much harder.

I will be honest, at first, I wasn't a big fan of Brady, but as the story developed, I got to know him. Being the youngest in the small circle of friends, he faced decisions no fourteen-year-old is supposed to make. His maturity level was greater than his mother gave him credit for. Raised by a grandmother, I can understand why. 

"It hadn't always been this way. My indoctrination into the family was served up as a summer vacation, except nobody told me there wasn't an end date. My grandmother was losing her battle with cancer, and presenting a permanent move as a summer vacation seemed like an easier transition for me when I was ten."

What really turned me was when his mother placed a good dose of fear in him. Though I am a big supporter of discipline, this line of fear was unnecessary and created more problems. If she took the time to listen, she would have realized that. In doing so, she did more harm than good. She forced him to change his way of thinking, which propelled him into the next phase of his life.

"Funny how your entire life can be turned upside down in a matter of days or weeks, or months. When I lived with my grandmother, I used to daydream about being part of a regular family, living with and loved by my mother. Now all I could think about was escaping the pain of it, daily reminders that I was living with a regular family but didn't belong to one."

The loneliness and bitterness seeped through the pages, but he moved forward. Finding his own feet in a hard world.

Growing up in Las Vegas added another dimension to this story. Drug deals and illegal weapons added to the growing suspense. Mixed that with teenager hormones and wise cracks and you have the perfect recipe for a mess waiting to happen. His friends were way too clever for their age, and I didn’t like their treatment of Brady at all. They were the “bad” in news. With every poor decision they made, Bradly got entangled in a web that led to more problems. He didn't know how to solve them.

When Brett passed away, it added another layer of lies and suspense to this story. A story that pulls at the heartstrings at every turn of the page. Brady’s character grew quickly. He had to, otherwise things could have been worse.  

“Sometimes I lay awake and think about it, asking myself how much of what happened was my fault. It was easy to blame Alex and Mick, but I was right there along for the ride, hoping that one payday would provide me a way out.”

If this was real life, I would have had hopes for him. The Brady in 2023 would be a mature man that would know how to help his children. Maybe be a teacher because of the lesson he had learned back in 1982.

The writer’s writing style is fluent and clear, which draws you into the story. Being inside the mind of Brady and telling it from his perspective gave you a good understanding of his thoughts and the reasons for his actions.

What I didn’t like about the story was the many back flashes. At times, it was killing the flow of the story. Less of it would have helped to move it along. Otherwise, a wonderful story, I would recommend.

Author’s bio

Richard R. Becker is an award-winning American author. His debut collection of literary fiction and psychological thrillers began as a project to write one story a week for 50 weeks. It became a literary short story bestseller for three consecutive months in 2022. It won first place in the Spring 2022 BestFest Awards for short stories, 2023 Book Excellence Awards for short stories, and ABR Book Excellence Award for literary fiction, psychological thriller, and short stories. It was also a finalist in the 2022 IAN Book of the Year Awards.

His debut novel Third Wheel was released in August 2023 to extremely positive reviews and was named a finalist in the Global Book Awards.

As a journalist, Richard has written hundreds of magazine and newspaper articles, with his byline appearing in the Denver Post, Los Angeles Times, and publications for Simon & Schuster and Paramount Communications. He also scripted a documentary produced with PBS and contributed to five books related to marketing, public relations, and management.

He currently serves as president of Copywrite, Ink. and previously taught at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, for 20 years. In addition, Richard currently serves as a city council-appointed volunteer commissioner on the Las Vegas Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission. He has assisted more than 60 nonprofit and professional organizations as a consultant and board member during his career and has been featured as a speaker for a variety of organizations, including Wizard World Comic Con, G2E World Gaming Expo, National Recreation and Park Association, Regis University, and U.S. Small Business Administration.

Aside from writing, Richard has a broad range of interests, including travel, hiking, parks, fitness, illustration, photography, and spending time with family. He is married and has two children.