The Lemon

September 1, 2022

DEBUT John Doe, host of a highly successful TV show on food and travel, accidentally dies while self-pleasuring in a Belfast hotel room, setting off a desperate scramble among those in his circle to hide the truth, thus preserving both Doe's reputation and their own incomes. Unfortunately, after Doe was discovered by his friend the celebrity chef Paolo Cabrini, hotel bellhop Charlie McCree wandered into the room and took a picture--which could destroy everything if made public. Doe thinks it will be simple to buy a simple man's silence, but Charlie proves an enigma; he's never clear about what it would take to keep him quiet. Things get bad when Charlie shows up in New York, taking up residence in Paolo's swanky apartment and wreaking havoc wherever he goes. Even worse, a mostly fictitious article by web journalist Katie Horatio goes viral and turns a tiny restaurant (where Doe never went) into a shrine to his memory--and a launching pad for Horatio's own ambitions. VERDICT Taking the death of Anthony Bourdain as a jumping-off point, this bitingly satiric tale examines the mix of greed and reverence that drives people who have something to gain or to protect. Boyd is the pen name of journalists Kevin Alexander and Joe Keohane and editor Alessandra Lusardi, publishing their first novel.--Lawrence Rungren

Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 26, 2022
This uneven debut satire from Boyd, a pen name for journalists Kevin Alexander and Joe Keohane and editor Alessandra Lusardi, centers on the death of an Anthony Bourdain–like TV personality named John Doe. After Doe dies accidentally in a Belfast hotel room from autoerotic asphyxiation, his close confidant, chef Paolo Cabrini, and his agent, Nia Greene, spin Doe’s death as a suicide, determined to keep any “salacious” elements out of the story. As the news breaks, a small army of opportunists latch onto the narrative. In Nevada, Doe’s old chef pal Patrick Whelan sets his sights on taking over Doe’s television program. In New York, low-level blogger Katie Horatio publishes a viral post in which she falsely claims to have recently shared a meal with Doe. And in Belfast, hotel employee Charlie McCree snaps a photo of Doe’s corpse, strikes up a conversation with Cabrini, and sees an opening to move to America. The writers are unafraid to let each character show an unpleasant side, but the narrative loses focus by the final act. Still, there’s plenty of barbed commentary along the way (Nia on Patrick: “He’d still be a great chef, if only he hadn’t self-commoditized with such desperate abandon that it killed his art”). Foodies might enjoy this. Agent: David Granger, Aevitas Creative.

November 1, 2022
This rollicking takedown of fame by Boyd (the pen name for journalists Kevin Alexander and Joe Keohane and editor Alessandra Lusardi) entertains and revolts in equal measure. Celebrity bartender John Doe has made a name for himself based on his authenticity, showcased in his culinary travel television show. On location in Belfast, he accidentally dies from autoerotic asphyxiation. In an attempt to maintain the star's image, Doe's renowned-chef best friend and agent spin his death as a suicide. One problem is hotel employee Charlie, who snapped a salacious picture in the aftermath; another is Katie, a broke blogger who wrote a viral, if totally false, tribute to Doe; a third is celebrated chef-turned-sellout Patrick, who's angling to take over Doe's show. All are after money and fame and will do just about anything for it. Though the characters' awful behavior can overwhelm, and the plot loses some steam by the end, Boyd's writing is sharp and at times hilarious. Hand to readers who love a barbed satire.

COPYRIGHT(2022) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from August 15, 2022
After a beloved chef/author/TV star dies, his reputation hangs by a thread. They say writing is a lonely business, but the three people behind the nom de plume S.E. Boyd--journalists Kevin Alexander and Joe Keohane and book editor Alessandra Lusardi--prove with their debut that a group can write a helluva novel. Hip-deep in knowing detail from the worlds of food, media, and Hollywood, they pull off a saucy spin on the death of Anthony Bourdain--only in this version, his name is John Doe, he dies while filming in Ireland, and his asphyxiation is not the result of despair but the accidental outcome of a certain sexual practice. If your Bourdain-loving hackles go up in response to this ploy, know that the book manages to artfully defang that reaction, both because the whole thing is actually about the potential effect of a salacious detail on a posthumous reputation and because in every other way John Doe is an embodiment of everything great about Bourdain. As in life, his body is discovered by a friend who's a renowned chef: "There were three chefs in the world more famous than Paolo Cabrini, all of whom were French and two of whom were dead. Paolo had cooked for five presidents, four kings, three prime ministers, two chancellors, and One Direction, which he learned was a pop band." Unfortunately, a loutish Irish bellhop named Smilin' Charlie McCree (not the strongest character in the book but a necessary one) manages to get an embarrassing photo of Paolo with his friend's corpse. Unfortunately, a desperate content provider at a trashy website makes up a fake anecdote about Doe that goes viral. Unfortunately, Nia Greene, the agent who has devoted her whole life to Doe's career, must now devote her life to controlling these problems. Meanwhile, those details! Honey-baked ham, Substack, secret rooms within secret rooms, Asian-Irish fusion cuisine, high-end interior design as a front for contract killing. They are as good as they can possibly be. Or better. A hilarious, brilliant, cynical (and maybe even a little sad) takedown of the moral vacuum that is celebrity culture.

COPYRIGHT(2022) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.