The Near Death Experience

THE NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE by Steve Glassman
Tropical Press - 2001
ISBN: 0966617371 - Paperback
Contemporary Suspense
Explicit language / Explicit sexual content / graphic violence

Reviewed by Nancy Mehl, MyShelf.com
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Rupert "Bru" Bruton is a Florida college professor who is out of a job - and a marriage. His wife, Leta, has fallen in love with his best friend, Jerry. Still haunted by the death of his daughter, Amber, Bru struggles with his crumbling life. He accepts a job from orange juice magnet Billy Goins, a tough and ethically questionable billionaire who wants Bru to prove that there is no truth to the rumors that children are being poisoned by a toxic chemical inside containers of juice.

After Bru is attacked by a biker and set upon by Goins promiscuous daughter, Elizabeth, he becomes convinced that there is something beyond oranges combining to make a deadly mix that could end in even more deaths - including his own.

Glassman offers an intriguing look inside the Florida citrus community and the politics behind it. His characters are unique and well defined, although it is difficult to find anyone to like, including the members of a police department rife with violence and murder. Goins granddaughter, Kimberly, brings a sweetness amid the avarice and immorality that surrounds this story. Bru's concern for her allows the reader look a little deeper into his soul. I found his attachment to the troubled young girl one of the most appealing aspects of a plot that moves along at a rapid and exciting pace. THE NEAR DEATH EXPERIMENT is engrossing and well written. A word of caution, however. This novel is sexually explicit and riddled with profanity. It will not be everyone's cup of tea.