A Danger Boy’s Take on Danger Boy
Look, I’m not one to toot my own horn, but when your life involves dodging Russian assassins on a semi-regular basis, surviving multiple gunshot wounds, and still managing to close multi-million dollar deals, you develop a certain perspective on things. So when Glen Hellman decided to chronicle my latest misadventures in “Cross My Heart & Hope to Die,” I figured I’d weigh in on how he did.
First off, Hellman gets me. I’m not just saying that because we’re both essentially the same person. The way he captures my journey from heartbroken ex-boyfriend to reluctant mob associate to tech CEO might seem far-fetched to some readers, but trust me, that’s just an average Tuesday in my world. The emotional core of the story—my breakup with Nina—hits particularly close to home. The scene where Michael shows up at my door and I have to push him away for his own good? I still wake up in cold sweats thinking about that.
The secondary characters steal the show at times. Benny “The Knife” Santini walks that perfect line between terrifying mob boss and concerned father—a guy who’ll have your digits removed one minute and offer you homemade Sunday gravy the next. And don’t get me started on Izzy Rossi. Only I could fall for an FBI agent while being investigated by the FBI. My love life continues to be as dangerous as the rest of my existence.
The dialogue throughout is snappy and often darkly humorous. When Benny corrects everyone who calls his son “Frank” instead of “Francis,” it’s both funny and revealing—a ruthless criminal who still fusses over his son’s name like any other proud dad. My personal favorite line comes after Izzy blows a fuse because I forget to tell her that I was in a brawl in a restaurant bathroom. Hey, it slipped my mind. So I answer her question, “Frankly, I’ve kicked the ass of more goons who were following me in the past month than I’ve bought milk.” If that doesn’t sum up my life, I don’t know what does.
Hellman weaves in some thoughtful themes beneath all the gunfire and corporate espionage. There’s the constant question of whether someone like me can ever have a normal life or if I’m always going to be “Danger Boy.” The book explores loyalty in its many forms—to family, to country, to principles, to corporations. It asks whether we can ever truly separate our professional lives from our personal ones (spoiler alert: in my case, absolutely not).
The plot moves at breakneck speed, bouncing between boardrooms and basements where billionaires are being held captive. If it seems implausible that a corporate turnaround specialist would get involved in so many life-or-death situations… well, I used to think that too. But when Russian intelligence wants your company’s software and is willing to kidnap and kill for it, you adapt quickly.
If I have one criticism, it’s that Hellman makes me seem a bit too cool under pressure. Sure, I’ve developed nerves of steel over the years, but inside? I’m usually screaming like a kid on a rollercoaster. Also, my hip hurts way more than he lets on after that shooting. Try jogging through Vienna with a bullet wound and then talk to me about “manageable pain.”
In the end, “Cross My Heart & Hope to Die” is a thrilling ride that asks some serious questions about the price we pay for the choices we make. Can we protect the people we love by pushing them away? Is any business deal worth getting involved with the mob? And perhaps most importantly, will I ever learn to stop answering unknown numbers on my phone?
Four out of five WhoopAss cans. Would recommend. Just don’t try this at home.
— Greg “Danger Boy” Newsome
P.S. If anyone from the FBI is reading this, I want to clarify that all of this is fictional. Mostly. Sort of. You know what, I should probably call my lawyer.
You can get your copy of Turn Around & Die at Amazon by linking here.
