In a world of excess, best friends Devon and Belle have it all—beauty, money, status. But they want something more. Something dangerous. Something that makes them feel alive. Their solution? A party—a meticulously curated gathering of New Bethlehem’s elite, from a desperate ex-NFL quarterback to a hockey coach with a penchant for married women, and a ruthless Wall Street “closer” who wields his wealth like a weapon. One night. An ultra-elite swingers party. Multiple betrayals. And a murder that will shatter New Bethlehem’s carefully constructed facade.
The book is provocative in a familiar way ... I have wrestled with a Frey-like dread through the writing of this review—I’m afraid that I’ll describe his book and no one will believe me ... To give credit to Frey where it’s due, his prose can be endearingly excitable ... As satire, Next to Heaven is unintelligible, as though someone is universalizing their own hangups and then skewering them for clout.
Frey has found a groove with this gleefully trashy page-turner set among the one percent ... Frey’s literary affectations don’t get in the way of the good times. Let the revels begin!
