Breakfall

A Novel

By: Zhanna Slor

Narrated by: Cassandra Metcalf

One wrong decision. One death. One missing person. One clear suspect.

Mina Banksy, a thirty-two-year-old author and mother of a rambunctious three-year-old, is still reeling from a recent divorce and what she calls an "early midlife crisis" when two Chicago detectives show up at her door looking for her friend, Dylan. Or, more accurately, the van that she allowed him to register in her name, because Dylan—a friend from her former Jiu Jitsu gym—is a recently recovered addict and convicted felon. According to the cops, Dylan is not so reformed after all: the van has been under suspicion for criminal activities, and she may be in trouble for it.

Flustered by the stressful meeting, Mina calls Matthew, a cop who she'd had an affair with six months earlier, causing a scandal at their close-knit gym as well as instigating her divorce and his relocation to Arizona. Matthew tells her to cut all ties with Dylan and report the van missing. Instead, Mina tries to track down Dylan at the rehab where he lives. She finds him dead, and the nature of his injuries make it appear the murderer is someone well-versed in Jiu Jitsu. When Mina's ex-husband also turns up missing, and Matthew returns to Chicago, every member of the gym—current and past—becomes a suspect, and somehow all roads lead back to Mina Banksy.

Part unlikely romance and part murder mystery, set inside the eclectic subculture of martial arts, BREAKFALL is an exploration of sexual desire, motherhood, and marriage in modern times.

©2023 Zhanna Slor (P)2023 Spotify Audiobooks

Finally! A BJJ Novel!

It was pretty amazing being able to listen to to a book with all my favorite things! Sex, violence, and Jiu Jitsu all in one spot. The plot line mimics the experience of learning the art, as it's equally thrilling and painful. I'm as impressed with the writing as I am with the narration performance. I hope the author writes another book about the sub culture of BJJ since it's a space just waiting to be filled by literature.