“Leaving Phoenix” by Jafe Danbury

Leaving Phoenix

Jafe Danbury
Jefe Press (2021)
ISBN: 978-1733344029
Reviewed by Ashley Hooker for Reader Views (06/2022)

“Leaving Phoenix” is Jafe Danbury’s second novel and describes one woman’s journey into a past she never knew she had. Her past may be the extreme, but Danbury leaves us with a truth–we all have a past, but are we willing to confront it?

Phoebe La Flamme is a young woman with a chihuahua named Prick and an obsession with garage sales and vinyl records. She was adopted when she was five and had a good childhood. Her dad, lovingly called Pop Pop, is the cornerstone of her life. One day, he receives a letter that changes everything.

Phoebe learns she has a grandpa, Liam, who wants to meet her. He lives in California and Phoebe decides to take a road trip in her latest gift, a Road Runner with a Hemi 426. Before she leaves Pop Pop, he tells her the name she was given at birth, Phoenix. When she gets to California, Phoenix meets Liam and there is an instant connection. She learns she is the product of an abusive relationship, an unsuccessful abortion, and a man who murdered her mother.

This latest information has given her a new appreciation of life. She realizes she should not even be alive. Phoenix puts no time limit on her stay in California. She stays at her grandpa’s house, and it is there she learns about the murder of her mother by a man called Pirate. She also begins to remember events she had repressed her whole life. It is at grandpa’s she decides the man who murdered her mother should pay, but she will need a team to pull that off. When the perfect night arrives, the plan begins motion. What ensues is a tainted drink, a car chase, and a whole lot of poop.

Danbury has done an excellent job at creating the character of Phoenix. She is a woman who, like everyone, is just living her life. She has pets, a job, and an apartment. Every day is similar. As the story builds, she becomes a woman who in on a mission to learn who she is. I am not an adopted child, so I can only imagine what she was feeling when she learned this information. As the story moves forward, she learns she can open her heart to the new people who are her family. She also learns she can give and receive love.

“Leaving Phoenix” is full of heartwarming moments and hold your breath events. The author has created characters who are believable. The budding romance between Phoenix and Curt bring a refreshing side-story to a heart racing plot. This gritty tale is also full of iconic music lyrics from the 1970s and forward.

“Leaving Phoenix” by Jafe Danbury is easy and fun to read. It is void of grammatical errors, and while there is use of adult language, it was not excessive. I would recommend this book to adults who enjoy a thriller, romance, and a throwback to the days of rock-n roll.