Review for Six Steps to Salvation by P.J. Murphy

Usually, the story goes rags to riches, not the other way around. Six Steps to Salvation not only inverts that cliche, but the novel goes one step further to make the protagonist focus on regaining riches that aren’t just money. While redemption for a dethroned business mogul is the focus, satirical social commentary provides the rest. Homelessness, the “business” of charity, social media, and hustle culture all play a part.

Description and voice shine in this novel. Word choice and a few well-placed similes that could make me snort litter the prose. I was a little worried I would have problems relating to the protagonist at first. Both because of who he is, and because of what he’s done prior to the beginning of the novel. The author does a fantastic job of bringing the reader in and hooking them, from the first chapter. Much like the main character used to hook his business targets.

The vast majority of Six Steps to Salvation is beautifully written and poignant, even with its crazy cast. Because of the near-perfection of some parts, the few flaws stand out considerably, and most often occur in the protagonist’s back story. There can be some redundancies, not just in concept but in the same wording, and sometimes within a few sentences of each other. I also had trouble understanding one portion because the name for one character seemed to switch back and forth for a few pages.

I expected a little more satire from a novel with that claim in the subtitle on the cover. There are definitely a few scenes that seem more in line with my expectations, but overall, it was more tongue-in-cheek than I was used to. That isn’t a bad thing. I genuinely enjoyed Six Steps to Salvation. As long as readers go in understanding that much of the satire is more subtle and clever than overt, they should have a good time.

Six Steps to Salvation is available to buy on Amazon.