This was a compelling first novel, with interesting characters, but some of the plot just seemed so contrived. So much so that by the end I was guess what was going to happen, and rolling my eyes when my prediction came true. Dennis Mahoney is certainly a writer to watch and there were some brilliant lines in Fellow Mortals that stayed with me. My actual rating would be more like three and a half stars. A fine debut, but with some of the faults of first novel plotting.