Virtual strangers, each living their own life. Each dealing with their own torment. To each other they are faceless headless globs of flesh passing each other in the lobby of the building they all live in. Everyone being painfully polite. No one showing their true self. Everyone known by their façade. ‘Friendships’ having an expiration date. From the outside everything seems normal. They all seem like normal people. When their lives inadvertently intertwine, startling revelations are made, and their lives are changed forever.

This book is an apt representation of the world we live in today. A world where people keep secrets and suffer in silence. A world where families disintegrate like the houses of cards they are. The author is a talented storyteller. The reader is eased into the story starting with Wally then followed by everyone else. The intensity increases gradually until the suspense hits its peak about two thirds of the way through. The reader is left suspended over an abyss of thrilling possibilities. The story feels finished but the reader is still left wanting more. To learn more shocking secrets.

The story brings together disparate characters and juggles their stories which enabled me to empathize with some unique characters, but also left me in awe of the authors talents. I appreciated each character on their own, but still loved the compelling interactions and gripping relationships between the characters. This story has so much going for it. It is so busy, packed with action and drama, but the author still does not lose the reader in the cuckoo of a chaotic undercurrent.

The first chapter was rough to get through, but my commitment paid off as every sentence about this bitter dude with an obsession for collecting water drew me in. You would think an IT guy would know not to put his key card and magnet in the same pocket. What the reader does not know is that whatever lies beyond is all dark humor and delightful tragedy.

This book is elegant and intriguing. The characters are complex and the prose flows seamlessly. I found myself falling deeper and deeper into a black hole of suspense the more I read. Cooperative Lives is an exquisitely thrilling read!

Pages: 349 | ASIN: B07PP5QRNS