Provocative, unstable, and deliberately uncomfortable, Kill Dick: A Novel arrives as one of the most talked about literary thrillers of 2026. Published by Red Hen Press, the novel has already drawn early attention from outlets such as Lit Hub and Playboy as one of the year’s most anticipated releases.
From the acclaimed author of Fourteen Stories, None of Them Are Yours and co writer of the films Causeway and Eileen, Kill Dick blends satire and suspense into a fever dream portrait of Los Angeles where privilege, addiction, and moral decay combust.
A Thriller Built on Instability
Kill Dick is not a conventional mystery. It thrives on deliberate instability. The novel both mocks and participates in contemporary literary seriousness, creating a self aware narrative that cuts sharply through themes of wealth, exploitation, and hypocrisy.
At its center is Susie Vogelman, a nineteen year old NYU dropout cushioned by privilege and numbed by prescription pills. Living in a Brentwood estate, Susie appears untouchable. But her carefully insulated world begins to fracture as a string of brutal murders targeting addicts spreads across Los Angeles.
The violence is not random. The headlines inch dangerously close to her own life, exposing her father’s ties to an opioid empire and a secretive network of power that thrives on corruption. The deeper Susie looks, the harder it becomes to deny her own complicity in the systems she benefits from.
Collision of Two Damaged Worlds
Enter Peter Holiday, a disgraced professor orchestrating a brazen rehab scam that blurs the line between desperation and opportunism. When Susie and Peter collide, their alliance is less partnership and more mutual descent.
Together they navigate a city defined by surface glamour and hidden rot. Every attempted escape draws them deeper into corruption. Every truth uncovered destabilizes what little certainty remains.
Los Angeles in this novel is not simply a backdrop. It is a character. A volatile ecosystem where addiction, wealth, media spectacle, and moral ambiguity intertwine.
Themes That Define the Novel
Wealth and Moral Decay
The book dissects the illusion of safety that wealth provides. Privilege shields, but it also implicates.
Addiction as Systemic Failure
Addiction is portrayed not merely as personal weakness but as a product of profit driven systems.
Satire of Literary Seriousness
The novel skewers cultural and intellectual pretension even as it operates within those spaces.
Survival Versus Self Destruction
Susie’s journey becomes a question of whether survival requires complicity or confrontation.
Tone and Narrative Style
Kill Dick is darkly satirical and razor sharp. The prose carries urgency and unpredictability, mirroring the chaotic psychological landscape of its characters. It is not a comfortable read. It is intentionally abrasive, forcing readers to confront uncomfortable intersections of class, power, and exploitation.
The novel’s structure reflects its themes. Fragmented, bold, and at times disorienting, it invites readers to question both the characters and the systems surrounding them.
Book Details
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Title | Kill Dick: A Novel |
| Genre | Literary Thriller, Satire |
| Publisher | Red Hen Press |
| Language | English |
| Print Length | 280 pages |
| Publication Date | April 14, 2026 |
| Buy Link | https://a.co/d/0hSHyAMo |
| Author Name | Luke Goebel |
Who Should Read This Book
Kill Dick is ideal for readers who appreciate literary thrillers with satirical bite. Fans of psychologically complex fiction and morally ambiguous protagonists will find its themes compelling. It also speaks to those interested in narratives exploring addiction, privilege, and the darker mechanics of power.
Final Reflection
Kill Dick is not content to entertain. It interrogates. It unsettles. It challenges the narratives of innocence that privilege often tells itself.
In its fever dream vision of Los Angeles, survival is not clean, morality is not simple, and escape may only be another illusion. It is a bold, unsettling addition to contemporary literary fiction that refuses to look away from the rot beneath the surface.