A perfect blend of dark, satirical humour and emotional vulnerability, I Might Be In Trouble is Daniel Aleman’s third novel and one that is very different from his previous two books; an addictive, multi-faceted and highly enjoyable book, I Might Be In Trouble is a brilliant thriller-comedy that truly shows Aleman’s versatility as an author.
Not only am I excited to be sharing my review of this book, but I also had the delight of interviewing Daniel Aleman about his newest release. Make sure you read to the end of this post, as it is there where you can find the interview where Aleman shared some brilliant insight into bringing this book to life. Firstly, however, here is what I thought on I Might Be In Trouble.
Book: I Might Be In Trouble
Author: Daniel Aleman
Genre: Literary Contemporary Fiction/Thriller (a multi-genre book!)
Rating: 5 stars
Release Date: 03/12/2024 (USA)
A quick thank you to Hear Our Voices (https://www.hearourvoices.me/ ) for giving me an e-arc, the opportunity to interview Daniel Aleman and a spot on the blog tour!
As usual, to bring everyone up to speed, here is the synopsis for the book, taken from storygraph:
A suspenseful dark comedy about a struggling writer who wakes up to find his date from the night before dead—and must then decide how far he’s willing to go to spin the event into his next big book: “Prepare to gasp out loud, cringe, cackle, and cry” (Jesse Q. Sutanto, bestselling author of Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers).
A few years ago, David Alvarez had it all: a six-figure book deal, a loving boyfriend, and an exciting writing career. His debut novel was a resounding success, which made the publication of his second book—a total flop—all the more devastating. Now, David is single, lonely, and desperately trying to come up with the next great idea for his third manuscript, one that will redeem him in the eyes of readers, reviewers, the entire publishing world…and maybe even his ex-boyfriend.
But good ideas are hard to come by, and the mounting pressure of a near-empty bank account isn’t helping. When David connects with a sexy stranger on a dating app, he figures a wild night out in New York City may be just what he needs to find inspiration. Lucky for him, his date turns out to be handsome, confident, and wealthy, not to mention the perfect distraction from yet another evening staring at a blank screen.
After one of the best nights of his life, David wakes up hungover but giddy—only to find prince charming dead next to him in bed. Horrified, completely confused, and suddenly faced with the implausible-but-somehow-plausible idea that he may have actually killed his date, David calls the only person he can trust in a moment of crisis: his literary agent, Stacey.
Together, David and Stacey must untangle the events of the previous night, cover their tracks, and spin the entire misadventure into David’s career-defining novel—if only they can figure out what to do with the body first.
I have reviewed both of Aleman’s previous books – Indivisible and Brighter Than The Sun – on this very website, and if you head to the Indivisible post, there is also an interview with Daniel Aleman discussing his debut novel. Now, on his third book, I Might Be In Trouble, Aleman has told a starkly different kind of story. Both his previous books have packed an emotional punch, and whilst he has gone in a whole new direction with I Might Be In Trouble, the writing style is clearly so distinctly Aleman’s, which made his first two books so impactful. This writing style skillfully demonstrated by Aleman has provided a fantastic book that somehow had me cackling on one page, and my heart aching for David on the next.
One of the main things I believe Aleman is masterful at within his books is his characterisation, and I Might Be In Trouble is no exception to this. David is a struggling writer who wakes up with a dead body next to him, and naturally, he panics. Which I’d say is a reasonable reaction. What is somewhat less reasonable is David’s actions following this. Yet despite David making one bad decision after another, he is still someone you find yourself rooting for and wanting to come out of this whole situation relatively unscathed. At the heart of all the chaos that ensues in the book, David is just someone who wants to prove to everyone what he is capable of, he wants to show he is worthy and enough as he is – something that is universally relatable.
What initially starts as a crisis deciding how best to handle a dead body soon snowballs into a whole identity crisis on what makes someone ‘good’ – is it our actions, how we care for others, living life truthfully, or the work and/or money we make whilst we are alive? How is it defined what someone deserves? Ultimately, David is dealt a harsh hand with a family that far from help his crisis’, and a reputation to recover. What I find is so incredibly well crafted in I Might Be In Trouble is how Aleman balances the complexities of these vulnerabilities and emotions with dark humour. Neither element overshadows the other but both come together in the book to make what is a really unique and intriguing narrative.
I Might Be in Trouble has an addictive pacing when reading; I endearingly say it’s almost like a car crash I can’t look away from – there’s just one thing after another throughout the book, and I found myself speeding through to see how everything would be concluded. At one point, I could think of at least 3 different outcomes all of which I thought were truly plausible! And whilst the majority of this book is spent with two characters deciding what to do with a dead body, the plot never feels like it drags. Aleman has crafted the book where the tension and intrigue is effectively maintained from the first to the last page. It was actually quite fun getting to escape the gloominess of everyday life, by reading about poor David having one problem after another instead! Furthermore, despite this book having a relatively dark premise and theme, this is handled in a way that yes, is really quite amusing, but it is also handled in a way that remains sensitive. In fact, this in itself is one of the internal battles David struggles with, and I really enjoyed reading about this raw emotion he was displaying.
With I Might Be In Trouble, Aleman has made the transition with his writing from YA to Adult fiction, and whilst this transition is hard to define, it is easily seen and felt when reading this new book of his. With every book Aleman has published, his writing has only grown and I Might Be In Trouble is no exception. I think very few people could effectively write a multi-genre book about a man finding a dead body next to him one morning and the havoc that follows in a way that’s both amusing and sensitive, yet Aleman has done just that. I Might Be in Trouble may be entirely different from the last two, but every page is brilliant and enjoyable; darkly hilarious, addictive and emotive, I Might Be In Trouble showcases what a talented, masterful storyteller Aleman really is.
And with that all being said, that brings me to the next portion of this piece – an interview with the man himself. Read on for some really insightful answers from Daniel Aleman about his inspiration, writing process and more.
Note: none of these answers have been edited in any way. The answers are presented as were sent to me.
- Let’s start with a nice easy question…what are your personal favourite book(s)?
I feel like my answer changes every time someone asks me this, but some of my all-time favorites are: DIAL A FOR AUNTIES by Jesse Q. Sutanto, THE SONG OF ACHILLES by Madeline Miller, and anything by Jodi Picoult. Recently, I’ve also read and loved IT’S ELEMENTARY by Elise Bryant and THE TREASURE HUNTERS CLUB by Tom Ryan. I’m usually drawn to books that have propulsive storytelling, humor, or emotional depth (or any combination of these elements!)
- What made you want to write this book? Where did the inspiration come from?
The first spark of inspiration came to me during the start of the pandemic, when I was walking through empty city streets. I remember feeling very lonely and realizing that my life wasn’t what I had once imagined it would be. I thought that my twenties would be some of the best years of my life—that I’d be surrounded by a supportive community, and feeling excited about my career, and looking forward to the future. Instead, I felt distant from friends and family, I was becoming increasingly anxious about releasing my debut novel in the middle of a pandemic, and I felt a deep sense of dread about growing older.
David, the protagonist of I MIGHT BE IN TROUBLE, was born out of my desire to write about a character who was experiencing similar struggles. Telling his story allowed me to make sense of the things I was going through, and I realized there was also humor to be found in all of it—especially when David wakes up next to a dead body, which is just the cherry on top of everything else he already has to deal with.
- This book is a very different tone and approach to your previous books; was that a conscious decision? What made you decide to write something different?
I’d say I’m a very eclectic writer, just as I’m an eclectic reader. My intention has always been to write in different genres and age categories, and this felt like the perfect book to introduce myself to adult audiences, because it’s such a fun yet personal story.
I genuinely hope that I’ll get to publish all kinds of different novels throughout my career. And just as I released INDIVISIBLE and BRIGHTER THAN THE SUN back-to-back, which I think of as “companion novels,” I hope to follow up I MIGHT BE IN TROUBLE with one more suspenseful dark comedy before moving on to a different genre.
- Is your writing process the characters coming to you first, and their story follows, or do you think of the story first and the characters come along after the story has formed?
It varies from book to book, but with this one, the character of David came to me first. Right away, I felt like I knew him, because the two of us are so similar in many ways.
I should add, though, that at the start I wasn’t sure whether David’s story would be a drama, or a comedy, or a thriller. For months, I couldn’t decide what I wanted to happen after the first two chapters of the book—but as I continued developing my outline, I realized I could write this as a genre mash-up, and that is why it blends suspenseful, satirical, and emotional elements.
- How does it feel for you as an author now, compared to when you were debuting? Is it any different having a couple of books on shelves already, or is publishing a new book still just as scary as the first time?
I still feel some of the same nervousness and giddiness as I did when I was a debut author. I’m so excited to see how this book will be received, and I feel a huge sense of accomplishment seeing it find readers after working on this story for so long.
The biggest difference is that I now have the benefit of experience. Debuting is incredibly hard, especially when you don’t know what to expect, but I think I’ve developed a thicker skin after being in this industry for a few years. I’m mostly just trying to remind myself to let go of the things I can’t control, put all my energy toward the things I can, and enjoy the process as much as possible!
- David and Stacey go through quite a bit together throughout this book; did you plan the specific plot points or did you have a general view of the story, and then some of their misadventures just came to your mind as you wrote?
I’ve always been an obsessive plotter. Before I start writing my books, I spend a few months (or years!) thinking about the story, making notes, and coming up with a super detailed outline—and that was the case with this book as well. I went in with a clear view of what I wanted to happen, but that’s not to say there weren’t some moments that took me by surprise (like Stacey’s funny dialogue, which I mostly came up with spontaneously, or the opening of Part 2, which turned out to be one of my favorite parts of the book to write).
- Although this book is quite darkly funny and tense, there is still vulnerabilities and emotional, touching sections throughout; how did you find a way to balance these contrasting themes when writing? Did one aspect ever overtake the other, or was it somewhat easy enough to bring them both together to form this completed novel?
One of the things my agent said to me when he first read it was that he loved the shifting tone. He felt that the emotional beats lent believability to the leap-of-faith premise, as we’re not just observing these characters do crazy things. We’re giving them an opportunity to show us why they’re making these decisions, and we’re getting to understand the circumstances that have led them to these desperate actions.
I’ll admit that emotional scenes have always been my favorite to write—but I really loved being able to blend humor into this book. Ultimately, the process of mixing these different elements felt quite seamless!
- What do you want people to take away from this book?
I want people to laugh, first and foremost. My biggest hope is that this book will provide readers with the escapism so many of us need right now, and that it will keep them turning the pages as they wait to see what’s going to happen next.
On a more emotional level, I want people to realize that there’s no single right way to grow up or to be an adult. Too often we have this image of what adulthood should be—many of us develop expectations about what our career, romantic prospects, and friendships will be like once we reach a certain age. Oftentimes those expectations don’t live up to reality, and I want to say to readers that that’s okay. Even if your life isn’t what you once wanted it to be, you still have the power to alter your present and your future, and you’re never as alone as you may think you are.
- How would you sell readers this book, in one sentence?
Ah, this is so hard to do! But the sentence I would offer readers is: A struggling writer wakes up next to a dead man and turns the chaos into inspiration for his next book—if only he can get rid of the body first.
- Last question…What are two unlikely best friends to do with a dead body?
As a sensible Plan A, I’d suggest calling the authorities. But, if that doesn’t work, then I’d suggest going with Plan B: moving it out of your home, carrying it across the city, finding a discreet resting place for it, and then writing a novel about the whole misadventure (and hopefully get away with it all!)
And there we have it! What stimulating and profound answers about a really quite remarkable book. I do hope you enjoyed reading the interview as much as I enjoyed thinking of questions for it!
I feel very lucky and thankful to both Hear Our Voices and Daniel Aleman for the opportunity for this review and interview. Reading these answers after having read the book just makes me want to go back and read the book again…well, with only a few days left to go, the countdown is on until you can all read the book and understand the hype too!
I Might Be in Trouble is out in the USA on the 3rd December.
UK readers – the e-book and audiobook are out on 9th January 2025, with a paperback release on 3rd July 2025.
You can pre-order the book now, from wherever you buy your books.
To find out more about Daniel Aleman you can do so here: https://www.danielaleman.com/
One Show at a Time 
One thought on “I Might Be In Trouble | Darkly Hilarious, Addictive and Emotive | Book Review”