William wakes up after a one night stand, returning to work the morning after, but the story is told not just through the events of the aftermath but through the flashbacks to his tours of duty in Iraq.

This is more a character piece than a straight story. Told in third from William’s point of view, he slowly develops over the course of the story, beginning to re-examine his life. The writing is excellent, and we see what drives him, what haunts him, and what he is slowly moving towards. The formatting and grammar are fine, although flashbacks are in italics so be prepared for a lot of those. There are short sections of the actual Grayson trilogy following, but they’re short enough not to object to.

I’ve never read the Grayson trilogy, so I am reviewing it as a standalone. While it did make me curious, The Joker didn’t hook me enough to rush out and buy it. However for people who already know and love the lead character I can see why this would be a very nice addition.

It is a three, a short character piece rather than a short story, which will mainly appeal to people who have read the trilogy or are considering doing so. As a taster of the author’s writing and a character piece it is great, but there’s not a lot here for readers otherwise.