The Truth Chamber by Duncan Ritchie

This is a terrifying book.  I’d prefer to be terrified by vampires or hobgoblins than probabilities.  The author, currently living in Tasmania, has captured the political cesspool that is American politics. The book could have been a playbook for many recent political campaigns.

 The current political climate leads to unbridled cynicism on all sides of the aisle.  Accusations of “fake news” are bandied about with little or no effort to discover the veracity of the source. Social media abounds with misinformation, outright lies, and misconceptions.  Ai has brought a new level of sophistication to propaganda.  Our enemies abroad and our enemies within are campaigning against data centers in our communities, despite the boost to the local economies.

 The author has got to be precognitive, as his book was conceived in 2022.  He incorporates Ai to provide the ultimate lie detector in the Truth Chamber. 

 There is a definitive bias in the book as Republicans are the unscrupulous villains, and the Democrats are guilty of circumventing the law for the greater good.

 
This is a book well worth reading but don’t anticipate getting comfortable reading it. 

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases if you click on a purchasing link below.#CommissionsEarned

Die Famous by Michael Koryta

The book is set in the American Depression with banks failing, people losing their jobs,and a lot of resentment of the well-to-do. A band on robbers, a father-less boy, a roving femme fatale, and a stoic patriarch are the cast of this tale.

Savannah Cody shares narration with Alford, her son, and Eddie, nicknamed Nickel, her lover, father of Alford, and one of the robbers. A classic wrong side of the track, star crossed lovers leading to saddness, lonliness and death.

Eddie is on the run with the Brady bunch, not the one you are thinking about. Al Brady, a robber, who lusts for notoriety. Al’s hero is John Dillinger, despite the violent demise of his hero, Al wants to be famous.

Eddie, a consummate mechanic, finds himself shunned by Savannah’s family, and in despair falls into a life of crime.

I enjoyed the book, and recommend it.  

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases if you click on a purchasing link below.#CommissionsEarned

The Hanged Man by Jane Brookwood

 This is part of a series that appears to be able to be read as a stand-alone.   The owner of a metaphysical gift shop reads Tarot cards.  They figure prominently in the plot as does a cat who may be psychic named Rosie.

 A man commits suicide or is murdered.  The controversy begins to divide a community, with many who have been impacted by the victim or deceased. Fiona is deeply involved as the deceased and his brother/suspect are the sons of her deceased best friend.

 There is a police chief, chef, contractor, and younger, computer-literate employee also involved as well as Vinny, a fixer of sorts.

 
It isn’t as complex as it might appear. 

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases if you click on a purchasing link below.#CommissionsEarned

Brimstone Hollow by Archer Sullivan

Annie Gore is a private eye.  A former Air Force special investigator, she now finds herself wondering where the money to fix the AC is going to come from.  A distraught daughter comes to her for answers on her estranged father.

Annie discovers that it isn’t quite that simple.  The town of Mount Zion seems to harbor a wealth of dysfunctional citizens.  The estranged father is a snake-handling tent preacher who seems to have alienated half the community while endearing himself to the other half. 

There is a Hell Hole, the smell of brimstone, missing bodies, drug traffic, ex-cons, vision-seeing waitresses, and much more to provide this book with a plethora of entertaining characters. 

I enjoyed the book and recommend it. 

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases if you click on a purchasing link below.#CommissionsEarned

THE ADVENTURES OF JUAN PLANCHARD by Jonathan Jakubowicz.

 

The initial preoccupation with sexual encounters with far too much detail initially turned me off this book. If that is your jam, you will love the fact that it occurs throughout the book. Juan is an opportunist who successfully games the Venezuelan political climate. In his mind, he is a revolutionary; in actuality, he is the capitalist of the worst kind.

Personally, I recommend reading the author’s notes at the end first. When I discovered that the author was chased from Venezuela due to his controversial movie, his credibility soared.  His explanation as to what I saw, as gratuitous sex, was calculated to capture readers in a society that has little love for reading.

Juan considers himself a man of the world while demonstrating self-defeating naivety.  His relationship with Scarlet is a harbinger of his future difficulties.

The description of Venezuelan corruption is daunting.

The book has a wealth of eye-opening vignettes. 

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases if you click on a purchasing link below.#CommissionsEarned