#1 New York Times and Amazon Charts bestselling author Lee Goldberg hits the ground running in a breakneck thriller where truth and fiction collide for the unluckiest writer alive.When a passenger jet crashes onto the beaches of Waikiki, bestselling thriller writer Ian Ludlow knows the horrific tragedy wasn’t an accident.Years before, the CIA enlisted Ian to dream up terrorism scenarios to … up terrorism scenarios to prepare the government for nightmares they couldn’t imagine. Now one of those schemes has come true, and Ian is the only person alive who knows how it was done…and who is behind the plot. That makes him too dangerous to live.
Ian goes on the run, sweeping up an innocent bystander in his plight—Margo French, a dog walker and aspiring singer. They are pursued by assassins and an all-seeing global-intelligence network that won’t stop until Ian and Margo are dead. Ian has written thrillers like this before, but this time he doesn’t know how it’s going to end—or if he will be alive to find out.
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I thought my life before becoming an author was exciting. But in this book, the author becomes caught up in a real thriller.
A fun, fast-paced thriller that hits on all points.
Even though I love discovering new authors, I can’t stay away from Lee Goldbergs work.
Here’s another gem from a great storyteller. Enjoy!
The prose zips, the stakes are high, the writer protagonist is engaging, and the deliberately cheesy excerpts from his thrillers are worth the price of admission alone.
Art imitating life, imitating art – in the most hilarious way possible. Golberg is at his best with this novel about a writer caught up in a terrorist plot that he himself created. A roller-coaster ride of thrills and fun!
Lee Goldberg is a true breath of fresh air in a thriller field glutted by stale and derivative stories. Imaginative, fast-paced, humorous, terrifying, and totally unpredictable. I fell in love with these quirky yet believable characters who unwittingly land in a deadly world where there’s no chance of escape. Yet they never give up and that’s what kept me on the edge of my chair, reading late into the night. I can’t wait for Book 2.
When terrorists take control of a plane leaving Hawaii and crash it into the island, the entire country is horrified. But none more so than thriller writer Ian Ludlow. You see, he had suggested just the twist on 9/11 that happened here to the CIA a few years back during a brainstorming session to help them come up with worst case scenarios. Within a few hours, Ian is certain that the CIA is out to kill him to silence him. Using every trick in the book – tricks he knows thanks to the books he’s written, Ian flees from his book tour in Seattle with his author escort, Margo French. Will the two be able to survive?
This book doesn’t waste a minute throwing us into this thrill ride and never lets up until we reach the climax. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to find out what was going to happen next, and the book manages to wink at a few clinches of the genre along the way. Ian and Margo were good characters, and another we meet along the way walks the fine line of being a caricature without being unbelievable. Since this is a thriller, there is a bit more language, violence, and sex than in the books I normally read. There is plenty of humor here to help ease the tension. I already can’t wait for the sequel.
Part Conspiracy Thriller, but Mostly Over-the-Top Spy Spoof
True Fiction definitely contains the grist for a top-notch spy/conspiracy thriller. You have a ruthless villain with the resources to implement his evil plot—take over the intelligence functions of the CIA. The technology he uses to push the government toward outsourcing this source of absolute power and incredible wealth is plausible. You also have a somewhat bumbling individual, in this case a writer, Ian Ludlow, who’s an unknowing pawn in the plan. But as in any good thriller, the victim sees through the deception and assembles (totally by happenstance) his band of misfits—a wannabe singer/song writer making her living driving authors to book signings; and a retired actor who’s an advocate of every conspiracy theory known to man … and several of his own making as well. This group, of course, is the only line of defense against the all-powerful, all-knowing criminal because their tale is too bizarre for anyone else to believe. Good luck Ian and friends!
Despite the book’s potential for fingernail-chewing, white-knuckle tension, however, I felt little. That was because … I was too busy laughing. Before getting too far into that topic, let me mention that the humor can and often is rather raunchy. Gratuitous, highly exaggerated sex scenes appear with some regularity and both setup and punchlines often involve the F-word, so be forewarned if that is not your style. But if you’re not offended by off-color humor, you’ll be rewarded with a story that’s replete with outlandish exaggerations and bizarre embellishments to reality. My favorites came from the ex-actor, who played the Vine in Hollywood and the Vine, a TV series written by Ian. Or, as the actor was known on the series, “Half man, half plant, all cop.” You gotta love the characters with bright green hair, wearing a tinfoil hat.
Overall, if you enjoy action mixed with some rather lowbrow humor, you should love True Fiction. Just be sure to get your copy before the “global elites” declare this fiction too close to the truth and have it banned (conspiracy theory complements of the ex-actor).
This book caught me completely off guard. Wasn’t what I was expecting at all but definitely recommend.
Lee Goldberg at his best. True fiction is a tale of every author’s ultimate nightmare: that a story they write comes true.
Protagonist, Ian Ludlow, quickly deduces that a plane crash in Hawaii is too similar to a terrorism scenario the CIA asked him to dream up and realizes that he will quickly become their next target. Bolting with colleague Margo French, Ian must avoid assassins, while trying to figure out how the “real life” plot will end.
Lee’s acerbic sense of humor shines through in this fast paced popcorn thriller, a tale that’s ideal for a Hollywood adaptation. Here’s hoping we see Ian and Margo on the screen sometime soon!
A satire, funny and unnerving at the same time, and a cautionary conspiracy tale. Witty and well written. First of his books I’ve read. The next book in the series is already in my Kindle,
This was a book any conspiracy theorist could love. It is well written, and laced with humor. Another winner by Mr. Goldberg.
Fabulous first in a series. I’m hooked!
Talk about twisting up the thriller genre. It jabs at the tropes even while honoring them. Pure fun.
Is the CIA really out to murder an author?
True Fiction by Lee Goldberg is an exciting adventure filled with witty comebacks and crazy schemes straight out of Hollywood with a regular Joe as the main character.
I adored the writing style that Mr. Goldberg uses in this book. The main characters are Ian Ludlow, author and television writer, Margo French, a dog walker, and Ronnie Mancuso, eccentric television star, known for playing the strangest characters. Wilton Cross the evil executive of the Blackthorn who strikes a cord of patriotism and insanity.
However, this isn’t the only story, as we also get chapters of Ian Ludlow’s books about Clint Stryker and parts of scenes from his television show Hollywood & Vine. This book is back full of action, explosions, conspiracies, unbelievable luck and funny antidotes.
Ian Ludlow
Ian is just a regular author, trying to make a living. When out of nowhere he is the target of an assassin and a crazy man set on dominating the world from behind the scenes of the American government.
Ian has quite the imagination, so when a CIA looking man shows up and invites him to sit with other authors and brainstorm ways that terrorists could hurt the citizens of this country. He is all in, little does he know that a few years later that plot line would come back and bite in in the arse.
Some of the things that I like about Ian are that he is a normal guy. He eats junk food, stays up late and writes a great spy novel. You can tell that he is over his head through the story. Yet, he finally figures it out and takes control of the situation as only a writer could do. He has integrity and he is respectful of his friends.
We can see the growth of Ian as he fights for his life alongside his merry band of friends. OK, merry isn’t the best word, but you can only use crazy so many ties.
Margo French
Margo was assigned to be an author escort while Ian was in Seattle on his book tour. Margo left home because she didn’t fit in with her family’s idea of womanhood. So, now she is in Seattle working as an author escort, dog walker and occasional singer/songwriter.
I liked Margo because she was the voice of reason. Yet, she believed what Ian had to say and do to protect them but she thought it was all insane. She has a great work ethic and she is obviously responsible, well until Ian came into her life anyway, just look at her Yelp scores.
We also see how Margo changes and her confidence in herself grows. You could really tell that she got carried away with Ian and Ronnie when she shot the grenade launcher and blew things up.
Ronnie Muncuso
Ronnie is my favorite character. He is a conspiracy nut, eccentric millionaire, television star, and slightly insane. Although, he could probably convince me about the conspiracy part. I am not wearing a foil cover helmet. I have to draw the line somewhere.
Ronnie believes in Ian and his ability to “write” them out of this issue. He is a true friend. Ronnie does have a few weird habits and his isn’t a fabulous interior decorator but he understands what needs to be done and gets it done with his own personal flare.
Ronnie doesn’t really grow that much. I think his biggest difference is leaving his bunker and assisting Ian. I do believe that he would help any of his friends that same way as that is just the type of guy he is.
Wilton Cross
I think what is the scariest thing about Cross is that he seems like a nice normal guy. He is respectful to his wife, he has kids and grandkids. He comes across as intelligent and love our country.
However, he is also an elitist and believes that he knows what is best for everyone. He is also greedy which he tries to playoff as a perk o the safety that he is giving the people of the United States. Somewhere along the line Cross lost touch with the fundamentals of humanity and for that he paid the price.
5 Stars for True Fiction by Lee Goldberg
My rating for True Fiction by Lee Goldberg is five stars. The plot was fast moving and explosive. I enjoyed the diversity and normalcy of the characters in the fight for their lives. The story with the different forms of media, from chapters from Clint Stryker, to the scenes from Hollywood & Vine, flashbacks from Ian’s past combined with the ride of Ian’s lifetime was completely entertaining. It had me on the edge of my seat and laughing at the same time.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who a good adventure.
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of True Fiction by Lee Goldberg.
Anyways, until next time, enjoy this review brought to you by,
Karen the Baroness
Happy Reading!
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What a fun and entertaining read!
Excellent read. Like to read more.
Surprisingly fresh. Loved the concept and while it’s a predictable outcome, thoroughy enjoyed the read!
What a ride! This is one of the best, most fun thrillers I have ever read!