Provost Blank, star reporter for the Beacon City Beam, has a knack for showing up in the right places at the most opportune moments and a newsman’s flair for detecting a droplet of drama in a sea of dross and dregs. Accompany him on his nose-poking adventures, jot by jot, scribble by scribble—from his relentless search for an enigmatic fortune cookie to his visit to the Sociopaths Anonymous® … weekly meeting to his bizarre correspondence with a pen-pal who claims to be the Devil.
Beacon City Confidential offers a mole’s-eye view of American urban mythology run amok. Petty crimes and deceits, daily dissatisfactions and squabbles, puny triumphs inflated like hot-air balloons. Like our reporter’s notebook, the pages are crowded with events and outcomes, brimming with entertaining villains trying to survive the 21st Century by any means necessary. Less visibly, the real heroes, the joe-schmoes and who’s-thats, threaten to make their own stand, clamoring for their stake in the American dream and a taste of its pie.
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Hilarity Ensues via Fortune Cookies and Jet Engines
In a few short opening paragraphs, Switzer manages to transplant the reader deep into the psyche of Beacon City. To help this cause is the interior of the print edition, filled with intricate design details and gorgeous renderings of the highlights of Beacon City. I truly believe if more books were designed like this, more people would enjoy the experience of reading. The author understands the contribution of imagery in just the right serving size to compliment the words on the page.
Switzer has once again created a planet (hopefully, in a universe to come) where things are not always as they seem, at times bordering on ridiculous in the best possible way, and at other times hitting suspiciously close to home. In Beacon City Confidential, you get a behind the scenes peek at what makes the residents tick, and the result is feeling like you have access to the details of a hilarious inside joke. Beacon City feels like a place where anything is possible — you never know what news the following day will bring.
I found myself wondering after only a few chapters if Beacon City was a reflection of America. Diverse, proud, and beholden to old traditions while also hoping for a brighter future. Each character displayed a robust personality, a type in their own respect. Joe, lost and confused with no choice but to go with the flow. Provy, seeking the truth within a good story. Ginko-Mae, the independent young woman wanting the best possible legacy for her family.
This is a masterfully told story of being part of a society where everything is fair game for a punchline. The wordplay, plot twists, and design elements will make you keep turning the pages to the very end and you will not be disappointed.
Beacon City Confidential is a lot things but confidential isn’t one of them. Everyone knows everyone or at least they seem to know everyone and everyone knows most of everyone else’s business. This book is a college of short stories and snippets of everyday life in Beacon City threaded so expertly and intricately together that you don’t realize that you have been caught inside the city limits. There is no escape. So just sit back and enjoy your visit. But pay attention… a story may just pick up where it left off a few pages back. Who knows? You just may find a piece of the American pie or, at the very least, a shoe. Don’t be surprised when you “meet” the Devil. I first met the Devil in Switzer’s Sayville Tales so when he popped himself into this book with a cameo appearance, I was a more pleased than surprised.
The book flows well from story to story without missing a step. My favorites? The fake fire hydrant and the feud between Little India and Little Germany. Then there was the one about a Chicago Mailbag. I had no idea what that was but by the end I knew. I didn’t have to Google it.
The characters are many and all are colorful. The Wongs, owners of the Goobledgook Chinese Restaurant are a mainstay in Beacon City. Don Bosca of Little Italy is a man who gets things done if you know what I mean. Provost Blank is the star reporter for the Beacon City Beam with a nose for news. He always seems to be in the right place at the right time. There is no cliff hanger; but Provy was last seen chasing something or someone.
Beacon City Confidential is a hodge podge of everything I love…memorable characters, a delightful story of a life in a bizarre city filled with humor, insight, satire, irony, absurdity and truth. Well, at least Beacon City’s view of truth.
I turned every single page, drinking in everything thing I saw and what I thought I saw. This isn’t just a book…it is art. Art, to make one think its merely just a book. The well thought out and executed details boggles the mind and delights the eye…u2063 Here’s to the author and artist!
Without a doubt, this is one of the best books I’ve ever read, and considering I’m an avid reader, there’s a lot to choose from. As always, Switzer uses his deft way with words and cutting sense of humour to create a work of genius. This collection of short anecdotes, memorabilia and random facts is woven together with unimaginable skill to become a holistic piece that is both humorous and thought-provoking. This is, undoubtedly, a work of fiction detailing “Americana” in all its sordid glory. A most enjoyable read!