By Julie Sara Porter
Bookworm Reviews
Spoilers: Ian Conner is an author of great versatility. He samples from several genres and writes brilliant books within them. Skadegamutc Ghost Witch is a Supernatural Horror about a ghost and Native American legend that haunts a lake. The Long Game: An Amy Radigan Thriller is a Political Thriller about a reporter and the Vice President of the United States investigating a conspiracy involving several government operatives and the boisterous POTUS. Cardinals is a Dark Fantasy/Religious Satire about Asherah, God's ex wife who roams the Earth as an immortal vampire. Cooper's Ridge is a Science Fiction novel about the discovery, exploration, colonization, and exploitation of a new planet capable of sustaining human life. Griffin's Perch is an Epic Fantasy about a diverse group of heroes that fight against five vengeance seeking dragons. I once described Conner as “the literary equivalent of throwing everything to the wall to see what sticks.” That Conner can effortlessly travel from one genre to another shows great range and commitment to each book and the worlds that he builds within them.
With his latest book, Retribution, Conner returns to form or whatever passes for form in Conner-verse. It is a Political Thriller similar to The Long Game in that it involves a wide ranging conspiracy involving several key American politicians including the President. It is also a Psychological Crime Thriller about hatred, revenge, and the lengths people will go to satisfy their desire for vengeance.
Alex Conway is a broken man. His wife died of cancer during a previous government shutdown. Now his daughter recently died of influenza during another shutdown and his CHIP insurance has been denied. A lottery win does little to raise his spirits but gives him the resources that he needs for a long term plan of vengeance. He locates information on corrupt politicians that voted against health insurance and lobbied for causes like the NRA. He provides information to expose these politicians. He isn't just satisfied with killing their political careers but he wants to end their lives as well.
Meanwhile various FBI agents, government officials, and tenacious reporters investigate the seemingly random deaths of various politicians. This discovery reveals that these murder victims weren't exactly clean and this puts them at odds with powerful people, particularly the obnoxious President Glass.
Similar to The Long Game, Conner bases his novel on real world events and people to present an even worse case scenario than what we are faced with, as if it could get any worse. Conner's writing suggests that maybe it can.
The most obvious comparison is the fictional President Frederick Glass whose abrasive unlikable nature and felonious past are certainly based on a former President and current presidential nominee. The book even uses some of the real-life model’s familiar sound bites.
The opening set during a pandemic with overcrowded hospitals, desperate sick people, deaths of millions, and political inaction is definitely reminiscent of the Coronavirus pandemic.
Even many of the plot points are also reminiscent of real life: such as a politician who gets away with a hit and run (probably a composite of similar incidents in the lives of Ted Kennedy and Laura Bush), a Presidential staff member who resigns from the Administration and becomes one of its strongest opponents (shades of Michael Cohen), Republican Christian Evangelist organizations, groups, and think tanks gaining enough power to sway the government to fit their needs (several most notably the Heritage Foundation right now), and the various sex, abuse, assault, and financial scandals (it would be easier to say who isn't involved in those in real life. Uhh…give me a minute).
When truth is stranger than fiction and catches up to the plots of Political Thrillers, it almost makes one wonder if there is really a need for fiction anymore? (That's rhetorical. Of course there is).
The plot of Retribution is particularly intricate with Conway’s revenge against the politicians that he blames for his daughter’s death. He doesn't just settle on one means for murder. That's for amateurs. He decides on several: a fatal auto collision here, poison meant to induce heart attacks there, maybe an anthrax laced envelope or two. Those that don't end up dead suffer massive career hits. Conway goes through various channels to find and expose his enemies.
Conway's means and methods almost take genius proportions to the point where one could wonder if this was something that he wanted to do for some time. After all, a plan like this could take years to research, weigh the angles, and prepare. Is it entirely possible that this could be something that Conway wanted to do but the love for his family stayed his darker thoughts? That question is never officially addressed or answered but the possibility is there. If so, that calls to question whether his motives are purely out of an understandable desire for revenge or long term resentment towards a country whose leaders fail to let it live up to the standards in which they claim.
Conway is an interesting character who gets the Reader's understanding and empathy up to a point. Who wouldn't become angry at the system after their spouse and child die? It is completely believable when one has nothing to strike back at those who have everything. His means while questionable are fascinating from a storytelling standpoint.
It helps that the people that Conway goes after are incredibly unlikeable in different ways. They are people who spent a long time getting away with crimes and misbehavior to the point that they are complacent. They are insulated in their privilege and power not seeing how their actions affect others. The murders and exposures are for many the first time that they have to face real accountability for their actions.
It doesn't help that Glass, the ringleader in all of this, is the worst character of them all. He is a completely immoral sociopath whose reaction to accusations is to throw other people under the bus, rivals, allies, staff, Cabinet and Administration members. His restrictive policies, hiring of sycophants, and making strict rules for others but allowing himself and his followers leniency creates many of the issues from the corruption, to the pandemic, to the shutdown. Let alone, not being a good President, Glass barely functions as a decent human being. He would almost be a one-dimensional cartoon villain if again he wasn't actually based on a real person who is still gobbling up headlines in his third bid for the Presidency.
While Glass and his cronies are horrible, Conway also is accountable for his own actions. The more enemies that fall prey to his machinations, the less relatable Conway becomes. He is isolated from those around him and ultimately to the Reader.
Conway's vengeance becomes an addiction as he puts many in his path without realizing the long term consequences that could result.
By killing the politicians, Conway is only creating martyrs for their supporters and killing the bodies. He is not destroying the regulations, bills, corruption, or the hypocrisy that caused such issues. In fact if anything, it's continuing even worse despite or because of the deaths.
There are however people in the book who are able to see through Glass's corruption and Conway's violence and bring the truth forward. Randy Cardinale, Glass’s former Chief of Staff goes from being a Glass loyalist to his staunchest critic after realizing that he could no longer justify or defend his former boss’ actions.
FBI Special Agent Daisy West and her colleagues manage to put together all of the seemingly random information of the murders, including patterns, analysis, clues, and countless research into large files, to discover Conway's identity and motives. West proves to be a formidable opponent against him.
Rebecca Gerber and Chloe Sachs, reporters from rival news networks are able to put ratings and professional rivalries aside and work together to cover the stories of the murders and corruption. Their investigation into the Glass Administration is particularly compelling as they face death threats, assault, and in one chilling chapter arrest to expose not only Conway but the political corruption and machinations that created him.
Retribution is another of Conner's brilliant works. It is a superb look at corruption, politics, money, hatred, revenge, and murder.
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