When one person in a small town in New Hampshire refuses to pay his property tax things go from bad to worse. The premise of this crime novel was good and I enjoyed the story but there was too much repetition. The story is told as a flashback so the ending was obvious. I found it hard to like any of the characters. It was a quick read.

Very interesting read, a story that makes you think-about who really 'controls' our lives. We pay taxes,(income,property,excise etc.)but where is the rule, and who made the laws , of why we must pay?
This is a story from a young boy, not 18 years old, about his family and friends who live in a small town in New Hampshire. Now we all know that 'Live Free or Die' is that states' motto, but exactly how free are we...
I thank BookSprout, Netgalley and author Dave Ives for sending me a copy of this book to read. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this, with questions bouncing in my mind during the story and after. I am also able to put my thoughts down here in this review for all. I suggest you pick up this quick story, read it and let's hear what You think...

I received a free copy of Live Free or Die from Net Galley. I am providing an honest review and am not being compensated.
I have seen promotional material for this book for a few weeks and found the descriptions tantalizing because my father refused to pay property tax during the time period described. He lost his house over it but that's where similarities ended.
I found this book to be very scary because of the way all levels of government we're portrayed. Because of the turmoil in the US government these days, the depiction of local cops, city government, FBI and other powerful government entities in this book and my own long-term distrust of the feds....this book just made me sick and angry.
There were a lot of horrible people in this small town in New Hampshire. There were a lot of supposed government actions that occurred that I questioned as legit considering this was supposed to be a kid telling what happened.
I doubt that some 'legal actions' mentioned being taken here during the 'Nixon/Ford' era we're in practice anywhere in the US then and I certainly don't think they are now. Because of that, I had a credibility problem with the entire story.
But I couldn't stop reading.
I did skim lightly over about 1/3 of the book when I grew tired of reading the same question over and over that 'Digger' kept putting to the Town council.

It starts with the death of a young man, Sam, a teenager actually, who is in prison serving a life sentence. When his belongings are sent to his mother, she finds a written account of what really happened to land him in jail.

This reads like a true crime ... or maybe it's because I have a lot of question that I would like answers to from the government. Do I trust the government not to lie? Do I trust the government to do what's right for its citizens? Is the FBI corrupt? Are they all zombie soldiers who will do whatever is ordered with no thought of right or wrong?

"A small New Hampshire town is turned upside down when one man has the courage to ask, ‘How can I comply with your law and still be a free person?’ The state motto, “Live Free or Die” is his battle cry. "

Sam's dad is his hero. Sam's dad stands up for what's right with not a thought to his own safety. His neighbor asked his town's leader to answer one question. Until they had a reasonable response, he refused to pay his property taxes.

Everyone pays property taxes, right? If you don't pay the taxes, the powers that be have the right to take your home and sell it. So do you own your home or are you being held hostage by the government? Are you a home owner or a serf?

This is one of the most thought-provoking stories I've ever read. It's a very short read... less than 150 pages.... and can be read in one sitting. It is left to the reader to judge ... who was right ...who was wrong. Who lied ... who told the truth.

Many thanks to the author / Netgalley for the digital copy of LIVE FREE OR DIE. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.