This book just isn't working for me. I'm not usually offended or bothered by dark content, but this is just too much. It's distasteful. Or maybe it's just my mood. But I won't be finishing it, and consequently I won't leave a review anywhere.

I appreciate the publisher allowing me to read this book.. This is a really interesting story that kept me glued until the end.

Some things became plain to me as soon as I started reading this book. For instance, the importance of the investigation our protagonist was carrying out and the conspiracy connected to it. That the women were only included within the book to be sexually objectified, vilified, or both.

Melodie, the heroine, was introduced as someone in a senior position in a religious organization. But our protagonist couldn't get past how hot her butt was. Melodie was also subjected to assault, which was again, unnecessary. It added nothing to the plot.

The villain, Ming, came across as a cartoonish bad guy who rails about everything and discloses their plan before leaving the hero to die. And then there was Lemon. A woman who'd go to any lengths to achieve her objective.

There were too many characters and I often had trouble keeping their names and roles straight in my head. And, finally, our protagonist is a sort of a bumbling idiot. Yet, any women who come into contact with him lose their clothes or sleep with him. No clue why!

Now for the good part. The overall plot and conspiracy made for great reading. They seemed entirely plausible and could be happening right now in some part of the world. The book was 400-ish pages long and yet kept me interested throughout.

Quite a large contingency of odd characters make up the city in this book. The way they all are forced to interact to survive leads to a tale that kept me up all night.

Set in the not so distant future in Australia, this is a timely satire dealing with the "immigration problem." It is a dark, fast paced thriller.

My main criticism concerns the characters. There is a multitude ofi them and it isn't always easy ro keep track of them. Additionally not all the characters were well written, particularly the females.

All in all it was an interesting read and I thank Netgalley for the free ARC.

Conan works for an Australian police department in a futuristic setting (2030s). Australia is dealing with a wave of refugees and the country is divided on the matter of allowing the refugees permanent citizenship status or keeping them contained in Ord City on temporary and restricted citizenship. As the Illumination (the granting of permanent citizenship to the First Wave of refugees) draws nearer, Conan spots a refugee downloading classified information from the Dark Web during his monitoring duties. He loses the suspect in the crowd and then must go to Ord City to investigate what seems to be a random gang murder. Once he arrives and begins investigating, something seems off, but the more he digs, the more he is shut down from the authorities.

This book is not at all the type of book I pick up for leisure reading, and I'm not sure what it was that compelled me to request it from NetGalley. I like mystery and conspiracy, but not so much the Tom Clancey'esque action. I also generally don't care for books set in the future because it is simply too much for me to wrap my head around. But this book - I'm so glad I was able to get a galley! I was hooked from the beginning! The setting was believably futuristic considering where we are in the present times as far as technology, laws, government, climate, etc. The ultimate issue of refugee becoming citizens is a very realistic and current issue as is the inner workings of power-hungry government officials. The action, murder, death and destruction were not described in over-the-top grotesque detail, but were also not white-washed; Deans struck a good balance with that. I can honestly see this book made into a movie, and a good one at that.

I am being very stingy with my 5-star ratings, so this one is a 4, but I wish I could give it a 4++.

A satirical story set in northern Australia in 2023, with our open borders as a basis for an immigration story of murder and political intrigue. It’s a dark tale of murder, assaults and the seedy side of a city in which immigrants have to live prior to becoming Australian citizens. While some may enjoy the thriller nature of the book, the multitude of characters can be confusing at times and not well developed. Some may find the graphic descriptions distasteful and the language too explicit. The book tries to be too many things and is overly long, thus ruining its thriller potential. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend it, two stars.

this was a really unique read, the characters were great and I really enjoyed getting to know this universe.

This is good, not great. The author writes well and has a good sense of humor. I didn't always stay engaged and didn't enjoy all of the characters. The book has a creative plot and well told overall. A different kind of thriller.

Thanks very much for the review copy!!

Welcome to Ord City

Adrian Deans

Fighting Man Press, 2020

Welcome to Ord City is a satirical crime thriller set in 2030 in Australia, where the government has established a new open-door immigration policy. Newcomers are required to reside for seven years in the Temporary Citizenship Zone, after which they will receive full citizenship and be free to travel throughout Australia. The book opens shortly before the First Wave of immigrants become citizens. The main protagonist, Agent Conan Tooley, is sent to Ord City to investigate a double murder, and quickly realizes it is far from a straightforward case. He encounters double-crossing political factions, religious sects, and terrorists. He is threatened and attacked, and despite being ordered to terminate his unfinished investigation, he forges ahead like the typical maverick investigator of an action adventure flick.

Fans of fast-paced thrillers will enjoy this book. On that level, the book is a success. The plot is complicated, with almost thirty characters across several plot lines. The author brings together a number of interesting and thought-provoking themes including religious extremism, immigration, racism, xenophobia, populism, drugs, and political conspiracy. The book is long – more than 400 pages – but moves along at a good clip, and the author brings all the various plot lines together in a dramatic ending. The world building is solid, giving the reader the feeling that this future is plausible.

That said, the book had some issues that keep me from being able to recommend it highly.

Characterization is inconsistent. Some of the characters and their relationships are pretty complex. Robbie and Chris are members of the anti-immigrant gang Dedd Reffo. On their way to Ord City, they meet Lemon and Tim, who follow Habal Tong, a pan-religious cult founded by immigrants in Ord City. Natural enemies, the foursome have probably the most complicated relationship in the book. The interpersonal relations between these four was really interesting to read and added a lot to the book.

But other characters are one-dimensional, and some of the female characters are problematic. Unlike a lot of action thrillers, this book features several women as important plot-driving characters. Lemon, the Habal Tong member, is complex and interesting. She is smarter than those around her and is able to use the maxims of Habal Tong to her own ends. As the plot progresses, we realize she is motivated by self-interest and power rather than a true belief in any movement.

Dr. Ming Chen is a really interesting character who turns out to be something more than what she appears. She’s a pediatrician at the Army of God hospital who presents herself as vivacious and fun-loving, but we don’t learn her true role until the end of the book.

On the other hand there is Melodie, a Major in the Army of God, whom Conan meets early in his investigation. Conan is not a subtle guy and he ogles and flirts with Melodie, who responds with irritation. She is clearly not interested in Conan but somehow he wins her over. Once they have sex and are together as a couple, she’s a wet dishrag sobbing and clinging to him in moments of danger when she’s not scolding him for his foul language.

Then there’s the scene where Melodie is being held captive, blindfolded and tied to a bed almost naked. In comes her ex-boyfriend. We already know he’s a bad guy, power-hungry and callous, who was never really in love with Melodie. The scene that ensues is unnecessary and pornographic, with the ex-boyfriend masturbating to the sight of Melodie “writhing” naked against her bonds. I have nothing against a great sex scene in a thriller, but this scene seemed to serve no purpose other than prurient titillation.

Combine that with the number of times that women characters show up naked for no apparent reason, and I can only conclude that I’m not the target demographic for this book.

I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley for review.

A creative near future take on Australian immigration that parallels the present enough to be uncomfortable.

It’s 2030 and Australia has given up on it’s former immigration policies, instead new immigrants earn citizenship by spending 7 years within Ord city limits. Due to the amalgamation of refugees and rapid growth, the immigrant city of Ord looks and smells like a poor man’s Bangkok and gang murders are an everyday occurrence. Thanks to politics Sydney based AFP Officer Conan “Tools” Tooley has to leave his air conditioned office to come down and investigate what seems to be just another gang execution. But much like the river that runs through the city, there is so much more danger lurking below the surface.
While Conan is busy getting beat up and laid, not always in that order, we are also sharing the experiences of members of budding religious sect and terrorist cells, and the road trip antics of some friends destined for Ord with darker intentions that witnessing “Illumination”.

Murder, damsels in distress, shady dealings and a whole lotta crocs.

I was attracted to the snappy cover art but stayed for the tale of murder and intrigue… and the possibility that one of the characters may say something like “that’s not a knife, this ‘ere’s a knife.” The politics surrounding immigration and radical sects will feel familiar to anyone keeping up on the news and hopefully helps fuel some self reflection for folks. While I didn’t find Conan himself to be a very likeable character, he shags and endangers women faster than James Bond - I did enjoy the supporting cast and the word building; besides being a protagonist doesn’t guarantee readers don’t wanna punch ya.

A fun weekend read for fans of darker humor, detective work, mystery - and from the vantage of An American reader, a bit of an Aussie holiday.

A trigger warning for some folks, there is sex in this book and it is not always consensual - this bit seems to be glossed over the characters but these acts would be considered sexual assault.