Set against the background of the billion dollar tech businesses and their over confident CEOs, this murder mystery throws some 180 degree twists that left me trying to figure out how I could have missed so many clues. The story line moves quickly as the CEOs start dropping and the investigators dig through the mud for answers.

1414º by Paul Bradley Carr

1414º is a thrilling and provocative techno-thriller that exposes the dark side of Silicon Valley and the billionaire predators who rule it. The novel follows Lou McCarthy, a journalist who has dedicated her career to exposing the crimes and scandals of the tech elite, but has paid a high price for her crusade. When two of her targets are killed in apparent suicides, Lou becomes the prime suspect and the target of a vicious online mob. To clear her name and find the truth, Lou must track down the mysterious killer who seems to share her passion for justice, but has a twisted agenda of their own.

Paul Bradley Carr is a former tech journalist who knows the ins and outs of Silicon Valley and its culture of greed, corruption, and impunity. He writes with a sharp wit and a keen eye for detail, creating a realistic and immersive world that will keep you hooked until the end. Carr also raises important questions about the role of the media, the ethics of technology, and the limits of revenge. 1414º is a daring, exciting, and utterly unpredictable novel that will make you think twice about the power and influence of the tech industry.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead.

I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings.

Anything requested and approved will be read and a decent quality review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

Lou McCarthy is the reporter we all want and need. She goes for the throat and tells the truth. While doing a piece on head of tech company she ran with the article and then he ends his life! Lou has always been willing to be story before her safety. She has lost everything over stories, friends, home, and now her job! She is now blamed for his death and her life is endangered. Her only chance is to find the person behind this before she is the next victim!

This one was not for me.
Thank you NetGalley for providing a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This is a book about what would happen if technology keeps progressing and continues to advance in not only anticipating personal needs but in actually predicting it. It is about how intrusive technology could eventually become.....or is already. It is also about the sheer power that the heads of these techno-giants wield and if (or when) that power corrupts. While this book is somewhat fictional.....it paints a picture of how much technology can control our lives and actually remove all privacy.

It is a compelling storyline about a female reporter who breaks a story about the CTO of the largest Tech company that is just about to announce an IPO. She breaks the scandal story and personally attacked, along with her family, by online trolls and even groups of thugs who are rumored to be controlled by the CEO of the company.

It is a great story and a good read.

This is a title that really sounded good at one point but my tastes changed and now I’m no longer interested.

This first time fictional novel from Bradley Carr is an enjoyable and thrilling mystery set in Silicon Valley that keeps you guessing—and second guessing—the motives of the key players. It starts with a beleaguered reporter who is disenchanted with where her career has taken her. But she keeps on keeping on, uncovering a giant scandal that threatens to topple the latest and greater tech monstrosity in the Valley. And then there's a very public suicide literally delivered at her feet.

I won’t spoil anything, but before you’re halfway through, you will know who is behind these mysterious murders...um, suicides. But why? And how? That’s what makes this one fun.

At the point of the reveal, I'll admit I sort of thought, “Well, now what…that seems kinda early.” I almost considered not finishing because what would keep me hooked now that I knew who was behind it all? But what the heck, one more chapter...

So glad I did. What follows is a tight story that keeps you on edge just enough without going too far over the top. Ok, there are one or two scenes where you might say, “come on!” but it’s fiction and that’s part of the fun.

Kudos for this debut effort and I look forward to reading more from Mr. Carr soon.

1414* by Paul Bradley Carr

About an acclaimed journalist who takes on the powerful predators in Silicon Valley.

Written well. Much of it was technical and some parts like a journal. Talked about corruption among the powerful. If you are a math or tech person, this is the book for you.

This book really surprised me and I regret waiting so long to read it. It was a unique story, with interesting characters and very relevant themes (#metoo). The author did an excellent job writing for a strong female character. This murder mystery/tech thriller started a little slow but just got better and better as it went along. The story was dark, fast-paced and highly entertaining. This was a great read!

In 1414, Paul Bradley Carr’s heroine is a journalist who wants to outsme Uber like bro CEOs and CTOs. They are having their lives destroyed by Fate, who is really the woman who wrote the alogrithms that have made them their fortune. She was raped and the algos stolen from her hence her revenge. The journalist is the heroine who was also having her life hurt by the over powerful tech company. Farfetched but fun reading

This is a great twist on the Silicon Valley tech platform world, and just how the algorithms can influence behavior when put to a purpose rather than just making money. Like an extended Black Mirror episode, it follows a company called Raum that is a combination Fitbit/Uber/Google hurtling toward its IPO when the CTO kills himself after an article comes out exposing him as a serial rapist who used the tech to find and track victims.

The journalist who wrote the story is a tough, persistent woman who doggedly investigates that and another bizarre death in the tech world that may be connected. She and her family are quickly targeted by an alt-right conspiracy monger, and she finds herself mixed up with an internal investigator who in some ways mirrors her job, but with the purported mission of covering up the truth and protecting companies rather than shining a journalistic light.

The plot unravels at a great pace, with timely connections like Saudi royal family and tech incubator investors, driven CEOs, political sex scandals, and catfishing; while of course begging the question of how much of our motivations and decisions are "ours."

TWO-CENT TUESDAY

Below are a few (somewhat) brief $.02 opinions about books I've read or listened to recently but don't have the opportunity to review in full. Many of these titles I enjoyed as much or more than those that got the full court press. I hope you'll consider one or two for your own TBR stack if they strike your fancy whether they struck mine or not.

1414°, Paul Bradley Carr

I liked this book so much I actually spent an embarrassing amount of time figuring out how to insert the degree character in Blogger. I loved this cover when I first saw it, but since it screamed "TECHNOLOGY" at me I did read a brief synopsis before I jumped. And boy did I jump. Silicon Valley journalist Lou McCarthy has spent her young career exposing sexual predators in the tech world. Following a publishing disaster, she's out on her ass, but her mission lives on.

As powerful men start to die, Lou finds herself partnered up with other wickedly smart women to figure out what's going on and how to take down the patriarchy. If you're not into techno-thrillers, don't fear 1414. Even I understood the tech and while it is part of the story it's not THE story. This is a daring and fast-paced story full of fantastic characters, written by a man who has spent a good portion of his career covering the dark side of Silicon Valley. My fingers are crossed for a related book focusing on Lou's mom and her protective, gun-toting pal Carol, who helped Lou face off with the social media trolls. Carr's writing is engaging and a lot of fun, which we could all use more of these days.

The book was a little hard to get into at the beginning but I did end up liking it. With that being said I felt this book had too much information which dragged the book at times. The ending was a bit unexpected but surprising.

What an unusual book! This told quite an intriguing story and is all the more impressive since it's a debut. Though I didn't connect to any of the characters, the plot well clever and entertaining. Looking forward to seeing what Carr comes up with next!

This is Paul Bradley Carr's first work of fiction, written as the result of the treatment of women in the tech industry and journalism in the Silicon Valley by a tech giant in 2014. It takes a while to understand what is happening, but once the light clicks on it becomes a roller coaster ride of danger, outwitting and figuring out who the baddest of the bad guys are. I hope to read more from Mr Carr.

Thanks to Netgalley, for a copy of this book in return for a fair and honest review.

OK, this one actually surprised me. The main character, journalist Lou McCarthy, has devoted her career to exposing Silicon Valley predators, and starts this story by jumping the gun and publishing a story online without waiting for editorial approval. Needless to say, she has pretty much ruined her career, and the rest of her life appears to be going down the tubes as a result of taking on powerful men.

Then, the first twist (early on, so not a spoiler) - two of her high profile targets commit suicide in a very public manner. This creates even more danger for Lou and even her mother, as a target of online trolls. So, in order to save herself, she needs to solve the puzzle - just why are these people committing suicide?

The thing that surprised me the most was that I started out worrying that this book was going to be another book focusing completely on powerful men harassing women. Not that that is not a worthy subject for a another book, but I was afraid that it would be way too repetitive - NOT the case. There was a lot more going on here, and Lou's job was a lot more complicated that trying to find some proof of powerful men behaving badly.

I enjoyed this book, quite a lot. It was a little slow to get into - but be patient! It very quickly picks up, and becomes a page turner.

Fun debut novel for Paul Bradley Carr. Someone is targeting Silicon Valley execs and the rich and powerful are dying. Join the journey as an unlikely duo, a journalist and a PR exec, attempt to unravel the mystery, save a CEO and a company, and identify the mysterious mastermind known only as Fate.

Thank you so much to net galley and the publisher for sending me a copy of this book. I enjoyed the unraveling of the mystery and it was very though provoking but outside of that I didn’t connect with the book really.

An interesting techno mystery/thriller set in the future/an alternate present rooted in the #metoo moment. Personally, having firsthand experience with Silicon Valley douchebro culture, I found the story gripping. Bonus cool feature=the chapter titles align with the your reading progress on a Kindle!

This story started off a little slow for me, but quickly gained speed. This is a surprisingly feminist read, and tackles the whole notion of women in tech--why it's hard to be be a coder and find fame and glory.

You can tell the author knows this culture well. (I liked the bit about every company wanting to hire their "Sheryl"). How does one weed out the bad apples when firing them is like, "repainting the barrel but keeping all the rotten fish inside?"

I dug the characters and the twistiness of the plot. The ending seemed a little slammed together, but I was happy to see Lou be a hero, so I was willing to swallow all of the magical solutions she pulls outta her ass at the last minute.

Great cover, and cool title idea (1414 is the melting point of silicon). However, I remain still a little fuzzy on why the people who were "infected" by Fate had actual pustules on their skin and looked so sick. I THINK they were slipped some chemical in a letter, but that explanation came in the midst of many other fast and furious revelations.

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.