Tasmania, Australia – Concerned by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the rise of far-right politics in the United States, debut author Duncan Ritchie picked up his pen in 2023 to write “The Truth Chamber” (Sept. 1, 2026), a no-holds-barred speculative fiction novel that takes the decline of American democracy to frightening extremes. 

In an election year marred by violence, “the Red Caesar” Mack Leach rises in the polls. His rival, Democratic presidential candidate Anna Hoffman, warns a divided country that under the Red Caesar, the US will devolve into an authoritarian state: a Russia 2.0.

A confrontation with a book burner jolts Admiral Liam Driscoll into action, and he joins Anna’s campaign. His team enlists the help of a Stanford PhD student developing an AI technology—the Truth Chamber—to figure out who is behind the escalating violence and an assassination attempt on Anna.

Behind the domestic chaos, a far more sinister game is being played as global forces eye the restoration of long-lost empires and work to ensure the Red Caesar takes the White House. This is no longer just an American election; it is a global stratagem to topple the last bastion of the old world order. Liam’s team soon learns that the truth has become political … and dangerous. And to save democracy, they may be forced to leave muddy footprints on the Constitution.

For readers of high-stakes political thrillers, “The Truth Chamber” explores the intersection of artificial intelligence, disinformation, and the fragility of modern democracy. It is a sobering reflection on unchecked power and the increasingly distorted concept of truth.

DUNCAN RITCHIE is a former (recovering) investment banker and author of the political thriller “The Truth Chamber.” Duncan grew up on a plantation in North Borneo. After graduating from the University of Western Australia, he spent thirty years advising governments and companies on energy and infrastructure transactions and policy. He has also written persuasive non-fiction for multilateral agencies (including ADB and UNEP), advocating for policy changes and investment to address climate change (evidently, not persuasive enough).

Concerned by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine (again) and the rise of right-wing extremism, Duncan began scribbling down what-if scenarios in 2022—at the time, many seemed outlandish. At the core were the questions: if someone wanted to bring America to her knees and disturb the world order, how would they go about it? And what could be done to counter that? Those what-ifs became the foundation of “The Truth Chamber,” initially intended as a warning of the rise of fascism in the United States. Duncan lives in Tasmania with his Malinois pup, Aletheia (Alé), who thinks he’s slightly mad.