What a ride!!! Didn’t know what to expect from a book titled 1414 Degrees, but boy did it deliver. The premise is rich bad boy techs are committing crimes and getting away with it. The courts let the victims down then the court of public opinion sees them on the t,v. with their sorries and excuses then they forgive them. . Victims are victimized all over again. One such victim becomes Fate who was raped, police didn’t believe her, the rapist also stole her ideals and made billions with the technology. She recruits a journalist who helps her take them down. There are lots of twists and turns, the woman remind me of Charlie Angels without the need for Charlie. It was fast paced, nothing was dragged out, well thought out dialogue, characters that you could imagine and relate to. II can’t wait to read more books by Paul Bradley Carr.

This was a delightfully fun thriller and mystery! It's based in Silicon Valley, centered around Lou McCarthy, a journalist who writes a scandalous expose about a tech company's CTO, Alex Wu. A few hours later, after a counter-article is printed refuting the claims, Alex Wu commits suicide and Lou's life turns upside down. She is approached by another sort-of investigator, Helen Tyler, who seems to want to help Lou reveal the darker secrets at play with this company.

I am someone who typically guesses how a thriller/mystery will end and who is rarely surprised. I know, I sound so arrogant right now but I am only saying this because I really didn't expect a few of the twists and turns that this story led me through! I commend Paul Bradley Carr for writing a FMC who was brave, curious, determined, strong and someone that you really rooted for. The nuance in many of the characters was fascinating and it made me really think about whose "side" I was on.

It left me thinking of that TikTok audio.. "I support women's rights but more importantly, I support women's wrongs." LOL! This is quite the feminist rollercoaster ride and I loved every second of it!

Summary: Reporter Lou McCarthy has spent her career trying to hold the "brociopaths" of Silicon Valley accountable. But no matter what she uncovers, the execs of San Francisco's top tech companies never seem to take a hit. Then two of her previous reporting subjects die of apparent suicides on the same night, and Lou is plunged into chaos as an army of internet trolls tries to brand her as responsible.

The more she digs into the deaths, the clearer it becomes that someone behind the scenes has been pulling the strings that ultimately unraveled the technocrats' lives. Lou finds herself on a quest to unmask the puppet master that will force her to consider how far she is willing to go to see the industry pay for its crimes.

Review: 1414° is a whip-smart thriller full of Silicon Valley intrigue. Though it draws on elements of biting satire and dystopian prescience, the book's undercurrent of realism makes it clear from the start that this story is written by an actual journalist who is intimately familiar with the world he explores. Carr takes on toxic masculinity, the surveillance state, the Me Too movement, unchecked power and the hubris of Big Tech, all with a flair for wry humor that makes for a supremely enjoyable read.

Despite some reviews that criticize the author's portrayal of feminists and feminism as one-dimensional, I found the characters to be complex, quirky and authentically-crafted. The tension between "right" and "wrong" is a constant backdrop to the twists and turns of the inventive plot, and even the "good guys" of this story are faced with decisions that make them question the absoluteness of their morals.

It takes a few chapters for the real action to begin, but once this story hits its stride, you won't be able to put it down.

Very unique thriller - Lou is a journalist who uncovers the dirt on the players in Silicon Valley - it all came with a cost to her career friends etc / now people are turning up dead in apparent suicides and she is blamed for the deaths - this is a gripping scary cautionary tale!!

I LOVED this book - wow I devoured it. The book follows journalist Lou as she tries to expose and take down the powerful predators of Silicon Valley. Her work has cost her everything - including her job and her apartment - but she can't stop.

And then, two of the men she's tried to take down appear to kill themselves on the same night, a chain of events takes off that has Lou on a WILD journey. This book is thrilling, enticing, and such a page turned. The audiobook narration was amazing and kept me engaged throughout the entire book.

I loved this so much! Thank you so much for the audiobook copy of 1414!

This book was suggested as a "for fans of Michael Crichton books". Well it had some aspects of the thrilling plot build up & twists that was about it. On its own this was a decent book. It revolves around Silicon Valley tech executives and the lady reporter trying to take them on.
Our main character seems to be a pretty good reporter. However everything she works on here is oddly half-done. No sources or double fact checking for her. Also she seems super gullible for a reporter. She believed everything anyone female told her.

A fast-paced, interesting, gripping murder mystery that is relatable since it is placed in today's high-tech world. Really enjoyed the women lead characters who ruled this story. Excellent audiobook.
Thank you to NetGalley and Snafublishing for ARC. #1414, #Snafublishing

As far as investigative journalism goes this book does an amazing job of explaining how the job is done.
This book follows Lou Along the journey of uncovering money laundering, corruption theft, murder, and suicide in a IT company that is owned by the wealthiest top CEOs/CFOs. This book is exciting at times but then there are laws of what goes on behind the scenes of investigative journalism as far as the journalists lies. If you like reading about corruption dirty people and misogynistic men then this is the book for you. Personally, I had a hard time staying invested due to disliking some of the characters but no fault to the author. The premise of the book was great, but just wasn’t a good fit for me. Maybe in the future I will pick it up and read the physical books to give it another shot but the audiobook Was less than enthralling. This could be doing part to the App I was using but the narrator was monotone and it was hard to differentiate between characters due to this.

1414º was way better than I expected it to be!
IMO.... This was a slow burn political thriller.
I thought was engrossing, entertaining and very well plotted throughout.
Paul has an excellent writing ability and his characters are unforgettable.
Our female characters were very well developed and I enjoyed following them.
The characters who centred it were provided with their own intriguing side-plots and so many twists, turns, suspense and action, you can't help but read this all damn night.
What I loved about this book is the details! This book has many of the components that make a really good story... from the mood and undercurrents to the very clever writing.
The planning for the final outcome was a delight and thrill, for me, to read.
The narrator did an amazing job bringing this story to life!

Snafublishing,
Thank You for this approved audio book!

I really liked the premise of this book, but really struggled to get into it. When I put it down it did not draw me back with a need to know what was going to happen next. I sat it down for a few days and tried to come back to it, and again it just fell short. I loved the idea behind the book, but it just wasn’t for me. Thank you for the opportunity to check it out.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC copy. Unfortunately, I did not finish this audiobook. I believe it was the narrator, but I could not “get into” it enough to follow along to the story. #DNF

Lou McCarthy has spent her career trying to expose the terrible men of Silicon Valley. She is willing to risk her safety and job for the truth. When Lou starts hitting roadblocks with her recent story, things only get worse when two of her past profile subjects die by suicide. But are these deaths as simple as they seem? Lou doesn’t know who to trust or where to turn but she knows one thing, finding the truth is the only way to survive.

I listened to this book on audio and I really believe this was the best way to consume it. I felt the thrills every step of the way. There is so much more to this book than the blurb. There are so many topics including feminism, women in STEM, and the morality of vengeance.

Thank you to Snafublishing and NetGalley for an audio ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

1414°. The melting point of Silicon. A fitting descriptor for a burn-it-all-down revenge novel. The audiobook narration had an oddly computerized, sterilized sound (similar to an Alexa or Siri) and that may have been one of the reasons I didn’t really enjoy this audiobook & found it hard to follow.

My thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the audiobook advance listen.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this audiobook. I liked the idea of this story, but the book fell very short for me. It was difficult to follow and the extensive profanity was too much for me to continue to listen to this novel. Sadly, it was the first book I did not finish in a long time.

Want a powerful woman in STEM + a journalist + a PR lady battling institutionalized misogyny and evil men getting their just desserts? This is the book for you!
While very intriguing in the beginning I did start to zone out towards the end. The plot became convoluted and very James-Bondy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Snafublishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Journalism, technology, female POV, and a mystery thriller taking down toxic masculinity- Sign me up!

I had high hopes for this but it fell short. At times I found it a bit hard to keep track of the story and had to go back to recheck facts/characters. It's a complex plot with lots of twists and turns. I think the plot became so ridiculous I could no longer suspend disbelief. I listened to the audiobook and it was well narrated in general, but some of the character accents were too extreme (e.g Carol and Helen's British accent).

Parts of this book were thrilling, others I wish I could skip through... I didn't love it but I didn't hate it. This one was the middle of the road for me.

If you’re looking for a thriller, this is it. Tech billionaires who seemingly have it all wind up dead. When fiction meets real life, the lines are blurred and it’s a real mystery to discern the fact from fiction with this novel written by journalist turned fiction writer.

I enjoyed this takedown of big tech with a strong feminist undertone (huge props to the male author!) and slight murder mystery/investigative drama. What a terrific compilation! My favorite was learning the meaning of 1414. I ate that up!

I found Lou interesting and likable.

While I liked the overall idea of this book, it sort of lost its appeal midway through the book. The characters fell a bit flat for me, and the overall story line was hard to follow along with.

Thank you to Snafublishing and NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for a review!!!

First, I want to give a trigger warning about this book, especially for those who choose to listen to the audio.

TW: Suicide, DV, SA (possible others, but these are the themes that stood out to me)

This feminist tech thriller was much better than I was expecting. At the start of the story, I wasn't too sure I wanted to continue BUT I was happy to be reading this book via its audio version rather than reading from the physical book. When I listen to books, it's much easier for me to really engage with the story because I can listen while walking or moving around and something grabs my attention. What hooked my brain and piqued my interest was one word: defamation. Still coming down from the high of watching the long-awaited JD/AH trial, I was immediately intrigued by the plot.

Lou McCarthy, a tough-as-nails reporter, is barking up the wrong tree and shaking Silicon Valley to its very core. Raum is just about to announce its IPO when its CTO, Alex Wu, dies by suicide in the middle of the party. Lou is there to witness the event and begins digging into the why and finds herself deep in the heart of conspiracy and puppetry. Someone is pulling the strings...Fate...and Lou needs to see this story to the end, and so did I!

The story is incredibly fast-paced and oftentimes a little hard to keep track of, what with so many details being thrown at you as each page turns. I highly recommend this title and am so happy to have had a chance to read it!