False Light

Thank you to both #NetGalley and Greenleaf Book Group Press for providing me an advance copy of Eric Dezenhall’s latest fiction novel, False Light, in exchange for an honest review.

#FalseLight caught my eye by coincidence. Once I skimmed the premise though, I knew I had to read it. I am not familiar with any of Dezenhall’s prior works, but I am certainly glad I stumbled across this by happy accident because now I have a new author to add to my list.

I finished False Light in one sitting. It is truly the definition of a page-turner. Though some parts were admittedly slow or seemed a tad unnecessary, the vast majority of the story fits perfectly and is entirely captivating.

Before I launch into the plot and all of that other good stuff, there are two significant things that the reader should know: 1. This book is hilarious. 2. It is very well written (which is not surprising since the author is also a damage control expert and is the CEO of a communications firm in Washington, D.C.).

The story is told in first person from the perspective of the protagonist, Sanford “Fuse” Petty. We are quickly introduced to his wife Jenny, his daughter Finn, and his best friend from childhood, Kurt. Despite the fact that Petty is suspended from his prominent position as a journalist at Capitol Incursion, Kurt arrives at his house hoping he can convince Fuse to help him navigate a sensitive matter involving Kurt’s 20-year old daughter, Sammy.

While I do not want to give away too many details since the chapters are short and the book seems to end rather quickly, I will say that this novel contains a little bit of everything, including jealousy, suspense, marital issues, conspiracy, politics, childhood nostalgia, family drama, the news, and #metoo.

Accordingly, readers should be warned that it does touch upon some dark subject matter as well as political issues, but the author is careful to describe events similarly to a newspaper article. In other words, the passages are neither overly emotional nor graphic. It also helps that most dark passages are interrupted by a burst of comedy.

In addition to the witty banter between characters, I think readers will appreciate the author’s sharp insight to the current state of journalism and social issues affecting our country. I did think the climax could have been stronger, but regardless, the journey to that point keeps the reader in suspense and solidifies it as a plot-driven novel (as opposed to lengthy character development).

Also, for those who are legal nerds like myself, the author does a great job in explaining defamation, libel, and First Amendment cases, as well as makes clear the consequences of filing a #metoo lawsuit.

I could continue to prattle on about how this would make for an interesting case study in a non-fiction novel that explores the damages of the news and social media, but I think by now you get the gist. So, go grab/download a copy and clear your schedule because you will not be moving from your reading post until you have reached the last page.

Old-school meets new-school in the world of journalism and journalists. Truth, new truths, your truth, and my truth clash as do generations and decades in this humorous yet thought-provoking novel.

“False Light”, written by Eric Dezenhall, follows Sandy “Fuse” Petty on a nerve-wrecking quest. A pursuit of revenge, that is. With a friend of the family being wronged, Fuse believes it to be his only objective to right this wrong. However, Fuse’s scheme comes at a tumultuous time in his life. Sandy is in the midst of an investigation of his own within his job as an investigative reporter. He finds he must call upon professional contacts to set up his mastermind plan. Sandy must juggle everyone and everything to keep those plates spinning; without losing his job, friends, family, and his reputation along the way.

“False Light” is captivating within the first chapter. The characters are extremely likable; Sandy, exceptionally. Sandy is a mature character, with a college bound youth still living at home. I found myself chuckling during certain interactions between himself and his daughter. Sandy is extremely sarcastic and technology disadvantaged. It was a wonder to read: how one so inept in technology, pull off a stunt in an automated world! Dezenhall did a terrific job in weaving current events and politics into this novel! As I said earlier, it held my attention! The antagonist is one we’ve all seen before. But Sandy is the perfect antithesis and the guy for the avenging. And because of the familiar political and social climates and movements portrayed, the story was believable. Additionally, I always appreciate it when authors show their knowledge when doing their research. Utilizing quotes, crime methods, social reforms, etc., it is evident that Dezenhall has done his homework! It adds depth to his storytelling.

This stellar book comes out at the end of this month! So be sure to keep checking your digital reading app for its release!

Seasoned reporter Sanford “Fuse” Petty is old-school in every way—anti-technology, anti-Millennial (don’t even mention Gen-Z), and anti-“gotcha” journalism. After Fuse is asked to leave his paper pending a disciplinary investigation, he has plenty of time on his hands.

This is about revenge! And I absolutely loved it. I enjoy a goof thriller with revenge settings
This book was a quick read with tons of twist and turns! I loved the characters in this story. The writing was great! I can t wait to see more from this author

This thriller from Eric Denzenhall is quick moving and....hilarious. Fuse is ...a curmudgeon and I love him. He's suspended from his job, he hates "youths" and he's been tasked to handle a sensitive case with his best friends daughter.

Covering politics, #metoo, media, conspiracy and... everything in between, this book is of the time and relevent beyond belief.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I loved this book. My only complaint is that it could probably have done with a couple more chapters as it wrapped up pretty quickly. The plot line is strong, the characters engaging and there is enough complex technical analysis to make this more than a “holiday read.” I would love it if this was part of a series.

How To Get Revenge While Keeping Your Sense Of Humor

Sanford “Fuse” Petty, who is also known as Sandy, is a funny guy. His witticisms and every day dialog will keep you chuckling while he works to "fix" a problem that has hurt a long-time friend's daughter. Kurt's daughter has been attacked by her boss, a well-known celebrity who makes his living “exposing” big shots on TV. Realizing that going to the police will result in a “he said, she said” squabble, Fuse convinces Kurt to let him work his magic to turn the tables on the guy. Sandy is currently on suspension from his journalism job at Capital Incursion while a complaint filed against him by a fellow reporter is being investigated. This gives him plenty of time to concoct a plan to turn the tables on the celebrity.

This book is hilarious despite the subject matter. Fuse is a master of weird and funny dialog that will have you laughing out loud, and he plays off the other characters as they respond in kind. I love the way he interacts with people and says whatever comes to mind. If you like a novel that solves serious issues while at the same time makes you laugh, you’re going to love this book, too. This is my first book by author Eric Dezenhall, and it won’t be my last.

Thank you, NetGalley and Greenleaf Book Group for a free Advance Review Copy of False Light.

Suspended journalist Sanford Petty, aka Sandy and Fuse, gets a call from his friend Kurt asking for help. Kurt's daughter, Samantha, and Sandy's Goddaughter has been sexually assaulted. Sandy talks to the family about what happened and what recourse they would like to achieve. As a reporter he has seen what happens to women when they report and accuse someone of sexual abuse and rape. He will put together a group called the "Callous Sophisticates" in order to assist him in bringing "Pacho Craig" to Justice. Meanwhile, at his newspaper, The Capitol Incursion, Sandy defends himself against an unwarranted disciplinary action. Two interesting stories tied together.

The quick pace and the rhythm of the language was a struggle to get into at first. Many writers set up the story by describing the sounds, the rooms, the house, the town and so on. But this one focused solely on the people and the story which made this more interesting. I am hoping that this will be a series and we get to see what the "Callous Sophisticates" do next.

A revenge book! Finally! it's pretty hard for me to actually find any good revenge books and then I got this ARC from Netgalley! What a great book to read! The characters are brilliant and great. There are also some humorous parts. I enjoyed this so thanks Netgalley for the eARC!

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Seasoned reporter Sanford “Fuse” Petty is old-school in every way—anti-technology, anti-Millennial (don’t even mention Gen-Z), and anti-“gotcha” journalism. After Fuse is asked to leave his paper pending a disciplinary investigation, he has plenty of time on his hands. So when his oldest friend approaches him for advice after the man’s daughter says she was sexually assaulted by her boss, a prominent media star, Fuse agrees to help. He gives his buddy the only options he feels are available: report the incident to the police and risk a huge “he said/she said” smear campaign against the girl, or plan something even better—revenge.

As a journalist, Fuse has a colorful background investigating criminals, politicians, gangsters, drug lords, and all-around shysters—and knows plenty of shady sources—so he’s the perfect person to enact a complex (and ultimately, entertaining) plan to bring the popular media mogul down in the court of public opinion . . . and make him pay.

Really enjoyed this book, revenge in the real world, journalism; the first person narrator Sandy Petty, is in trouble at his company. His sorta good friend's daughter has been assaulted but what can anyone do? In this world, the victim is the criminal, so going through the front door wasn't going to work.
Coming up with a way to set up the bad guy and defeat the person who was after him at work.
The story is fun, the characters are fun but the best part is the exquisite snark and sarcasm from Sandy. It has been along time since I have laughed out loud at something in a mystery book, and I enjoyed that so very much.

"False light is a [type of] privacy tort that protects people from offensive and false facts stated about them to the public." It's a way for a person to stop character assassination and help restore reputation after particularly inflammatory and inaccurate statements have been made public. Although similar to the charge of defamation, there are some legal differences that make journalistic integrity of paramount importance when breaking a story. This law is extremely important to all of us in this day and age as social media has wreaked havoc and ruined lives through innuendo, speculation, and outright lies. The media is corrupt -- we all know it -- and we suffer each day not knowing how to separate truth from fabrication.

This novel is an amazing social commentary that focuses on a particular and unusual protagonist who is called upon to set a wrong, right. Sanford (Fuse) Petty is a middle-aged journalist who has been working for "Capitol Incursion" for years until he's suspended pending the outcome of an internal investigation brought about by a colleague making some baseless accusations about him because of a story he was digging into. He's an anachronism, anti-technology, and definitely a Don Quixote type who has been married forever to a woman he met in junior high and they have a teen-aged daughter. When his best friend, Kurt Rossiter, calls him for help after his young adult daughter, Samantha, says she was sexually assaulted by a famous man for whom she interned last summer, Fuse kicks into action using all the tools and sources he can find to extract vengeance. The target is Pacho Craig, the star and owner of MyStream - a virtual news network that engages in confrontational blast journalism popular with millennials. "Just understand one thing: perfect vengeance is when the target has no idea who did it to him." What a devious scheme set in motion. NO SPOILERS.

This book was completely unputdownable and I read it over a couple of hours today. To say it is timely is an understatement as it deals with so many current issues including the #metoo movement and an increasing distrust of the news media. The main character is so complex -- he has a way with words, he's witty, sardonic, and so clever. And funny. The interactions Fuse has with the other characters in the narrative show that yes, he's flawed, but he's definitely someone worthy of respect and admiration. The depth of characterization within the pages makes this work stand out as so many issues and situations arise that allow the reader to measure the inherent truth of each person's mettle and motivations. It's alarming to know that the "US has no real laws that prohibit biased and inaccurate reporting."

Just read it. Come away with a new understanding of how to look at what you see and hear from the media. Open your eyes and realize that there is bias and that no one is held accountable. This is definitely a 4.5 star read and worthy of a film adaptation. The author is one I plan to watch.

Thank you to NetGalley and Greenleaf Book Group Press for this e-book ARC to read, review, and highly recommend.

This is my review of False Light” by Eric Dezenhall . My thanks to Net Galley , the author and Greenleaf, the publisher, for providing me a free digital edition of the book to read and review.

I was not exactly sure what to expect when I began reading False Light. I do know that within a few pages I was completely captured and held fascinated by the unfolding story. For a hint, but not a spoiler since the author is described as the founder of a crisis management firm which is tasked with helping people who have become the glaring focus of media attention’s gotcha journalism or a reckless prosecution by unfettered attorneys.
The author, then, knows the territory. The book is very much of an eye- opener.

Sandford Petty the protagonist of the novel is fifty-ish happily married, balding and has a rebellious sixteen year- old daughter ( is there any other kind?) who is dating a guitar player. Petty is , or was, an investigative journalist for a Washington newspaper, the “ Incursion” , from which he has been suspended , pending a decision of termination, because he had the temerity to start a quiet inquiry to whether his own newspaper had overstepped ethical responsibility in their scathing expose of a man who eventually committed suicide after having had his reputation ruined.
The story begins when his best friend, Kurt, phones, asking Fuse,as Sandford is known to his friends, to come over to his house immediately. There he finds Ross’s daughter, Samatha in tears. She has been raped by her current date , “Pacho” Craig an extremely creative internet gotcha reporter famous for being famous. Fuse learns her story: a date rape, with Samantha saying “No” but Pacho not stopping. The family, knowing that a formal change of rape will result in Samatha and her family being subjected to the horrors of a very public scrutiny, ask Fuse, the girl’s godfather, to find something that can be used against Pacho to bring him down as he does to others.
This is all set up in the first pages of the book. From then on, the reader is drawn into inexorable increasing danger and tension. I won’t ruin your enjoyment by telling everything that goes on in this fascinating novel of revenge but Mr. Dezenhall paints an unflattering picture of the state of “ journalism” journalistic ethics as practiced today. He obviously has had a lot of experience at dealing in real life with character assassination by innuendo.
Although sometimes dark, the book was, for me, often outright laugh -out- loud funny because of Fuse’s humor. Moreover, Fuse has a fully developed character. The love he has for his wife and family , his odd relationship with his father, and his close circle of old friends all of whom play important parts in the book, make the book more that just another thriller. So does Fuse’s disillusionment with the state of journalism these days which as he describes , is all about getting face time on tv, book deals and awards, and not truth.

By the mid-point of “ False Light” I had grown to like Fuse and worried that something was going to go very wrong. Did It? I recommend that you get a copy of the book and settle in for a completely entertaining and quite exciting novel .
Culture shock warnings: some vulgar, and very funny language. No graphic sexual situations. Often politically incorrect and disrespecting of power and privilege.
Easily earned my five- star rating.

Sandy “Fuse” Petty is on the outs with the newspaper he writes for. He poked into the wrong story and pissed off the wrong colleague and suddenly he finds himself suspended pending an investigation. And because when it rains, it pours, he finds out at the same time that his goddaughter, with whom he remains very close, has been sexually assaulted. The assault was committed by Pacho, a well known social media personality who is turning the hard-hitting journalism with integrity that Fuse loves and made a career on into a farce with his gotcha-style viral takedowns of prominent figures. Being a journalist (well, suspended journalist anyway), Fuse is all too familiar with how seeking formal justice often only serves to re-victimize the accuser. Can he kill two birds with one stone ( I am loving the idioms in this review aren’t I?) and instead get some vigilante-style revenge against not only a rapist, but one who is undermining journalism and media accountability? Now that he doesn’t have to worry about his own journalistic ethics, why not tap into some of his connections from a long and storied career and see if there is some gotcha-style justice out there for Pacho.

It must be noted that Fuse is a fantastic character. He’s sardonic and witty and one of those people whose intellect you’d be intimidated by in real life. Perhaps though he is a bit too clever. He is “shower you”. You know, that person you wish you could be that comes up with a truly devastating comeback or hilarious quip hours later in the shower, far too late for it to be of any practical use. There were also a couple of moments early on in the book that came across to me as machismo male fantasy, but overall I highly enjoyed spending time with Fuse. And his dog is named Wagatha Christie, so all sins are forgiven.

For a book filled with complex legal terms and concepts; weighty subject matter like ethics, media bias, politics, and #metoo; and complex familiar relationships including a father with severe mental illness, it never feels unapproachable or heavy. It was engaging and I found myself not wanting to put it down. And while I can posit that I don’t necessarily agree with the author politically, I never felt preached to or alienated. I also can tell he put research into #metoo and worked hard to cover the subject authentically and to avoid having his character swoop in entirely as a male savior who makes everything all better or act like he completely understands the complex feelings of a survivor.

If you were a fan of Ronan Farrow’s Catch and Kill, you’ll love this fictionalized version of many similar concepts. And if you haven’t read it, but were intrigued by the media content in this book, be sure to check out Farrow’s book for a real life account of media coverups amidst sexual harassment allegations.

I also really enjoyed the author’s Q&A at the end of the book; don’t skip it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Greenleaf Book Group for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a timely novel due to current events and I really enjoyed the plot. It is very thought provoking and I now have a new vision of what occurs in the media. It is a page flipper.
Many thanks to Greenleaf Book Group and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Mystery/thrillers are my favorite genres so therefore I had high hopes for this book. I’m so glad I to say I enjoyed it - a lot actually!!