1414º

Five Stars to 1414, a murder mystery set in Silicon Valley. It deals with the Bro culture, the billionaire CEOs, investors and social justice.
The tag line: ‘The billionaire predators of Silicon Valley always get what they want. Now someone is giving them what they deserve’ sets the stage for a novel you won’t put down.
I wondered about the inspiration for the story until I read the author’s Acknowledgments at the end. Nicely done!

<i>1414°</i> is not quite a murder mystery, since the victims are driven to suicide. Not quite sci-fi, since it's happening in the here and now. Not quite dystopian, since all isn't tragic. Not quite balanced, since the hero(ine)s are female and the villains are male. It is entertaining, clever, and frightening in how it depicts how an all-pervasive app invades privacy and predicts behavior - to the point of knowing when we're hungry, what we'll want to eat before we even know it and then delivering it to us - without needing to ask us.
Could this be our future?

Requires standard suspension of disbelief, but still a fast paced enjoyable read with a social justice bent.

Non stop action from the first for Lou, a reporter trying to make a difference. Fast paced with thinking on the fly, many sharp quick thinking women are highlighted along with vile bad guys. As the real world is quickly becoming faster and better availability of everything we need, are we really too far from the scenario presented in this book? I wouldn't want to be a Silicon valley CEO reading this book. Enjoyable mystery, not really a murder, but suspenseful all the same. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced read for an honest opinion.

This was a slow burn that thoroughly blew my mind and solidified my admiration for his phenomenal characters! They were all nuanced and complex, multifaceted and impressive. I struggled with the build up a few times but kept on with it and DAMN! I’m so glad I did! Thanks so much to the publisher and NetGalley for my free arc in exchange for my honest opinion. It was wonderful!

As a technology journalist, I was eager to read this novel and I really enjoyed it. It portrays a very realistic look at the toxic "brociopath culture" of Silicon Valley with their "slathering fanboys" as a crusading journalist gets mired into the firm's evil doings. While some of the characters play on cartoonish stereotypes such as the soulless venture capitalists, the introverted nerdy coder, the bad bosses etc. The realism comes into play with the way we consume social media and are so obsessed with selfies, the way we are tracked by our cellphones, how the press can influence public opinion in absence of any facts, and so forth. Even if you aren't a tech-savvy reader, you might enjoy this send up of our current fascination with tech and how it can get out of hand. If you enjoyed Dave Eggers' The Circle, you will enjoy reading this novel.

STUPENDOUS! I loved this fast paces Silicon Valley Thriller and you will too!
Lou is a hard nosed female journalist trying to expose the toxic culture of the tech world.
She has a lead on a secret regarding the biggest billionaire firm of all and in attempting to expose it, she is outsmarted and fired from her job.. Essentially homeless and jobless she is not ready to give up on taking down RAUM industries when a mysterious individual names Fate reaches out to her for assistance. SO MANY things happen that it's hard to believe this is only one novel. Paul Bradley Carr did a great job describing the world and the scenes that I finished this in one sitting! Lou and several other women are highlighted as fast thinkers and quick witted in the worst of times (which happens quite a bit in this explosive and twisty novel). Complex, engaging, terrifying and awesome. My only critique is I wanted a bit more tied up a the end! Highly Recommend if you like a fast pace thriller, some feminism and commentary on the world as a whole. #NetGalley #1414

Silicon Valley #metoo thriller and more

I almost didn't read this book because the first chapter just didn't grab me but I'm glad I read on because this ended up being a tricky thriller with Lou McCarthy, journalist do-gooder who keeps getting taken down by big business CEOs in the Silicon Valley who have much to hide.

And when she gets a look at who's actually manipulating behind the scenes, she decides she wants to help. Or does she?

The author did a superb job with the characters, with the Silicon Valley setting, with the intrigue and the twists. I enjoyed this book very much and highly recommend it.

I received this book from Snafublishing LLC through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.

This was one of the most interesting and absorbing novels I’ve read in a long time. Lou, our heroine, is a reporter who has spent the majority of her career writing about the miscreants of Silicone Valley. She is invited to a Raum party at which their Chairman is planning to introduce their multi billion dollar IPO. Instead two men intimately attached to Raum die mysteriously in what appears to be suicides at the event. Lou’s work receives unjust notoriety and she is let go from her paper. She continues to search for answers and begins to find them. But will she survive? It is well written and remarkably knowledgeable about the tech industry. It makes for great reading. Thanks to Net Galley and Snafublishing for an ARC for an honest review.

Who knew that a tech thriller was exactly what I needed in my life?!

I loved this unique mystery novel and recommend it to anyone who wants something different but that still delivers all the intrigue.

This is a dystopian type story that focuses on technology and journalism. It looks a few years into the future at a world ruled by tech giants and their unscrupulous practices. They manipulate the markets, commit rape and murder and always control the narrative. One journalist decides to take them on and finds herself embroiled in a fight for her life.

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

this was really interesting, and insightful to read! you can tell there’s been a lot of researching that went into writing this, and i appreciated how accurate everything seemed to be. this is a murder mystery that touches a lot of important, and heavy topics. i’m gonna need to read it again in another format (i read it through the NetGalley shelf app) because i had a lot of difficulty getting into it: the font was small, and the screen was squeezed which made for an uncomfortable reading experience.

i’ll be picking this up again when it officially comes out to have more to say about it, but until then, i really liked it!

This was an absolutely phenomenal novel about a reporter, at the edge of losing everything in her conquest to bring some of the most despicable men with power and money who use it for evil. Recently she's lost her job trying to take one man down, one of the men from the company RAUM, Wu, who was accused of raping and abusing multiple women. Our main character gets a lead, and finds out that someone else is taking these men down... literally.

This was a great thriller type read that I look for, ones where the evil get what they deserve, and powerful women who stop them and strengthen society. It was almost brilliant, if not a little slow in the beginning. But awesome.

Thanks to NetGalley and Snafublishing for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

I went back and reread the book description so I don't give anything away. Lou McCarthy is a SF based reporter trying to expose powerful male predators (bro-ciopaths--love this term!) in Silicon Valley. Two powerful men with checkered pasts are killed in one night and Lou is in the middle of things. Who is the great and powerful wizard behind the curtain manipulating everyone?

There is so much more going on than the recap. I loved how the author covered so many important topics: about how women are treated in tech (ok, more than just in tech); the impact of a company knowing all about people and anticipating their next want/needs; how powerful people get to play by a different set of rules; what people are willing to do for money; doxing; and more.

1414° is also a great thriller as Lou meets different people and try to figure out whom she can trust. The book really grew on me, moving up from a solid 4 stars to closer to a 5. I highly recommend this book and look forward to more novels from Paul Bradley Carr.

1414 degrees is the temperature that silicon burns, which makes it an apt title for a #metoo thriller set place in Silicon Valley. Who wouldn't want to watch it all burn when you hear what some of these guys have gotten away with? This is a smart and fun thriller that will leave you thinking, if only.

This is a very exciting murder mystery set in Silicon Valley. There are so many intriguing twists and turns that kept me flipping pages non-stop. It’s fast paced and full of suspense. A most enjoyable read. *I received a complimentary copy of this book via NetGalley and this is my honest review*

This book is a real work of art. I was on the edge of my seat for much of it. The author has a way of connecting me to the characters emotionally. I love that. I can't wait to read his next book! I give it 5 stars and a strong recommendation!

1414º by Paul Bradley Carr is a very highly recommended unique and gripping mystery/thriller that takes on Silicon Valley billionaires.

Journalist Lou McCarthy is fearless in reporting the toxic truth surrounding the Silicon Valley billionaire bro-ciopaths who get away with all manner of criminal actions. Her latest article for the Bay Area Herald exposes the CTO of Raum, a private tech company, as a sexual predator who has assaulted young women for years. The same day her controversial expose' is published, there is an Raum event where the official announcement of the multi-billion dollar initial public offering will be made. What happens instead is that the CTO takes his life as does another man who was a subject of one of Lou's articles. Lou is blamed for their deaths, fired, and while running for her life is suddenly rescued by Helen Tyler, a powerful member of Raum’s crisis-management team, but so much more. The two begin an investigation together that points to a much deeper, meticulously projected series of events planned by a person who calls themselves Fate, and Fate has a meticulously crafted agenda in the works.

1414º features intelligent, strong, likable, self-assured, and diverse female protagonists. The characters are all depicted as believable individuals with strengths and flaws, although most of the male characters are antagonists or trolls, there are a few good men. Lou is an excellent character to carry the plot and is believable as a journalist whose passion is to investigate, dig deep, and seek out the truth. Even with their small part of the plot, Lou's mom and her friend Carol are awesome, tough women you would want to know.

This is an extraordinary, unique, complex well-written mystery that is engrossing from start to finish. It is both fast paced and satisfying. You will not be able to predict the ending, which is a wonderfully remarkable occurrence and encouraged me to continue reading late into the night. The actual mystery/thriller is strong, compelling, and unparalleled in the plot and characters. The final denouement was very satisfying.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Snafublishing.
The review will be published on Barnes & Noble, Google Books, and Amazon.

So timely. Wow! This was a lot of fun to read--a satiric thriller about the "brociopaths" in Silicon Valley whose only concern is to make money with no regard for how much damage their social media platforms wreak. It all sounds so-familiar. Self-driving cars that run over and kill people. Social media platforms that encourage hordes of amped-up rednecks to doxx outspoken women and use location services to hunt them down.
An almost washed-up San Francisco journalist publishes an unverified, too-good-to-be-true story on the eve of the IPO of a massive company--its founder has been charged with rape. She knows publishing it could mean the end of her career, but she can't resist. This sets her on a rather spectacular collision course with some of the richest and most entitled tech giants in the world and puts her in imminent peril.
I just felt like a good, up-to-the-minute story that I was in the mood for, and I think other people will be, too. It may be fiction, but it rings true.

Exhilarating read. Suspenseful, intriguing, and hard to put down, The good old boys try bulling the females and the weak. Fantastic read. I would definitely recommend

Fantastic! Shines a light on the toxicity and power inherent in some big businesses and calls into question the ethics of responsibility when a person feels driven to suicide. Make sure you read the acknowledgments - the context is important here. Well written, well paced and challenging.

This is an unusual and intriguing book. Mystery? Yes. Thriller? Yes. Strong woman main character? Yes. Sci-fi? Sort of. Disturbing to think it's a realistic scenario of the future? Definitely.

The writing is strong and the intrigue keeps the reader involved. A very timely novel.

Lou is a journalist who prints a story that she believes came from a good source. When it is proven to be full of holes, she is let go from her job. She continues to follow up on her story and falls into a much bigger set up than she ever thought possible in Silicon Valley.

This is not my normal kind of book as I am technologically challenged, but Carr does a great job of making it so even I could get it. It was a good thriller and makes you stop and think.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this book.

Meet Lou McCarthy, the take-no-prisoners kind of reporter who puts the truth before her own safety. Thus begins a thriller almost impossible to put down. Taking place in a San Francisco that is almost the day after tomorrow, Lou makes it her business to confront the techno-bro culture of Silicon Valley, the patriarchal element built on billionaire entitlement. "This was an industry built on the promise of limitless memory, by people who couldn't remember what happened last week." Journalist and commentator Paul Bradley Carr has acknowledged that inspiration for this story and its heroine came from a real situation involving a woman's experience in one of the larger firms. Here Carr, in his first work of fiction, employs as a mcguffin stand-in a sort of Fit-bit containing an algorithm that anticipates and is capable of fulfilling any desire. The heroes are in fact developing "[A]n algorithm that could make powerful men face the consequences of their behavior." Given that Carr employs a reporter's style, action moves rapidly, twists and dead ends, and so many inside jokes and present-day references that knowledge of cultural references was a great help. It is also ironic to read this in a week when a powerful man is brought down on the strength of the content of his emails. A warning that when you hit "send," be sure of what it is you are shooting off into the ether.

1414 tackles a lot of different things in a very small amount of pages! I was grateful that the author tried to make every page matter, so the novel rarely loses pace. It got better the more I read, and the author is definitely someone I'll be keeping an eye out for.

4 stars
Oh, how I love it when an insider writes a book about what he knows. This had everything you could want about the bro code of the internet/silicon valley world. With all that is happening right now, it was the perfect read.

Book received for free through NetGalley

This book is fantastic. The characters and storyline were written amazingly and hooked me from the very start. A perfect read that I both wanted to finish in a day and savor over a month. Looking forward to future books.

The story of 1414º by Paul Bradley was a roller coaster ride that I enjoyed immensely; it is fast-paced and topical. There were many insightful points in the story.

Lou McCarthy has a very personal reason for ignoring all the rules, written and not, for a reporter to break a story accusing the chief technological officer of a Silicon Valley company of rape on the basis of an uncorroborated tip on the eve of a product launch guaranteed to send its stock soaring. Not to mention that Raum One will give the company more power over billions of lives than any one entity should possess. Lou's apartment - her tiny, shabby San Francisco studio - is in rubble, on ground purchased and leveled by Raum for its fancy new headquarters, But that alone wouldn't be enough to keep her relying on an unknown , informant when her digging reveals that sexual indiscretions are the least of the crimes going on at Raum. Wu's very public suicide leap at the big party thrown to celebrate the opening of Raum One forces Lou to keep following the sordid story, especially when one truth leads to another and despite the fact that the company will go to any length to cover up the most important truth of all - including killing her..

This book was a page turner from beginning to end. Things are not what they seem and will have you guessing until the end. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

So many twists and turns in this book! At times I felt the book would never end, but I kept plodding through and it was well worth the wait until the end!

Free ARC from Net Galley

I was worried that our heroine "Lou" would be the new female lead of super hero and coupled with the fat that the first chapter dragged I was ready to highlight and delete, then I read chapter 2

Congratulations if you got a free copy, if not it is worth the price.

Great story that is almost derailed with the baggage of "all men are bad", but in the end a worthy read

Ya'll enjoy now.

Based on the description and as a technologist and resident of the SF Bay Area, I was quite eager to get my hands on this book. I found the book a bit of a drag in the beginning and almost gave up, but I am really glad I persisted. It is a reaffirmation of what we are allowing to happen to us given the way we are being monitored constantly.
Some of the things I didn't like were the now-in-vogue female hero and male villains, and many stereotyped characters.
Thank you Snafublishing and NetGalley for the ARC.

Lou McCarthy is a journalist who is constantly trying to expose corruption of the elite in Silicon Valley (job security, right?). She's discredited, and then pulled into a much bigger plot, with people who have the same agenda -- or do they?

This a fast paced story with lots of twists and turns. There are ambiguous questions, although it certainly doesn't spend time sitting around being philosophical. And it's also timely - the actions of the various powers could have been ripped right from the headlines.

Thanks to netgalley and the author and publisher for an ARC of the book. It was an exciting read!

I really this book. I caught me right from the beginning. Great story and good characters. It keeps you guessing and really make you think if the possibilities of our future.

A horror novel about Silicone Valley. This is not about how bad the working conditions are, or how tech is failing us. No, this is about murders, a journalist, trolls, and physical attacks on the people trying to stop those at the top from getting away with horrible crimes and the journalist staying alive.

‘The billionaire predators of Silicon Valley always get what they want. Now someone is giving them what they deserve’. The female characters in this book have been through rough times at the hands of the tech giants of Silicon Valley but now they are fighting back. A mystery, a commentary on females vs males in technology jobs and journalism, and, maybe, a look into our future.

Great mystery/thriller type novel about the Big Tech type companies in Silicon Valley. So relevant with how fast our technology is advancing and almost a little scary considering how much we allow the internet to know about us!
Lou McCarthy is a truth chasing reporter who wants to expose all of the corrupt billionaires behind these companies. When she accidentally gets herself involved in the deaths of these 2 high profile founders, she gets pulled deeper and deeper into finding out the truth of what is really going on in Silicon Valley. She has to make decisions on what she is willing to do to expose the “brociopaghs”. Lou is a great main character who you are rooting for the entire time. And when you find out who is behind the take down you really want to see the good side win.
This normally wouldn’t be my type of book but the more I read the more I couldn’t put it down. The author did a great job of showing how powerful people can cover up just about anything.

The author did a fantastic job with the characters, the setting of silicone valley and keeping you on the edge of your seat with all the twists and turns.
I enjoyed this book very much and highly recommend it.


Thank you to NetGalley and snafublishing for providing me a copy of this book for my honest opinion.

To say this book exceeded my expectations is a severe understatement. I enjoyed this book so much, found it so difficult to put down, and absolutely LOVED the writing style and pace. Lou and Charity make an amazing duo, and I’d love to see them take down more bad guys in the future. I will say there were a few loose ends toward the end (what officially happened to Raum, Helen, and a few others), but the climax at the end was well worth it, and I absolutely squealed with joy at the slight Ray Bradbury-esq 1414° reference. What a cool touch. Highly highly recommend!

An old fashioned page turner with thoroughly modern plots ands twists, Excellent!! I'm recommending it very highly!

Smartly written modern thriller. I couldn't believe this the author's first work of fiction... or perhaps it's because it's probably closer to the truth than most would realize.. As a former "Corporate Mom" (I'd now be called a "Sharyl"), with an MBA and MSEE, I cheered on the dream team bringing down the brosciopaths (what a perfect word to describe them)!

Everything from the chapter headers (% left in book), the tech, investors, to the back stories of the brosciopaths, was written very cleverly to not only develop our understanding of the plot and characters but also to immerse you in a world that most people are fortunate enough to never see. I eagerly await the next book!

The cover both freaked me out but also drew me in! I went in with no expectations and no clues on what the book was about, just the cover. This is a true page turner which is something I have had a hard time finding this year. Modern, thrilling, relevant, exciting, brilliant, and impossible to put down. Character development is stellar, takes place in (Big Tech) Silicon Valley setting, so it’s not only modern but relevant. Honestly, this will be a top book of the year no doubt. This book is so well written I haven’t even been able to get attached to any other story.

1414º will keep you on on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. As the story unfolds, you wonder whether the various characters are who they appear to be. In any event, it will keep you guessing at every turn.

There are so many layers to this story. They spread from how powerful men in Silicon Valley treat women personally and professionally, to gentrification of the S.F. Bay area, to manipulation of the public and the stock market to privacy issues.

According to author Paul Bradley Carr who spent twenty years covering Silicon Valley for various publications, this novel is based on a true story that affected him personally. One of the most powerful companies in the Bay area sought to spend a million dollars to target the families of certain journalists, including his own.

This is Carr’s first novel and with public concerns regarding social media issues that exploded into the news recently, 1414º is timely. Additionally, it is fast-paced and unpredictable.

(The complete review will be posted on UnderratedReads on Nov.1, 2021

A Silicon Valley mystery/thriller with a big emphasis on taking down toxic masculinity. Lou McCarthy is working as a journalist to expose the misdeeds of high profile tech industry leaders, and it costs her almost everything. Just like a few other people have said; the first chapter is totally a drag but it picks up immediately and becomes incredibly enjoyable.

I am a bit late to the party as I had requested 1414 after the novel had been released. However, I am so glad that I was able to scoop it up in the nick of time. This was an incredible read!

I will say that 1414 takes a bit to pull you in but I knew from the start it would be worth the initial slow burn. This is a very detailed story and if you do not pay close attention, you will miss something.

This is a dark read with very complex characters. The story is narrated perfectly and will have you on the edge of your seat.

I highly recommend this book to all my fellow thrill lovers.

A disillusioned journalist fighting a seemingly almighty high tech corporation, a plot full of surprising twists, clearly defined characters. This book is a wild and fast ride through the modern world of Silicone Valley, a book that leaves the reader wondering about how much power today's real tech companies already have. Personally, I have read this book in a few days, the plot sucked me in right away and never let me out of its grip until I was done reading the last page. Five star rating well earned.

This book was pretty crazy. I highly recommend it. Our times of social media, smart watches, stock exchange and silicone valley really hits home reading this book and the sole control these companies can have on our lives. I currently only use one social media platform and have a regular analog watch, but this still makes me wonder about control they have on my life. As a smaller scale user of these technologies, I think we all should read this book. I know it's fiction, but it really can be eye opening. And with murder and mystery, it kept my attention when most tech stuff doesn't.

Did you know that Silicone melts at high temperatures of around 1414 degrees?? I LOVE that title! Lou McCarthy is a journalist who is best know for going after and exposing the billionaire bro-ciopaths (I also love that word) in Silicone valley. And what has it gotten her? Not much. Her readers don’t seem to care, and her co-workers all feel sorry for her. To top it off, even after exposure, the rich seem to just get richer. However, when two of her latest bad boys end up dead on the same night, her world is turned upside down. She is fired, blamed for the two deaths, and even her mother is caught in the crosshairs. Her only hope is to find the real killers before another person dies. But as Lou digs into the story, she begins to realize that maybe the person responsible is on the same mission as her, and maybe she should help them in their mission! Strong female leads in this book are based on a true story, and it is a great thriller. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this interesting read!

A thriller filled with suspense! I have been reading a few books recently about journalists who find themselves in challenging and tricky situations, but this book wins the prize. Makes you angry too about how so many of those silicon billionaires got away with so much. A great read!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Timely. Deviants working at a tech company, a clean-up crew to blackmail or threaten journalists to print retractions, and a rogue journalist that risks all to get the story out. Also, internet trolls that are willing to kill to protect their favorite tech company. Although fiction, it sounds a lot like the local news.

This book has a number of themes - retribution, mystery and, probably most compelling of all, an examination of the financial and moral excesses of megacorporations, in this case Silicone Valley. Lou McCarthy is a disenfranchised journalist who takes it upon herself to take on the Raum Corporation, the richest and most powerful company ever created, because of their almost criminal disregard for the lives of those they trample on their quest for an ever larger share of the information world. As one might suspect, this is far easier said than done. Along the way, Lou teams up with some unlikely allies.
The characterizations of corporations in this book are reminiscent of the muckraking tomes from the early Twentieth Century, highlighting as it does all the ugliness and smarm that is too often found in these megafirms. If I have anything negative to say about the book it is that it is decidedly anti-male. I suppose this is the norm for the current sociopolitical atmosphere but it still disturbed me.
On the whole, 1414° is a good, solid mystery. Some of the scenes may be a bit beyond the realm of belief but that just adds to the fun.

An interesting plot with #metoo undercurrents taking on big tech in San Francisco's Silicon valley. There is some profanity in this fast paced thriller. This was a new author for me and a subject I knew little about.
Lou McCarthy is a journalist at the Bay Area Herald. She has a reputation of uncovering and exposing wrongdoings. She's homeless since Raum One, the world’s most transparent building, replaced her former apartment building. She blindsides her boss by posting a story exposing Raum's chief technology officer, Alex Wu, as a rapist. Now she's also unemployed.
Cryptic circumstances have her attending the grand opening of Raum One. It's rumored that Raum’s CEO, Elmsley Chase, is announcing its IPO. The event is shattered by the very public suicide of Alex Wu. Her reputation is tanked, she's blamed, and now even her family is being harassed and threatened.
Things get worse as Joe Christian also very publicly attempts to kill himself. Lou had previously exposed him of sexual impropriety also.
Helen Tyler was hired by Raum's board to head the crisis-management team. She has a network of contacts and vague history. She orchestrates the harrowing rescue of Lou. They warily team up to find out who is behind the deaths of these prominate men and the connection to Raum.
There are lots of suspects, both inside and outside of Raum, with motives and money in play. The most likely culprit might be the next victim. Only "Fate" holds the answers. The cover-ups, twists and turns in this thriller will keep you guessing. The deceit of the male dominated network in Silicon Valley's tech world is an eye opener. The pace is frentic, the action is nonstop and there are unlikely alliances to expose the truth.
If you enjoy mystery, intrigue and staying up late to finish, read this one. An author I will watch for in the future.
Many thanks to Netgalley, Paul Bradley Carr and Snafublishing for the advance digital copy of "1414". These are my personal thoughts and opinions given voluntarily.

Complicated multi thread plot set in the tech world.

Lou is a total underdog journalist - homeless, unemployed, savvy and seeking justice even when the personal cost is high. She uncovers tech intrigue, a culture of entitlement and victims of sexual violence navigating a simple story of people displaced by economic development.

Well written characters that definitely have room to develop for additional books.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were well developed and the plot excellent - full of surprises and suspense! If you love reading mysteries - you will love this one!

Complex plot makes this an exciting mystery thriller relevant to current events.

Lou McCarthy is a reporter for the Bay Area Herald and has spent many thankless years covering Silicon Valley -- mostly to expose the sleazy executives at the top. Those "brociopaths", however, keep on doing their nasty things and nobody ever pays. Until two of those hideous men commit very public suicides on the night of a big announcement for the huge new conglomerate, Raum -- one of the hottest technology companies on the verge of a massive IPO. When she is accused of driving the men to their deaths and is doxed by a vengeful group of #MLM trolls intent on tracking her down, she finds that someone else is intervening and might be responsible for taking those rich and powerful men and their companies down. When Lou meets "Fate", she is drawn into a very complicated game involving the sick predators and their entitled methods. No spoilers.

Fast pace, interesting characters, and a timely plot combine to make an interesting cautionary tale about the dark side of technology and the damage inflicted by those at the top in Silicon Valley. He's definitely aware of the misogyny and exclusionary practices in the industry. In a season when many books have been published about the #metoo scandals and the headlines continue to reveal a lot of bad boy behavior at the top levels of society, this book will definitely leave readers with a lot to think about.

Thank you to NetGalley and Snafublishing LLC for this e-book ARC to read and review.

I ended liking this book more and more as I read on. It didn't start with much promise, but enough intrigue to keep me reading.
Its awful to be set up and betrayal is always terrible. Lou, our hero, knows she is onto something big, but seems to be cut off at every turn. When the internet trolls decide to go after her mother, and strange people show up into the story, something isn't right.
When I finally got to why things were happening the way they did, I had a strong visceral reaction. It rang so very true of how women are treated now, and how its not so different than how we were treated back then.

Good story, good pacing, liked it a lot.

I really liked it, it is a different story in which we enter a world of corruption and technology led by the patriarchy.
Journalist Lou McCarthy has a passion to fight for transparency and truth, which leads her to get in trouble with people of power, but also to find out about the evil plan of a person who wants to destroy the technological empire led by those awful men.
Filled with strong female characters, 1414º is a novel that shows us the other side of the coin in the world of millionaires.
I won't tell you more so as not to spoil you, it's not usually my genre style but it really kept me hooked and intrigued until the end, I highly recommend it!

1414 follows journalist, Lou McCarthy, as she tries to topple the titans of the technology community in Silicon Valley. Lou's latest story is about a serial rapist who has been protected by the bro society and his own company's executives. The powers-that-be shut her down and Lou is fired, but on that same day, she is invited to a gala hosted by the rapist's company, which is on the verge of an IPO. The CEO calls her out publicly at the event . While she's cowering in the unwanted limelight, the rapist suddenly plummets to his death, apparently a suicide. Later on that evening, another subject of one of Lou's exposes also dies. Everyone blames Lou for the deaths, and she is soon set upon by a group of angry, vengeful trolls bent on violence.

To save herself, Lou is forced to track down the person she believes is actually guilty of the two deaths. She's aided by an unlikely benefactor, Helen Tyler. Helen is wealthy, and although she joins up with Lou to investigate the two deaths, she also happens to be a top-level consultant to the very Silicon Valley titans that Lou wants to take down. The third party in this feminist triad is a mysterious party known only as Fate. Fate appears to be the mastermind behind the deaths as he/she is the author of sophisticated code that seems to be tormenting the "brociopaths" that control the tech world. But what is Fate's endgame and is Lou just a pawn?

This is Paul Bradley Carr's first novel, but his background as a journalist serves him well. There are so many twists and turns in 1414 that the excitement never lets up. The result is a terrific thriller that combines the Me Too movement, the entitlement of the bro culture that rules Silicon Valley, and the speed with which technology is impacting our lives. I loved it.

My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for providing me an eARC in exchange for an honest review. 1414 is quite the roller coaster ride.

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.

Snafublishing and NetGalley
Thank you for this ebook copy!
I will post and tag to platforms.

Paul Bradley Carr's 1414°, a technothriller, shows the ugly side of progress and advanced technology that comes down to the Silicon Valley as sexual harassment, maltreatment of women and minorities in the society hide behind the top-notch tech giants. To bring the offenders to justice, a mysterious figure called Fate played like a marionettist, stealthily, adroitly, and indirectly maneuvering events using a powerful algorithm that lead to the demise of companies and CEOs who abused their power to their advantage. Lou McCarthy, a journalist, investigates the mysterious death of two CEOs. Unbeknownst to her, she's also manipulated by Fate to
get involved in the case that endangers not only her life but also her mother's.

I enjoyed this book so much. The fast-paced plot, fascinating characters, and inconceivable twist fastened my attention up to the last pages. I have so many questions in the beginning that the book answered in the end: Why is the title 1414°? Who is Fate? Would Lou be able to get out of this mess to save herself and her mother? Would Fate be successful in destroying Raum? The story is well-written and profound, exposing what could happen if technology is in the hands of the wrong people.

If you love technothriller, this book is for you.

Thank you, Paul Bradley Carr, Snafublishing LLC, and NetGalley for the ARC for an honest review.

1414° is a nonstop thriller. The premise of smart, competent women vs. the male dominated culture in Silicon Valley was satisfying. A journalist, a consultant and a technical genius are three main characters. They are all motivated to solve and/or expose the mystery of recent suicides by prominent men in the tech world. The reader is pulled along as each new development keeps one guessing. The book is well written and provides much food for speculation.

Lou McCarthy, a journalist in Silicon Valley, publishes a story exposing a top Tech mogul of rape. Shortly thereafter, he commits suicide, and Lou is suddenly in the fight of her life. 1414 is a broad story about the misogynistic and predatory actions of tech moguls, and one person’s quest for revenge. The book has a fairly complicated plot with a lot of moving parts, but it’s intelligently written, fast paced, and full of tension. Lots of twists and suspense that’ll keep you flipping the pages. Definitely a little different, and worth a read. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Lou McCarthy is a journalist who has spent her career exposing predators in Silicon Valley. Going after the worst of the worst has cost her just about everything ... her apartment, friends, and any hope for promotion. Her boss has warned her to stay away from the powers that be and the billionaires who will chew her up and spit her out.

She has deliberately gone after two high profile abusers of women publicly. Unfortunately one of the men jumps to his death at a large party for a new undertaking by a 'player' and the other man walks into a hospital, takes out his gun, and shoots himself.

Lou's work is suddenly and violently thrust into the spotlight. Blamed for the deaths, fired from her job, and pursued by vengeful trolls who have already attacked her mother, Lou has only one chance of survival: To find the killer obsessed with her work, and stop them before anyone else dies.

This was just a bit of a slow starter to me, but it was speeding along nicely by the second chapter. Not knowing much about Silicon Valley and what they did .. or represented... was new to me. I eventually found the meaning of the book's title. 1414 (C) is the melting point of silicon which actually doesn't mean much to the story. The author is a long-term journalist who has covered the culture of Silicon Valley. As such, I expected a high level of credibility and I was not disappointed. The melting pot of characters are solidly drawn. The mystery is intriguing, the plot is riveting.

Many thanks to the author / SnafuPublishing / Netgalley for the digital copy of this Technothriller. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

This was fairly enjoyable. A little bit of a slow burn but I gave it a try and it was OK. I ended liking it as I dwell into the page more and more.. I have read something similar years ago but I think this was more crafted in detail.

Interestingly, I liked all the characters, (that doesn't happen quite often) but I really did. I think that they were well thought out, imperfect, flawed and human which can be more engaging and relatable. Straightforward narrative, the pacing is balanced and the author's writing style is engaging.

I like Lou's personality. Would love to see a sequel to this one. I'd probably love it this book turns into a series.

Cheers to Netgalley and Snafublishing LLC for the ARC.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.