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The Citizen
What would you do if a stranger shared a secret with you? What if that secret could topple a government? And what if the government came looking for you?
Julian "Mac" MacGregor is an everyday Joe. He has an ex-wife and a mortgage. He coaches a softball team. But when a stranger sends an email detailing a cover-up of unbelievable proportions, Mac's life is turned upside down.
Framed for murder and hunted by a shadowy organization known as The Core, Mac embarks on a journey of survival to find the underground resistance which could hold the key to his salvation.
Framed against the backdrop of an America on the verge of losing its freedoms, and possibly its very identity, The Citizen is a novel pulled straight from today's headlines, including government cover-ups and global conspiracies.
Julian "Mac" MacGregor is an everyday Joe. He has an ex-wife and a mortgage. He coaches a softball team. But when a stranger sends an email detailing a cover-up of unbelievable proportions, Mac's life is turned upside down.
Framed for murder and hunted by a shadowy organization known as The Core, Mac embarks on a journey of survival to find the underground resistance which could hold the key to his salvation.
Framed against the backdrop of an America on the verge of losing its freedoms, and possibly its very identity, The Citizen is a novel pulled straight from today's headlines, including government cover-ups and global conspiracies.
219 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 3, 2013
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11 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 14, 2014
We’ve all heard about conspiracy theories. Some seem plausible, others outrageous. Well, what if they are true? What if they are all true? Could a powerful force be manipulating world events and working toward global domination? In The Citizen we discover what the government doesn’t want us to know. One man sees something he shouldn’t have and receives the wake-up call of a lifetime.
Matthew McCollum’s novel starts off a little slowly as he lets us in on a world that most people never see. The ideology is spelled out with examples that are virtually ripped from the headlines. It made me a little uncomfortable hearing about terrible real life events that are still fresh in my mind. That’s not a criticism. It was an effective literary device.
Once our protagonist experiences his “awakening,” the story really takes off. “Mac” encounters a variety of characters with different motivations, all while trying to stay ahead of his pursuers. You can’t help but place yourself in his shoes and ask, what would I do? The author employs two alternating time-lines which can be a little confusing if you’re sleepy but otherwise makes for an interesting style.
Overall I enjoyed this book and I agree with the basic message. Freedom isn’t free and there will always be those who want to take it from us. I recommend this story to all defenders of liberty.
Matthew McCollum’s novel starts off a little slowly as he lets us in on a world that most people never see. The ideology is spelled out with examples that are virtually ripped from the headlines. It made me a little uncomfortable hearing about terrible real life events that are still fresh in my mind. That’s not a criticism. It was an effective literary device.
Once our protagonist experiences his “awakening,” the story really takes off. “Mac” encounters a variety of characters with different motivations, all while trying to stay ahead of his pursuers. You can’t help but place yourself in his shoes and ask, what would I do? The author employs two alternating time-lines which can be a little confusing if you’re sleepy but otherwise makes for an interesting style.
Overall I enjoyed this book and I agree with the basic message. Freedom isn’t free and there will always be those who want to take it from us. I recommend this story to all defenders of liberty.
September 15, 2013
This book reminded me of Glenn Becks The Overton on Window in writing style and pacing. I liked that book and I like this one. At 219 pages it was a quick read. The author was light but sufficient with character development. I can't picture the protagonist in my mind. Silly maybe, but the rest of the characters, a love interest and ancillary characters were described, but not the protagonist. Of course the protagonist is telling the story so why would he describe himself? Maybe, looking in the mirror shaking his head at the widows peak and graying temples on his formally jet black wavy hair. I want to see him in my mind.
This book also bounced back and forth between the past and the present. Most of the time it was well done but I occasionally found myself getting lost.
What this book did well was put current events into perspective and paints a picture that may seem "Out There" or a "conspiracy theory." A fictional story that takes place in the reality of what our current geopolitical situation has become, is plausible and down right scary. What we have here is a Kafkaesque, Glenn Beckian thriller.
It's educational and a fun read, I recommend it.
This book also bounced back and forth between the past and the present. Most of the time it was well done but I occasionally found myself getting lost.
What this book did well was put current events into perspective and paints a picture that may seem "Out There" or a "conspiracy theory." A fictional story that takes place in the reality of what our current geopolitical situation has become, is plausible and down right scary. What we have here is a Kafkaesque, Glenn Beckian thriller.
It's educational and a fun read, I recommend it.
September 24, 2013
This book is of the genre I usually tend to avoid: a conspiracy thriller. However, the setup sounded interesting, and it was a freebie promotion, so I decided to give it a try. On the whole, it was a good reading experience. The "rants" are interspersed with action in just the right proportion to keep the story moving and to keep us caring about the character and not just about his ideology. As a reader of many political indie books, I have to say this is very hard to accomplish, so definitely props to the author in that regard. I could have done without ripped-from-the-headlines conspiracy theories. Besides, to stuff too many issues into a short novel eventually overloads the reader. By the time I got to the Big Pharma part, I felt like someone was flipping the channel in my head between a Glen Beck show and Nancy Pelosi at her most deranged. I just wanted it to stop. Presenting the Big Bad Plan in more general terms would have kept the book more timeless. For comparison, something like Dean Koontz's Dart Rivers of the Heart paints a picture of omnipotent government whose agents are capable of crushing anyone at any moment, and it will stay relevant pretty much forever.
But back to THIS book. The plot turns hinge on more coincidences that I like, even though I am a fairly gullible reader, and I didn't much care for the way it just ended after all the build up. However, I am still giving it 3 stars because I DID in fact like it, because it's provocative and in-your-face and has exciting action. I expect reviews for this book to split between 1 star and 5 stars, depending on reader biases, but in reality it deserves neither. It's a not-bad book that could have been better.
But back to THIS book. The plot turns hinge on more coincidences that I like, even though I am a fairly gullible reader, and I didn't much care for the way it just ended after all the build up. However, I am still giving it 3 stars because I DID in fact like it, because it's provocative and in-your-face and has exciting action. I expect reviews for this book to split between 1 star and 5 stars, depending on reader biases, but in reality it deserves neither. It's a not-bad book that could have been better.
September 9, 2014
This book was gifted to me in return for a review.
This is a shorter novel told in first person present, which is handled well throughout the book, and a sort of conspiracy spy sort of story. The main character is on the run from the goernment and the chapters flip between present day and two years earlier, when it all began.
The start of this story wasn't as good as the end as I felt it focused a little too much on masses of conspiracy theories and possiblities and it felt a little like it was ramming home the idea that guns should be allowed in the US, something that I find bizarre when I'm in UK and we've never had guns available. But when it got past that part it really felt like it could be a believable theory for what's going on.
I noticed my pet peeve, of the phrase 'I could care less' over 'I couldn't care less' at one point in the book as well, but it was only the one occasion.
The book's not perfect but it kept me entertained and I wanted to keep reading. The end was also interesting and much better than I was expecting. I'd definitely consider reading more if there was a series of them.
This is a shorter novel told in first person present, which is handled well throughout the book, and a sort of conspiracy spy sort of story. The main character is on the run from the goernment and the chapters flip between present day and two years earlier, when it all began.
The start of this story wasn't as good as the end as I felt it focused a little too much on masses of conspiracy theories and possiblities and it felt a little like it was ramming home the idea that guns should be allowed in the US, something that I find bizarre when I'm in UK and we've never had guns available. But when it got past that part it really felt like it could be a believable theory for what's going on.
I noticed my pet peeve, of the phrase 'I could care less' over 'I couldn't care less' at one point in the book as well, but it was only the one occasion.
The book's not perfect but it kept me entertained and I wanted to keep reading. The end was also interesting and much better than I was expecting. I'd definitely consider reading more if there was a series of them.
February 6, 2014
A really great conspiracy theory novel.
Mac sees something he shouldn't. And while it takes him a while to wake up to the reality, once he does, the book takes off like a ROCKET!
It goes go flaring through your night time sky and doesn't stop until its morning and you're late for work.
A great novel!
Mac sees something he shouldn't. And while it takes him a while to wake up to the reality, once he does, the book takes off like a ROCKET!
It goes go flaring through your night time sky and doesn't stop until its morning and you're late for work.
A great novel!
August 21, 2015
I usually don't read conspiracy theory books, but this was a free book and looked interesting. I did enjoy the book and it kept my interest. It's a little slow in the beginning but then moves along fast.
March 7, 2014
Fun read. Hope there is a sequel. I don't normally read conspiracy thrillers but this was a good one, I particularly liked the way the author interwove current events into the story.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews