Retribution: The Mogul

by Andrew Butters

Will the truth set you free?To the outsider, Thomas Van Steen seems to have everything—a successful business, a beautiful, sexy wife, a loyal best friend, expensive cars, and custom-tailored suits. But on the inside, his life is not as perfect as it seems. His aging mother is experiencing rapidly declining health. To see her through her last days, he has set her up in his New York City penthouse with the best care money can buy. Another flaw in his so-called perfect life is that Thomas is oblivious to the fact that he’s a misogynistic, narcissistic hypocrite who treats everyone except his mother with contempt and disdain.

Trapped inside a high-tech elevator where he can see and hear but not communicate, powerless in every way, he feels the cracks forming in the carefully laid foundations of his world and is forced to witness events that upend his perception of reality.

169 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 26, 2024

About the author

Andrew Butters opposes every aspect of GenAI and does not use it for any part of his process or in the production of his work.

He’ll say his first published work was Losing Vern as part of the Orange Karen: A Tribute to a Warrior anthology. In reality, it was a 500-word anecdote about the time he lit himself on fire in the third installment of the Darwin Awards books, and was the catalyst for writing Near Death by a Thousand Cuts.

For a minute, he had screen time on the Super Dave Osborne Show and even performed a trick on stage with Penn & Teller. He scored a goal at Maple Leaf Gardens and did an art swap with filmmaker Kevin Smith. A TV commercial gave him three seconds of non-speaking airtime, and don’t forget his appearance as a fighting unhoused person in a hip-hop video.

He writes, creates, snacks, and is a fan of golf, science, equality, and the Oxford comma. Andrew sometimes lets his love of attention override common sense. You can find evidence of this anywhere you find him.

Reviews

[Andrea Kikuchi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a compelling, fast paced novel that I read in one sitting. The novel begins with the Thomas's perspective, and then through multiple points of view, we get to see his interactions with the other characters. And none of them are particularly likeable.
My only issues are the intimate scenes which felt stilted and clunky, and the dialogue. "Jesus Christ on a Cracker!" was used several times by different characters, and couple of times the wives were referred to as battleaxes. which made me cringe.
That said, it's a fun read.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick read! Lots of little twists and decent changes in point of view! The perspective changes and interlinking of the characters was really well done.

My only feedback for the author is a personal pet peeve. It would have been nice if the medical part for Thomas’s mother was slightly more realistic, misinformation regarding end of life care can undermine trust in the medical profession quickly.

[Amanda Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story was interesting and the plot had great ideas, but there were a few things that I felt could have been changed. To make the story a fast read the author sacrificed some back story and the twist at the end felt very, very sudden.

I did really like the last line.

[Bobbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book had a good plot and grabbed my attention quickly. I would have preferred a longer read with more character development but given that it was a shorter book, I enjoyed it overall. It kept me intrigued right until the end.

[Susan Lyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very clever read. The intertwining characters were well done. It's a fast paced read that can be finished in one sitting. It could have easily been another 100 pages without losing its energy.

[Josh Landry · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was an enjoyable read if you like to be kept guessing an lots of characters check it out