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Small Spiders
A novel based on actual events. A young black female reporter investigates a CIA mind-control research program (MK Ultra) and its apparent connection to the series of history-altering assassinations that took place during the 1960s. She joins CBS News and becomes a rising star there. Tracking an obscure lead, she encounters what appears to be the early phase of yet another assassination plot, and soon finds herself in the frightening position of holding the key to the destruction of the Nixon presidency, a criminal enterprise that will stop at nothing to preserve its own existence.
280 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 4, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 12, 2014
This is my review for Small Spiders. The opinions expressed are my own and were in no way influenced by anyone.
Small Spiders is a book based on events that really happened and I'm always intrigued by fiction based, however loosely, on fact or actual events. So that's what initially attracted me to this book. The novel is set mostly in the early 1970's during the Nixon administration and follows several characters through the years to the Watergate scandal. One of the main themes is the premise that the CIA created and implemented a program called MK Ultra where they used mind control and hypnosis to create the perfect assassin. A program that will give any conspiracy theorist ammunition to say this type of program was behind assassins like Lee Harvey Oswald, Sirhan Sirhan, Mark David Chapman and John Hinckley Jr. Could it be possible? Maybe. Definitely gives you some food for thought.
While the characters were well drawn and the plot was an interesting one, it was a somewhat difficult to follow because of the constantly shifting viewpoints. It was told in third person, but almost every chapter was following someone different. Everyone's path eventually crossed and they were all tied together in the end, it was still rather hard to follow at times. There were a few flashbacks and things introduced that never went anywhere. The introduction of Ted Kaczynski was one that just didn't work for me. I think it it had been fleshed out more, it would have made more sense in the story, it was more of an afterthought or something to better try to explain MK Ultra and some of the other rather scary programs run by the US Government during the post WWII era.
The story itself is one that's pretty scary for anyone who has or had blind confidence in the US Government. It's not hard to see why there was so much distrust and dislike of the Nixon administration. Some of what they got away with was pretty frightening and who could ever say what else they did? So much information was destroyed, burned and shredded that I don't think anyone will ever know the truth behind not only MK Ultra but behind Watergate. Using hypnosis to create the perfect assassin to get rid of your enemies? How far would they have gone? Who else was on their list? Pretty frightening stuff.
I did enjoy the story but wished that it flowed together a bit better. There were also some pretty glaring grammatical errors and some timeline inconsistencies. At one point Artie was not feeling well due to something he eat earlier in the day but a few pages later he was suddenly starving, having realized he hadn't eaten anything all day. While they didn't really detract from the story all that much, they were still a bit of an annoyance. I would still recommend this to anyone who wants to delve a bit more into the conspiracy theories of the late 60's and 70's. The story does start a bit slow and there are times where it is hard to follow, but all in all a good effort.
Small Spiders is a book based on events that really happened and I'm always intrigued by fiction based, however loosely, on fact or actual events. So that's what initially attracted me to this book. The novel is set mostly in the early 1970's during the Nixon administration and follows several characters through the years to the Watergate scandal. One of the main themes is the premise that the CIA created and implemented a program called MK Ultra where they used mind control and hypnosis to create the perfect assassin. A program that will give any conspiracy theorist ammunition to say this type of program was behind assassins like Lee Harvey Oswald, Sirhan Sirhan, Mark David Chapman and John Hinckley Jr. Could it be possible? Maybe. Definitely gives you some food for thought.
While the characters were well drawn and the plot was an interesting one, it was a somewhat difficult to follow because of the constantly shifting viewpoints. It was told in third person, but almost every chapter was following someone different. Everyone's path eventually crossed and they were all tied together in the end, it was still rather hard to follow at times. There were a few flashbacks and things introduced that never went anywhere. The introduction of Ted Kaczynski was one that just didn't work for me. I think it it had been fleshed out more, it would have made more sense in the story, it was more of an afterthought or something to better try to explain MK Ultra and some of the other rather scary programs run by the US Government during the post WWII era.
The story itself is one that's pretty scary for anyone who has or had blind confidence in the US Government. It's not hard to see why there was so much distrust and dislike of the Nixon administration. Some of what they got away with was pretty frightening and who could ever say what else they did? So much information was destroyed, burned and shredded that I don't think anyone will ever know the truth behind not only MK Ultra but behind Watergate. Using hypnosis to create the perfect assassin to get rid of your enemies? How far would they have gone? Who else was on their list? Pretty frightening stuff.
I did enjoy the story but wished that it flowed together a bit better. There were also some pretty glaring grammatical errors and some timeline inconsistencies. At one point Artie was not feeling well due to something he eat earlier in the day but a few pages later he was suddenly starving, having realized he hadn't eaten anything all day. While they didn't really detract from the story all that much, they were still a bit of an annoyance. I would still recommend this to anyone who wants to delve a bit more into the conspiracy theories of the late 60's and 70's. The story does start a bit slow and there are times where it is hard to follow, but all in all a good effort.
February 12, 2014
Small Spiders by J. T. Conroe is a work of fiction that is written around actual events and people. It contains intrigue and conspiracies that will make any conspiracy theorist sit up and take notice.
The story starts out being told by an unknown special analyst about the things that he has seen and done. His girlfriend Michelle is a reporter for CBS news and is onto a story that will rock the whole government. Several players are introduced and each “spider” has a goal to accomplish. With so many balls up in the air (spiders), it is only a matter of time before one drops and things are blown wide open.
While the brunt of the story deals with “spiders” that are under hypnosis, it is also a story a woman that does not take “no” for an answer. She is willing to do what it takes to find the answers to her questions. There does come a time when one of the spiders start to question what they are being led to do. How will these questions be answered?
This story does a great job of showing us how six degrees of separation does exist and manifests in itself sooner or later. All of the characters were introduced or mentioned in different parts of the storyline that tied into the main theme of the book. They lead us to question what other things that our government might be hiding from us.
I would give this book 4 out of 5 stars. It is not that I did not enjoy the book; it is just that this book is out of my normal genre. There was no particular character that I found myself getting attached to or feeling empathy for. It was a great read and I would not have a problem recommending this book to friends that enjoy this genre. Great job on an intriguing book.
The story starts out being told by an unknown special analyst about the things that he has seen and done. His girlfriend Michelle is a reporter for CBS news and is onto a story that will rock the whole government. Several players are introduced and each “spider” has a goal to accomplish. With so many balls up in the air (spiders), it is only a matter of time before one drops and things are blown wide open.
While the brunt of the story deals with “spiders” that are under hypnosis, it is also a story a woman that does not take “no” for an answer. She is willing to do what it takes to find the answers to her questions. There does come a time when one of the spiders start to question what they are being led to do. How will these questions be answered?
This story does a great job of showing us how six degrees of separation does exist and manifests in itself sooner or later. All of the characters were introduced or mentioned in different parts of the storyline that tied into the main theme of the book. They lead us to question what other things that our government might be hiding from us.
I would give this book 4 out of 5 stars. It is not that I did not enjoy the book; it is just that this book is out of my normal genre. There was no particular character that I found myself getting attached to or feeling empathy for. It was a great read and I would not have a problem recommending this book to friends that enjoy this genre. Great job on an intriguing book.
April 12, 2014
Small Spiders by J.T. Conroe was a interesting read. The story line flows amazingly and is kind of reminiscent of the show 24 and Le Femme Nikita. Conroe provides plenty of action and there is a ton of mystery/covert conspiracies going through the entire novel. It brought a sense of believable truth as well by putting in real characters like former president Nixon; that provided a timeline and a sense of what could be going on during that period in our history. The characters were very believable; Dennis, Artie, Hunt and such. Small Spiders will take the reader on quite a journey and you must pay attention to detail as there are many key characters in this novel. When unknown organizations with government ties start recruited young people for the fight, anything can happen and does. This was a very enjoyable story and contained enough mischief and mystery to keep my attention to the very end.
October 14, 2015
Spiders are jumpy
It was easy to read....The plot line tended to jump from place to place rather quickly, but the historical information and characters were interesting. Also the possibilities....whether they were fact or fiction....
It was easy to read....The plot line tended to jump from place to place rather quickly, but the historical information and characters were interesting. Also the possibilities....whether they were fact or fiction....
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews