Malice

by Liz Crokin

During a presidential election, tabloid journalist Lana Burke had a scoop so explosive involving the Republican presidential nominee’s tawdry affair with a prostitute, it could’ve altered the outcome of the election. The lifelong conservative Republican finds herself extremely conflicted covering a sex scandal involving potentially the nation’s first Mormon President. The juicy assignment takes Lana on a wild and dangerous adventure from a desert town filled with sleazy brothels to quiet, Mormon-filled Salt Lake City. Lana’s millionaire boyfriend’s love and support gives her strength during her roller coaster assignment–until her entire world suddenly collapses. Ironically, Lana’s life becomes a worse nightmare than any salacious story she had covered in her ten-year career in the crazy, upside down world of tabloid journalism.

426 pages, Paperback

First published March 8, 2015

Reviews

[Malia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Cannot finish this, unfortunately. The characters are, so far, not likable and the dialogue between them frankly a little painful. I hate to write anything negative, but this just really is not for me.

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[BethyMac · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really enjoyable debut novel from Liz Crokin. I must say after getting into this book I read up a little bit on this author and realized that Malice was based on her life. I must say I was quite surprised with how open she was about all the detail that took place but also so very brave to share her story with the world. It was quite the suspenseful story at times and filled with interesting twists and turns. I must say after finding out it was based on true events it was really interesting to get a "behind the scenes" in the news world when it comes to celebs and politicians and has given me a new view and outlook on news tabloids and what they actually do to get a story.

It was a great story for a debut novel, it was an enjoyable read. I will say there were spots that fell a little flat and times it was a bit excessive in detail but on the whole a really great read and I can't wait to see what comes next for Lana, hope the next book comes out soon.

[Joanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I kept reading to find out the answers to the mysteries set up (the politician scandal, her illness, what the deal was with her boyfriend), but I didn’t really enjoy this book. First, the soft core porn like descriptions of the main character’s sex life were off putting. Second, I found the main character to be unlikeable and unbelievable. A 32 year old woman thinks it’s “cool” when a 50+ year old guy she has just met says he drank so much the night before he threw up before and after a morning business meeting? And it really disturbed me that in the middle of her debilitating, life threatening illness she can barely move or face sunlight but repeatedly tries to do things like salon appointments, taking a flight to visit her parents (why didn't they go to her?!?), driving several hours (and then back!) to see her boyfriend despite being barely able to drive and swerving all over the place, etc. SPOILER ALERT: Finally, the big reveal about her boyfriend was just too much. OK, he is evil. But he’s a sexual deviant into hookers, gay men, AND minors (maybe children)? All she left out was barnyard animals. And the Stephen King-like transformation of her boyfriend during their last sexcapade was very random.

[M.J. Evans · Rating 1 out of 5]

I thought this book was trash.

[Tanya Milne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very well written. There was suspense and it kept me engaged. As a mother of two who does not get much time to read, I could not put it down till I finished it. That says a lot.

I am in awe of Liz and her ability to be so open and raw about her experiences and for educating people on standing up for your rights and for not allowing anyone to hold her back.

I would recommend this book 100%. I plan on passing it on!

[Kerry Norris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book, it's an absolute must read! I couldn't put it down, it was definitely a page turner. Such an emotional roller coaster, well written and an easy read. I can't wait for the next instalment!

[Shannon M · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. It was an amazing heart pounding adventure.

[Linda · Rating 1 out of 5]

Trashy didn't even have any interest to finish

[Kellygetz · Rating 1 out of 5]

If I could give it zero stars I would. Horrible writing, grammatical and spelling errors galore. It was a total waste of time...in the goodwill pile!

[Nancy Dyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is a wild ride, and a painful reminder of how deception ruins lives.

[David Hennessey · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS BOOK HAS IT ALL!
Malice kept my attention by chronicling the complex layers of Lana Burke’s professional and personal life. The story shows Lana, the successful journalist, working tirelessly to break a bombshell story that could change the course of American history, all presented through the lens of her romantic relationship with a sociopath named Malden Murphy.

Malice was like experiencing a tasty buffet with so much to choose from making it difficult to put down. I loved the journalistic political drama softened by the occasional diet of celebrity gossip to the suspense of not knowing where Lana’s tumultuous relationship would end. I felt like a voyeur – hanging on to the author’s every word describing Lana’s uncharacteristic sex life; revealing Malden’s strange sexual fetishes that almost cost Lana her life.

If it was the author’s intention to demonstrate that evil exists than Malice unequivocally delivers. From corrupt politicians to outrageous coworkers to the people we love, Malice is a sobering lesson that teaches us that there are people in all of our lives that we think we can count on that are capable of exploiting us on unspeakable levels.
~David Hennessey

[Bauschan Mann · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read. Full of suspense!!!!! The parallel story of Lana's private life and her career scoop denouncing a sexual gossip of a presidential candidate with a prostitute. The writer is good. It brings into the soul of the protagonist and makes the landscapes of the United States live as if we were there. Lana's life full of expectations is perceived both in work and in affections. Initially disillusioned with a previous experience with violence, the protagonist evolves mentally in the two stories. Her doubts become the doubts of the reader. A great ability to identify with the main character is achieved
Inside the family reunion, the protagonist discovers with disappointment many very negative details of her new boyfriend (like leaving an 11-year-old son alone in a shop)
By reading, I discovered the beauty of Salt Lake city and saw the beauty of the nearby Grand Hotel America. I looked for the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea hotel: beautiful
The ending was a big surprise ... unexpected

[Jane · Rating 2 out of 5]

I find it difficult to give this book a rating. It certainly is not great literature. It has a good amount of 50 Shades of Grey sex in it and I thought perhaps that's all there was to the story. I was losing interest so I decided to Google the author. After reading about Liz, I realized her book was telling a story that needed to be told. And so I'm glad I finished reading it but....I still struggle with a rating. I believe Liz needed to write this book and I hope it helped her.

[Colin Byrne · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh, Dear Christ, what a mess. Stilted, awkward, amateurish, with superficial character development, trite and banal plot points. I couldn't get through this tome of torturous mediocrity. If you were somehow able to get your hands on any work-in-progress being churned out in a post-grad creative workshop it would be eminently more readable and likable than this nonsense. What a waste of paper.,

[Liz Crokin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hope my book Malice entertains people but also leaves readers with an important message. It's truly a story of survival and overcoming remarkable obstacles. I want readers to know that no matter what life throws at you - you too can overcome. Enjoy!

[Lou Wooten · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book was FANTASTIC !!!!!!!!! i couldn't put the book down...this book was truly a page turner.....ii know that i'll be reading more book by Liz Crokin in the future

[Jill · Rating 1 out of 5]

smutty, didn't even make it to the main plot line.

[Lauren Lutz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Agree with many reviews that it is "trashy" and reads like soft-core porn, which I normally would not finish reading or even be drawn to read ( i.e.: the only person on the planet that never read the Fifty Shades of Gray series) BUT.... I knew this was based on a true account of the authors life and so I wanted to read to get a better understanding of what she went through. My take away is that although to me it was sleazy and I kept wondering how the main character could justify away her part in all of this ( I was completely turned off by the last tryst- but by that point I was almost finished with the book) I realized that the importance that many who review this are missing that by the author's courage to be so raw, we can learn that it really is important to know who we become intimate with. In today's world it is so common to just hop into the sack ( yes even on the first date!) and not really know who we are giving our body to all for the sake of physical pleasure or the desperation to want to feel loved. The downside to this behavior is STD's and many of them can be life threatening. We don't hear it talked about too much in today's society. But they still exist and many of them do not have a cure! So guess what, society, you can't always have your cake and eat it too! We can sweep stuff like this under the rug and not discuss it publicly but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

[Carol Campbell · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really?

I was hoping for a good political thriller. What I got was pornography and Sophomoric writing. The main character was a shallow, stupid, drama queen. She ignored every hint at disaster because her new boyfriend "was so unbelievably gorgeous".
Most of the book focused on her disastrous relationship with a "JFK, Jr. look-alike". The political thriller promised never materialized. I understand Crokin intends to make this the first of a trilogy. Really?

[Jana DeLano · Rating 3 out of 5]

Truth is Stranger Than Fiction

It’s an interesting story with so many implications. There is explicit content that isn’t necessary in telling the story. The book reads more like an overly long article than a mystery. An experienced editor could have helped smooth the storyline into a fabulous mystery.

[Melanie Payne · Rating 1 out of 5]

And her point was?

Way too graphic, way too juvenile. Lots of foul gratuitous language. Tremendous waste of time. Wish I had passed on this one.

[Jessica Westbrook · Rating 1 out of 5]

Had to DNF. I couldn’t.

[P Bee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was a fabulous book. Malice is an appropriately named book. The author takes you on a roller coaster ride of a journey with Lana. She's quite the interesting character and the story line was very intense. The pace is pretty fast so the story starts to get interesting and intense in the first chapter and you're pretty much hooked after that. The author surprised me in a few places in choosing which way the story went. . The tale from start to finish was compelling and the characters were realistic with a real edge to them. The world of tabloid journalism was a great setting for this book.

I would recommend this book to readers who are looking for something out of the ordinary and not formulaic. Great read.

[Marian A. Cole · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Wild Ride

Liz wrote this story because it is hers to write. Every word is gut-wrenchingly true to life. Praying her upcoming court date brings the perpetrator to justice, and so Liz can have the peace her soul needs after such a malicious betrayal.