Paper Gods

by Goldie Taylor

The mayor of Atlanta and a washed-up reporter investigate a series of assassinations, and uncover a conspiracy that reaches into the heart of the city's political machine.

Mayor Victoria Dobbs Overstreet is a Harvard-trained attorney and Spelman alum, married to a celebrated heart surgeon, mother to beautiful twin girls, and a political genius. When her mentor, ally, and friend Congressman Ezra Hawkins is gunned down in Ebenezer Baptist Church, Victoria finds a strange piece of origami–a “paper god”–tucked inside his Bible. These paper gods turn up again and again, always after someone is killed. Someone is terrorizing those who are close to Mayor Dobbs, and she can't shake the feeling that the killer is close to her, too.


"A moving and unflinching portrait of a city and its many layers of power...Taylor has created a hero we see all too black, female, powerful." ―Tim Teeman, Senior Editor of The Daily Beast

"From buttermilk fried okra to bibles and bullets, the story comes out the gate moving and never lets up.” ―Eric Jerome Dickey, New York Times bestselling author of A Wanted Woman

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Fiction, Audiobook, Crime, Contemporary, Mystery Thriller

336 pages, Hardcover

First published October 23, 2018

Reviews

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has all the elements which should make it a terrific read, politics, race and murder...but somehow I found it less engaging than I had expected. I think having so many elements and sooo many characters and sooo many twists caused it to be muddled rather than entertaining.

I actually found it hard work to get through all this.

Yes, lots of great discussions can emerge, but I did find it lacking.

[Ashley Houser · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me just start with a thank you to St. Martin's Press for this surprise I found on my doorstep recently. After opening the package (book mail is the best!), I immediately added it to my stack.

The first thing that intrigued me about this book was the gorgeous cover. The Atlanta skyline at night is the perfect backdrop for this political thriller set in Atlanta. And this book is very "Atlanta.". From the geographic descriptions to the narration to the discussions of race, I could feel the Atlanta vibe from start to finish.

The book begins with a bang when a prominent Georgia congressman is murdered. What follows is a twisted web of corruption sprinkled with money, power, and more murder as Victoria Dobbs, the mayor of Atlanta, announces her plan to run for the now-open seat.

I haven't read an overtly political book in a long time and I really enjoyed it. Goldie Taylor really hit the nail on the head with her descriptions of the election process and the stress and pressure of the campaign. I really enjoyed the look into the corrupt world of politics and the attitude that some will do anything in their power to win.

Goldie Taylor's writing was wonderful. She was extremely descriptive and thorough in her prose, and I enjoyed the character dialogue as well. It is definitely one of those books that requires all of your attention though so wasn't necessarily a quick read for me. I needed some time to process the complicated relationships and events throughout to make sure I really understood what was going on. If you zone out for just a minute, you will be lost.

I did feel in the beginning that there were maybe a tad too many characters and was having a hard time keeping everybody straight, but by the end it cleared up. And while the book itself was a page turner for me, I found the ending to be a tad underwhelming and perhaps even a bit predictable. While there were a few twists along the way, I still found myself waiting for a big, surprising reveal, and it just didn't happen. But that's not to say I didn't enjoy the story. I still found it entertaining overall and would recommend to anybody who enjoys political thrillers or wants to read a book solidly rooted in Atlanta.

-I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Goldie Taylor and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to review.-

[Monica **can't read fast enough** · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to the audio version of Paper Gods and I actually think that I would have enjoyed the story more if I had read it instead. The narrator was fine but I didn't enjoy the way she narrated the male characters, it just sounded weird to my ear and her southern drawl for a few of the more sinister male characters was almost comical. Bahni Turpin is a really good narrator so I was surprised to have not enjoyed this one as an audio book.

The actual story is a bit drawn out and there are a lot of moving pieces which I didn't really mind. I did mind all of the details of name brands and descriptions of what people were eating. That's purely a personal disinterest on my part. Those details do not add any real interest for me.

This was my first Goldie Taylor story and I will be looking to pick up her two backlist titles eventually.

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[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Paper Gods” by Goldie Taylor is honestly one of the best books I’ve read in 2018. This is surprising, considering the fact that I despise politics. This book is so well written, the author obviously knows her stuff about politics, the characters are extremely interesting and well developed…I could not put it down. The story includes many bad people, a few good people and a plot line that goes back years.

Hampton Bridges is a journalist, kind of a dying profession these days, and he has made some big mistakes in his life. Instead of giving up, he’s back on the story of his life and he won’t give up. He’s hot on the trial of a huge conspiracy and he is going to figure it out and report it, no matter what it takes. I love him! I would give this book 6 stars if I could. One of my favorites for sure!!

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Newspaperman Hampton Bridges is in a suspicious car accident that leaves him partially paralyzed. Congressman Ezra Hawkins is assassinated in his church. Both crimes seem to have connections to Atlanta Mayor Victoria Dobbs ... and Bridges is determined to find out the truth. The other thing those crimes, as well as subsequent ones, have in common is the origami "paper gods" left at the scene by the perpetrator.

Of course, this puts him squarely in the sights of The League, a shadowy all-white organization that is putting dark money into all manner of political races in order to control Atlanta's political landscape.

I found myself having to go back and re-read some chapters because it didn't seem like the story flowed very well. However, once the plot points all started to come together, some of the rather disjointed foreshadowing started to make more sense.

This is a political thriller with overtones of racism and white supremacy ... perhaps not too surprising given the setting. There is no small amount of violence, but those are events that move the story forward.

A good read.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first half of this book is 4 stars but by 60-70% of the way through it I just didn't care enough about the plot, the characters or who did it. It's definitely fun if you know Atlanta and their communities well. It has intrigued, politics, lots of drama and egos and a whodonit - but it just didn't do it for me. The writing is strong enough that I kept reading and I would consider trying another book by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Kendall Grey]

I listened to PAPER GODS on Audible and connected most with the setting. It takes place in my hometown of Atlanta, and hearing about all the familiar sights and streets was fun. The story itself was an enjoyable mystery with enough suspense to make me want to keep listening. It wasn't too hard to figure out, but I liked the twists and turns. Politics, race, greed, and intrigue reign in PAPER GODS, and while it's fiction, I could see a lot of the real world in the story too.

Bahni Turpin is one of my favorite narrators, and she doesn't disappoint, though she mispronounced some of the place names (Ponce de Leon, Dahlonega, and a few others). I suppose it's a southern thing. 😂 It didn't take away from my enjoyment though. An interesting read!

[Tonya Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating maybe a 2.5 or 3....the author was a guest on The View. This book is her first. Sunny spoke about how great the book was, so I bought it. It didn't WOW me, but it was good. She talked about her memoir also and I'm considering listening to that too. Bahni Turpin is always a great narrator!!

[IJM · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had all the right elements of a juicy, tawdry, scandalous book, but didn't quite stick the landing. But still an enjoyable read.

[Shelleen Toland]

There was a lot of intrigue and politics going on. I liked the book but just a little political for me.
Atlanta Mayor Victoria Dobbs Overstreet is a Harvard-trained attorney and Spelman alum, married to a celebrated heart surgeon, mother to beautiful twin girls, and a political genius.
People start dying and it loos like not by accident. Newspaperman Hampton Bridges is in a suspicious car accident that leaves him partially paralyzed. Congressman Ezra Hawkins is assassinated in his church. Both are connected to the Mayor.
Victoria finds a strange piece of origami–a “paper god”–tucked inside Ezra's Bible and they show up more in the book.
Thank you to St. Martin's for the book to review.

[K2 · Rating 4 out of 5]

GoodRead

[Jess George · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was ridiculous and fun. Good beach read!

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[cassian love]

ABANDONED THIS BOOK.





I wouldn't say it's my favorite, (hence the fact I abandoned it.) however it was okay on how far I got, I didn't like it due to I felt a very odd type of way of reading it. It made me a bit uncomfortable, but I plan to try to read it once more in a few years.

[Kibkabe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paper Gods by Goldie Taylor is a political thriller centered in Atlanta where characters pretend to be sweet as syrup to the public and wicked in private.

Equipped with degrees from Spelman College and Harvard Law, Atlanta mayor Victoria Dobbs is a force to be reckoned with. Her shiny life with her cardiac surgeon husband Marshall Overstreet and their twin daughters, Maya and Mahalia, after poet Angelou and gospel singer Jackson, is enviable. When her mentor Congressman Ezra Hawkins is shot dead by a sniper in the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, Victoria finds a red origami dragon beside Hawkins’ body. She takes it and tries to decipher the meaning since she's seen one before. But Hawkins’ position is up for grabs, and Victoria wants it. As she announces her run in the special election, uber-wealthy White men Virgil Loudermilk and his cousin-brother Whit Delacourte look for their own candidate to snatch Victoria’s power. It turns out mostly Loudermilk’s actions have sinister origins, connected to a committee of White politicos arranging for Democratic Black politicos to hold city positions like mayor but not state positions like governor, reserved for mostly White Republicans. The forced racial divide in politics has piqued the interest of veteran reporter Hampton Bridges as he’s been pursuing the story for years. His snooping has placed him on the blacklist for Victoria, Loudermilk, and Delacourte. He’s also been a victim of a suspicious car crash with his latest college-age girl in the front seat that raises more concern. While everyone is trying to hide their secrets and dodge threats, they are making sure they protect their best interests no matter who gets killed in the process.

This novel explores the dual identity most politicos presumably live with. Mayor Dobbs, for example, is the impeccable Black woman worthy of likeability, but she’s also pulling strings behind the scenes to make sure she stays on top. Loudermilk and Delacourte remain top lawyers at major companies throughout the Atlanta region while pulling the strings in overall state politics. Everyone’s hands in this story are dirty and get filthier by the page. The amount of scandal that multiplies for each character makes it a page-turner, especially as characters get killed or almost killed. What incites character empathy is how the characters try to protect their families, with many members having the Southern-style double first name.

Overall, the novel is an entertaining take on the fictional political atmosphere that reads like a smooth investigative magazine piece. The author is the editor-at-large at The Daily Beast, so she uses many of the characters’ last names as their main names, meaning it's written with journalistic flair. Read this book before the John Legend-produced ABC series starring Nia Long comes out. Also, the audiobook is hard to follow with the plethora of detail, especially all the names, and popular reader Bahni Turpin's voice doesn't vibe with the material.

[Sabrina Kaye Fox · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to admit that Paper Gods was out of my comfort zone. I don't do politics. I ignore it and hope for the best. I know that's not the best thing to do with how the world is right now, but I just don't partake and I'm not ashamed about it. ;) When I say I don't do politics, that includes reading books about them. I don't think I've ever read a book centered around politics in my life until I received this one in the mail.

I cracked it open anyway and found a tale of corrupt politicians (surprise), more than a few twists and turns, and a handful of murders. You can definitely tell that this book is written by a journalist because of how she writes and embellishes her sentences.

There are quite a few characters so you really have to pay attention to who's who in order to keep the story straight. They're all decently compelling and when everyone's connections to one another comes out the story ends up making a lot of sense.

Even though Hampton started out as a less than likable character, he slowly began to be my favorite next to Chanel. There are so many twists and turns I feel like I got whiplash, but it was a good story. I would have enjoyed it a lot more if I were clued in on politics before reading this.
I do feel as if I learned a lot about the election processes through reading this!

[Darshann M. Wienick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so excited to read this book, and it certainly does not disappoint. So many layers of secrets and intrigue, masterfully woven together by author Goldie Taylor. For me, never having visited Atlanta, I really appreciate the manner in which Ms. Taylor provides such rich detail of race, politics, and culture. It makes me want to book a trip!

I have read literally hundreds of crime dramas and political thrillers, and it’s unusual for me to be surprised at the end. But wow, was I ever! I hope they make this into a movie.

[Hpnyknits · Rating 2 out of 5]

This had so much potential, but the characters didn’t ring true. The author desperately wanted to weave in too many elements, and the characters ended up being stereotypes. And the story- the big secrets, the plots- was flat.

[Coquinegra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Halfway through this book, I was ready to hunt Goldie Taylor down! The book is full of action and you are almost sure you can figure out who each character is based on. The book is particularly interesting if you understand the Black community in Atlanta.

[Kim robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book it was a roller coaster ride and showed how much drama there is in the world of church and politics.

[Sarah Weiner · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is I think one of those stories that got made because the publishers knew they could sell it, despite the lack of good characters, an engaging plot or having much to say about “race, money and politics”.

There are protagonists and antagonists in this book, but they’re all bad people so it’s hard to tell who is which. I’m a Jewish girl from L.A. so I’ll leave it to others to say how well Taylor portrayed the Black church and Atlanta itself. That said, there were a lot of things that just went over my head because I didn’t know the city.

Finally, the writing is, well the writing is bad. It’s the kind of writing where the author clearly has some understanding of style and imagery, but doesn’t know how to make it sound natural. There’s a lot of “Sally looked out the window, the sky scrapes disappearing behind the clouds in the afternoon sun”- which is pretty amateur sentence structure. And there’s the um, zingers:

“[spoiler] would be there too, of course, wearing nothing but a nice tan.”

“Honey, you know black don’t crack, but it shole do move around.”

“He meets a child of G-d... there’s nothing godly about what happened hear ma’am.”

If you read these lines in the accent of an old Hollywood star, they work, but since we’re not in an old Hollywood film, they’re hackneyed and amateurish.

Overall, if you’re interested in thrillers, I’m sure there are better-written books to read.

[Whit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to the publisher for sending over a review copy in exchange for my honest review.

Goldie Taylor is a journalist, news executive, and political consultant who is conversant with Atlanta politics. She delivered PAPER GODS with enthralling details which helped the story flow. Being intrigued by the mystery of the plot kept me reading despite the other issues I had with the story. I felt like I was in the middle of an episode of Law & Order with the cast of The Real Housewives of Atlanta as the main characters. It’s not a bad thing since both shows are entertaining and have a large audience of viewers.

There wasn’t a huge climax and the writing stayed lukewarm. I expected for it to get HOT especially since Atlanta has had its fair share of political scandals over the years, but it never did. I did not find one character in the entire book like-able. The domestic violence and verbal assault by the mayor of Atlanta, Victoria Dobbs, was unnerving. The antagonist, Virgil Loudermilk, would have been the perfect rich, villain, but his story fell flat as well. I just wanted more HOTLANTA! Lol

I give this book 3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️s. The political knowledge kept me coming back, but I wanted the author to have a little more imagination with the story. Without the fluff of each chapter this book would have been a great short story.

[Amelia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Things I liked: Taylor did a good job of acknowledging that humans are flawed, even the protagonists. She doesn't shine up romance and humans to make them more virtuous than they are. It's a difficult line to walk though because I found it hard to root for any of the characters as much as I would like.

On the other hand, I am not a huge fan of politics, and I thought this was going to be a murder mystery with a little bit of a political lean. It felt more like a political book (not like it had a political agenda, but that it was following the story of those pursuing political careers) that happened to feature some murder elements. I don't know much about American politics (don't understand how their congress works), so that doesn't appeal to me that much.
The mystery wasn't as intriguing as I had hoped either, and I guessed the ending ahead of time.

I also felt like a lot of the plot was happening to the characters, and that they weren't actively influencing it, which made it feel a little stagnant.

All that being said, it's not a bad book. It's a very passable book, and for those with an interest in American politics at all, it is probably a good easy-reading book. For me, it was just enough out of my zone, that I didn't really enjoy it.

[Jake · Rating 4 out of 5]

(TW and minor spoiler: Book has a trans character in which a threat of violence is implied and a tragic love story is involved. Nothing happens to them but it's also not the most trans-positive story)

I've read a lot about Atlanta this past month; probably more than I ever have in previous years. So it made sense that I would finally get to this political thriller from Goldie Taylor. I do so appreciate good political thrillers because they are rare and this one did not disappoint. Taylor knows her city well and draws on her experiences working in politics to create a bird's eye portrayal of the A and its inhabitants as they face the effects of a series of homicides and a shady political power play.

My only issue with the book, aside from Taylor's overuse of similes, is the storyline behind the trans character. I laid out the issues above. I think Taylor handles it well but it's still frustrating how often trans characters get cast into tragic subplots. If you can stomach that, and you like your mystery/thriller books with a healthy dose of politics, you'll like this one.

[Jeffrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

The mayor of Atlanta, Georgia decides to enter the race to become a senator. The mayor,who is African-American has shown that she is just as corrupt as other politicians. People that she knows are murdered.

At one point, the mayor's gang of police officers grab a police detective and beat him up(all of this beating happens as the mayor watches this from the other side of a one way mirror).

There's also an investigative reporter who is a thorn in the mayor's side. The funny thing is, when I read about the description on goodreads.com, it didn't mention that many of the characters are African-American. It doesn't matter that they were.

The novel shows that "power corrupts, and absolute power absolutely corrupts".

[Olivia's Book Club Fierro · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book didn’t really work for me. I love politics and I enjoyed the idea of a story against the Atlanta backdrop of high-powered money and politics, but beyond that It felt like a chore. Maybe a story better suited for a TV series, I was definitely intrigued by Mayor Dobbs and what made her tick- but the events and number of characters and stories surrounding the special election left all of unsatisfying . Separately Hampton Bridges was a very interesting character but it was all too scattered for me to care much about anyone, unfortunately. I also thought it was odd that we never read any of his work. Wouldn’t a paragraph or two of his “big stories” have set the scene best for the threat he presents to people in power, or given a clearer back story to the bad blood with Dobbs ?

[Just Janet · Rating 2 out of 5]

Paper Gods by Goldie Taylor is a murder-suspense novel set in Atlanta Georgia in the nineties. So, congratulations to Ms. Taylor for knowing Atlanta's various street names, historical sites and actual civil rights advocates (John Lewis). However, the constant name-dropping was exhausting.

This book had too many characters, too many plots, subplots and a storyline that went everywhere. Additionally, syntactical and grammatical errors abound.

As for the ending, who cares? Multiple plot twists thrown in the last few pages does not make for a suspenseful novel. It just means that you needed to end the book. I have no spoilers because I don't remember anything other than I finished this boring book.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Throughly enjoyed this book with a tongue in cheek look at politics, In Atlanta, the news room and the ramifications of a forbidden love.

Politics make strange bedfellows and the pastor of a megachurch gets tap to go up against incumbent Mayor Victoria Overstreet who does not play nice and as her rallying cry states " Don't come for me unless I send for you!" Victoria stays ready because sometimes the fight comes to you.
Hampton Bridges is a washed up political reporter who thinks Victoria is to blame for his problems, but soon realizes that the enemy might not be who he thinks it is.

[Kathleen Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

What the heck is going on in Atlanta? The Mayor, Victoria Hobbs, is watching people around her and wondering why her friends and colleagues are being killed. What's with the little origami? Hampton Bridges is a journalist whose career is in the tank and he needs a good story but there's also the very real problem of the killer. I suspect those familiar with the city will praise this for how Atlanta is used as a character. There are a number of themes here, some of which are better explored than others. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

[Shameka Erby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gripping

This was a pretty good political drama. The writing was quick and sharp, blazing my mind with the facts of the politics/journalism machine without forgetting to keep me engaged. Sex and murder are a common enough scandal but Paper Gods gives you enough weight to feel a difference between it and everything you've read before. There were moments when I felt like I wasn't quite keeping up, where I thought the plot was moving before I had a chance to catch up to it, but overall it was great. Wonderfully written.