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Inland Intrigue
Tyler Conway, a student at the University of Southern California, has yet to line up work for the summer before his senior year. At the suggestion of a family friend, Tyler begins interning for Kevin Maxley, a former city councilman turned real estate developer running as a moderate Republican in a swing district in the Inland Empire. Running against Maxley is Dick Mullhill, a Democrat and former banker backed by the Democratic Party establishment. As Tyler learns all of the ropes of campaign life, he comes across conspiracy theory-prone voters, a congressman’s zealously flirtatious sister, and a group of hard-partying college Republicans. Tyler soon learns of rumors of misbehavior and corruption in both campaigns, and that the car accident death of a former coworker of his father’s may not have been all that it seemed. As election night 2012 rolls around, Tyler figures it all out, for better or worse.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
November 27, 2018
I do not like spam.
I will not read it with a fox
I will not read it in a box
I will not read it here or there
I will not read it anywhere
I will not read it with a fox
I will not read it in a box
I will not read it here or there
I will not read it anywhere
September 25, 2018
As Oscar Wilde once said, "There is no such thing as a moral or immoral book. Books are well written or badly written." (https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/bo...)
"Inland Intrigue" falls under the latter category. The plot is very weak and has some important holes in it. (Despite all the miles racked up in minutely described roadtrips, the story goes nowhere.)
And the language is amazingly bad. At first, I thought maybe that was how people spoke in Southern California (like "Valleyspeak"). Then, after a few chapters, I wondered whether or not the author was a native speaker of English. Finally, I reached the conclusion that he is, but that he hardly ever consults a dictionary, nor does he give much thought to connotations and to the panoply of synonyms that exist and that could supply him with more apt metaphors and shades of meaning.
Sorry about the harsh review, Mr. Hughes. But keep at it! In future books, make the plot the main thing, and remember that conflict (external and internal) is the driving force of a plot. Don't sidetrack the reader with details and descriptions that don't end up playing any role in the development of the plot. And don't use the story to showcase your witty and original use of language; use your language to make the story clearer and more compelling. It's true that how a story is told is as important as what the story is about, but your language should not distract readers from the plot. Also, think about round characters, flat characters, foils, and other aspects of characterization.
"Inland Intrigue" falls under the latter category. The plot is very weak and has some important holes in it. (Despite all the miles racked up in minutely described roadtrips, the story goes nowhere.)
And the language is amazingly bad. At first, I thought maybe that was how people spoke in Southern California (like "Valleyspeak"). Then, after a few chapters, I wondered whether or not the author was a native speaker of English. Finally, I reached the conclusion that he is, but that he hardly ever consults a dictionary, nor does he give much thought to connotations and to the panoply of synonyms that exist and that could supply him with more apt metaphors and shades of meaning.
Sorry about the harsh review, Mr. Hughes. But keep at it! In future books, make the plot the main thing, and remember that conflict (external and internal) is the driving force of a plot. Don't sidetrack the reader with details and descriptions that don't end up playing any role in the development of the plot. And don't use the story to showcase your witty and original use of language; use your language to make the story clearer and more compelling. It's true that how a story is told is as important as what the story is about, but your language should not distract readers from the plot. Also, think about round characters, flat characters, foils, and other aspects of characterization.
March 21, 2020
Spammy McSpamface Spams again. You'd think he'd check to see what my 'review' was the last time he Spammed me. I guess he needs some spamming lessons along with those creative writing ones.
Or maybe he could just spend his time and energy doing something positive for his community like my last 'review' suggested.
I guess this Spammer doesn't actually read the reviews of his books, or keep track of his Spamees.
Or maybe he could just spend his time and energy doing something positive for his community like my last 'review' suggested.
I guess this Spammer doesn't actually read the reviews of his books, or keep track of his Spamees.
December 12, 2019
Fuck this author for spamming me to get me to read his shitty book.
March 24, 2020
I was contacted by the author to read the book. What the heck, I read a lot, I’ll give it a shot. 25% and still no plot development! DONE! I hoped it had potential but no, zip, nada. I thought Dad would have a heart attack from his diet lawd knows we talked about food enough. Then the family would fall on hard times and need some government handouts. If that hasn’t happened yet... Then since it went on and on about interstate highways that no one outside of California ever heard of or cared about I thought a car wreck but that didn’t happen. Gangs in the rough neighborhoods? Sister falls in love with a drug lord? Anything to save this??? Nope just drones one and on about interstates and food. Sorry dude grow an imagination!
March 25, 2020
Author seems to think it's OK to spam everyone, then when he gets called out, he creates a brand new profile so he can keep doing it. You'd think he would have learned by now that this doesn't really work too well.
March 25, 2020
Sod off spammer.
March 29, 2020
I didn’t like it. (Maybe the title should have been, “What I did on my Summer vacation.”)
December 24, 2019
I hate to give poor ratings because I'm very aware that I could not write a book! And I know this author gave this book a lot of effort and worked hard at the skill of writing. However, there are still some writing lessons that need to be learned by the author. The one that is most on my mind after reading 50% and then abandoning the book is that, although the author has good skills in description of places, scenes and conversations there is also the need to understand that all that good detail should be RELEVANT to the story. I also am confused (maybe because I didn't finish the book) that the tone of the story seems to bash Republicans (this is good!) but it also bashes Democrats although to a lesser degree. Unfortunately, I'm not interested enough to read through to find out "who wins". The author also has no realistic voice for female characters and simplifies stereotypes of men and women. Keep practicing Michael Hughes! It's apparent you enjoy the process - just need to hone the skill a bit better.
September 7, 2020
Michael Hughes sent me a note asking me to read his novel Inland Intrigue so I did. I had never heard of the Inland Empire, a rather ostentatious name given to a not so ostentatious section of southern California, apparently to help market the area. The story takes place in the Inland Empire town of Riverside and all around the Inland Empire in 2006 and 2012. Tyler and his dad are on the way to the funeral of Bill Higgins, a man who was a friend of his father, a lawyer who worked for a bank called CalCoast that was into subprime housing loans. He died in a car accident. On the way David suggests that Tyler get involved with the Republican Party someday. Six years later Tyler Conway is home from college and staying with mom Linda and dad David at the upscale family home with pool and hot tub. Tyler is at loose ends about what to do with his summer so he decides to do as his Dad suggested. He gets involved in the local Republican election campaign.
Political campaigns are not exactly hotbeds of activity during the summer months but Tyler’s dad puts him in touch with the Vice Chair of Riverside County Republican Party, Seamus O’Malley. Madison, Tyler’s sister is the only Democrat in the family and she gets some heat as she comes back from Boston to work in a program called Housing Helpers which is supposed to assist those who were hurt when the housing bubble burst. Tyler figures the program is a scam. He is also not sure that his dad’s friend Bill died from natural causes. If he is doing detective work it is the lowest key detective work I have ever experienced, but he does get some answers.
Hughes spends a lot of time describing Tyler’s days which are almost as boring serving the party as they would be if he just stayed home all summer. Is the Groundhog Day pace of the book purposeful, as it really does describe political campaigning several months out from an election, or is it a flaw in plotting? Do we really want to pull into the driveway in Riverside day after day in either the Mercedes Benz E320 or the Land Cruiser and jump in the pool and then the hot tub, or take a nap and heat up a pot pie? I kept reading. I didn’t quit. Perhaps because, often enough, a day would bring one new piece of the puzzle, or one new character to catch my interest. Weekends we often went to dinner with Linda and David and Tyler where conversation seemed scarce. I also had problems with the unusual uses of the word “but” in Tyler’s thoughts and conversations. Is this a regionalism? Is it just bad grammar? Just when it started to bother me the odd usage stopped.
Highways are complex in California and knowing which ones you will take and where your exits are is very important. Is it important to include every detail of each time the ‘Benz’ or the ‘Cruiser’ hit the road? You will have to judge for yourself. However, if you need to know how to get anywhere in the Inland Empire or the route to Tyler’s sister’s place, or to a weekend convention or a photo shoot, Tyler is as good as a GPS. He tells you every highway to take, every exit and even surface street directions if necessary, and he describes the neighborhoods he is passing by. I would consider these kinds of details superfluous as they were not part of the plot, but another reader might appreciate knowing exactly where they were at all times, and it might be a California thing.
It is not easy to write books, even fiction books, so I give Hughes credit for a book that hangs together and has all the necessary elements of a story. Is it an exciting story? Is it great storytelling? I will leave that to other readers to decide. But there was intrigue of a sort and it was uncovered. I had some trouble with Tyler’s reactions to what he discovered. You will have to judge for yourself. Keep writing Michael Hughes. You’re off to a good start. And that’s how writers get better.
Political campaigns are not exactly hotbeds of activity during the summer months but Tyler’s dad puts him in touch with the Vice Chair of Riverside County Republican Party, Seamus O’Malley. Madison, Tyler’s sister is the only Democrat in the family and she gets some heat as she comes back from Boston to work in a program called Housing Helpers which is supposed to assist those who were hurt when the housing bubble burst. Tyler figures the program is a scam. He is also not sure that his dad’s friend Bill died from natural causes. If he is doing detective work it is the lowest key detective work I have ever experienced, but he does get some answers.
Hughes spends a lot of time describing Tyler’s days which are almost as boring serving the party as they would be if he just stayed home all summer. Is the Groundhog Day pace of the book purposeful, as it really does describe political campaigning several months out from an election, or is it a flaw in plotting? Do we really want to pull into the driveway in Riverside day after day in either the Mercedes Benz E320 or the Land Cruiser and jump in the pool and then the hot tub, or take a nap and heat up a pot pie? I kept reading. I didn’t quit. Perhaps because, often enough, a day would bring one new piece of the puzzle, or one new character to catch my interest. Weekends we often went to dinner with Linda and David and Tyler where conversation seemed scarce. I also had problems with the unusual uses of the word “but” in Tyler’s thoughts and conversations. Is this a regionalism? Is it just bad grammar? Just when it started to bother me the odd usage stopped.
Highways are complex in California and knowing which ones you will take and where your exits are is very important. Is it important to include every detail of each time the ‘Benz’ or the ‘Cruiser’ hit the road? You will have to judge for yourself. However, if you need to know how to get anywhere in the Inland Empire or the route to Tyler’s sister’s place, or to a weekend convention or a photo shoot, Tyler is as good as a GPS. He tells you every highway to take, every exit and even surface street directions if necessary, and he describes the neighborhoods he is passing by. I would consider these kinds of details superfluous as they were not part of the plot, but another reader might appreciate knowing exactly where they were at all times, and it might be a California thing.
It is not easy to write books, even fiction books, so I give Hughes credit for a book that hangs together and has all the necessary elements of a story. Is it an exciting story? Is it great storytelling? I will leave that to other readers to decide. But there was intrigue of a sort and it was uncovered. I had some trouble with Tyler’s reactions to what he discovered. You will have to judge for yourself. Keep writing Michael Hughes. You’re off to a good start. And that’s how writers get better.
May 24, 2021
Don’t bother reading this book. I tried, but it’s very badly written and boring as well. It’s a waste of time.
April 6, 2020
Pay attention to the hundreds of posts about this author's shameless spam posts for his books. In addition, many if not all of the 5 star reviews are by the author's own accounts.
Spam marketing for poorly written books does not a decent writer make.
Spam marketing for poorly written books does not a decent writer make.
August 10, 2020
I have been wont to read more and more politically oriented books over the last few years. I've read both fiction (usually satire) and non-fiction books about the current petri dish we call the United States government. Of all the books, INLAND INTRIGUE is the most boring account of a 2012 campaign for the United States House of Representatives you could possibly find. The campaign seems to consist of a candidate, the candidate's campaign manager, and an intern. It is the intern, a college student headed into his senior year, that is the focus of the book.
Michael Hughes has never met a word he doesn't like. I found many instances of real words, correctly spelled, that were used incorrectly. His sentence structure is erratic and jarring, often separating words that should be contiguous with an unnecessary phrase.
I hate to not finish a book. For that to happen, it needs to be pretty much unreadable for one reason or another. In INLAND INTRIGUE, way too much space is dedicated to describing driving from one place to another. Every highway, highway exit, and street is described and named. Even after having given a micro-description of a route to a particular place, the next trip to that place is again related. Interspersed with the various commutes, we find out that the intern's family has two vehicles, eat out at favorite restaurants a lot, and when eating at home it is usually microwavable fare or meatloaf.
Sorry, but my advice on this one is give it a pass.
Michael Hughes has never met a word he doesn't like. I found many instances of real words, correctly spelled, that were used incorrectly. His sentence structure is erratic and jarring, often separating words that should be contiguous with an unnecessary phrase.
I hate to not finish a book. For that to happen, it needs to be pretty much unreadable for one reason or another. In INLAND INTRIGUE, way too much space is dedicated to describing driving from one place to another. Every highway, highway exit, and street is described and named. Even after having given a micro-description of a route to a particular place, the next trip to that place is again related. Interspersed with the various commutes, we find out that the intern's family has two vehicles, eat out at favorite restaurants a lot, and when eating at home it is usually microwavable fare or meatloaf.
Sorry, but my advice on this one is give it a pass.
April 5, 2020
Awful waste of time
I plowed through this book even though I was tempted to abandon it many times. The plot moves glacially through countless menus of meals and turn-by-turn accounts of drives on the LA freeways as it details the vacuous and dissolute life of a privileged rich kid. The writing feels like the attempt of a high school junior to sound elegant, coming off more like someone was sitting with a thesaurus and trying to find a ponderous way of making a simple statement. The result is word use that is just slightly amiss, like perhaps Yogi Berra’s term paper. The book is poorly edited, with typos, punctuation errors, and misspellings throughout. On top of that, the story leads nowhere, an anticlimactic nothingburger. Skip this one.
I plowed through this book even though I was tempted to abandon it many times. The plot moves glacially through countless menus of meals and turn-by-turn accounts of drives on the LA freeways as it details the vacuous and dissolute life of a privileged rich kid. The writing feels like the attempt of a high school junior to sound elegant, coming off more like someone was sitting with a thesaurus and trying to find a ponderous way of making a simple statement. The result is word use that is just slightly amiss, like perhaps Yogi Berra’s term paper. The book is poorly edited, with typos, punctuation errors, and misspellings throughout. On top of that, the story leads nowhere, an anticlimactic nothingburger. Skip this one.
April 14, 2020
This book was horrible. It was recommended to me by the author based on another book I reviewed on Goodreads. I looked at Amazon's review which was decent (the author must have written it) and gave it a go. I have this thing about finishing a book that I start, but I kept wanting to walk away from this on. I kept reading as I wanted to give a truthful review. There was really no story line-50% into the book-nothing had happened except you have a kid who is interning for a Republican candidate's election. There were countless descriptions of him in the pool, of going out to eat with his parents and what car he chose to drive. When you got to the meat of the story-it was glossed over and you went back to pool time. Don't waste your time or money-AWFUL!!!!!
March 23, 2020
Island Intrigue is by Michael Hughes. This book is not for me. I thought I was boring. The main character got up, ate, ran an errand or two, watched TV, went for a walk, took a nap, swam some laps, got in the hot tub, took an nap, ate lunch, took a nap, ate dinner, watched TV and went to bed. He does this same routine over and over and over for days. Then the book gets political as he begins to work for a political candidate. I just didn’t like it.
However, I will say that the writing is good and it is definitely realistic. Someone with an interest in politics should like this book a lot better than I did. Michael has written a good book here but just not for me.
However, I will say that the writing is good and it is definitely realistic. Someone with an interest in politics should like this book a lot better than I did. Michael has written a good book here but just not for me.
January 6, 2020
Modern look at corruption
First the negative, it was rather long winded. But on reflection, if we had not heard so much detail of the protagonist lavish lifestyle I don’t think the reader would’ve got a good look at how easily our youth can be corrupted. The disillusionment of politics and what has gone on for centuries it’s very evident in this novel. A good reminder of us all to be aware of what happens to our use and for who we vote for and how we should be more enlightened into the running of our country, regardless of where we live.
First the negative, it was rather long winded. But on reflection, if we had not heard so much detail of the protagonist lavish lifestyle I don’t think the reader would’ve got a good look at how easily our youth can be corrupted. The disillusionment of politics and what has gone on for centuries it’s very evident in this novel. A good reminder of us all to be aware of what happens to our use and for who we vote for and how we should be more enlightened into the running of our country, regardless of where we live.
September 29, 2020
So I appreciate the author contacted me on Goodreads privately to read this book in exchange for an honest review. Glad it was free on Kindle Unlimited. The premise was interesting, but nothing really happens. There are many stories with greed, politics and detectives but it was predictable AF. I figured this out halfway through. Predicable books are a huge pet peeve of mine as a reader, also stories that seem the same. I really wanted to like this but it just was not there.
Hoping Pumpkin Farmer is better. IDK.
Hoping Pumpkin Farmer is better. IDK.
March 29, 2020
I was contacted by The author and encouraged to get this book. Sadly I did. It had the pace of an anemic snail with a character that was lazy and unlikeable. A large percent of the time I was reading hoping to get to the point of the book. The rest of the time I was berating myself for continuing to read it. If it had not been for the previous excellent book, I would have given up. Ending of this book was not really a resolution or well crafted ‘ending’. This Book was a real stinker.
December 1, 2020
This book - or what I managed to read of it - is really, really bad. While reading it, I realized that it pissed me off. Not the storyline per se (as obscure as it is), but the writing. The writing is... irritating, wrong, pretentious... phony. Did I say it's bad? Probably. [removed from my Kindle... never to be downloaded again. EVER]
March 28, 2020
Inland non-Intrigue
GAWD! What an awful book. Reminds me of Capote’s critique of Kerouac: “That ain’t writing, that’s typing.” Makes me wonder if English is a second language for Hughes. Oh well, as I always say, “you can learn as much from a bad example as a good one.”
GAWD! What an awful book. Reminds me of Capote’s critique of Kerouac: “That ain’t writing, that’s typing.” Makes me wonder if English is a second language for Hughes. Oh well, as I always say, “you can learn as much from a bad example as a good one.”
April 21, 2020
This book was a Goodreads author recommendation. Sorry I listened. I guess you get what you pay for, and fortunately I only wasted $0.99 on this book. The story line is so sophomoric and the writing not much better. I'm sorry I wasted as much time as I did on this book. Don't waste yours.
June 6, 2020
A book about a young college student that interns for a Republican Congressional candidate in the LA area. Lots of boring days of meals with his parents, swimming in their pool, time in the jacuzzi, and learning about politics. All set with a background of which highway to take to get around.
September 28, 2020
Ugh
I am rarely, if ever, am one to stop reading a book once I've started it. This one however is an exception to that rule..... 2 chapters in and even I had to stop. I honestly feel bad giving a bad review but this was a juvenile attempt at being an author.
I am rarely, if ever, am one to stop reading a book once I've started it. This one however is an exception to that rule..... 2 chapters in and even I had to stop. I honestly feel bad giving a bad review but this was a juvenile attempt at being an author.
August 26, 2023
Good grief! What a waste of time. Though it did provide a few laughs as I would read horrendous sentences to my partner. It was the absolute worst writing I have ever experienced in a piece of published material. And a story line was completely absent.
To the author: don’t quit your day job.
To the author: don’t quit your day job.
April 15, 2020
DNF... the plot was going nowhere, just driving around and eating meals.
August 29, 2020
Yawn
I think 80% of this book could have been cut out. I kept waiting for something to happen but nothing did.
I think 80% of this book could have been cut out. I kept waiting for something to happen but nothing did.
September 7, 2020
Don't bother. Horrible.
Read
January 30, 2022I could not finish this
February 10, 2021
Michael Hughes captures a sense of the Californian fiscally conservative suburban malaise and sun-baked ennui in a manner that few authors have so successfully managed. I’m reminded of Bret Easton Ellis more recently, but also the distorted fictions of Camus or Jim Thompson. Beneath the slice of life procession of minutiae there is an all but palpable sense of lurking dread, a potent tension ever ticking down like a concealed bomb poised to explode at some unspecified point not so distant. This is the third book by this author I’ve had the pleasure of becoming acquainted with, the only one I still have to track down is Crimson Shamrock, which I’m looking forward to next tackling. For those new to Michael Hughes’ work I would recommend considering starting with his first novel (they’re each so different it’s hard to compare, but that might be my personal favorite) Loafing by La Brea to get a sense of his unique, inimitable style; it sort of reads like a declaration of war and mission statement, the way Burroughs’ earliest short works provide essential cues and insights toward understanding and appreciating his later writing comprehensively. While distinctly Angeleno and rooted in West coastal settings and imagery, there’s definitely something relaxed, and more than a little European about Hughes’ attitude and pacing, the way he allows scenes to breathe and play out with naturalism and does not force artificial condensation or melodrama upon characters. The tone is reminiscent of black box theater or Italian Neorealist/French New Wave cinema. Like those, big flashy intense things do happen where appropriate, but they also permit valuable digressions and poetic flourishes, and the mood and style itself is always at least as important as the plots, in that ‘journey is its own destination’ kind of fashion. If you were curious, I was also introduced to this author by his recommending I check out his work, based on other titles I had previously reviewed and enjoyed. Honestly some of the acrimony I see expressed in other reviews (from people who I frankly wonder how many actually read his books) I continue not to understand. Personally, I’m a fan, and recommend this and the rest of Hughes’ oeuvre enthusiastically.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews