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The Catch
Love Hurts on a reality dating show starring a bondage expert.
Amber Johnson led a normal middle-class life: a good job, a loving husband, a young child, a house in the suburbs. In a moment, all was lost. She finds herself a pariah, accused of murdering her family and the daily media coverage of the murders has made Amber the world’s most hated woman. Ultimately, her hope for survival lay not in a search for their killers but in a search for herself.
She is given a choice: be the defendant in a murder trial in which a lethal injection is the likely outcome, or appear on The Catch.
On a remote island, Amber and twelve other women – each accused or found guilty of committing a vicious crime – appear on a reality dating show competing for the affections of a chosen bachelor. The winner receives her freedom. The Catch – the bachelor is a bondage expert who will practice his art on the women.
The Catch is a contest in which the bachelor and the viewers help select the winner, and the penalty for losing can be death.
Amber faces both physical and emotional annihilation, with no one to turn to for help. She is alone, playing a game with the odds against her, and to win she must confront and overcome her darkest desires and deepest fears. She will find herself having to surrender her body to another – but will it be to the bachelor, or to the show’s creators and their execution chamber?
Amber knows there are grave risks in becoming a contestant on The Catch, but she didn’t think one of them would be falling in love.
The Catch will have you tied up in knots, all night long.
Amber Johnson led a normal middle-class life: a good job, a loving husband, a young child, a house in the suburbs. In a moment, all was lost. She finds herself a pariah, accused of murdering her family and the daily media coverage of the murders has made Amber the world’s most hated woman. Ultimately, her hope for survival lay not in a search for their killers but in a search for herself.
She is given a choice: be the defendant in a murder trial in which a lethal injection is the likely outcome, or appear on The Catch.
On a remote island, Amber and twelve other women – each accused or found guilty of committing a vicious crime – appear on a reality dating show competing for the affections of a chosen bachelor. The winner receives her freedom. The Catch – the bachelor is a bondage expert who will practice his art on the women.
The Catch is a contest in which the bachelor and the viewers help select the winner, and the penalty for losing can be death.
Amber faces both physical and emotional annihilation, with no one to turn to for help. She is alone, playing a game with the odds against her, and to win she must confront and overcome her darkest desires and deepest fears. She will find herself having to surrender her body to another – but will it be to the bachelor, or to the show’s creators and their execution chamber?
Amber knows there are grave risks in becoming a contestant on The Catch, but she didn’t think one of them would be falling in love.
The Catch will have you tied up in knots, all night long.
324 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 18, 2015
About the author
Richard Becker
8 books2 followersRichard L. Becker writes provocative fiction for readers hungry for current and topical events clothed in stories that dare you to turn the page because you never know the craziness or horror that awaits.
A Yale-educated family law attorney and youth hockey coach, he depicts the absurdity and corruption in America through imaginative, unconstrained tales of moral conflict.
His novels explore a just person fighting to do good in an unjust and corrupt world, where innocence battles immorality - or joins it.
Stories seize him; he sits at the computer with music playing and lets the characters lead. The result is powerful escapist fiction that reveals uncomfortable truths about love, greed, revenge, and redemption.
A Yale-educated family law attorney and youth hockey coach, he depicts the absurdity and corruption in America through imaginative, unconstrained tales of moral conflict.
His novels explore a just person fighting to do good in an unjust and corrupt world, where innocence battles immorality - or joins it.
Stories seize him; he sits at the computer with music playing and lets the characters lead. The result is powerful escapist fiction that reveals uncomfortable truths about love, greed, revenge, and redemption.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 5, 2019
WOW!
I'm absolutely floored... I have never read anything close to this story line. Utterly unique with a dash of passion & talk about a plot twist! There were a few minor inconsistencies but it's still a solid 5 stars for me. A quick read that you won't want to miss... one click this book!
I'm absolutely floored... I have never read anything close to this story line. Utterly unique with a dash of passion & talk about a plot twist! There were a few minor inconsistencies but it's still a solid 5 stars for me. A quick read that you won't want to miss... one click this book!
November 13, 2015
The Catch.
Richard Becker.
The story cleverly revolves around a future TV reality show, ‘The Catch’ which features thirteen guilty female criminals who have a chance to redeem themselves, subject to the whim of the public vote, and also win a prize, ‘The Catch’; a millionaire handsome playboy. The winner also gets to walk away, free, even if still guilty.
The opening reads like young Ben Carson’s bio coupled with the murder by Susan Wright, of her husband whom she stabbed almost 200 times. It is hard to feel much sympathy for the lead character, Amber Johnson. She has also killed her young daughter. She is sent to an island in the middle of nowhere, and the contest begins. Elimination hinges on the public vote and the whim of ‘The Catch’, Michael Anderson, an equally unsavory type with lots of money and no charisma. We are not meant to like him too much.
Amber is soon having very casual sex with Michael in an effort to improve her chances of staying on the show. It appears to work as she is not kicked off, in spite of the viewer’s votes. Since there are twelve other contestants, we are subject to some fairly repetitive events and a lot more casual sex. Michael does his best to have sex with nearly all the contestants at least once but for some unfathomable reason he keeps coming back to the rather slender, shapeless, Amber. This enables the story to reach its inevitable conclusion; no spoiler from me but it is predictable, sadly.
I enjoyed the style of writing, the dialogue is quite well done and the story moves at a good pace. There is enough sex and violence to rate this 18+ but it is not excessive until right at the end. The ending left me short-changed. Although it is not too difficult to see it coming, the last chapter is written in a hurry, with no pace or timing.
The fact that the weekly results from the votes didn’t seem to matter, in spite of assertions by the directors to the contrary, spoiled the authenticity for me. Also, the inevitable progress of Amber to the final group and the violent outcome left me disappointed in its brevity and lack of suspense. For these reasons, I feel that 3.5 stars is appropriate.
Richard Becker.
The story cleverly revolves around a future TV reality show, ‘The Catch’ which features thirteen guilty female criminals who have a chance to redeem themselves, subject to the whim of the public vote, and also win a prize, ‘The Catch’; a millionaire handsome playboy. The winner also gets to walk away, free, even if still guilty.
The opening reads like young Ben Carson’s bio coupled with the murder by Susan Wright, of her husband whom she stabbed almost 200 times. It is hard to feel much sympathy for the lead character, Amber Johnson. She has also killed her young daughter. She is sent to an island in the middle of nowhere, and the contest begins. Elimination hinges on the public vote and the whim of ‘The Catch’, Michael Anderson, an equally unsavory type with lots of money and no charisma. We are not meant to like him too much.
Amber is soon having very casual sex with Michael in an effort to improve her chances of staying on the show. It appears to work as she is not kicked off, in spite of the viewer’s votes. Since there are twelve other contestants, we are subject to some fairly repetitive events and a lot more casual sex. Michael does his best to have sex with nearly all the contestants at least once but for some unfathomable reason he keeps coming back to the rather slender, shapeless, Amber. This enables the story to reach its inevitable conclusion; no spoiler from me but it is predictable, sadly.
I enjoyed the style of writing, the dialogue is quite well done and the story moves at a good pace. There is enough sex and violence to rate this 18+ but it is not excessive until right at the end. The ending left me short-changed. Although it is not too difficult to see it coming, the last chapter is written in a hurry, with no pace or timing.
The fact that the weekly results from the votes didn’t seem to matter, in spite of assertions by the directors to the contrary, spoiled the authenticity for me. Also, the inevitable progress of Amber to the final group and the violent outcome left me disappointed in its brevity and lack of suspense. For these reasons, I feel that 3.5 stars is appropriate.
November 30, 2015
When we turn on our TV's at night the amount of reality television that we are exposed to is overwhelming to the point that it hardly represents reality at all. Shows like The Bachelor or Survivor present themselves as reality but much of the time they feel contrived and outcomes too well put together. The Catch presents a version of a reality program where the reality is all too real for it's contestants and where the meaning of playing for one's life means literally that.
The Catch follows Amber Johnson, a woman about to stand trial for murdering her husband and young daughter. Despite there being no bodies, the prosecutor feels confident she can get Amber the death penalty. A brief lifeline arrives in the shape of The Catch, a reality show that tries to match female contestants to an eligible male bachelor, the catch being that the bachelor has certain sadistic tendencies. All the female contestants have some kind of criminal past and are given the choice of joining the show with the winner being given freedom from her sentence. However, losing contestants can either be sent back to prison, sent free or given death.
The Catch puts a mirror up to a society that eats up reality programming, participating in it but not having to take responsibility for their actions when votes are tabulated. An interesting look at the nature of celebrity and the depths a person will go to win at all costs.
The Catch follows Amber Johnson, a woman about to stand trial for murdering her husband and young daughter. Despite there being no bodies, the prosecutor feels confident she can get Amber the death penalty. A brief lifeline arrives in the shape of The Catch, a reality show that tries to match female contestants to an eligible male bachelor, the catch being that the bachelor has certain sadistic tendencies. All the female contestants have some kind of criminal past and are given the choice of joining the show with the winner being given freedom from her sentence. However, losing contestants can either be sent back to prison, sent free or given death.
The Catch puts a mirror up to a society that eats up reality programming, participating in it but not having to take responsibility for their actions when votes are tabulated. An interesting look at the nature of celebrity and the depths a person will go to win at all costs.
November 4, 2015
This book really drew me in quickly. I found the premise to be creative and absolutely riveting. The author created a story that brings in elements from Running Man, Lost, and The Bachelor. The heroine is a young woman accused of murdering both her husband and daughter and sure to get a death sentence conviction. She is given a chance to join an immensely popular TV game where she competes with other females, all guilty of hideous crimes. The contestants are sequestered in an island from which they cannot escape. The goal of the game is to win the affection of and be chosen by the handsome prince charming. The prize: escaping the certainty of a death sentence or life in prison. The catch: only woman can win, while the losers may face worse consequences than their original plights.
The novel is well written. It packs plenty of suspense and drama as the characters use any and all tricks to defeat each other. The heroine is a strong and complex character. The surprising twist at the end comes fast and truly unexpectedly. This is definitely an adult read as it has strong sexual content. All in all, this was a very satisfying reading experience.
The novel is well written. It packs plenty of suspense and drama as the characters use any and all tricks to defeat each other. The heroine is a strong and complex character. The surprising twist at the end comes fast and truly unexpectedly. This is definitely an adult read as it has strong sexual content. All in all, this was a very satisfying reading experience.
November 9, 2015
This book was thrilling from the start to the finish and I honestly found myself frantically trying to finish it once I had started it. I didn't know what to expect and found myself thoroughly enthralled by the story. It was about a reality television show unlike anything on the air today, but totally believable with how things have been going in recent years. Essentially, prisoners are on the bachelor, and it is up to him to determine their fate.
Except it isn't. It's all being run through edits and cuts that tell whatever story brings the most ratings. I found the romance in the story to be completely believable and I liked a lot of the characters. The ones I didn't like were still creative and multi-dimensional, so it wasn't a simple story.
It had quite a bit of graphic moments, but they weren't overwhelming too the story and they didn't feel intrusive. It reminded me a lot of the movie Gamer with the meta story it was trying to tell about our culture, and it felt like a spiritually similar story with a wholly unique perspective.
Highly recommended!
Except it isn't. It's all being run through edits and cuts that tell whatever story brings the most ratings. I found the romance in the story to be completely believable and I liked a lot of the characters. The ones I didn't like were still creative and multi-dimensional, so it wasn't a simple story.
It had quite a bit of graphic moments, but they weren't overwhelming too the story and they didn't feel intrusive. It reminded me a lot of the movie Gamer with the meta story it was trying to tell about our culture, and it felt like a spiritually similar story with a wholly unique perspective.
Highly recommended!
October 20, 2015
A page turner of the best kind.
The Catch kept me guessing almost to the very last page as my sympathies for the main character Amber, accused of murdering her husband and child, waxed and waned as snippets of her past and personality are slowly revealed. Is she innocent as she maintains? Or is she as deserving of a long prison sentence or death as most of the other 'contestants' on this extreme game show where 13 women compete to win the affections of rich, callous and sadistic man. The prize, if they impress him enough, is life and freedom, for the losers, death or imprisonment chosen on a whim of the 'Catch'. Desperation wars with false smiles as the women try to be appealing, whilst fighting amongst themselves for advantage, as one by one they are voted off.
There are sexual and violent scenes, but nothing that would bother anyone but the most squeamish. Definitely a recommended read.
The Catch kept me guessing almost to the very last page as my sympathies for the main character Amber, accused of murdering her husband and child, waxed and waned as snippets of her past and personality are slowly revealed. Is she innocent as she maintains? Or is she as deserving of a long prison sentence or death as most of the other 'contestants' on this extreme game show where 13 women compete to win the affections of rich, callous and sadistic man. The prize, if they impress him enough, is life and freedom, for the losers, death or imprisonment chosen on a whim of the 'Catch'. Desperation wars with false smiles as the women try to be appealing, whilst fighting amongst themselves for advantage, as one by one they are voted off.
There are sexual and violent scenes, but nothing that would bother anyone but the most squeamish. Definitely a recommended read.
November 15, 2015
OMG OMG OMG I am screaming like a teenager. This book is fantastic
Other than Stephen King, I have not enjoyed any other work as much as I did this
Apart from being well written, it was tastefully written. Richard Becker is a master craftsman with a keyboard
I was drawn into the book from the very first sentence
Whilst the book summary gives you an idea of what to expect and stays true to that storyline, it is so much more than that.
I liked every aspect of this book
I normally think there's room for improvement in everything but I cannot think of how else to improve this book. It is that good.
You just have to read it
The only other thing I am going to say is that once upon a time, they used to say that a picture never tells a lie. That is no longer the case in the world we live in. Even something you are seeing right in front of you could be the biggest illusion ever
Other than Stephen King, I have not enjoyed any other work as much as I did this
Apart from being well written, it was tastefully written. Richard Becker is a master craftsman with a keyboard
I was drawn into the book from the very first sentence
Whilst the book summary gives you an idea of what to expect and stays true to that storyline, it is so much more than that.
I liked every aspect of this book
I normally think there's room for improvement in everything but I cannot think of how else to improve this book. It is that good.
You just have to read it
The only other thing I am going to say is that once upon a time, they used to say that a picture never tells a lie. That is no longer the case in the world we live in. Even something you are seeing right in front of you could be the biggest illusion ever
November 18, 2015
Amber Johnson is the prime suspect in her husband and two year old daughter disappearance. Without any definite proof to proof her guilty, she was given an opportunity to take part in a reality television show. The catch to this is the location where she had to travel to appear in the show, and the two possible outcomes that were presented to her. This is a book filled with suspense and intrigue. Good read!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews