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1414°
Journalist Lou McCarthy has spent her career exposing powerful predators in Silicon Valley. Her crusade has cost her everything: Her apartment, friends, relationships, and any hope of promotion. And for what? Readers don’t care, her boss and workmates pity her, and the billionaire bro-ciopaths she writes about continue to fail upwards.
But when two of her highest profile subjects are killed on the same night, their deaths staged as gruesome public suicides, Lou’s work is suddenly and violently thrust into the spotlight.
Blamed for the deaths, fired from her job, and pursued by vengeful trolls who have already attacked her mother, Lou has only one chance of survival: To find the killer obsessed with her work, and stop them before anyone else dies.
Or perhaps not. Because the more Lou discovers about the ingenious killer's past, and their methods, the more she becomes determined to help them succeed.
PRAISE FOR PAUL BRADLEY CARR
“For a cautionary tale, everyone cites Paul Bradley Carr.”
– THE SUNDAY TIMES
“A testament to the virtues of debauchery… uproarious and brilliant.” – WIRED
“Carr has made a reputation as one of the feistiest writers on the beat. His [public] spats are legendary, as are his bust-ups with former employers.” – THE GUARDIAN
“The more things that go wrong for Paul, the better a writer he becomes. It’s like the grey goo that he feeds off.” – MIKE BUTCHER, TECHCRUNCH
Utterly endearing. Completely addictive reading.”
– PAPERBACK CHOICE, THE PRESS ASSOCIATION
“The columnist [and] enfant terrible has been summarily sacked from practically every outfit he’s worked for, including companies he started.”
– ZDNET
“Like James Bond, Paul symbolises a freedom man would sell his own sister to achieve.”
– LOADED MAGAZINE
“There’s no denying that he’s an idiotic, irresponsible chancer – qualities that make him an unpredictable travel companion, but put his story-telling skills in first class.”
– SCOTTISH DAILY RECORD
“Makes me want to vomit for all the right reasons.”
– MIL MILLINGTON, AUTHOR, THINGS MY GIRLFRIEND AND I HAVE ARGUED ABOUT
“Just because Paul Carr is a raging asshole doesn’t mean he’s not right.”
– ADAM PENENBERG
“The most irritating and self-satisfyingly smug person I have ever met. Annoyingly, he is also the funniest.”
– ZOE MARGOLIS, AUTHOR, GIRL WITH A ONE TRACK MIND
“Commenting on Paul Carr is beneath my dignity. He’s absurd.”
– MATT TAIBBI
But when two of her highest profile subjects are killed on the same night, their deaths staged as gruesome public suicides, Lou’s work is suddenly and violently thrust into the spotlight.
Blamed for the deaths, fired from her job, and pursued by vengeful trolls who have already attacked her mother, Lou has only one chance of survival: To find the killer obsessed with her work, and stop them before anyone else dies.
Or perhaps not. Because the more Lou discovers about the ingenious killer's past, and their methods, the more she becomes determined to help them succeed.
PRAISE FOR PAUL BRADLEY CARR
“For a cautionary tale, everyone cites Paul Bradley Carr.”
– THE SUNDAY TIMES
“A testament to the virtues of debauchery… uproarious and brilliant.” – WIRED
“Carr has made a reputation as one of the feistiest writers on the beat. His [public] spats are legendary, as are his bust-ups with former employers.” – THE GUARDIAN
“The more things that go wrong for Paul, the better a writer he becomes. It’s like the grey goo that he feeds off.” – MIKE BUTCHER, TECHCRUNCH
Utterly endearing. Completely addictive reading.”
– PAPERBACK CHOICE, THE PRESS ASSOCIATION
“The columnist [and] enfant terrible has been summarily sacked from practically every outfit he’s worked for, including companies he started.”
– ZDNET
“Like James Bond, Paul symbolises a freedom man would sell his own sister to achieve.”
– LOADED MAGAZINE
“There’s no denying that he’s an idiotic, irresponsible chancer – qualities that make him an unpredictable travel companion, but put his story-telling skills in first class.”
– SCOTTISH DAILY RECORD
“Makes me want to vomit for all the right reasons.”
– MIL MILLINGTON, AUTHOR, THINGS MY GIRLFRIEND AND I HAVE ARGUED ABOUT
“Just because Paul Carr is a raging asshole doesn’t mean he’s not right.”
– ADAM PENENBERG
“The most irritating and self-satisfyingly smug person I have ever met. Annoyingly, he is also the funniest.”
– ZOE MARGOLIS, AUTHOR, GIRL WITH A ONE TRACK MIND
“Commenting on Paul Carr is beneath my dignity. He’s absurd.”
– MATT TAIBBI
340 pages, Hardcover
First published October 11, 2021
37 people are currently reading
8670 people want to read
About the author
Paul Bradley Carr
12 books263 followersPaul Bradley Carr is a journalist and author. He has written three memoirs about his adventures in and around Silicon Valley. He was the Silicon Valley columnist for The Guardian, senior editor at TechCrunch, cofounder of PandoDaily, and founder and editor-in-chief of the infamous NSFWCORP in Las Vegas. His writing has also appeared in The Wall Street Journal, HuffPost, National Geographic, and much more. He lives in Palm Springs with his family and is the co-owner of The Best Bookstore in Palm Springs.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 159 reviews
May 17, 2022
Silicon Valley is full of secrets, some of those that Lou, a journalist, wants to expose. She though her source was a good one, but is then fired from her job. We follow her story as she keeps digging in hopes to uncover the truth. With her recent story out in the public she faces troublemakers and people who attached her mother. But a much bigger story needs to be uncovered.
I have to admit that at times I found it a bit hard to keep track of this story and had to go back a couple of times to recheck facts. The outline was really good and the character building very nicely summed up. I think many will enjoy this murder mystery and find it a five star read.
My thanks to Netgalley and Snafublishing for this ARC.
I have to admit that at times I found it a bit hard to keep track of this story and had to go back a couple of times to recheck facts. The outline was really good and the character building very nicely summed up. I think many will enjoy this murder mystery and find it a five star read.
My thanks to Netgalley and Snafublishing for this ARC.
February 2, 2022
This is a tech thriller, actually a feminist tech thriller (even though it was written by a man), and I found it very entertaining indeed. Raum is one the biggest and most powerful tech companies in Silicon Valley and is about to announce its IPO - but there are many forces at work behind the scenes. The story brings together three women who, between them, hold the power of the future in their hands.
For too long women have been marginalised in the tech industries - bullied, harassed, belittled, underpaid and sometimes even indecently assaulted. Young journalist Lou McCarthy from the Bay Area Herald gets a juicy tip from a source, she doesn’t have time to vet it but hits the button to send it in anyway. She’s on a mission to bring down serial predators like Alex Wu, the Chief Technical Officer at Raum. Unfortunately the story backfires but is soon eclipsed by Alex’s spectacularly public suicide at the IPO announcement party.
Helen Tyler, a Brit with heaps of journalistic and PR experience is hired by Raum to clean up its image before the IPO but is that her only objective?
And then there is the mysterious Fate who is pulling some very big strings behind the scenes. Apart from the very likeable and open Lou, you never really fully trust any of the other characters or their motivations - even if they claim to be on the side of the angels. There are all sorts of shenanigans, twists, reversals of fortune and downright life threatening danger in the race to drain the Silicon valley swamp.
This was a thoroughly entertaining and enjoyable piece of escapist fun that kept me glued to the pages. Please don’t let the cover put you off. I’m really not sure what to make of that cover but the title refers to 1414 degrees C (presumably) as the melting point of silicon. Which is rather apt. Many thanks to BookSirens for the much appreciated free copy which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly.
For too long women have been marginalised in the tech industries - bullied, harassed, belittled, underpaid and sometimes even indecently assaulted. Young journalist Lou McCarthy from the Bay Area Herald gets a juicy tip from a source, she doesn’t have time to vet it but hits the button to send it in anyway. She’s on a mission to bring down serial predators like Alex Wu, the Chief Technical Officer at Raum. Unfortunately the story backfires but is soon eclipsed by Alex’s spectacularly public suicide at the IPO announcement party.
Helen Tyler, a Brit with heaps of journalistic and PR experience is hired by Raum to clean up its image before the IPO but is that her only objective?
And then there is the mysterious Fate who is pulling some very big strings behind the scenes. Apart from the very likeable and open Lou, you never really fully trust any of the other characters or their motivations - even if they claim to be on the side of the angels. There are all sorts of shenanigans, twists, reversals of fortune and downright life threatening danger in the race to drain the Silicon valley swamp.
This was a thoroughly entertaining and enjoyable piece of escapist fun that kept me glued to the pages. Please don’t let the cover put you off. I’m really not sure what to make of that cover but the title refers to 1414 degrees C (presumably) as the melting point of silicon. Which is rather apt. Many thanks to BookSirens for the much appreciated free copy which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly.
July 30, 2022
1414°
by Paul Bradley Carr
Narrated by Emily Lawrence
This is an audio book I requested from NetGalley and the publisher and I want to thank them for letting me listen to the book. Having said that, I found this book a bad fit for me. I loved the premise and plot on paper. But I just could not get into to this book from the beginning. The narration, the dialogue....nothing sounded plausible or interesting.
The narration was poor. It was difficult to distinguish one person from another. Ugh.
I wanted to give up so many times but I won't do that to a book I promised to read. This one came close.
I gave it 2 stars for the plot and the premise.
by Paul Bradley Carr
Narrated by Emily Lawrence
This is an audio book I requested from NetGalley and the publisher and I want to thank them for letting me listen to the book. Having said that, I found this book a bad fit for me. I loved the premise and plot on paper. But I just could not get into to this book from the beginning. The narration, the dialogue....nothing sounded plausible or interesting.
The narration was poor. It was difficult to distinguish one person from another. Ugh.
I wanted to give up so many times but I won't do that to a book I promised to read. This one came close.
I gave it 2 stars for the plot and the premise.
October 14, 2021
Meet Lou McCarthy, the take-no-prisoners kind of reporter who puts the truth before her own safety. Thus begins a thriller almost impossible to put down. Taking place in a San Francisco that is almost the day after tomorrow, Lou makes it her business to confront the techno-bro culture of Silicon Valley, the patriarchal element built on billionaire entitlement. "This was an industry built on the promise of limitless memory, by people who couldn't remember what happened last week." Journalist and commentator Paul Bradley Carr has acknowledged that inspiration for this story and its heroine came from a real situation involving a woman's experience in one of the larger firms. Here Carr, in his first work of fiction, employs as a mcguffin stand-in a sort of Fit-bit containing an algorithm that anticipates and is capable of fulfilling any desire. The heroes are in fact developing "[A]n algorithm that could make powerful men face the consequences of their behavior." Given that Carr employs a reporter's style, action moves rapidly, twists and dead ends, and so many inside jokes and present-day references that knowledge of cultural references was a great help. It is also ironic to read this in a week when a powerful man is brought down on the strength of the content of his emails. A warning that when you hit "send," be sure of what it is you are shooting off into the ether.
December 15, 2021
Lou McCarthy is a journalist who has spent her career exposing predators in Silicon Valley. Going after the worst of the worst has cost her just about everything ... her apartment, friends, and any hope for promotion. Her boss has warned her to stay away from the powers that be and the billionaires who will chew her up and spit her out.
She has deliberately gone after two high profile abusers of women publicly. Unfortunately one of the men jumps to his death at a large party for a new undertaking by a 'player' and the other man walks into a hospital, takes out his gun, and shoots himself.
Lou's work is suddenly and violently thrust into the spotlight. Blamed for the deaths, fired from her job, and pursued by vengeful trolls who have already attacked her mother, Lou has only one chance of survival: To find the killer obsessed with her work, and stop them before anyone else dies.
This was just a bit of a slow starter to me, but it was speeding along nicely by the second chapter. Not knowing much about Silicon Valley and what they did .. or represented... was new to me. I eventually found the meaning of the book's title. 1414 (C) is the melting point of silicon which actually doesn't mean much to the story. The author is a long-term journalist who has covered the culture of Silicon Valley. As such, I expected a high level of credibility and I was not disappointed. The melting pot of characters are solidly drawn. The mystery is intriguing, the plot is riveting.
Many thanks to the author / SnafuPublishing / Netgalley for the digital copy of this Technothriller. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
She has deliberately gone after two high profile abusers of women publicly. Unfortunately one of the men jumps to his death at a large party for a new undertaking by a 'player' and the other man walks into a hospital, takes out his gun, and shoots himself.
Lou's work is suddenly and violently thrust into the spotlight. Blamed for the deaths, fired from her job, and pursued by vengeful trolls who have already attacked her mother, Lou has only one chance of survival: To find the killer obsessed with her work, and stop them before anyone else dies.
This was just a bit of a slow starter to me, but it was speeding along nicely by the second chapter. Not knowing much about Silicon Valley and what they did .. or represented... was new to me. I eventually found the meaning of the book's title. 1414 (C) is the melting point of silicon which actually doesn't mean much to the story. The author is a long-term journalist who has covered the culture of Silicon Valley. As such, I expected a high level of credibility and I was not disappointed. The melting pot of characters are solidly drawn. The mystery is intriguing, the plot is riveting.
Many thanks to the author / SnafuPublishing / Netgalley for the digital copy of this Technothriller. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
December 12, 2021
⭐3.5 ⭐ Stars Rounded Up
This was a very unique book. Combining journalism and the tech world, it was not my typical read. Throw in high up tech industry employees committing suicide due to someone they referred to as "Fate", it seemed incredibly intriguing.
This was a slow burn in the beginning, but got better as it went along. Lou McCarthy is a journalist who publishes a story about a rapist in the biggest tech company in the world, based on her unknown source. However, the story she was given she quickly learns was meant to set her up and she is now in immense danger. Who set her up and why?
I never figured out who "Fate" was until they were revealed which amazed me. This book was well put together and did a great job of portraying the #metoo movement. There multiple twists and turns and I was left guessing all the way to the end.
Thank you to Goodreads and the author for my copy of this book.
This was a very unique book. Combining journalism and the tech world, it was not my typical read. Throw in high up tech industry employees committing suicide due to someone they referred to as "Fate", it seemed incredibly intriguing.
This was a slow burn in the beginning, but got better as it went along. Lou McCarthy is a journalist who publishes a story about a rapist in the biggest tech company in the world, based on her unknown source. However, the story she was given she quickly learns was meant to set her up and she is now in immense danger. Who set her up and why?
I never figured out who "Fate" was until they were revealed which amazed me. This book was well put together and did a great job of portraying the #metoo movement. There multiple twists and turns and I was left guessing all the way to the end.
Thank you to Goodreads and the author for my copy of this book.
November 13, 2021
Fast paced
Unexpected twists
Exciting Silicon Valley Thriller
I love an engrossing murder mystery read and this one is so interesting to me as it involves the tech industry culture of Silicon Valley. A nice change in pace with unexpected twists and surprises at every turn.
Really enjoyed this one!
Unexpected twists
Exciting Silicon Valley Thriller
I love an engrossing murder mystery read and this one is so interesting to me as it involves the tech industry culture of Silicon Valley. A nice change in pace with unexpected twists and surprises at every turn.
Really enjoyed this one!
October 15, 2021
1414 tackles a lot of different things in a very small amount of pages! I was grateful that the author tried to make every page matter, so the novel rarely loses pace. It got better the more I read, and the author is definitely someone I'll be keeping an eye out for.
October 10, 2021
A Silicon Valley mystery/thriller with a big emphasis on taking down toxic masculinity.
Lou McCarthy is working as a journalist to expose the misdeeds of high profile tech industry leaders, and it costs her almost everything. When two of her profiled targets die from strange suicides, she is caught up in the fallout both by other industry insiders and by the trolls who support the boy's clubs. As she starts to unravel the connections, she has to decide who exactly is the villain, and how best to survive this nightmare that has threatened not just her, but her mom.
I found this story really fascinating and gripping. The near future with all our tech devices giving the creators of said tech so much data has not really unsettled me before. It seemed too far reaching. This one didn't. The use of the data to harm people, specifically women in this novel, was very believable. The desire of this technology to be used by regimes overseas was also pretty believable, though I think it would be way more discreet. I could also be super naïve.
What I did love was the strong female leads in this story. I sometimes wonder how a male author will carry this off, and this felt well done. Lou and her other cohorts were strong, but still had some human flaws. I appreciated even more the diversity, and how it was naturally done. Highlighting the intellectual abilities of women in this story was refreshing. I imagine some will feel like this is male-bashing, but unless you have sympathetic notions toward the toxic behaviors that keep predators in power, this story bashes the appropriate characters and systems.
Overall, this was a fantastic read. I will be thinking about this one for a while. I recommend this for any thriller/mystery/revenge readers, maybe sci-fi, and well, general fiction fans too. By the way, the title is explained in the book, so happy reading! Thank you to BookSirens for this free advance review copy. My review is voluntarily given.
Lou McCarthy is working as a journalist to expose the misdeeds of high profile tech industry leaders, and it costs her almost everything. When two of her profiled targets die from strange suicides, she is caught up in the fallout both by other industry insiders and by the trolls who support the boy's clubs. As she starts to unravel the connections, she has to decide who exactly is the villain, and how best to survive this nightmare that has threatened not just her, but her mom.
I found this story really fascinating and gripping. The near future with all our tech devices giving the creators of said tech so much data has not really unsettled me before. It seemed too far reaching. This one didn't. The use of the data to harm people, specifically women in this novel, was very believable. The desire of this technology to be used by regimes overseas was also pretty believable, though I think it would be way more discreet. I could also be super naïve.
What I did love was the strong female leads in this story. I sometimes wonder how a male author will carry this off, and this felt well done. Lou and her other cohorts were strong, but still had some human flaws. I appreciated even more the diversity, and how it was naturally done. Highlighting the intellectual abilities of women in this story was refreshing. I imagine some will feel like this is male-bashing, but unless you have sympathetic notions toward the toxic behaviors that keep predators in power, this story bashes the appropriate characters and systems.
Overall, this was a fantastic read. I will be thinking about this one for a while. I recommend this for any thriller/mystery/revenge readers, maybe sci-fi, and well, general fiction fans too. By the way, the title is explained in the book, so happy reading! Thank you to BookSirens for this free advance review copy. My review is voluntarily given.
August 4, 2022
Thanks to NetGalley and Snafublishing for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.
I gave this book 3.5 stars.
A gripping technological adult thriller that discusses sensitive but important issues for the current society.
Lou McCarthy is a journalist and has spent her life exposing powerful men from Silicon Valley whose position has allowed them to abuse women. After she publishes an article agains Alex Lou, one of the biggest fish, she’s mysteriously invited to a party hosted by his company and, when asked to apologise, he seems to have committed suicide. Another powerful man commits suicide the same week and Lou is accused of murdering both men, so she starts an investigation to clean her name and find the killer. However, she ends up kind of wanting to help them once she learns their reasons.
This book is definitely plot driven. Characters are relatable, nobody’s perfect and mistakes have consequences that are sometimes deadly or irreversible. I would have loved side characters’ backgrounds to be explained more, though.
There are certain topics that I found essential to make readers think about, such as the discussion of who owns the world (a.k.a. white males, mainly), the fact that those who are powerful confuse equality with oppression and that no matter how far we’ve come along the journey, there’s still a long way to go and one of the best ways to become allies is to publicly put cases in the spotlight.
Although the topics were interesting, there were sections of the book, especially around two thirds of the way through, in which I was not interested.
I’d recommend this book to you unless the abovementioned topics or physical, verbal and psychological abuse are a trigger to you.
I gave this book 3.5 stars.
A gripping technological adult thriller that discusses sensitive but important issues for the current society.
Lou McCarthy is a journalist and has spent her life exposing powerful men from Silicon Valley whose position has allowed them to abuse women. After she publishes an article agains Alex Lou, one of the biggest fish, she’s mysteriously invited to a party hosted by his company and, when asked to apologise, he seems to have committed suicide. Another powerful man commits suicide the same week and Lou is accused of murdering both men, so she starts an investigation to clean her name and find the killer. However, she ends up kind of wanting to help them once she learns their reasons.
This book is definitely plot driven. Characters are relatable, nobody’s perfect and mistakes have consequences that are sometimes deadly or irreversible. I would have loved side characters’ backgrounds to be explained more, though.
There are certain topics that I found essential to make readers think about, such as the discussion of who owns the world (a.k.a. white males, mainly), the fact that those who are powerful confuse equality with oppression and that no matter how far we’ve come along the journey, there’s still a long way to go and one of the best ways to become allies is to publicly put cases in the spotlight.
Although the topics were interesting, there were sections of the book, especially around two thirds of the way through, in which I was not interested.
I’d recommend this book to you unless the abovementioned topics or physical, verbal and psychological abuse are a trigger to you.
June 25, 2022
A fast-paced, interesting, gripping murder mystery that is relatable since it is placed in today's high-tech world. Really enjoyed the women lead characters who ruled this story. Excellent audiobook.
Thank you to NetGalley and Snafublishing for ARC. #1414, #Snafublishing
Thank you to NetGalley and Snafublishing for ARC. #1414, #Snafublishing
November 4, 2021
Complex plot makes this an exciting mystery thriller relevant to current events.
Lou McCarthy is a reporter for the Bay Area Herald and has spent many thankless years covering Silicon Valley -- mostly to expose the sleazy executives at the top. Those "brociopaths", however, keep on doing their nasty things and nobody ever pays. Until two of those hideous men commit very public suicides on the night of a big announcement for the huge new conglomerate, Raum -- one of the hottest technology companies on the verge of a massive IPO. When she is accused of driving the men to their deaths and is doxed by a vengeful group of #MLM trolls intent on tracking her down, she finds that someone else is intervening and might be responsible for taking those rich and powerful men and their companies down. When Lou meets "Fate", she is drawn into a very complicated game involving the sick predators and their entitled methods. No spoilers.
Fast pace, interesting characters, and a timely plot combine to make an interesting cautionary tale about the dark side of technology and the damage inflicted by those at the top in Silicon Valley. He's definitely aware of the misogyny and exclusionary practices in the industry. In a season when many books have been published about the #metoo scandals and the headlines continue to reveal a lot of bad boy behavior at the top levels of society, this book will definitely leave readers with a lot to think about.
Thank you to NetGalley and Snafublishing LLC for this e-book ARC to read and review.
Lou McCarthy is a reporter for the Bay Area Herald and has spent many thankless years covering Silicon Valley -- mostly to expose the sleazy executives at the top. Those "brociopaths", however, keep on doing their nasty things and nobody ever pays. Until two of those hideous men commit very public suicides on the night of a big announcement for the huge new conglomerate, Raum -- one of the hottest technology companies on the verge of a massive IPO. When she is accused of driving the men to their deaths and is doxed by a vengeful group of #MLM trolls intent on tracking her down, she finds that someone else is intervening and might be responsible for taking those rich and powerful men and their companies down. When Lou meets "Fate", she is drawn into a very complicated game involving the sick predators and their entitled methods. No spoilers.
Fast pace, interesting characters, and a timely plot combine to make an interesting cautionary tale about the dark side of technology and the damage inflicted by those at the top in Silicon Valley. He's definitely aware of the misogyny and exclusionary practices in the industry. In a season when many books have been published about the #metoo scandals and the headlines continue to reveal a lot of bad boy behavior at the top levels of society, this book will definitely leave readers with a lot to think about.
Thank you to NetGalley and Snafublishing LLC for this e-book ARC to read and review.
October 11, 2021
Silicon Valley #metoo thriller and more
I almost didn't read this book because the first chapter just didn't grab me but I'm glad I read on because this ended up being a tricky thriller with Lou McCarthy, journalist do-gooder who keeps getting taken down by big business CEOs in the Silicon Valley who have much to hide.
And when she gets a look at who's actually manipulating behind the scenes, she decides she wants to help. Or does she?
The author did a superb job with the characters, with the Silicon Valley setting, with the intrigue and the twists. I enjoyed this book very much and highly recommend it.
I received this book from Snafublishing LLC through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.
I almost didn't read this book because the first chapter just didn't grab me but I'm glad I read on because this ended up being a tricky thriller with Lou McCarthy, journalist do-gooder who keeps getting taken down by big business CEOs in the Silicon Valley who have much to hide.
And when she gets a look at who's actually manipulating behind the scenes, she decides she wants to help. Or does she?
The author did a superb job with the characters, with the Silicon Valley setting, with the intrigue and the twists. I enjoyed this book very much and highly recommend it.
I received this book from Snafublishing LLC through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.
October 22, 2021
Lou McCarthy is a journalist who is constantly trying to expose corruption of the elite in Silicon Valley (job security, right?). She's discredited, and then pulled into a much bigger plot, with people who have the same agenda -- or do they?
This a fast paced story with lots of twists and turns. There are ambiguous questions, although it certainly doesn't spend time sitting around being philosophical. And it's also timely - the actions of the various powers could have been ripped right from the headlines.
Thanks to netgalley and the author and publisher for an ARC of the book. It was an exciting read!
This a fast paced story with lots of twists and turns. There are ambiguous questions, although it certainly doesn't spend time sitting around being philosophical. And it's also timely - the actions of the various powers could have been ripped right from the headlines.
Thanks to netgalley and the author and publisher for an ARC of the book. It was an exciting read!
on-hold-for-now
May 16, 2022Hey this was already published, Netgalley! Is it just because it's the audio version that's coming out in October? It also has less than 200 ratings here on GR 😬
October 9, 2021
[Thank you to Snafublishing and NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.]
this was really interesting, and insightful to read! you can tell there’s been a lot of researching that went into writing this, and i appreciated how accurate everything seemed to be. this is a murder mystery that touches a lot of important, and heavy topics. i’m gonna need to read it again in another format (i read it through the NetGalley shelf app) because i had a lot of difficulty getting into it, because the font was small, and the screen was squeezed which made for an uncomfortable reading experience.
i’ll be picking this up again when it officially comes out to have more to say about it, but until then, i liked it!
this was really interesting, and insightful to read! you can tell there’s been a lot of researching that went into writing this, and i appreciated how accurate everything seemed to be. this is a murder mystery that touches a lot of important, and heavy topics. i’m gonna need to read it again in another format (i read it through the NetGalley shelf app) because i had a lot of difficulty getting into it, because the font was small, and the screen was squeezed which made for an uncomfortable reading experience.
i’ll be picking this up again when it officially comes out to have more to say about it, but until then, i liked it!
Want to read
November 1, 2021I am a bit late to the party as I had requested 1414 after the novel had been released. However, I am so glad that I was able to scoop it up in the nick of time. This was an incredible read!
I will say that 1414 takes a bit to pull you in but I knew from the start it would be worth the initial slow burn. This is a very detailed story and if you do not pay close attention, you will miss something.
This is a dark read with very complex characters. The story is narrated perfectly and will have you on the edge of your seat.
I highly recommend this book to all my fellow thrill lovers.
I will say that 1414 takes a bit to pull you in but I knew from the start it would be worth the initial slow burn. This is a very detailed story and if you do not pay close attention, you will miss something.
This is a dark read with very complex characters. The story is narrated perfectly and will have you on the edge of your seat.
I highly recommend this book to all my fellow thrill lovers.
September 30, 2021
**** A great and fun mystery/thriller set in Silicon Valley
The first chapter didn’t really grab me, but the second chapter did and I was hooked for the rest of the book. It is well-written, fast-paced, unpredictable, intriguing, and fun. That is enough for it to be a good thriller (or mystery; it sort of is both). But 1414 is more than that! The author is a long-time journalist who has covered the culture of Silicon Valley. He set the book in current-day Silicon Valley with a journalist as the protagonist, so the book is also a pointed commentary on the culture there
Why the title 1414? No, it is not a date. 1414 (C) is the melting point of silicon. The analogy isn’t great, but the book exposes (burns?) the toxic bro culture of Silicon Valley.
I read the Kindle version. The book has no maps, tables or diagrams, just text, so you don’t lose anything with the Kindle edition. I also looked at the printed version. For me, it was a bit hard to read due to the smallish dainty font, but I doubt that would bother many others.
I don't know the author, but he asked for reviewers on his Twitter feed and so sent me a free prepublication review copy.
The first chapter didn’t really grab me, but the second chapter did and I was hooked for the rest of the book. It is well-written, fast-paced, unpredictable, intriguing, and fun. That is enough for it to be a good thriller (or mystery; it sort of is both). But 1414 is more than that! The author is a long-time journalist who has covered the culture of Silicon Valley. He set the book in current-day Silicon Valley with a journalist as the protagonist, so the book is also a pointed commentary on the culture there
Why the title 1414? No, it is not a date. 1414 (C) is the melting point of silicon. The analogy isn’t great, but the book exposes (burns?) the toxic bro culture of Silicon Valley.
I read the Kindle version. The book has no maps, tables or diagrams, just text, so you don’t lose anything with the Kindle edition. I also looked at the printed version. For me, it was a bit hard to read due to the smallish dainty font, but I doubt that would bother many others.
I don't know the author, but he asked for reviewers on his Twitter feed and so sent me a free prepublication review copy.
February 5, 2022
Great read!! I give it 4.5/5 stars. I enjoyed the suspense and it kept me wanting to read to find out more.
October 11, 2021
1414 degrees is the temperature that silicon burns, which makes it an apt title for a #metoo thriller set place in Silicon Valley. Who wouldn't want to watch it all burn when you hear what some of these guys have gotten away with? This is a smart and fun thriller that will leave you thinking, if only.
October 14, 2021
Lou is a journalist who prints a story that she believes came from a good source. When it is proven to be full of holes, she is let go from her job. She continues to follow up on her story and falls into a much bigger set up than she ever thought possible in Silicon Valley.
This is not my normal kind of book as I am technologically challenged, but Carr does a great job of making it so even I could get it. It was a good thriller and makes you stop and think.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this book.
This is not my normal kind of book as I am technologically challenged, but Carr does a great job of making it so even I could get it. It was a good thriller and makes you stop and think.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this book.
April 28, 2022
Best book I've written all year.
May 25, 2022
I received an arc for the audiobook from NetGalley
This book threads the line between being feminist and being a parody of the feminist extremist and I have trouble figuring out what the intention originally was.
Our main character Lou is very much the stereotypical men-hating, life ruining feminist the right wingers are scared of. She doesn't usually seem to think very much, and acts impulsively throughout most of the book. (But when her boss almost calls her out, saying she should think more rather than acting... she gets tilted because he almost said "the e word" e being emotional). I found it hard to feel for her. There's this theme of "everyone always underestimates women" but her actions are nothing to be wowed by in the first place.
On the other hand, she is trying to expose some extremely awful people. Reading about how one of the rapist used technology and algorithms in all our phones/data etc to find victims was positively horrifying by how likely it is to become possible in the future.
Almost all men in this book are horrible, and with that I mean serial rapist, child rapist type of horrible. The women in this book all hate men. All men, in general, and are very surprised when a man doesn't in fact condone rape. (I think the majority of men doesn't condone rape, but maybe that's just me...)
We have three main characters, all women, who despise these rich rapists and try to take them down. Usually by playing dirty. Lou is a journalist and her goal is to ruin these people. Which means she doesn't always completely check her sources, which gets demonstrated almost right away in the story. Her boss points some things out, she instantly realises she's been set up... And that annoys me, because this means that if she had stopped to think for a few seconds she would have figured that out, but she got so excited about bringing someone down she forgot to even check if this rape trial was even happening. And then her boss, a man, had to point out where she went wrong. It were these kinds of things that made me feel like this wasn't quite feminist, but rather trying to portray feminist as obsessed with bringing down rich men, and not even caring if they were actually rapist, and need men to tell them what's going on...
There is also a lot of stereotyping in this book, like the Chinese quack with an awful accent, and the horrible Arabs. We're never quite told what makes them so awful, we're just supposed to accept they are horrible and deserve to be despised/stopped no matter what. The big bad man is also Arab.
This book had some interesting things especially in it's description of silicon valley and its technology, and the way technology can be used for evil. But the characters were very stereotypical (feminism extremist main characters, evil Arabs, men = rapist, etc).
It's an easy read, and engaging enough to keep going. The further into the book we get, the more Lou starts to feel like a person and not just the right extremist idea of what a feminist is, so that was definitely good. The writing was fine, though heavily relied on stereotypes. Terms like brociopats and things were also mentioned way too much. Then there was the y/n. Maybe this would have worked better in the written version (although is it really that hard to write yes or no?), but hearing y slash n so many times throughout this book was incredibly annoying.
Which brings us to the audiobook. It was mostly fine. The broken English accent of the Chinese doctor made me cringe, and the accent of the Arab prince changing every few lines was annoying to me, but other than that, the narrator spoke clearly and in an engaging way.
All in all, I'm not sure what to make of this book. Parts of this book felt very "what anti-feminist think a feminist is like" and I struggled with that personally. Other parts were interesting and fun to read. The ending was lame. There were no "good" people in this book, and I wish this meant they were an interesting shade of grey, but they were not... Just stereotypes and flat 100% evil characters.
This book threads the line between being feminist and being a parody of the feminist extremist and I have trouble figuring out what the intention originally was.
Our main character Lou is very much the stereotypical men-hating, life ruining feminist the right wingers are scared of. She doesn't usually seem to think very much, and acts impulsively throughout most of the book. (But when her boss almost calls her out, saying she should think more rather than acting... she gets tilted because he almost said "the e word" e being emotional). I found it hard to feel for her. There's this theme of "everyone always underestimates women" but her actions are nothing to be wowed by in the first place.
On the other hand, she is trying to expose some extremely awful people. Reading about how one of the rapist used technology and algorithms in all our phones/data etc to find victims was positively horrifying by how likely it is to become possible in the future.
Almost all men in this book are horrible, and with that I mean serial rapist, child rapist type of horrible. The women in this book all hate men. All men, in general, and are very surprised when a man doesn't in fact condone rape. (I think the majority of men doesn't condone rape, but maybe that's just me...)
We have three main characters, all women, who despise these rich rapists and try to take them down. Usually by playing dirty. Lou is a journalist and her goal is to ruin these people. Which means she doesn't always completely check her sources, which gets demonstrated almost right away in the story. Her boss points some things out, she instantly realises she's been set up... And that annoys me, because this means that if she had stopped to think for a few seconds she would have figured that out, but she got so excited about bringing someone down she forgot to even check if this rape trial was even happening. And then her boss, a man, had to point out where she went wrong. It were these kinds of things that made me feel like this wasn't quite feminist, but rather trying to portray feminist as obsessed with bringing down rich men, and not even caring if they were actually rapist, and need men to tell them what's going on...
There is also a lot of stereotyping in this book, like the Chinese quack with an awful accent, and the horrible Arabs. We're never quite told what makes them so awful, we're just supposed to accept they are horrible and deserve to be despised/stopped no matter what. The big bad man is also Arab.
This book had some interesting things especially in it's description of silicon valley and its technology, and the way technology can be used for evil. But the characters were very stereotypical (feminism extremist main characters, evil Arabs, men = rapist, etc).
It's an easy read, and engaging enough to keep going. The further into the book we get, the more Lou starts to feel like a person and not just the right extremist idea of what a feminist is, so that was definitely good. The writing was fine, though heavily relied on stereotypes. Terms like brociopats and things were also mentioned way too much. Then there was the y/n. Maybe this would have worked better in the written version (although is it really that hard to write yes or no?), but hearing y slash n so many times throughout this book was incredibly annoying.
Which brings us to the audiobook. It was mostly fine. The broken English accent of the Chinese doctor made me cringe, and the accent of the Arab prince changing every few lines was annoying to me, but other than that, the narrator spoke clearly and in an engaging way.
All in all, I'm not sure what to make of this book. Parts of this book felt very "what anti-feminist think a feminist is like" and I struggled with that personally. Other parts were interesting and fun to read. The ending was lame. There were no "good" people in this book, and I wish this meant they were an interesting shade of grey, but they were not... Just stereotypes and flat 100% evil characters.
October 12, 2021
1414º by Paul Bradley Carr is a very highly recommended unique and gripping mystery/thriller that takes on Silicon Valley billionaires.
Journalist Lou McCarthy is fearless in reporting the toxic truth surrounding the Silicon Valley billionaire bro-ciopaths who get away with all manner of criminal actions. Her latest article for the Bay Area Herald exposes the CTO of Raum, a private tech company, as a sexual predator who has assaulted young women for years. The same day her controversial expose' is published, there is an Raum event where the official announcement of the multi-billion dollar initial public offering will be made. What happens instead is that the CTO takes his life as does another man who was a subject of one of Lou's articles. Lou is blamed for their deaths, fired, and while running for her life is suddenly rescued by Helen Tyler, a powerful member of Raum’s crisis-management team, but so much more. The two begin an investigation together that points to a much deeper, meticulously projected series of events planned by a person who calls themselves Fate, and Fate has a meticulously crafted agenda in the works.
1414º features intelligent, strong, likable, self-assured, and diverse female protagonists. The characters are all depicted as believable individuals with strengths and flaws, although most of the male characters are antagonists or trolls, there are a few good men. Lou is an excellent character to carry the plot and is believable as a journalist whose passion is to investigate, dig deep, and seek out the truth. Even with their small part of the plot, Lou's mom and her friend Carol are awesome, tough women you would want to know.
This is an extraordinary, unique, complex well-written mystery that is engrossing from start to finish. It is both fast paced and satisfying. You will not be able to predict the ending, which is a wonderfully remarkable occurrence and encouraged me to continue reading late into the night. The actual mystery/thriller is strong, compelling, and unparalleled in the plot and characters. The final denouement was very satisfying.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Snafublishing.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2021/1...
Journalist Lou McCarthy is fearless in reporting the toxic truth surrounding the Silicon Valley billionaire bro-ciopaths who get away with all manner of criminal actions. Her latest article for the Bay Area Herald exposes the CTO of Raum, a private tech company, as a sexual predator who has assaulted young women for years. The same day her controversial expose' is published, there is an Raum event where the official announcement of the multi-billion dollar initial public offering will be made. What happens instead is that the CTO takes his life as does another man who was a subject of one of Lou's articles. Lou is blamed for their deaths, fired, and while running for her life is suddenly rescued by Helen Tyler, a powerful member of Raum’s crisis-management team, but so much more. The two begin an investigation together that points to a much deeper, meticulously projected series of events planned by a person who calls themselves Fate, and Fate has a meticulously crafted agenda in the works.
1414º features intelligent, strong, likable, self-assured, and diverse female protagonists. The characters are all depicted as believable individuals with strengths and flaws, although most of the male characters are antagonists or trolls, there are a few good men. Lou is an excellent character to carry the plot and is believable as a journalist whose passion is to investigate, dig deep, and seek out the truth. Even with their small part of the plot, Lou's mom and her friend Carol are awesome, tough women you would want to know.
This is an extraordinary, unique, complex well-written mystery that is engrossing from start to finish. It is both fast paced and satisfying. You will not be able to predict the ending, which is a wonderfully remarkable occurrence and encouraged me to continue reading late into the night. The actual mystery/thriller is strong, compelling, and unparalleled in the plot and characters. The final denouement was very satisfying.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Snafublishing.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2021/1...
October 11, 2021
Thanks to NetGalley and Snafublishing for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.
4.5 stars
I went back and reread the book description so I don't give anything away. Lou McCarthy is a SF based reporter trying to expose powerful male predators (bro-ciopaths--love this term!) in Silicon Valley. Two powerful men with checkered pasts are killed in one night and Lou is in the middle of things. Who is the great and powerful wizard behind the curtain manipulating everyone?
There is so much more going on than the recap. I loved how the author covered so many important topics: about how women are treated in tech (ok, more than just in tech); the impact of a company knowing all about people and anticipating their next want/needs; how powerful people get to play by a different set of rules; what people are willing to do for money; doxing; and more.
1414° is also a great thriller as Lou meets different people and try to figure out whom she can trust. The book really grew on me, moving up from a solid 4 stars to closer to a 5. I highly recommend this book and look forward to more novels from Paul Bradley Carr.
4.5 stars
I went back and reread the book description so I don't give anything away. Lou McCarthy is a SF based reporter trying to expose powerful male predators (bro-ciopaths--love this term!) in Silicon Valley. Two powerful men with checkered pasts are killed in one night and Lou is in the middle of things. Who is the great and powerful wizard behind the curtain manipulating everyone?
There is so much more going on than the recap. I loved how the author covered so many important topics: about how women are treated in tech (ok, more than just in tech); the impact of a company knowing all about people and anticipating their next want/needs; how powerful people get to play by a different set of rules; what people are willing to do for money; doxing; and more.
1414° is also a great thriller as Lou meets different people and try to figure out whom she can trust. The book really grew on me, moving up from a solid 4 stars to closer to a 5. I highly recommend this book and look forward to more novels from Paul Bradley Carr.
October 6, 2021
STUPENDOUS! I loved this fast paces Silicon Valley Thriller and you will too!
Lou is a hard nosed female journalist trying to expose the toxic culture of the tech world.
She has a lead on a secret regarding the biggest billionaire firm of all and in attempting to expose it, she is outsmarted and fired from her job.. Essentially homeless and jobless she is not ready to give up on taking down RAUM industries when a mysterious individual names Fate reaches out to her for assistance. SO MANY things happen that it's hard to believe this is only one novel. Paul Bradley Carr did a great job describing the world and the scenes that I finished this in one sitting! Lou and several other women are highlighted as fast thinkers and quick witted in the worst of times (which happens quite a bit in this explosive and twisty novel). Complex, engaging, terrifying and awesome. My only critique is I wanted a bit more tied up a the end! Highly Recommend if you like a fast pace thriller, some feminism and commentary on the world as a whole. #NetGalley #1414
Lou is a hard nosed female journalist trying to expose the toxic culture of the tech world.
She has a lead on a secret regarding the biggest billionaire firm of all and in attempting to expose it, she is outsmarted and fired from her job.. Essentially homeless and jobless she is not ready to give up on taking down RAUM industries when a mysterious individual names Fate reaches out to her for assistance. SO MANY things happen that it's hard to believe this is only one novel. Paul Bradley Carr did a great job describing the world and the scenes that I finished this in one sitting! Lou and several other women are highlighted as fast thinkers and quick witted in the worst of times (which happens quite a bit in this explosive and twisty novel). Complex, engaging, terrifying and awesome. My only critique is I wanted a bit more tied up a the end! Highly Recommend if you like a fast pace thriller, some feminism and commentary on the world as a whole. #NetGalley #1414
October 12, 2021
So timely. Wow! This was a lot of fun to read--a satiric thriller about the "brociopaths" in Silicon Valley whose only concern is to make money with no regard for how much damage their social media platforms wreak. It all sounds so-familiar. Self-driving cars that run over and kill people. Social media platforms that encourage hordes of amped-up rednecks to doxx outspoken women and use location services to hunt them down.
An almost washed-up San Francisco journalist publishes an unverified, too-good-to-be-true story on the eve of the IPO of a massive company--its founder has been charged with rape. She knows publishing it could mean the end of her career, but she can't resist. This sets her on a rather spectacular collision course with some of the richest and most entitled tech giants in the world and puts her in imminent peril.
I just felt like a good, up-to-the-minute story that I was in the mood for, and I think other people will be, too. It may be fiction, but it rings true.
An almost washed-up San Francisco journalist publishes an unverified, too-good-to-be-true story on the eve of the IPO of a massive company--its founder has been charged with rape. She knows publishing it could mean the end of her career, but she can't resist. This sets her on a rather spectacular collision course with some of the richest and most entitled tech giants in the world and puts her in imminent peril.
I just felt like a good, up-to-the-minute story that I was in the mood for, and I think other people will be, too. It may be fiction, but it rings true.
June 28, 2022
This was a delightfully fun thriller and mystery! It's based in Silicon Valley, centered around Lou McCarthy, a journalist who writes a scandalous expose about a tech company's CTO, Alex Wu. A few hours later, after a counter-article is printed refuting the claims, Alex Wu commits suicide and Lou's life turns upside down. She is approached by another sort-of investigator, Helen Tyler, who seems to want to help Lou reveal the darker secrets at play with this company.
I am someone who typically guesses how a thriller/mystery will end and who is rarely surprised. I know, I sound so arrogant right now but I am only saying this because I really didn't expect a few of the twists and turns that this story led me through! I commend Paul Bradley Carr for writing a FMC who was brave, curious, determined, strong and someone that you really rooted for. The nuance in many of the characters was fascinating and it made me really think about whose "side" I was on.
It left me thinking of that TikTok audio.. "I support women's rights but more importantly, I support women's wrongs." LOL! This is quite the feminist rollercoaster ride and I loved every second of it!
I am someone who typically guesses how a thriller/mystery will end and who is rarely surprised. I know, I sound so arrogant right now but I am only saying this because I really didn't expect a few of the twists and turns that this story led me through! I commend Paul Bradley Carr for writing a FMC who was brave, curious, determined, strong and someone that you really rooted for. The nuance in many of the characters was fascinating and it made me really think about whose "side" I was on.
It left me thinking of that TikTok audio.. "I support women's rights but more importantly, I support women's wrongs." LOL! This is quite the feminist rollercoaster ride and I loved every second of it!
October 11, 2021
What is 1414° ?
Lou McCarthy is a journalist who specializes in exposing important people who do bad things. This time she has her sights set on Alex Wu, chief technology officer at Rahm And inventor of the Rahm Band. Little did she know that another event in Alex’s life was much more devastating than anything she was planning to do. Planning, but not succeeding. A twisted series of events after this leaves Lou homeless, desperate, and somehow invited to the grand revelation of Rahm’s next and greatest project. What’s going on?
This is one of those novels that captures your curiosity then leads you on a path without telling you where you’re going. It wraps you up in the adventure then plays with your imagination while you’re being led through one plot twist after another. A great story, well written and scripted to keep you guessing. I loved it!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Lou McCarthy is a journalist who specializes in exposing important people who do bad things. This time she has her sights set on Alex Wu, chief technology officer at Rahm And inventor of the Rahm Band. Little did she know that another event in Alex’s life was much more devastating than anything she was planning to do. Planning, but not succeeding. A twisted series of events after this leaves Lou homeless, desperate, and somehow invited to the grand revelation of Rahm’s next and greatest project. What’s going on?
This is one of those novels that captures your curiosity then leads you on a path without telling you where you’re going. It wraps you up in the adventure then plays with your imagination while you’re being led through one plot twist after another. A great story, well written and scripted to keep you guessing. I loved it!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
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