The Potrero Complex

by Amy L. Bernstein

Journalist Rags Goldner is battle-scarred and heartbroken after covering a devastating pandemic that rages in Baltimore for five years. She leaves the city with her partner in search of a simpler life in small-town Maryland—only to discover nothing in Canary is simple. A teenager is missing, and it falls to Rags to fight the forces of apathy, paranoia, and creeping fascism to learn the shocking truth about Effie Rutter's fate—and the fate of thousands like her.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Dystopia

Kindle Edition

Published August 2, 2022

About the author

Amy L. Bernstein writes award-winning fiction and nonfiction, with a particular interest in the power of dystopian literature to stretch the boundaries of realism by using imagined futures to interrogate the truths we live with now. Amy brings a compassionate and insightful voice to the challenges and joys of the artistic process at writers' conferences around the U.S. She is the author of five previous novels and a nonfiction book of inspiration for creatives. A former journalist, Amy also works as a book coach, helping nonfiction authors craft compelling book proposals. She welcomes followers to her weekly Substack, where she amplifies the joys and challenges of the creative life.

When not glued to a screen, she loves listening to jazz and classical music, drinking wine with friends, and exploring Baltimore, Maryland's glorious neighborhoods, which inspire her fiction.

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

First and foremost, a large thank you to Reedsy Discovery and Amy L. Bernstein for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.

After being handed this ARC by Amy L. Bernstein, I was curious to see how things would play out. Set in the near future, the story is a little mystery, with a peppering of dystopia and some self-discovery tossed in for good measure. Bernstein keeps things unique and memorable for the reader, even if the product may not have been something that gripped me as much as I would have liked.

Rags Goldner has been though a great deal after a pandemic has taken hold over the world for the last number of years. She’s seeking a fresh start and leaves with her partner, Flint, for a small Maryland town, hoping to find herself once more. The town of Canary offers much to Rags, including a missing teenager, who is all the talk of the town. Effie Rutter must be out there,but Rags must also cut through a bunch of emotional red tape to get to the truth. The mystery rages on with little hope of a simple answer.

While Rags and Flint try to pick up the pieces, they are faced with some daunting experiences that will push them to the brink. This is a new world, one where hope hangs by a thread and no one appears to know what waits around the corner. Both will have to pull up their bootstraps and face reality, even if it does not have all the answers they hope to find. Plus, with Effie still out there, someone has to care enough to push onwards and not let sensationalised journalism take over. Bernstein does well to paint a dreary picture, even if the content was not as tantalizing as I might have hoped.

Amy L. Bernstein has shown that she can write and has a great deal to say. Her delivery is strong and she has ideas to share, but it is perhaps the content that failed to grip me to its fullest extend. Dystopian novels are hit and miss for me, as are things surrounding some ominous larger event. Still, Bernstein does well to keep the story moving forward and kept me guessing how things might resolve themselves by the final page turn.

Good novels have a strong narrative, while great ones pull you in and won’t let go until all is settled. For me, Bernstein offered up something good and kept things flowing with ease. Her narrative is well-paced and allows characters to set their personalities as the larger story progresses. There are some wonderful plot twists and that helps the reader see how the protagonists evolve throughout the piece. I was not as hooked as the dust jacket blurb would have led me to hope, but that may be my short attention span these days. I needed something with more action and a quicker delivery. All the same, many readers may really enjoy Bernstein’s work and I wish them well!

Kudos, Madam Bernstein, for a great effort. I hope many find something wonderful in what you have to say and latch on.

Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/

[NovelFindsPodcast · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rags Goldner, a realistic, if not slightly cynical, journalist has just landed in a small town. Looking to escape the big city life with her partner, Flint, they find a place in Canary, Maryland. Rags has arrived to be the editor-in-chief of the local newspaper, only to find this town full of eerie and paranoid citizens. Her co-worker, Merry, is anything but. The town council would rather deal with the fading pandemic than the slew of missing teenagers. And the PHP, public health police, seem to have more jurisdiction than the actual sheriff of the town.

Set in the near future after a catastrophic pandemic, the dystopian/mystery/thriller checks a lot of boxes. Do they all pan out in a predictable way? No. But that is just how Amy Bernstein likes to play. It could have sequels following different characters about town, and I would be interested in reading them because they were all multi-dimensional and quite compelling. There are a lot of things that leave room for the imagination, but the mystery does get solved by the end.

[Aria Harlow · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good read, it was well written with a good plotline and well developed characters that kept me engaged the whole way through. This was such an interesting read especially give the recent experience of a pandemic it made this book easy to relate to, and with the state of the world at the moment this book was very believeable.

[Wall-to-wall books - wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

MY THOUGHTS -

Fast forward to 2030 in a post five-year pandemic world. They called it "The Big One " and if you survived you were on of the "Luckies". The author gave this a dystopian/post-apocalyptic feel which I absolutely love!

The two main characters, Rags and her partner Flint, two survivors set out in search of small town life in an attempt to escape the big city. Rags, it seems, has a horrible backstory which is slowly, kind of, revealed to us throughout the book as flashbacks and nightmares. Absolutely loved Rags, she was like a reporter vigilante. She is tough as nails, takes no crap from anyone, speaks her mind, and does what she wants... and I loved her! Flint, on the other hand was a total introvert. Quiet, sticking only to his computer world, coming out (often late at night) only when he has to, possibly to eat because he forgot to earlier. They are about as opposite as you can get.

There are a few different things going on in this book (post pandemic life, missing teens, and the Potrero complex) the author does a great job of keeping it all easy to follow and understandable. It kind of has a non-ending, which normally I hate, but it kind of works for this. I felt, ok about it. But, don't get me wrong! I want more Rags! I want a book 2! I want to know what happens!

I could absolutely see this being a movie or a limited series. So much fun. I am a big fan of the "Jessica Jones" series. I kept picturing Rags as "Jessica". The personality seemed to fit for me.

I have quite a few books already selected for my top 10 books of the year. But this one might just be IT. This one might just be my favorite book of the year. It’s going to take something pretty darn special to knock this one off the podium.

Fun, interesting, edgy... Fantastic read!

I voluntarily posted this review after receiving a copy of this book from Partners in Crime Tours - Thank You!

[Karen Siddall · Rating 4 out of 5]

With its compelling plot, vivid setting, and likable characters, I think this story would make a great film.

The Potrero Complex was a puzzling and compelling mystery set only a few years into the future after a viral pandemic had decimated the country’s population, economy, and way of life. The randomness and the magnitude of the virus, for which no vaccine or cure was ever found, combined with real-life current events, made for a very dark, frightening, and realistic plot and setting.

I liked and was readily engaged by the main characters, Rags and Flint. They came to town relieved for a fresh start, and as events unfold, both they and their relationship undergo some very realistic changes. Each takes different and exciting paths to deal with what’s happening in Canary.

The truth behind the mystery of the missing teenagers is revealed from Effie Rutter’s point of view, and there was a twist I never anticipated. However, questions remained unanswered at the story’s end and may set up a series featuring Rags, Flint, and the aftermath of the events in Canary. I would most assuredly stand in line for more.

With its compelling plot, vivid setting, and likable characters, I could easily visualize this story, and I think it would make a great film. I recommend THE POTRERO COMPLEX for speculative fiction, dystopian, and mystery readers.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours.

[Kindlelover 1220 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Journalist Rags and her partner Flint decide to leave Baltimore. Baltimore has been plagued by a pandemic for the past five years. They both lost family members to this pandemic and decide that they need to move away. They choose a small town, Canary. They think this a perfect fit for them after the devastation and heartbreak they experienced in a big city. Rags starts working for the small town paper and is adjusting to this new life. Soon, a local teenager disappears and others follows. Deep dark secrets from this town come to light after Rags digs deeper into the missing teens. An eerie read because we lived through a pandemic. A scary dystopian story that is a well written and it reminds us that people have different fight or flight levels during a a pandemic. A very engaging story.

Disclaimer: Thank you to Hidden Gems , I received this review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Josi G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am uncertain how I feel about this one. On one hand I enjoyed the author and writing style and was sucked into the future and the story; in the other hand I am unsure of the importance of the title in relation to the small mention/part that it played in the book; I kept waiting for more, a connection; something, that never came. Also wondering if there will be a second book maybe? I feel like I was left with more questions than answers at the end.

[Aaron Heinsman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this page-turner. Taut mystery that subverts the genre by not actually providing all the clear answers, yet still leaves the reader fully satisfied and eager for more.

An angry, idealistic tale about resisting authoritarianism and reclaiming one’s humanity in the aftermath of a global pandemic…doesn’t exploit Covid but rather uses it as the backdrop for a rumination on our potential future.

Full disclosure: the author is a friend.

[Karla Huebner]

The Potrero Complex takes us to a dystopian near future in which the world is reeling after years of a pandemic even worse than Covid-19. The journalist "Rags" Goldner and her partner Flint, a computer data expert, both of whom have lost family to the contagion, have left behind big-city life in the hopes that small-town life in Canary, where Rags has been offered editorship of the local paper, will be better. Well, it's not better. A teen has disappeared, soon followed by another; the few remaining townspeople are dispirited and not very friendly (or in fact downright hostile), and Rags soon gets into disputes with the town leaders about her reporting, her refusal to keep wearing a mask and checking her temperature, and much, much more.

This is an interesting book to read at the present moment in history, given that it addresses matters of pandemic response, human trafficking, incipient fascism, hacking and data mining, personal privacy, indigenous rights, and even how couples under stress navigate their relationships.

Does it succeed in all it attempts? I'm not sure. It did hold my interest, but I often felt as if I was reading a small portion of a larger work, and that there was an awful lot that was never clarified or wrapped up. To take a somewhat trivial example, we learn that Rags is legally Polly, but we never learn why or how this journalist in her early thirties came to be known as Rags, or for that matter why she was named Polly (not exactly a common baby name in the late 1990s). We don't have to know why re either name, but the reader does wonder, and there are other, much more significant matters that remain unexplained or unresolved at the end of the book, so by the end a reader may feel that not quite enough has been told about some of these things (I'm avoiding spoilers here).

This is a generally well-written tale that will appeal to fans of dystopian fiction and others who may be wondering what could lie in store for us in the next few years. My thanks to NetGalley and Regal House for making an advance reader copy available in exchange for an honest review.

[Lata · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.
After a severe pandemic, populations are vastly reduced, and conventions and traditions are damaged, perhaps irrevocably. No one has been spared, and everyone has someone(s) to grieve for. Two years have passed, and though there are still small outbreaks, it looks like the pandemic has finally mostly been beat. There is a name for those who managed to survive, the Luckies, and there is a range of beliefs amongst them, from continued vigilance against infection, to complete flouting of safety measures.

Polly, a.k.a Rags, and Flint move to the small town of Canary to rebuild their lives. Flint is a software engineer, while Rags is a journalist. She’s in town to take over the Editor-in-Chief position at the local paper, while Flint is eager to start work on his military contract (something he’s hiding from Rags). Both have endured much loss during the pandemic, and hope to restart their lives; their relationship started during the pandemic, and they're wondering who they are now to each other now that life is seemingly returning to normal.

Almost immediately upon starting at the paper, Rags earns the ire of a coworker, and some members of council and the local health officer, Piper. He is missing the days when he was in power, and everyone was frightened of contracting the infection. Piper is not happy the importance of his role is diminishing.

Rags quickly runs afoul of Piper; she has no desire to continue following the safety measures put in place some years earlier. Rags is also reluctant to inquire into the case of a missing teen in town, even though as an investigative reporter, she should normally be intrigued by a teen whose disappearance is not easily explained away as running away.

Others, such as the town council, and Piper, want Rags to focus the paper's stories on what they tell her is important. In fact, it becomes apparent quickly that these people, want to control the running of the town through inflaming fears of a new infection and this just rubs Rags the wrong way. Rags begins using her platform to protest against the town's tightening health measures. Then, another teen disappears, and meanwhile, we get the POV of the town's first disappeared teen, who recounts the horrifying situation she’s in.

Eventually, Rags begins investigating the missing teens, while the town council decides to impose restrictive laws on its population.

What I didn't like about this book:
-I felt a wee bit confused differentiating characters, and could not get a good sense of who some of the people were.
-Rags and Flint were the only two given any significant attention to character development. Others were a little too thin or, in the case of Piper, too moustache-twirly to feel like believable.
-Rags' attitude to continued safety measures was both understandable and a little concerning. Everyone is tired of prevention after years of fear and isolation. But I also had a problem with Rags' belief that any safety measures going forward were nothing more than performance. This felt a little too much like the attitudes of people who refused to follow any health directives or take into consideration the vulnerability of many during COVID.
-I thought Rags’ about face regarding investigating the teens’ disappearances to be a little too swift.

What I liked about this book:
-I liked the way people had developed a bartering system; so much has changed because there just aren’t enough people to maintain the pre-pandemic systems or conventions.
-Rags is dismissive of others’ feelings, often rude, and unwilling to confront her own feelings of loss. She’s sometimes abrasive and unsympathetic, making her developing willingness to connect with people to investigate the disappearances welcome.

On balance, I liked this book's fast pace, and the idea of how people might pick up after a devastating pandemic. The reasons behind the disappearances were pretty horrifying, and I’d be interested in finding out more about how the system for the kidnappings was set up.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Regal House Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my review.

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bernstein says she likes to make people think. She has sure done so with this novel. This is not a mystery so much as it is an exploration into the psyche of humankind when stressed by a very serious pandemic. We are made aware of people plagued by fear and the subsequent actions that fear can produce. The plot is a good example of what fear of the unknown can generate. In this case people fear the outbreak of a new strain of a virus more deadly than anything humans had experienced. We also see how some can use that fear to manipulate people with an aim to achieve power.

The mystery of the missing teens takes a back seat while the narrative centers on Rags and her current behavior based on her past, something of which we get hints. I did not find Rags a particularly likable character as she did cause some of her own troubles. But I did appreciate her standing firm in the face of opposition.

This is a good novel for readers who like to be challenged with what might happen based on an extrapolation of recent events. This story is a reminder of how quickly a situation and the leaders over it can go horribly wrong. While I would have preferred a neatly tied up ending, it is left a bit open. Perhaps more of Bernstein making us think about how we might see it all ending.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this book through Partners in Crime Book Tours. My comments are an independent and honest review.

[Grady · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘So many people in crisis’ - Exploring possibilities for action in a superb novel

Maryland author Amy L. Bernstein writes stage plays, short stories, poetry, and novels in addition to her contributions as a journalist and a nonfiction book coach. Her insights into journalism prove invaluable in composing this excellent novel that steps in to the dystopian realm with ease. Her ability to capture attention is present as she opens the portal of this at times very realistic story: ‘Missing: A teenaged girl with lanky blonde hair and a sunburst tattoo on her cheek. The holographic posters, brighter than day itself, lit up the air on every block of Main Street. They were the first things Rags Goldner noticed as she and her partner, Flint Sten, arrived in Canary. The girl’s name was Effie and she was sixteen. Effie’s pixilated image beamed down at Rags like a celebrity unaware that her fifteen minutes of fame were up…’ A further view of what these characters will discover - ‘Journalist Rags Goldner is battle-scarred and heartbroken after covering a devastating pandemic that rages in Baltimore for five years. She leaves the city with her partner in search of a simpler life in small-town Maryland—only to discover nothing in Canary is simple. A teenager is missing, and it falls to Rags to fight the forces of apathy, paranoia, and creeping fascism to learn the shocking truth about Effie Rutter's fate—and the fate of thousands like her.’

In addition to being a well-scribed suspense story, the events that take place in this near future post-pandemic little town describe many of our current anxieties and frustrations that fill social media as well as newspapers and television journalism as we traverse the disruption to ‘ordinary life’ and environmental changes. That aspect of Bernstein’s novel encourages introspection and reevaluation of analyzing the ‘now’ as it could become. Food for thought as well as a penetratingly fine new novel. Highly recommended
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book

[Squid Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, bear with me on this. I completely got Stephen King vibes from this book. I really enjoyed it and have earmarked a few of her other books to read next.

It was well written and I only noticed 2 or 3 typos which is brilliant.

I really enjoyed the seamless way that LGBTQIA+ characters were introduced without fanfare and without explanation. I liked the parallels to the pandemic being shown throughout this. I liked the way that the fascism crept up slowly, one step at a time working on panic and fear, with the town suspicious at the beginning. I liked that it was a woman who was the hero.

I liked the way that Rags and Flint related to each other. Flints character reminded me of people in my life and weirdly gave me an insight into them. I liked the side plot about Flint and night-hawking and it gave me a better understanding about native heritage.

Basically there was not a lot I didn't like about this book! But, some of the characters could have been better fleshed out or absorbed into each other. The whole side about Tiffany and the kidnapping felt like it was added post production and was weaker then the other story. However, this was a necessary addition for the potential of sequels so...

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would definitely read more by the author.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Nancy Clements · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in the future and following a devastating pandemic, Bernstein calls “The Big One,” there seems to be only three kinds of people left in the world – many who surrendered their free will and gave up on life, a few who took advantage of the situation and took over, and even less who continue to fight for justice and against tyranny.

Journalist Polly “Rags” Goldner falls into this last lonely category. When she moves herself and her partner to a small-town for a fresh start, as the new editor of the local paper things seem askew, and her frustration grows when she becomes a target for reporting the truth. With a missing teenager, no leads, and no one seeming to care, except the girl’s mother, Rags relies on her journalistic tendencies to question, poke, and provoke the town folk for answers. Her frustration and impatience grow when a second child is taken in what appears to be a broader issue.

The main character seems to be saying “is anybody else seeing this,” and nope, no one is. It’s a feeling we all get when we see people taking advantage of others and no one is there to stop them. It’s frustrating, scary, and becoming reality.

I really enjoyed reading this story because it’s a commentary of what is likely to happen in our own world without a free press and unless people like Rags step up.

[Joshua Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amy Bernstein brings us a really tense conspiracy thriller with the Potrero Complex! After some rough years of reporting on tough stories, journalist Rags Goldner leaves the big city in search of a simpler life in a small town. But when a girl goes missing, Rags discovers that her life is anything but simple, and that people will do all sorts of terrifying things when they’re afraid. Bernstein packs secrets into every corner of the town Canary, and I enjoyed unpacking each one of them! This was a tense novel of discovery, but it also does a great job of exploring that tenuous balance between freedom and security, and the lengths people will go to to try to preserve either. If you’re looking for a good conspiracy thriller with a deep look at morality, come search for missing Effie in The Potrero Complex!

[Susan Blissett · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting story which is very relatable both in terms of the characters and the pandemic. The main characters are different from one another and their feelings are explained in an understanding and empathetic way. The author has a good writing style, that is easy to follow, with interesting descriptive language that makes you feel like you are there. I feel like there could be even more events happening in the story and avenues that could be explored, but overall it kept me entertained.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author via Voracious Readers Only, thank you, and all thoughts are my own.

[Jade C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book.

I thoroughly enjoyed the writing style of this book and how engaging it was. The story was less about Effie (which was what I was expecting the book to be about) and more about life post-pandemic. I'm not sure if I would have enjoyed this book the same having not lived through a global pandemic. However, it was nice to read about a different pandemic and things they did to keep people safe and to read about life after a pandemic and how things never really go back to 'normal'.

[Newlyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author via Voracious Readers Only in exchange for a honest review

This was an interesting read considering the recent pandemic and all. I enjoyed the writing style, it's fast paced and a little bit quirky, with relateable characters and plenty of drama. There was a lot going on in this story. It was busy and messy, in much the same way that life can be sometimes, where you just don't know what might happen next

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was drawn into this story immediately. Bernstein has created a world that is familiar to all of us. We are all living with the after affects of a world pandemic, in The Potrero Complex we witness what can happen if our fears are weaponized by those in power. What are we willing to give-up to feel safe? With well developed characters and taut writing, Bernstein is an author I would read again.

[Swati Tanu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amy L. Bernstein narrates the tale of journalist Rags Goldner in "The Potrero Complex," who is wounded and heartbroken after spending five years reporting a horrific pandemic that rages in Baltimore. Rags and her partner decide to move to a tiny town in Maryland in hopes of a simpler life, but they quickly discover that nothing is straightforward in Canary.

When a teen goes missing as soon as they get there, Rags is left to battle indifference, paranoia, and nefarious fascism in order to uncover the horrific truth about Effie Rutter's fate and the fate of hundreds of others. You will be on the edge of your seat the entire time you read this book since it is that dramatic and captivating. Bernstein's creation of the characters is one of this book's merits. Rag is a compelling lead character who is easy to root for, and the supporting cast members are also well-rounded and give the narrative depth. The plot is cleverly devised and full of surprises that keep the reader guessing right up to the very end.

The book's setting is also quite well done. The location of a little Maryland town is both recognisable and unsettling, and the community and its residents are vividly and emotionally described. The book's examination of the themes of indifference, paranoia, and fascism is both thought-provoking and unsettling because they are all too current in today's world. The Potrero Complex is a compelling book that will keep you wondering right up to the very end. The descriptive language of Bernstein and the skillfully developed characters make for a thoroughly enjoyable book. This is a book you won't want to miss if you're seeking one that will keep you on the tip of your seat.

You might like to wander through a few artistic journals — they’re full of sparks and surprises.