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Morris Baker #1
Beat the Devils
This inventive, page-turning crime thriller, shortlisted for the Sidewise Award, with "palpable emotional depth" (New York Times Book Review) envisions a world in which the Red Scare never ended.USA, 1958. President Joseph McCarthy sits in the White House, elected on a wave of populist xenophobia and barely‑concealed anti‑Semitism. The country is in the firm grip of McCarthy's Hueys, a secret police force evolved from the House Un-American Activities Committee. Hollywood's sparkling vision of the American dream has been suppressed; its remaining talents forced to turn out endless anti‑communist propaganda. LAPD detective Morris Baker—a Holocaust survivor who drowns his fractured memories of the unspeakable in schnapps and work—is called to the scene of a horrific double‑homicide. The victims are John Huston, a once‑promising but now forgotten film director, and an up‑and‑coming young journalist named Walter Cronkite. Clutched in the hand of one of the dead men is a cryptic note containing the phrase “beat the devils” followed by a single Baker. Did the two men die in an attack fueled by better-dead-than-red sentiment, as the Hueys are quick to conclude, or were they murdered in a cover-up designed to protect—or even set in motion—a secret plot connected to Baker's past? In a country where terror grows stronger by the day, and paranoia rises unchecked, Baker is determined to find justice for two men who raised their voices in a time when free speech comes at the ultimate cost. In the course of his investigation, Baker stumbles into a conspiracy that reaches deep into the halls of power and uncovers a secret that could destroy the City of Angels—and the American ideal itself.
350 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 22, 2022
43 people are currently reading
3519 people want to read
About the author
Josh Weiss
3 books47 followersJosh Weiss is an author from South Jersey. Raised in a proud Jewish home, he was instilled with an appreciation for his cultural heritage from a very young age. Today, Josh is utterly fascinated with the convergence of Judaism and popular culture in film, television, comics, literature, and other media. After college, he became a freelance entertainment journalist, writing stories for SYFY WIRE, The Hollywood Reporter, Forbes, and Marvel Entertainment. He currently resides in Philadelphia with his incredible wife, Leora; their adorable Cavapoo, Archie; as well as an extensive collection of graphic T-shirts, movie posters, vinyl records, and a few books, of course.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews
April 14, 2022
In this alternative history novel, it's 1958 and Joseph McCarthy is President of the United States.
Joseph McCarthy
McCarthy and his Republican Party believe that communists, Russian spies, and Soviet sympathizers have infested America, and McCarthy is determined to ferret them out of the government, universities, movie industry, and other walks of life.
McCarthy is also rabidly anti-Semitic and enthusiastically persecutes people of Judaic origin. To get rid of 'unwanted elements', McCarthy's acolytes on the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) - called Hueys - arrest, beat up, torture, imprison, and deport commies and Jews.
One of McCarthy's most visible targets is the film industry, which now consists largely of a single studio called the 'United American Pictures Studio', that puts out anti-communist movies and other propaganda.
One of the few big film stars still working is Humphrey Bogart, who's now a drunk that makes films such as ' It Came From Planet Communist' and 'The Communist Kind.' Most of these films have a similar plot - a Communist, be it a spy or space alien, tries to ruin the American way of life and the brave democracy-loving hero (Humphrey Bogart) stops them cold in their tracks.
In this atmosphere, disgraced film director John Huston and journalist Walter Cronkite are found shot to death in Huston's house.
John Huston
Walter Cronkite
LAPD Detective Morris Baker - a Jewish Holocaust survivor from Czechoslovakia who lives in a dingy apartment, is always drunk on peach schnapps, and has nightmares about being tortured in concentration camp - is assigned the case.
However two HUAC Inspectors show up and take over the inquiries.
Before Baker leaves Huston's house, however, he finds a note in Cronkite's clenched fist that contains the words "Beat the Devils" and "Baker."
The Hueys characterize Huston and Cronkite as a pair of Commie-loving lavender lads (gay men) and essentially bury the investigation. Detective Morris Baker won't let it drop, however, and - as he unearths clues about a liberty-loving group working against McCarthy - Morris is continually harassed and tormented by HUAC minions.
As the story unfolds we learn that various groups - including one led by former Nazi scientist Wernher von Braun, who is now working for the United States aerospace industry - have hatched a plot to frame Detective Baker for a horrific crime. The ultimate goal is to turn the American people against Jews in the United States.
Wernher von Braun
The novel takes the form of a mid-1900s noir, with a beleaguered hero that interacts with a beautiful mysterious woman.
Thus the book contains the requisite sex scenes and a protagonist that's clunked on the head, kicked, beaten with a baseball bat, has his teeth knocked out, shot at, etc. The book has an over-the-top comic book vibe, but it's an interesting plot and a wake-up call about extremists gaining power in America.
Thanks to Netgalley, Josh Weiss, and Grand Central Publishing for a copy of the book.
You can follow my reviews at https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot.com
March 25, 2022
This was so neat! I haven't read a book that was set like this or written like this ever. It felt like an older black and white mystery with jazzy music playing in the background. A totally different vibe than any other dystopian type read. The people were super interesting. I was hooked in fast, and the twists through me right off the couch lol! This was a fun read. Anyone who likes mystery, dystopian, noir ...try it out.
March 31, 2022
I was really intrigued by this book, but god how terrible it turned out to be. An intriguing alternate history premise is literally the only thing the book has going for it. And what little there is to credit gets completely drowned by how it treats women.
"Today she wore a white blouse patterned with daisies tucked into a brown velvet skirt that stopped just above her knees. The outfit accentuated her hourglass body and perfectly rounded breasts and—not for the first time—Baker imagined her out of those clothes and in his ruffled bed."
"This was a perfect specimen of the opposite sex. Baker guessed that he wasn’t the only guy in the room whose slacks were beginning to feel a little too tight." (I keep forgetting to point out that this description is a WIDOW who has arrived with her CRYING DAUGHTER to talk about her husband who has just been found brutally murdered.)
"Sophia came out of the bathroom wrapped in one of Baker’s few clean towels, all her curves showing through the damp fabric."
And don't forget the lovely trope "All Bad Guys Are Rapists." The author tries very hard to sell Sophia as a Strong Female Character, but she only exists for the main character to have sex with, exposit to, and so she can be threatened with rape/mutilation by the villains. She's a useless character who stomps into the room and screams LOOK HOW EMPOWERED I AM right before she strips down and needs to be rescued. (She does have at least one hero moment, but it rings false given everything we've seen from her before. She never comes across as someone who is capable of the things the book claims she can do).
Another woman is introduced naked, serves only to be a warm body the main character indulges in sometimes, and then betrays him because she's jealous. Because women, amiright?
Not long ago, I looked at my goal to read more female authors and thought, "It really doesn't make THAT much of a difference." I'm grateful for this book if only to remind me that... yeah, there are men out there who really do write women like this, and get heaps of praise for it.
Definitely never picking up another Josh Weiss book again. Pure garbage.
"Today she wore a white blouse patterned with daisies tucked into a brown velvet skirt that stopped just above her knees. The outfit accentuated her hourglass body and perfectly rounded breasts and—not for the first time—Baker imagined her out of those clothes and in his ruffled bed."
"This was a perfect specimen of the opposite sex. Baker guessed that he wasn’t the only guy in the room whose slacks were beginning to feel a little too tight." (I keep forgetting to point out that this description is a WIDOW who has arrived with her CRYING DAUGHTER to talk about her husband who has just been found brutally murdered.)
"Sophia came out of the bathroom wrapped in one of Baker’s few clean towels, all her curves showing through the damp fabric."
And don't forget the lovely trope "All Bad Guys Are Rapists." The author tries very hard to sell Sophia as a Strong Female Character, but she only exists for the main character to have sex with, exposit to, and so she can be threatened with rape/mutilation by the villains. She's a useless character who stomps into the room and screams LOOK HOW EMPOWERED I AM right before she strips down and needs to be rescued. (She does have at least one hero moment, but it rings false given everything we've seen from her before. She never comes across as someone who is capable of the things the book claims she can do).
Another woman is introduced naked, serves only to be a warm body the main character indulges in sometimes, and then betrays him because she's jealous. Because women, amiright?
Not long ago, I looked at my goal to read more female authors and thought, "It really doesn't make THAT much of a difference." I'm grateful for this book if only to remind me that... yeah, there are men out there who really do write women like this, and get heaps of praise for it.
Definitely never picking up another Josh Weiss book again. Pure garbage.
April 11, 2024
This was a bit overwritten and stressful a read for me.
Dialogue was hit and miss- realistic at times, ridiculous at others.
The alternate reality aspect of this speculative crime thriller gives it a considerable lift but the plot involves living in an America where the hatred of Jews in Hitler’s era has been transferred to America and has been stoked by President Joe McCarthy under the guise of anti-Communist sentiment.
Sure, Hitler’s gone, Germany & the Axis have been defeated but not all that much has changed for the world.
It is exceedingly unpleasant to read anti-Semitic dogma -even if fictionalized for dramatic effect.
My first feel-bad genre novel of 2024.
Many detective fiction fans will absolutely love this book.
I’m not sorry.
I’m just glad it’s over.
Dialogue was hit and miss- realistic at times, ridiculous at others.
The alternate reality aspect of this speculative crime thriller gives it a considerable lift but the plot involves living in an America where the hatred of Jews in Hitler’s era has been transferred to America and has been stoked by President Joe McCarthy under the guise of anti-Communist sentiment.
Sure, Hitler’s gone, Germany & the Axis have been defeated but not all that much has changed for the world.
It is exceedingly unpleasant to read anti-Semitic dogma -even if fictionalized for dramatic effect.
My first feel-bad genre novel of 2024.
Many detective fiction fans will absolutely love this book.
I’m not sorry.
I’m just glad it’s over.
March 12, 2022
This book is a fascinating thought experiment. Suppose McCarthyism was so successful that Joseph McCarthy was elected president. Suppose his conspiracy mongering, anti-Semitism, and witch-hunting paranoia infused everyday life. Suppose further that this political persecution became deadly. Weiss paints an evocatively vivid and detailed portrait of life in such a society, which we see from the perspective of Morris Baker, an LAPD detective and Holocaust survivor. We follow Baker as he attempts to get to the bottom of the murder of director John Huston and journalist Walter Cronkite, and in doing so, gets himself wrapped up in a web of deceit, lies, espionage, and murder. I had a tremendously good time getting to know a world in which I am very thankful not to live (though one has to admit that, in some details, this dystopia is not quite as unfamiliar to us as we might like it to be). Check it out!
April 2, 2022
Clever premise, but it’s not well written, and the story devolves into comic book absurdity. I applaud the good intentions and the historical awareness the author is promoting, but there’s no subtlety or sophistication here at all in the plot or the writing.
April 1, 2022
Interesting premise but after a decent start it goes right down into the trash.
March 13, 2022
First and foremost, a huge thank you to Grand Central Publishing for sending me an ARC of this incredible crime thriller!
I can only describe the writing style of Beat the Devils by Josh Weiss as noir fiction at its finest. Snappy, terse dialogue from morally flawed characters; hazy, filthy smoke-filled rooms; and a Los Angeles backdrop set in 1958 immediately grabbed me. But Weiss didn't just create an impressive noir setting, he also developed this crime thriller in an alternate United States where Joseph McCarthy has won the presidency, a wave of populist xenophobia is on full display, and the House of Un-American Activities Committee is out for anyone going against their anti-Communist propaganda.
The story follows Morris Baker, a Holocaust survivor, working as an LAPD detective. Early on in the story he is called to the scene of a horrific double homicide of John Huston who is described as a "once-promising but now forgotten film director" and an up-and-coming young journalist named Walter Conkrite. Yes, you read those two names correctly. This is an alternate history, after all.
What transpires over the course of this novel is not just a search for who is responsible for these murders, but also how exactly Baker's past fits into a secret plot that is slowly unraveling. With a cast of additional strong characters and correspondence woven in-between chapters to help paint a story, I was hooked, playing detective right alongside Baker.
I am a sucker for old-school noir fiction like The Maltese Falcon, and I think that Weiss not only gives a nod to the genre but has also created something here entirely his own. I love alternate history stories and this one definitely didn't disappoint. If you enjoy crime thrillers against the backdrop of a noir alternate history, this book is definitely one you should pick up when it hits bookstores on March 22nd!
I can only describe the writing style of Beat the Devils by Josh Weiss as noir fiction at its finest. Snappy, terse dialogue from morally flawed characters; hazy, filthy smoke-filled rooms; and a Los Angeles backdrop set in 1958 immediately grabbed me. But Weiss didn't just create an impressive noir setting, he also developed this crime thriller in an alternate United States where Joseph McCarthy has won the presidency, a wave of populist xenophobia is on full display, and the House of Un-American Activities Committee is out for anyone going against their anti-Communist propaganda.
The story follows Morris Baker, a Holocaust survivor, working as an LAPD detective. Early on in the story he is called to the scene of a horrific double homicide of John Huston who is described as a "once-promising but now forgotten film director" and an up-and-coming young journalist named Walter Conkrite. Yes, you read those two names correctly. This is an alternate history, after all.
What transpires over the course of this novel is not just a search for who is responsible for these murders, but also how exactly Baker's past fits into a secret plot that is slowly unraveling. With a cast of additional strong characters and correspondence woven in-between chapters to help paint a story, I was hooked, playing detective right alongside Baker.
I am a sucker for old-school noir fiction like The Maltese Falcon, and I think that Weiss not only gives a nod to the genre but has also created something here entirely his own. I love alternate history stories and this one definitely didn't disappoint. If you enjoy crime thrillers against the backdrop of a noir alternate history, this book is definitely one you should pick up when it hits bookstores on March 22nd!
March 24, 2022
What do you feel like reading? A Los Angeles-set noir? Historical fiction? A murder mystery? An alternate history that feels scarily relevant to today’s world? With Beat the Devils, you can get all of this and more in one book.
Mo Baker is a holocaust survivor and an LAPD detective in 1958. The US president is the xenophobic Joseph McCarthy. Yes, that Joseph McCarthy. Mo finds two murder victims, John Huston and Walter Cronkite. One holds a crumpled note in his hand: Beat the Devils Baker. Mo must find the killer while fighting both racism and city corruption.
While there is a lot going on here, the book is definitely worth your time. I enjoyed the unique perspective of Mo and the alternate history presented. 4 stars!
Thanks to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.
Mo Baker is a holocaust survivor and an LAPD detective in 1958. The US president is the xenophobic Joseph McCarthy. Yes, that Joseph McCarthy. Mo finds two murder victims, John Huston and Walter Cronkite. One holds a crumpled note in his hand: Beat the Devils Baker. Mo must find the killer while fighting both racism and city corruption.
While there is a lot going on here, the book is definitely worth your time. I enjoyed the unique perspective of Mo and the alternate history presented. 4 stars!
Thanks to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.
March 17, 2022
Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
I want to start out by saying that I do not think I am the intended audience for this book. I liked the synopsis and was interested in reading this book, but a few chapters in I felt a bit disoriented and felt like I just had to push through it. Multiple times in the book I thought about dnf'ing this, but felt I owed it to the publisher and writer of this book to push through and finish this.
To start, there is an insane amount of racism in this book. Like, I know the time period it is set in, but this book is so far from what I thought it would be and I was really thrown off by just how much racism was in this. It felt like every chapter the MC explained he was a Jew, and that's why he did stereotypical things, and ultimately things get pinned on him just because he is Jewish. I get it, political unrest and after the world wars, but this book felt a bit over the top and I felt uncomfortable reading it at times. Again, this could just be me, a female, reading this and a man might feel differently.
Another complaint I had was how the women were written. I noted at one point the MC mentioned how plain or off a woman looked, but she was a good lay so he continued to f*ck her when it was clear she had other feelings for him. All the women were rated on their attractiveness and how volumptious their bodies were, and it wasn't until later in the book that a strong female character came into play....and of course she's the "enemy" by being a KGB agent. Of course they have steamy sex because she's just so hot (with fade to black scenes), but he still felt reserved because she was technically the enemy.
The initial draw into this book was the death of two seemingly unrelated men in a house, but that storyline kind of got lost with everything else that was going on. It was just the start of something bigger, but I went into the book expecting the story to be about these two men and it was just so much more. There was an insane amount of war themes in this, on top of all the racism, and the story felt so convoluted at times I was unsure what the base storyline was supposed to be.
I guess...this story was just wildly different than I expected it to be and I ended up not enjoying it very much. I could have easily skipped this one and been fine -- even now I feel like I remember little to no details about specific scenes in this book. Seriously, the racism and the way women are written stick out the most for me. I know this is a debut book and I am sure there are others that will truly love this one, but I will not be the one to recommend it to others.
Content Warnings: war themes, alcoholism / addiction, racism, sexism, car wreck, homophobia, gun violence, PTSD, murder, gore / graphic depictions, abuse / torture, cancer, rape
I want to start out by saying that I do not think I am the intended audience for this book. I liked the synopsis and was interested in reading this book, but a few chapters in I felt a bit disoriented and felt like I just had to push through it. Multiple times in the book I thought about dnf'ing this, but felt I owed it to the publisher and writer of this book to push through and finish this.
To start, there is an insane amount of racism in this book. Like, I know the time period it is set in, but this book is so far from what I thought it would be and I was really thrown off by just how much racism was in this. It felt like every chapter the MC explained he was a Jew, and that's why he did stereotypical things, and ultimately things get pinned on him just because he is Jewish. I get it, political unrest and after the world wars, but this book felt a bit over the top and I felt uncomfortable reading it at times. Again, this could just be me, a female, reading this and a man might feel differently.
Another complaint I had was how the women were written. I noted at one point the MC mentioned how plain or off a woman looked, but she was a good lay so he continued to f*ck her when it was clear she had other feelings for him. All the women were rated on their attractiveness and how volumptious their bodies were, and it wasn't until later in the book that a strong female character came into play....and of course she's the "enemy" by being a KGB agent. Of course they have steamy sex because she's just so hot (with fade to black scenes), but he still felt reserved because she was technically the enemy.
The initial draw into this book was the death of two seemingly unrelated men in a house, but that storyline kind of got lost with everything else that was going on. It was just the start of something bigger, but I went into the book expecting the story to be about these two men and it was just so much more. There was an insane amount of war themes in this, on top of all the racism, and the story felt so convoluted at times I was unsure what the base storyline was supposed to be.
I guess...this story was just wildly different than I expected it to be and I ended up not enjoying it very much. I could have easily skipped this one and been fine -- even now I feel like I remember little to no details about specific scenes in this book. Seriously, the racism and the way women are written stick out the most for me. I know this is a debut book and I am sure there are others that will truly love this one, but I will not be the one to recommend it to others.
Content Warnings: war themes, alcoholism / addiction, racism, sexism, car wreck, homophobia, gun violence, PTSD, murder, gore / graphic depictions, abuse / torture, cancer, rape
April 20, 2023
Fun alt-history story where McCarthy is elected president in 1952 and horrors result, including institutionalized HUAC terror. Essentially like Philip Kerr's Berlin novels in feel, though pulpier. Let's say that there are some inventive plotting choices, including surprise face and heel turns by famous figures. (Can't tell what he's doing with LAPD Chief William Parker, historically not at all a good guy.) Fun little easter eggs connecting to, um, classics like The Boys from Brazil and The Odessa File, which I guess are post-WWII canon now. Also some groan-provoking cliches, most particularly the female characters, all of whom are smoking-hot and busty. One is eventually revealed to be a nuclear physicist who (phew!) also manages to be smoking-hot and busty.
October 4, 2024
This starts out SO good. A noir alt-history old Hollywood story, with the detective investigating the double murder of John Houston and Walter Cronkite. It goes well for a bit, and the point of divergence is pretty clever, but then … it just becomes waaay too campy with video game level progression and the final boss that would make 60s a d 70s Bond villains feel embarrassed. And when it could not get more yikes, it just leans into Holocaust and Jewishness, (ab)using both for rather cheap emotional movements. Meh.
April 17, 2022
4.5 stars.
March 21, 2022
This novel is a bizarro world set in 1958 Hollywood where Joseph McCarthy is President. He’s won by capitalizing on xenophobia and his newly formed House of UN-Americans (HUES) who are out to get anyone going against their anti-communist agenda.
This crime thriller follows Morris Baker, a Holocaust survivor, working as the lead LAPD detective on a double-homicide in Hollywood Hills. Who’s been murdered - a film producer named John Huston and a young reporter named Walter Cronkite. Oh boy this is where the alternate world comes in to play…
The murders are spun on a false narrative by the government, and Baker sets out to find the truth. Unfortunately, he soon finds himself at the heart of the investigation as the perpetrator and scapegoat to a secret plot of destruction led by a group of Germans from WWII. WOW WOW WOW, Beat the Devils delivers a cast of characters who enliven the pages for noir fiction and alternate history.
There is mystery, lies, murder, deceit and heart felt moments when Baker’s past collides with his future. Candidly, I will confess I got weepy-eyed at the end when Baker was talking to his Rabbi.
As the dust cover states, this novel is an inventive, page-turning crime triller set in an alternate United States during the height of the Red Scare - with shocking parallels to America in the 2020’s.
Thank you @grandcentralpub for the hardcover novel and @hachetteaudio for the audiobook.
This crime thriller follows Morris Baker, a Holocaust survivor, working as the lead LAPD detective on a double-homicide in Hollywood Hills. Who’s been murdered - a film producer named John Huston and a young reporter named Walter Cronkite. Oh boy this is where the alternate world comes in to play…
The murders are spun on a false narrative by the government, and Baker sets out to find the truth. Unfortunately, he soon finds himself at the heart of the investigation as the perpetrator and scapegoat to a secret plot of destruction led by a group of Germans from WWII. WOW WOW WOW, Beat the Devils delivers a cast of characters who enliven the pages for noir fiction and alternate history.
There is mystery, lies, murder, deceit and heart felt moments when Baker’s past collides with his future. Candidly, I will confess I got weepy-eyed at the end when Baker was talking to his Rabbi.
As the dust cover states, this novel is an inventive, page-turning crime triller set in an alternate United States during the height of the Red Scare - with shocking parallels to America in the 2020’s.
Thank you @grandcentralpub for the hardcover novel and @hachetteaudio for the audiobook.
March 24, 2022
3.5 Stars
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While it took me a little while to get into the world of this book, I did enjoy things once they got going. I really liked how there were real, prominent people from history included in this story in different ways, even though we were in a much different America. There were definitely some phrases or parts that made me feel a little bit uncomfortable. I definitely understand it was a reflection of the time and discrimination in this world, but they did sometimes feel a little unnecessary.
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Overall, once I felt immersed in the world and the story I really enjoyed it. There were some great mysteries and twists along the way. If you like historical fiction/kind of dystopian (?), I think you'd like this one! I also enjoyed the writing, so I'm excited to see what Josh Weiss comes out with in the future.
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Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for the advance reader copy of this book!
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While it took me a little while to get into the world of this book, I did enjoy things once they got going. I really liked how there were real, prominent people from history included in this story in different ways, even though we were in a much different America. There were definitely some phrases or parts that made me feel a little bit uncomfortable. I definitely understand it was a reflection of the time and discrimination in this world, but they did sometimes feel a little unnecessary.
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Overall, once I felt immersed in the world and the story I really enjoyed it. There were some great mysteries and twists along the way. If you like historical fiction/kind of dystopian (?), I think you'd like this one! I also enjoyed the writing, so I'm excited to see what Josh Weiss comes out with in the future.
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Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for the advance reader copy of this book!
April 10, 2022
Wow. So bad. The first few chapters are fine, but then the whole thing descends into cartoonish silliness and it's so bad. Like fan fiction bad. The dialogue sometimes contradicts itself or makes no sense. The characters are all over the top stereotypes. And the worst thing is the way the female characters are written. They're all amazingly attractive and vapid, hate each other and can't wait to fall into bed with the main character. Who is a social outcast who ogles women, coughs up phlegm, blacks out frequently, and stinks of stale alcohol, according to the book.
Thank you to the publisher for the copy of this book for review.
Thank you to the publisher for the copy of this book for review.
June 29, 2023
A pulpy page-turner noir alternate history. As with the belt LA noir, the style and setting are occasionally more important than the lot, but that's not a bug, it's a feature. Makes extensive use of LA geography, and while it's hardly part of the novel, it's depiction of an LA terrorized by corrupt, Communist-hunting law enforcement is not too far off from the actual LA of the 1950s, terrified of the LAPD Red Squad; it's like Weiss took the real history of the city and dialed it up to 11.
(for the sequel though, don't establish the atmosphere of a night scene by talking about chirping cicadas and blinking fireflies, since we don't have 'em out here :) ).
(for the sequel though, don't establish the atmosphere of a night scene by talking about chirping cicadas and blinking fireflies, since we don't have 'em out here :) ).
March 23, 2022
This is not my usual genre and this book was out of my comfort zone, but I loved it! It is set in the alternative USA in the 1950s and has some harsh trigger warnings (Holocaust survivors, Nazis, experiments on humans).
There were definitely some weird twists and turns. The writing was smooth and keep me fully engaged in the story. If you are not into politics, it may feel a bit dry for you. I will say that it is super dark and weird, gave me major "1984" vibes as well!
Thank you Grand Central Publishing for a gifted copy.
There were definitely some weird twists and turns. The writing was smooth and keep me fully engaged in the story. If you are not into politics, it may feel a bit dry for you. I will say that it is super dark and weird, gave me major "1984" vibes as well!
Thank you Grand Central Publishing for a gifted copy.
May 29, 2022
I really enjoyed this fictional account of the USA after Joseph McCarthy becomes our president in 1952. It was an LA murder mystery within the larger political framework, and, considering it's this author's first novel, was really neat.
May 14, 2022
A clever premise cannot save this 1st novel from the usual flaws: cardboard villains, unconvincing plotting, & overuse of period detail. In an alternative late-1950s America, anti-communist former Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy is president, undesirables (non-WASPs) are being rounded up and/or deported, & it's open warfare on "individual[s] of Judaic Origins"—including LAPD homicide detective Morris Baker. A Holocaust survivor of Czech origins, Baker is hooked on peach schnapps, has dingy sex with an aspiring actress (the Black Dahlia victim in our universe), and suffers from both guilt & PTSD. Assigned the celebrity double murder of rising TV journalist Walter Cronkite and forcibly retired film director John Huston, he continues to investigate when the case is taken over by HUAC. He joins up with beautiful apparent Soviet spy Sophia Vikhrov, with whom he uncovers a plot involving imported Nazi scientists, including Werner von Braun, who intend to set off an A-bomb at the Griffith Park observatory. For his troubles, Baker gets his front teeth knocked out by HUAC thugs & then more teeth pulled out by Nazi torturers. Despite being painted with such broad strokes (would you believe a villainous Humphrey Bogart & an underground led by Edward R. Murrow?), one of the best 1st mysteries I've read so far in 2022.
July 11, 2023
3.75/5. A thoroughly enjoyable page turner that was a little too on the nose as the story concluded. A fun adventure nonetheless.
May 25, 2022
Interesting concept and weird twists. Nothing what I expected
August 29, 2024
The first 100 pages or so are stellar, well written with a frightening and oh so plausible alternative history at its core. Then things go south, hard. A female companion is introduced who’s laughably incompetent, the plot splinters into an incomprehensible mess, and the writing becomes formulaic and just plain bad. I finished, but found myself glazing over for much of the final sections.
May 11, 2022
I give it 3.5 stars for effort. It seems as though history does repeat itself! Enjoyed this book, though a little slow at times.
May 2, 2022
This is like a mashup of The Plot Against America and a midcentury noir novel. I haven't read The Yiddish Policemen's Union but I'm curious if they're similar since they deal in related topics (alternative Jewish history, detectives). This book was creative and took more risks than a lot of more polished literary fiction coming out these days (and was more unapologetically horny, which I respect) and I thought that Weiss' exploration of the moral consequences on the American psyche of Operation Paperclip was incisive. Personally, for me it had the flaw of many thrillers in that there are one two many twists and by the end I had lost the plot a little bit. On a technical level the writing also left a little to be desired. However, this is Weiss' first book so he has room to grow--I'm not sure if I would keep reading this if it became a serious but I definitely hope he writes more.
April 29, 2022
Maybe 3.5
February 16, 2025
Unique alternate history mystery novel about a detective in the 50’s who has to unravel a mystery of two murders ~ I thought this would be a great match for my reading interests (historical fiction, alternative fiction, WWII background, murder mystery…) and was quickly drawn in by the first 100-ish pages (basically just the setup). At times, I struggled to discern what was historical and what was alternative history, which is a compliment to the authors ability to weave to two together (even tho I did kinda want to know what was real haha). The novel also has a powerful and relevant message for modern times, showing ways that history can repeat itself.
Unfortunately the story implodes after the first portion, briefly introducing around 75 vague characters one or two at a time (along with disconnected hints) before speeding to the next set of characters who also get brief introductions ~ and we are supposed to somehow keep track of all these characters and their little snippets of information (there’s a chance that many characters are historical/pop culture figures that I didn’t know lol). In spite of the sheer volume of information, I could see the plot and plot twist a mile away, while the detective bumbles around wondering what’s going on and what this all means. Sigh. To make that worse, the entire book is “oh detective, I can see you live up to the stories about how smart you are!” from both the bad guys and the good guys 🙃
And don’t forget that our three (five if you include two side characters) female characters are all described based on how hot they are and how round their breasts are (yes, we do know about the breasts of EVERY WOMAN in the book) and how much they respect or need or want or care for our beloved detective🤦🏻♀️🙄
The end was not only a disaster, bringing back every random character, but there two chapters tacked on after the climax that were of zero interest to me. I’m really only giving this two stars for the fantastic alternate history premise and the first couple of chapters that I really enjoyed. I don’t think I’ll read anything else by this author, if only on the basis of how in the world are men still writing female characters this way in 2022?!?
Unfortunately the story implodes after the first portion, briefly introducing around 75 vague characters one or two at a time (along with disconnected hints) before speeding to the next set of characters who also get brief introductions ~ and we are supposed to somehow keep track of all these characters and their little snippets of information (there’s a chance that many characters are historical/pop culture figures that I didn’t know lol). In spite of the sheer volume of information, I could see the plot and plot twist a mile away, while the detective bumbles around wondering what’s going on and what this all means. Sigh. To make that worse, the entire book is “oh detective, I can see you live up to the stories about how smart you are!” from both the bad guys and the good guys 🙃
And don’t forget that our three (five if you include two side characters) female characters are all described based on how hot they are and how round their breasts are (yes, we do know about the breasts of EVERY WOMAN in the book) and how much they respect or need or want or care for our beloved detective🤦🏻♀️🙄
The end was not only a disaster, bringing back every random character, but there two chapters tacked on after the climax that were of zero interest to me. I’m really only giving this two stars for the fantastic alternate history premise and the first couple of chapters that I really enjoyed. I don’t think I’ll read anything else by this author, if only on the basis of how in the world are men still writing female characters this way in 2022?!?
April 5, 2022
Wrapped around Hollywood and the film industry of the 1950s, the premise of Josh Weiss’s debut novel imagines an alternate history where the maniacal Joseph McCarthy becomes president. By 1958, McCarthy has turned America into a lawless and paranoid authoritarian state that utilizes murder as permissible against dissidents. The main character is Morris Baker, an LAPD detective, and the plot circles around a double murder of a director and journalist. The oftentimes inebriated, womanizing Baker is the tool through which the mystery must be solved.
The page-turning quality of Weiss’s polished prose makes for fast reading. However, there is just so much filler of stretched-out scenes and verbose descriptions probably insisted upon from Weiss’s editor as a requirement merely to increase the word and page count. Nonetheless, when not bogged down in mundane filler, Weiss does an excellent job with capturing the details of everyday life and society in the Fifties, but the plot becomes convoluted and overwrought just to extend the length of the book to the point where the mystery becomes uninteresting.
Even though the bulk of action transpires over only a few days, the compactness of the time frame did not lend to urgency, and there is little dread or thrills. The plot merely connects or keeps adding meaningless dots to make for a circuitous route to answers. The premise of an alternate history and of who’s behind the murders are both interesting at the outset until the story plays out into a potboiler with noir elements, sex scenes, and cheap humor reliant on epithets and insults, which are not funny but more often cringe-worthy.
Even with my criticisms, I liked Weiss’s smooth writing style and his imaginative rethinking of history. With a better vison for a plot and a less zealous editor, Weiss is a writer whose future work I’d be interested in reading.
The page-turning quality of Weiss’s polished prose makes for fast reading. However, there is just so much filler of stretched-out scenes and verbose descriptions probably insisted upon from Weiss’s editor as a requirement merely to increase the word and page count. Nonetheless, when not bogged down in mundane filler, Weiss does an excellent job with capturing the details of everyday life and society in the Fifties, but the plot becomes convoluted and overwrought just to extend the length of the book to the point where the mystery becomes uninteresting.
Even though the bulk of action transpires over only a few days, the compactness of the time frame did not lend to urgency, and there is little dread or thrills. The plot merely connects or keeps adding meaningless dots to make for a circuitous route to answers. The premise of an alternate history and of who’s behind the murders are both interesting at the outset until the story plays out into a potboiler with noir elements, sex scenes, and cheap humor reliant on epithets and insults, which are not funny but more often cringe-worthy.
Even with my criticisms, I liked Weiss’s smooth writing style and his imaginative rethinking of history. With a better vison for a plot and a less zealous editor, Weiss is a writer whose future work I’d be interested in reading.
April 15, 2022
This isn't bad - it's a solid, workman like noir pastiche - but it's not nearly as interesting as it sounds. The implications of its alternate history conceit are but lightly examined, and the fairly standard characters are hardly plumbed at all. I have hope that Weiss's craft will improve if he writes more books.
September 2, 2023
I'm only giving this two stars because I admired the premise of this book. But it was in desparate need of an editor, which drove me insane throughout. I kept wanting to get out a red pen! The characters were flat stereotypes and the less said about the women in it, the better. But I liked the idea of an alternate history in which Joseph McCarthy became President (especially apt these days) and the government is out to crush its enemies (anyone liberal, Jewish, gay, Communist, etc.) at any cost and with no repurcussions. Replacing the typical hard-boiled LA detective with a Holocaust survivor was a great idea. Involving John Huston, Humphrey Bogart, and Edward R. Murrow in the unfolding plot was also a great idea. And bringing in the real-life Operation Paperclip, in which German Nazi scientists were brought to America and given new names and new lives, was another great idea. Too bad the execution was so poor.
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