Complicity Island

by Nick Jones

It’s the artist’s age-old dilemma: follow your conscience or follow the cash. So when a canceled movie star reaches out to up-and-coming writer Ivey Viola to discuss a mysterious project, she uses the opportunity to escape mid-pandemic New York for his private island with her roommate in tow. However, once on the island, she realizes that the cost of working with the toxic, closeted actor might be more than she’s willing to accept...or can refuse.
In this satirical new play from Nick Jones, Complicity Island explores the business of "show business", offering a radical, irreverent look at cancel culture, the Hollywood elite, and the real price of selling out.

Genres: Audiobook, Fiction, Thriller, Short Stories, Plays, Drama, Mystery

Audible Audio

Published December 8, 2022

About the author

Author of the Joseph Bridgeman series. Page-turning time travel mysteries.

Check out my books here:
https://linktr.ee/nickjonesbooks

Be sure to follow me on BookBub:
https://www.bookbub.com/profile/nick-...

And if you would like to show your support:
https://buymeacoffee.com/nickjonesauthor

https://www.instagram.com/authornickj...
https://www.facebook.com/groups/nickj...

Thanks!

Reviews

[Tiff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mildly entertaining but a bit extreme with no real reason for it. Also the ending was meh

[Cori · Rating 1 out of 5]

Preachy, but at least semi-balanced in terms of condemnation. While this was yet another snooze-fest parable illustrating "the evils of the Rich White Man," at least it was self-aware in that it showed the wishy-washy nature of people willing to kiss the feet of the successful....as long as they benefit from the interaction. Once the benefit is over, watch out for Cancel Culture. The message is narcissistically woke, but at least the author also had the transparency to also call out blatant hypocrisy.

The ending is abrupt and unsatisfying. The secondary characters are caricatures and lack depth.

Good acting cast. Crummy story.

I'd rate this an R for the number of F bombs and other swear words as well as some adult content, including sexual themes.

Original review posted on 7/12/23.

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was in my opinion a waste of my time.
Story went nowhere, as in did anything happen?
Two people went to an island to write a play with a in disgrace actor during Covid.
Let's just say this story took the past events and tried to make a story out of them but fell very short and very flat.
Save your money and time.

[Wendi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A struggling writer, stuck in an apartment with a roommate who is proud to have a revolving door of lovers during the Covid shutdown, is invited to a private island to ghost write for a well known actor looking to make a comeback as a play write. The problem is he has been named for his less than desirable behavior and essentially canceled. Is it a smart move to attach your name with someone who is already on the out list? Or is it smart to take work where you can get it when you aren't sure if you will make your next rent payment?

A quick listen with a full cast. These Audible originals with full cast are always fun. Complicity Island is no different. I do have to wonder though, how many hot button topics is it possible to fit into one short play. From Covid to cancel culture and the Me Too Movement, just to name a few, all rolled into a just over 2 hr long listen. Be warned that you won't come away from this one with any epiphanies. But if you are looking for something to fill the silence of your commute here ya go.

[Angelika Silva · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story was pretty lacking.

[ash · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was an okay story and great production. Easy listening while doing the dishes!

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting and topical if slightly heavy-handed Audible freebie. One of the first of what I expect will be a raft of "COVID fiction" where the pandemic is a background plot point.

Ivey Viola is/was on the hot list: a young black playwright living in Brooklyn and tapped by Forbes as one of the up-and-coming "30-under-30" creatives, with a well-reviewed play that was about to get a major theatrical production.

Then COVID happened, production ceased, and Ivey is now struggling to make rent with her three roommates while she scrambles for any little bit of work she can find. When her agent calls (from Martha's Vineyard!) with an opportunity to ghost-write a play for a major Hollywood star. There's just one catch: the star is currently "cancelled" after a string of #MeToo revelations. Ivey has qualms, but it's $30K for eight weeks of work, and she gets to escape to a private island in Fiji during the pandemic.

What follows is basically a morality tale about egos, selling out, hypocrisy and complicity, and a bunch of awful Hollywood people. Things are not going to end well for Ivey, but I found the ending just a little too abrupt if predictable.

This was a quick listen that sounds very Of The Moment and probably won't age well, but the dialog was hot off of Twitter and the characters could easily be mapped onto real-world figures.

[Taylor's♡Shelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't really know what to say about this.

Apparently this is supposed to be a "play", but I don't buy it. If anything it's a narrative with more exposition than usual. I've never experienced a play with so much internal dialogue and description of events. In first-person, no less.

I don't know if I would say this play was "good", but it was certainly fun. The audiobook was produced extremely well and, because of the length, it did get right to the point.

That being said, I could really appreciate the ending (or lack thereof). It kind of reminded me of getting to a "bad end" of a thriller visual novel. Only this time there are no other paths.

I have to admit, I kind of wanted to listen to Merlin's whole insane rant on cancel culture. I don't agree, but he was obviously having fun with it.

[Jay Ward A.K.A. Chris Chambers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is for sure one of my fave Audible Plus freebies! The story had me from the very start. And why was that I asked myself? It was because of the voice acting. They were ALL great. Especially the gay friend who tagged along, along with the star of the show and the main “villan”(I can’t believe I’m forgetting names already I literally JUST finished it! I’m the worst) but honestly from top to bottom everyone was fantastic. The ending was really fast-paced and I wouldn’t have stopped listening if my kid spilled macaroni on the floor and was playing in it as the dog ate it with him. Nope. That was a good suspenseful ending. Well done Audible! The narrators of this one really pulled together a good piece of work. Congrats. Thank you for the entertainment, sincerely. 😁

[Ashwin Dongre · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is pure lazy writing. There no progression, no gradual escalation of conflict, hardly any change in character. Everything is smooth for half of the story., for almost a month in the story. Then one fine day, for no apparent reason, one character becomes a villain, and the others start running for him. And the biggest cheat of it all, the protagonist, who has been narrating the whole story, explains how she dies and what happens after she dies.. Pure lazy writing.

[Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

I expected more of a story. Two people go to an island to work with a disgraced actor. It is set during the Covid outbreak - possibly at its worst, although it was hard to tell. It was mostly boring.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick, entertaining short story I listened to as an audible original. I wouldn’t pay credits for it, but just fine for having been included with my audible subscription. Interesting enough that I’ll probably try out some of the author’s other titles.

[Brian · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just fucking terrible.
Horrible one dimensional characters. Seriously, not even two dimensions.
Just fucking terrible.
Airbags don’t need to to be deflated.
Authors, please do a little research before you write a story.

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Personal Preference Rating 3/5 Audiobook (Audible)
A bit over dramatized at the the end but, honestly this is about what I think these characters would be like. Nobody was particularly likable but it was short.

[sl337litchair · Rating 5 out of 5]

What fun! Great ensemble cast, action, adventure, and a contemporary storyline. Loved it.

[Marty Solotki · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing piece of work. Great characters and a thrilling story. The hard left firm comedy to scary was something else. Nick Jones is such a good writer.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was really good! The narrators/voice actors and sound effects and music all add a totally new layer to it and really make it stand out.

[Sara C-S · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just ok. Had potential but kinda short and ends on a cliff hanger....not my fave.

[Sam · Rating 2 out of 5]

Funny and satirical. Loved the audio production, felt like I was watching a movie. Just not that great.

[LoVetta · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great production but just an ok story.

[Regis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good performances. Decent story

[Lk · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5, review soon

[Ebony Irby · Rating 5 out of 5]

The amount of people who gave I. To this man’s “Delusions of Grandeur is staggering! But made for a good read (see what I did there) none the less

[Charlie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Make rage is terrifying. Only 3/5 because I wanted vindication for the main characters.

[Tanya · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good performances, but I wasn’t crazy about the story despite it being well-written.

[Heather R · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and worthwhile listen short listen. Excellent voice acting and production values.

[Jodie Rennie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the story… hated the ending.

[Tiffany Williams]

Awful, absolutely no plot and a horrible ending
-but only 90 mins so no worse than sitting through a shitty movie.

[Guillermo · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's ok-ish with good acting, but sorta falls flat at the end.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

Podcast / novella about superstar during Covid who becomes unhinged. Completely unsatisfying ending. The narration and production is fantastic. The story itself sucks. Absolutely skip this one.