Rivers of Gold

by Adam Dunn

New York City has never been an easy place to make it, but in the year 2013, it's a little tougher than usual. Race riots. Massive unemployment. Rampant crime. Vacant buildings now housing a thriving black market. A worthless currency and a broken government. Welcome to the Second Great Depression. Some have adapted to life in tomorrow's Big Apple. Like Renny, a part-time fashion photographer and full-time drug dealer who oversees a network of taxicabs running contraband through the underground party circuit. He works for Reza, an enterprising immigrant who has turned the city's nightlife down a deadly road.Others in the city are just trying to hang on. Like Detective Sixto Santiago, part of an experimental new NYPD unit known as the Citywide Anticrime Bureau (CAB), squads of undercover cops in taxicabs who are meant to hold down the chaos just enough to keep tourists coming. Santiago's new assignment will send him after the man both Renny and Reza must ultimately a

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime

288 pages, Hardcover

First published August 24, 2010

Reviews

[James Thane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rivers of Gold was published in 2010, and was presumably written in 2008-2009, when the Great Recession was just beginning to take hold in the U.S. Set in the near future of 2013, the book presumes that the efforts taken by the Bush and Obama administrations to rescue the economy have failed. The Great Recession has become the Second Great Depression, and New York City has been hit especially hard. Banks and businesses are shuttered; unemployment is rampant; the few people who still have money have walled themselves off from the rest of the society that is slowly sinking into poverty and despair.

An underground economy has taken root and a twenty-five year-old fashion photographer named Renny is attempting to make the best of a bad situation. In addition to shooting his pictures, Renny is a mid-level drug dealer working for a vicious crime boss named Reza who in turn reports to an even more shadowy figure known only as the Slav, who is attempting to corner much of the city's criminal activity. Renny's distribution network is a fleet of taxicabs that he uses to float from one illegal underground club to another, distributing his wares. Along the way, he has a great deal of hot sex with the beautiful women who model for him and who frequent the clubs where he distributes his product.

Sixto Santiago is an ambitious detective who's anxious to help shut down the drug trade and advance through the ranks of the NYPD. As the book opens, he's teamed up with a strange new partner who hardly ever talks, who possesses amazing physical and mental skills, who has a very mysterious background and who refuses to take any of the credit for the arrests that he and Santiago make. It's clear that the new partner, More, has an agenda of his own, and Santiago is increasingly non-pulsed when he cannot figure it out. Inevitably Santiago and Renny's paths will cross and when they do all hell will break loose.

The story itself falters at points and Dunn is a bit too cute at times, especially when naming some of his characters. But Renny and Santiago are both very interesting and well-conceived, and Dunn is at his best in describing the bleak, dystopian world of the near-future. It's not a pretty picture. But it's so well drawn that the reader cannot look away and can only hope in the end that our current economic difficulties do not yet deteriorate into something resembling the grim and desperate picture that Dunn has drawn here.

[Donna Foster · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had the weirdest dreams while reading this book.

[Sue Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rivers of gold by Adam Dunn is a literary fiction and a mystery and thrillers read.
Rivers of gold is the first book in the "more" series of dystopian thrillers featuring marsac operator Everett "ever" more and NYPD Detective Sixto Santiago The series is set in the second great depression. The primary locale is new York city.
This was a very good read with good characters. I liked the story too. 4* thanks to netgalley for the arc.

[usagi ☆ミ · Rating 2 out of 5]

(Crossposted to librarything.)

I honestly couldn't even really finish this book - I got about 2/3rds of the way through and then had to quit. The writer has talent, I will grudgingly admit that, but the rest was so disorganized with so many differentiating POVs that I got dizzy whilst reading. As other reviewers have also noticed, the character development was done in far too much abundance early on when the author could have stretched it out and appropriately interspersed it between chapters.

And then there's the whole "tech-noir" label that's been slapped on this novel. Nope. I see a very depressing near-dystopic near future for NYC, but that's about it. Unless you include the amount of guns used, it's not really living up to its label. This is more of a crime book than anything else. Which is fine, really, once you call it what it is: a crime book.

The one good thing about this book is that it taught me what not to do while writing my own novel. Thank you - the knowledge will not be misspent, I promise you.

[Paromjit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rivers of Gold is a dark dystopian crime fiction story set in a future NYC. The author gives detailed descriptions of a failed economic state where those few with money are segregated. The rest of the people live difficult lives in extreme poverty with nothing to lift them out of their misery.

There is a thriving black economy in which drug dealer and part time photographer, Renny works for Reza. Reza is a ruthless crime boss is accountable to Slavo who looking to expand his criminal empire. Sixto Santiago is investigating the murders of cabbies. Sixto has a new odd and shadowy partner called More who acts in strange and mysterious ways.

This book is wonderful in its descriptions of NYC in meltdown. The dystopian and dark world created is superb. However, the story itself is faltering in places. This did not prevent me enjoying the novel. Thanks to the publishers for a copy of the book via netgalley.

[Jim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks Goodreads for another First Reads win!

River of Gold is a crime novel set in a New York of the not too distant future. The story focuses primarily on two characters, Detective Sixto Santiago and Renny, a photographer who makes most of his money dealing drugs. Public laws, personal rules and moral guidelines are frequently erased and then repositioned lower on the bar of acceptable behavior for both characters, so that the bad get worse and the good are only a little better. The near future portrayed in this book, of civilization in decline, is disagreeable but believable. I thought the drug exchange method described by the author was quite clever, but the repetitions of explicit sex and violence were too much for my taste.

[Richard Derus · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pearl Rule #41 (30%; the chapter's entitled "In the Shadow of the Titty Bar")

Real Rating: 2.5* of five, rounded down

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY.

My Review: At 18%, Renny (our narrator) says:

The best/worst news is that Tony Quinones will be back from Cannes in time to
be our stylist. Tony Q did the costumes for The Snake, a drama about a love triangle of gay sewage workers in Manila that's this year's odds-on favorite for the Palme d'Or. Tony is the kind of gay caricature who gives other gays a bad name (though he's always good for a few Specials for himself and his so-called Queue-terie.)

"Specials" are the narrator's other-career products: Drugs. My. How very edgy of the author, no?
Then, at 30%, Renny (our narrator) says:

She softly aligns her fingernails in perfect formation along my scrotal seam and arcs the tip of her tongue unerringly into my urethra.

My God, this girl.

And I realized how very much has changed since I downloaded this book in 2016; and how much MORE has changed since it was first written, and published by Bloomsbury, in 2008.

And I am so, so glad it has. I hate the homophobia; I hate the sexism (I excerpted the least condescending one I could I find); I hate the endlessly mindlessly habituated into lazy writers' heads use of New York City as dystopia-in-waiting. Use Birmingham, or Wichita, or Salt Lake City for a change.

[Marian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this novel very much. I am grateful the setting is not the New York that is, although it doesn't feel that farfetched. So the story is dark and dystopian, but it sucked me in anyway. One of the blurbs on the back of the book compared it, partially, to "The Wire," and I can see that. The cover says Book 1, so I'm off to see if there's more (and maybe More) available in this fascinating world

I received a copy of this book via a Goodreads giveaway, for which many thanks, and which has affected my opinion of this book not at all.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting read about the darkness behind the bright lights of New York City. The writing is explicit with lots of gratuitous violence. It is an interesting tale of a city that is full of crime and corruption with a mystery thrown in for good measure. Hope that, as the writer states, this is a view of the city that will never exist.

[Alicia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Won this book in a firstreads giveaway. The premise sounded very interesting, but I was sorely disappointed in the execution. The fact that it was set in 2013 was a little too unbelievable for me. Granted, I think that was the point, but for me, it made it difficult for the story to seem real. This just would not happen in 2013. Not only the plot but a lot of the details, as well.

The characters were done well, and I certainly sympathized with both Santiago and Renny. However, towards the end of the novel Renny's actions seemed, out of character and lot of the events surrounding his plot line, were again, unbelievable, slightly ludicrous and just too convenient for a novel type purpose. In addition, the More character was horrid. Dunn needed to spend more time figuring him out before putting him in a story. Sometimes we loved him, sometimes hate, as did Santiago, but I feel as though the reader needs to more "in." Here, we didn't get that, we were also flip-flopping about feelings for More and so I ended up just despising him because Santiago couldn't really figure out his feelings for him. Additionally, it seemed like that was accidentally done, like we were supposed to think Santiago had decided to like him.

This leads me to my largest issue with this novel. It was confusing. Really confusing. Again, science fiction/ dystopias often are, but this was unnecessarily so. I felt like the author wanted to add in extra fun info to show us either how much he knew or just how much he could make up. This didn't work for such a short novel, with such a directed plot line. It seemed like the novel was to just 'to the point' but a lot of the details added confusion and useless detail to the plot.

Also, I feel like this novel pandered to a lot of stereotypes, but it may have been the type of book to want to do that, such as a romance. Or perhaps that the author didn't feel the need/ desire/ ability to create a stronger female character. Though the Yersenia/ N twist was clever.

So basically, read this is (a) you have nothing else to read on your bookshelf and every single bookstore is closed (b) someone you love wants you to read it (c) you got it for free on Goodreads and therefore feel like you must finish it, to review it and finally know what the heck is going on, but it doesn't really tell you ever anyways

[Lisa]

By 2013 a new Great Depression has hit the United States, and New York City has been hit hard. A network of illegal underground clubs has sprung up across the city, hotbeds of sex and drugs moving from abandoned restaurant to abandoned restaurant. Deeply immersed in the world of these "speaks" is Renny, a young photographer and drug dealer whose supply network operates out of a covert network of taxicabs.

On the other side of the law, NYPD Detective Santiago is part of an experimental police unit using taxis as undercover police cars. When cabbies start to turn up murdered, the investigation indicates a possible connection with illegal drugs and underground nightclubs. As Santiago investigates, he is equally disturbed by his mysterious new partner, who may not be who he claims.

Rivers of Goldis a mixed bag, full of many good ideas that never seem to go anywhere. Dunn has obviously done his research and his setting is fully realized; unfortunately, his new depression era is never explored in depth, with only passing mentions of Hoovervilles and abandoned buildings. Consequently, the novel starts out extremely slow, with tons of scene setting but no real plot pickup until about halfway through the novel.

Renny, one of the major characters, is also thoroughly unlikeable, coming off as a know-it-all, rude misogynist who views women simply as sex-objects with letters instead of names. He's not so much a villain as (noted even by other characters) an annoyance.

Santiago is much more sympathetic, and his story is also much more interesting. Again, Dunn wastes his opportunity, and provides little detail into Santiago's investigations into both the murders and his partner. There seems to be too much revelation and too little actual "detection;" one wishes Dunn focused more on this side of the story rather than wasting time on Renny's antics.

The story is very well written, and has great one-liners, but there's too many problems to recommend. Dunn has an interesting concept, and explores some real issues facing modern cab drivers, but all the ideas seem to get lost amongst themselves.

A finished copy was provided through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program.

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review and more can be found at Book of Bogan

Disclaimer: I received a copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rivers of Gold is a near-future novel, which does a good job of portraying some of the dystopian elements which exist in our current society, but appear to go unnoticed by most regular people. Oh sure, I don't think there are sexy shenanigans going on in the back of every taxi, or military personnel roaming the streets looking to start a fight, but it pushes one to imagine just how far off that we might be.

I'll be honest, I am not sure what I was expecting when I picked this book to review, but it's a very engaging, if slow burning novel, with characters who are intriguing, even if you don't get to learn a lot about them straight away.

I took note of when I felt the plot and the action began to pick up in the novel, and it was almost 3/4s of the way through it. There were intermittent spurts (pun intended) of action here and there, but I did feel that the author had spent an inordinate amount of time setting up the story. It is clear that this is intended to be the beginning of a series, but I really would have liked a bit more meat on this bone.

A decent beginning with some interesting concepts.

[Lissa Pelzer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, hold on tight. NYC 2013. Man in a taxi thinking about money and sex. My first impression of Renny was that he was a fat, boring version of Patrick Bateman from American Psycho travelling through an NYC that seemed recognizable to me. But wait, it’s meant to be a dystopian future version of NYC after some huge financial crash and an over running of drugs… It’s always tough when fiction falls short of reality.Now there is a storyline and once you get into it, it is good but it’s hard to get past the layers of (to a woman) boring man-stuff. There’s a fashion in women-centric novels at the moment for including the recipes of the foods the characters eat, and in Rivers of Gold, there is so much talk of cocktails that I felt it was just the same need being fulfilled but differently. The sex talk is grim and sounds like it’s coming out of a middle aged, semi-alcoholic man who is partial to botox, as in ‘no thanks, I’m late for a spin class’. But I can imagine plenty of guys really love those scene. Plus Renny gives girls head, so that make him a modern-thinking man, right?

But enough of the man bashing, because Rivers of Gold is a good book. Dunn has some great ideas and thoughts, which translate well on paper as the thoughts and ideas of his characters. He can also write well and in this age of self-publishing, that has to be recognized.

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book to review from Net Galley

Rivers of Gold: 1 turned out to be a much better book than I expected after the slow first half of the book which took way too long setting up the action that finally took place in the second half, and I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series, The Big Dogs.

Honestly, I'd considered not finishing it but wanted to review it since I'd requested it from Net Galley, and I'm glad I did. Adam Dunn has obviously done his homework, but at times too much detailed information and overdone descriptions of the club scene derailed this making it difficult to hold my interest and I set it aside several times. Cab drivers being used to distribute designer drugs to the clubs and escaping attention was a solid foundation for the story, and once all the pieces came together, everything worked to make this an enjoyable book in the end. Hopefully the next book in the series picks up right where this one left off.

[Tamara · Rating 2 out of 5]

I won Rivers of Gold on First Reads. I was excited to read this book as I am from NY and enjoy reding anything pertaining to New York. The book takes place in the year 2013, after the second Great Depression. The city is crime ridden particularly in Manhattan. The NYPD established the Citywide Anticrime Bureau to help slow down the criminal activity. There are a lot of people who are strongly against CAB which has led to a lot of rioting. Sixto Santiago works undercover for CAB, he uncovers the mutilated corpse of Egyptian cabdriver Eyad Fouad near the Holland Tunnel. Santiago investigates the homicide and finds that the death of Fouad was not a simple murder of a cab driver, but much more. Rivers of Gold is not the type of book that I would generally read. It was at times interesting but for the most part it lost me. If you are interested in futuristic tales, then you might give it a try but again to me it was just not a smooth flowing story and quite honestly I was glad for it to be over.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

The following is a Firstreads winner review:
A two star review that was pulled up to three stars due to the writers talent. Let me explain how this occurred. The book was very slow starting with almost the entire first half devoted to character development and background. Once the book got moving, about halfway through, the book actually began to get a breath of life and showed the authors talents. This is centered around two main characters, one a police officer and the other a fashion photographer that freelances part time as a drug dealer at underground parties. The novel is set in the near future in a suffering New York City that has been crushed by the latest depression. The character development at the beginning of the book was very well written just seemed to be a bit long winded and tended to drag the book down a bit. Overall I liked the book but would not feel confident recommending it to others.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rivers of Gold isn't quite a dystopian novel, more a future-noir look at NYC (places like Bloomingdales are out of business, ditto Bryant Park Cafe; the Atlantic Yards project never took off). Told mostly through the viewpoints of Renny, a photographer phenomenon and of Santiago, a CAB cop, this book was not quite my cup of tea but was compelling enough for me to finish it.

The idea that NYC could crumble that way didn't bother me (after the 70s "drop dead" phase, anything's possible) nor did the casual drugs, sex and violence. More's character was probably the most intriguing, probably because he was filtered through Santiago's experiences. Much of the book read as though it might become a movie - there are some great action sequences, and enough description to satisfy any set designer.

ARC provided by publisher.

[Jay Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

An abrasively-told story using multiple first-person points of view, with the reader having to determine who the speaker is. The problem is heightened by the use of initials rather than names to identify characters. Fortunately the task becomes easier as you get into the book. The several main characters are quite well described and quite unique. The fun comes from the fact that no one in the story is a typical person, and the descriptions help to create a wonderful mental image of each person. I would call this a graphic novel with words used to define the graphics. The action takes place in New York City, and familiarity with the layout would be helpful in appreciating some of the humor, but the reader's enjoyment doesn't require geographic knowledge. This is a fun book to read, just don't be set off by the early chapters.

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adam Dunn writes nicely, however I felt this book fell short. The plot and concept was interesting, but nothing really materialized. The book was slow moving. There were times when I thought the story was going to take off but with a few turn of the pages the excitement ended and went flat. Dunn did much character development on two characters in the book, Renny and Santiago. Both were interesting yet some of the other players in the book such as More, perhaps a complex toss in character, seemed most interesting. I think a little less time on Renny and Santiago and a bit more on More could have helped me stay more interested in the book.

Overall the book was ok, it just took too long to get caught up in the story and when things finally got going you were kinda over the book.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another free book from GoodReads giveaways. The jacket describes this as James Ellroy meets Blade Runner, and so far I have to agree. It's 2013, and NYC is an apocalyptic nightmare of crime and misery. Call this future crime-noir. In a city where everyone works two jobs just to stay alive, a fashion photographer runs one of many drug dealing operations, and an special force of NYPD fights them to keep the streets safe for tourists, who are the only hope for pumping money into the failed NYC economy. Interestingly, both sides use taxicabs as their primary tool, which seem to be the only safe haven between buildings. The writing is good, and the author does a nice job of creating a very plausible scenario that is only two years into the future.

[Jackie Easley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am giving this book really 3.5 stars. This book was the story of two men. One an NYPD detective and the other a photographer/drug dealer. When the two stories collided (and I knew they would) it was pivotal for both of them. At first I wanted to stop reading this, just give it up. But I kept going because I knew something was going to happen and even though I knew these two stories would collide I had no idea of the magnitude of the collision. Needless to say the photographer/drug dealer got the short end of the stick. Even before the two stories collided the story telling began pulling me in - so much so - that I had to know what was going to happen next. This is book 1 in a trilogy. I'm going to try the next book and see where that takes me.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway.
This novel was a challenge for me. It was extremely dark and complex. I found that I had to put it down at times and relax my mind before returning to it. I thought the main characters, Renny, Santiago and More, were interesting. They were certainly unique and different. I thought the story seemed overly detailed and confusing in places but I generally could follow the flow of the story.
All-in-all, I would say that this is a well written book that should be read with the anticipation that it will take some concentration to enjoy.

[Rose · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing really new here--blood, gore, good(bad)cops, bad(good)cops, gritty story about a gritty city! After reading this book, wanted to "cleanse my soul" by watching a "Hello Kitty" video! Thank goodness this was a Goodreads Winner copy of the book--I would have felt disappointed to have spent money on this one. The book was OK but perhaps just not the book to be reading at this moment in history with such negativity on the political scene and with so many citizens in this country feeling as if their future is not looking so bright.

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a Goodreads Firstread win. Thanks!

Something about the writing style had me wanting to put the book down. I still can't put my finger on it. The story, however, had me keep reading. Taking place in the slightly futuristic world of New York City post our economic breakdown, the underworld makes serious inroads into the 'legit' business scene, drawing away precious resources needed to rebuild the economy.

[Janet Cross · Rating 1 out of 5]

Set in New York City in 2013. NYC is in the worst economic depression the country has every seen. Crime is high and this story is mainly about taxis running drugs. It think?? I had as hard time with this book and didn’t finish it. Heck I’m living the economic downturn, I don’t want to think it gets this bad in two years!!!!

[Ben Copeland · Rating 1 out of 5]

Possibly one of the worst books I've ever read? Characters are unbelievable, plot is overly complex, the writing is verbose and disjointed. Read half of it and couldn't finish--too many other books in my queue that deserved my attention.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not bad, interesting premise...uneven.

[Neil Gilbert · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bah! Why did I read this? Obscure plot. Underdeveloped characters without a likable bone in their bodies. Everything was difficult to believe. Hated it. Avoid!

[Bob Carlton · Rating 2 out of 5]

the story set-up and details were fascinating, but I struggled to be engrossed w/ Dunn's narrative

[Stefan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jerky and frenetic at the start and then settles down It is a fast paced story with some very interesting insights. I could do with less mayhem