True Fiction
by Lee Goldberg
Series: Ian Ludlow Thrillers #1
Series Rating:
Published by Thomas & Mercer on April 1, 2018
Genres: Humorous Action and Adventure Mystery
Pages: 248
Format: Kindle
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Get Your Copy at: Amazon, Book Depository
#1 New York Times bestselling author Lee Goldberg hits the ground running in a breakneck thriller where truth and fiction collide for the unluckiest writer alive.
When a passenger jet crashes onto the beaches of Waikiki, bestselling thriller writer Ian Ludlow knows the horrific tragedy wasn't an accident.
Years before, the CIA enlisted Ian to dream up terrorism scenarios to prepare the government for nightmares they couldn't imagine. Now one of those schemes has come true, and Ian is the only person alive who knows how it was done...and who is behind the plot. That makes him too dangerous to live.
Ian goes on the run, sweeping up an innocent bystander in his plight--Margo French, a dog walker and aspiring singer. They are pursued by assassins and an all-seeing global-intelligence network that won't stop until Ian and Margo are dead. Ian has written thrillers like this before, but this time he doesn't know how it's going to end--or if he will be alive to find out.
Is the CIA really out to murder an author?
True Fiction by Lee Goldberg is an exciting adventure filled with witty comebacks and crazy schemes straight out of Hollywood with a regular Joe as the main character.
I adored the writing style that Mr. Goldberg uses in this book. The main characters are Ian Ludlow, author and television writer, Margo French, a dog walker, and Ronnie Mancuso, eccentric television star, known for playing the strangest characters. Wilton Cross the evil executive of Blackthorn Security who strikes a cord of patriotism and insanity.
However, this isn’t the only story, as we also get chapters of Ian Ludlow’s books about Clint Stryker and parts of scenes from his television show Hollywood & Vine. This book is pack full of action, explosions, conspiracies, unbelievable luck, and funny antidotes.
Ian Ludlow
Ian is just a regular author, trying to make a living. When out of nowhere he is the target of an assassin and a crazy man set on dominating the world from behind the scenes of the American government.
Ian has quite the imagination, so when a CIA looking man shows up and invites him to sit with other authors and brainstorm ways that terrorists could hurt the citizens of this country. He is all in, little does he know that a few years later that plot line would come back and bite in the arse.
Some of the things that I like about Ian are that he is a normal guy. He eats junk food, stays up late and writes a great spy novel. You can tell that he is over his head throughout the story. Yet, he finally figures it out and takes control of the situation as only a writer could do. He has integrity and is respectful of his friends.
We can see the growth of Ian as he fights for his life alongside his merry band of friends. OK, merry isn’t the best word, but you can only use crazy so many times.
Margo French
Margo was assigned to be an author escort while Ian was in Seattle on his book tour. Margo left home because she didn’t fit in with her family’s idea of womanhood. So, now she is in Seattle working as an author escort, dog walker and occasional singer/songwriter.
I liked Margo because she was the voice of reason. She believed what Ian had to say and do to protect them, but she thought it was all insane. She has a great work ethic, and she is obviously responsible, well until Ian came into her life anyway, just look at her Yelp scores.
We also see how Margo changes and her confidence in herself grows. You could really tell that she got carried away with Ian and Ronnie when she shot the grenade launcher and blew things up.
Ronnie Mancuso
Ronnie is my favorite character. He is a conspiracy nut, eccentric millionaire, television star, and slightly insane. Although, he could probably convince me about the conspiracy part. I am not wearing a foil cover helmet. I have to draw the line somewhere.
Ronnie believes in Ian and his ability to “write” them out of this issue. He is a true friend. Ronnie does have a few weird habits, and he isn’t a fabulous interior decorator, but he understands what needs to be done and gets it done with his flare.
Ronnie doesn’t really grow that much. I think his biggest difference is leaving his bunker and assisting Ian. I do believe that he would help any of his friends the same way as that is just the type of guy he is.
Wilton Cross
The scariest thing about Cross is that he seems like a nice ordinary family guy. He is respectful to his wife; he has kids and grandkids. He comes across as intelligent and loves our country. While at home he watches HGTV’s Property Brothers with his wife.
However, he is an elitist and believes that he knows what is best for everyone. He is also greedy which he tries to playoff as a perk of the safety that he is giving the people of the United States. Somewhere along the line Cross lost touch with the fundamentals of humanity and for that, he paid the price.
5 Stars for True Fiction by Lee Goldberg
My rating for True Fiction by Lee Goldberg is five stars. The plot was fast moving and explosive. I enjoyed the diversity and normalcy of the characters in the fight for their lives. The story with the different forms of media, from chapters from Clint Stryker, to the scenes from Hollywood & Vine, flashbacks from Ian’s past combined with the ride of Ian’s lifetime was totally entertaining. It had me on the edge of my seat and laughing at the same time.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who an excellent adventure.
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About Lee Goldberg
Goldberg broke into television with a freelance script sale to Spenser: For Hire. Since then, his TV writing & producing credits have covered a wide variety of genres, including sci-fi (seaQuest), cop shows (Hunter, The Glades), martial arts (Martial Law), whodunits (Diagnosis Murder, Nero Wolfe), the occult (She-Wolf of London), kid’s shows (R.L. Stine’s The Nightmare Room), T&A (Baywatch, She Spies), comedy (Monk) clip shows (The Best TV Shows That Never Were) and total crap (The Highwayman, The New Adventures of Flipper).
He’s written and produced TV shows in Canada (Murphy’s Law, Cobra, Missing), England (Stick With Me Kid, She Wolf of London) and Germany (Fast Track: No Limits). His mystery writing for television has earned him two Edgar Award nominations from the Mystery Writers of America.
His two careers, novelist and TV writer, merged when he wrote the eight books in the Diagnosis Murder series of original novels, based on the hit CBS TV mystery that he also wrote and produced. He followed that up by writing fifteen bestselling novels based on Monk, another TV show that he worked on. His Monk novels have been translated and published in Germany, Poland, Thailand, Japan, Turkey, and many other countries.
In addition to his writing, he’s worked as an international TV development expert and consulting producer for production companies and major networks in Canada, France, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
But perhaps he’s best known for his pioneering work mapping the human genome and negotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Goldberg lives in Los Angeles with his wife and his daughter and still sleeps in Man From U.N.C.L.E. pajamas.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2019 Goodreads Reading Challenge
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