British journalist Robert Lovelace travels to California to report on the social media giant Global Village. He's horrified by what he finds: a company-guided by the ruthless vision of its founder, Evan Bone-that seems to be making journalism itself redundant. Appalled, he decides to abandon the project and return home.
But as he leaves he has a disconcerting encounter that sends him off in a totally different direction. Soon he finds himself embarked on an increasingly fraught and dangerous mission. The aim: to uncover the murky truth about Evan Bone's past and his pathological disregard for the human cost of the behemoth he has created.
Robert's quest takes him from San Francisco to a small college town in the Midwest, to the site of a former hippie commune in northern California, introducing us to a range of vivid characters, and confronting us with the price we pay-online trolling; the loss of privacy; professional ruin-for living in an "interconnected" world. Finally, he makes a startling discovery-and is thrown into a completely unforeseen existential dilemma.
A timely, stylishly written, and brilliantly conceived metaphysical thriller, Coyote Fork carries us on an unforgettable journey, before bringing us face to face with the darkness at the heart of Silicon Valley itself.
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THE GLOBAL VILLAGE BUILDING in Santa Carla, California is a huge, perfect circle, studded at regular intervals with windows and solar panels. 1
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(Slant, 1 September 2020, 266 pages, ebook, copy from the author and voluntarily reviewed, #BlogTour 8 November via @RandomTTours)
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I'd never heard of the author or book so didn't know what to expect. I decided to take part in the tour because I loved the cover and the blurb made the book sound like a good thriller. I thought it was great. I'm not sure if this is the author's debut or not but I would definitely read more of his work. This is a techno-thriller with some dystopian elements as traditional journalism collapses and tech-spies and hated start to become supreme. Added to all is the race to solve a murder. I thought this was a terrific read.
