Deep Fake is a story driven by plausible and petrifying plotlines, but it is Ward Larsen’s writing wizardry that had me finish this story in a single day. This book is a modern mashup of The Manchurian Candidate and Red Sparrow and with the current state of world affairs, the long game espionage tactics is not something I feel is out of the realm of possibility.
When Congressman Bryce Ridgeway is thrust into the national limelight after thwarting a brazen attack, the Army veteran turned politician sees his star rise and a kingmaker plucks him from obscurity to run from the highest office in the land. As he is out on the campaign trail, his wife Sarah begins to have worries about the inconsistency in her husband's behavior, when that paranoia leads to some even more disturbing information, nothing will be the same again.
With a new take on old school Cold War espionage novels, Ward weaves a tantalizing tale full of twists and turns that had me guessing until the very end. With just enough revealed as you go along to have an inkling of what may come, it’s the dramatic finish that brings it all together. This is one of my favorite books so far this year.
This was my first book of Ward’s outside of his David Slaton series and while I love that series, I wouldn’t be unhappy to see Ward branch out into more standalones. His writing and storytelling ability has just gotten better and better with each book and he is one of the authors I most look forward to reading each year.
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