Virtual Vice: A new technology crime novel based on true events [Paperback]

Jason M. Kays (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 25, 2009

In Virtual Vice by Jason M. Kays, readers follow disillusioned entertainment attorney Ian McKenzie as his professional life takes a decided turn for the questionable when he is hired by the charismatic and dangerous Scott White to represent Scott's interests in his cutting edge Internet startup, Metropoleis Multimedia. Unfortunately for Ian, Scott has more in common with Scarface's Tony Montana than Apple's Steve Jobs, and things go from questionable to deadly in no time flat. As Scott's confidant and consigliore, Ian soon finds himself caught between the Feds, La Cosa Nostra, and the Cali Cartel in a fatal game of corporate winner-take-all. Kays masterfully weaves the nuts and bolts of legal maneuverings and corporate worst-practices into an engaging and unpredictable thrill ride of a crime novel. Filled with wry humor and twists and turns galore, Virtual Vice keeps you guessing and wanting more while entertaining every step of the way.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jason M. Kays is an intellectual property attorney with fifteen years experience in both information technology and entertainment law. Kays is an accomplished jazz trumpet player and his passion has always been music, technology, and convergence of the two in today's digital age. This is his first novel.

Product Details

• Paperback: 458 pages
• Publisher: BookSurge Publishing (March 25, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1439201315
• ISBN-13: 978-1439201312
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,526,284 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jason M. Kays is an intellectual property attorney with fifteen years experience in both information technology and entertainment law. Kays is an accomplished jazz trumpet player and his passion has always been music, technology, and convergence of the two in today's digital age.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Explosive and Edgy, July 19, 2009

By 

Cheryl C. Malandrinos "johnnycat15" (Western Mass) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Virtual Vice: A new technology crime novel based on true events (Paperback)

Explosive and edgy, "Virtual Vice" by Jason M. Kays takes the reader on a journey into the bowels of the murky and deadly dark side of Internet venture capitalism.

Attorney Ian McKenzie's life takes a decided turn when he is introduced to the charismatic, but dangerous, Scott White. Hired by White to represent his interests in Metropoleis Media, a cutting edge Internet startup, Ian is soon drawn into the personal trials and tribulations of White's life. Leaving a trail of violence and abuse wherever he has been, White's quick descent into paranoia and mental illness finds Ian searching for a way out and a way to collect the ever mounting outstanding attorney fees that White owes him. Caught in the middle of the Feds, La Cosa Nostra and the Cali Cartel, Ian is trapped in a fatal game of corporate winner-take-all. How will he ever extract himself? And at what cost?

If you like wild rides, "Virtual Vice" is for you. Beginning with Ian McKenzie discovering his client naked and teetering on the edge of the veranda outside his hotel room, you're certain from the get go that this is no ordinary story.

Soon after meeting Ian, Scott White and some of his abnormal associates, the reader journeys through part of White's past and how Ian met and came to be hired by White before the book moves through in a mostly chronological format.

The author's love of music and his experience as an intellectual property attorney in information technology and entertainment law are clear from the onset, and it is his well-developed, complex characters that readers will appreciate the most. White's total deterioration that garners him some unwanted attention from past associates, Clarice Westwater's greed and ability to manipulate and Pastor Petey's feigned piousness, come alive within the pages of this book.

"Virtual Vice" gives a glimpse not only into the world of Internet venture capitalism, but also the music industry and Ponzi schemes, as White's long history of bilking investors and running across state lines is outlined.

Based upon true events, "Virtual Vice" is considered creative non-fiction, and therefore, the narrative carries the bulk of the story. This made it a little hard to get into at first. I am so glad I stuck with it, though, because the storyline is not only timely, it is riveting once it gets going and you'll find yourself turning page after page up to the explosive and satisfying conclusion.

A timely, attention grabbing story is what you'll find in "Virtual Vice" by Jason M. Kays.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Blew Me Away!!, April 30, 2009

By 

Mark L. Reiterman - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Virtual Vice: A new technology crime novel based on true events (Paperback)

I'm not an avid reader, and if I find a book that "captures" me, it would still take me weeks to read it. I received Virtual Vice on a Friday, and completed reading it by Sunday. This book gets ahold of you and draws you into the pages. Definitely a GREAT read, and BRILLIANT work by the Author!!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well written......, June 10, 2009

By 

B. Spetz (Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Virtual Vice: A new technology crime novel based on true events (Paperback)

I am only part way through - but, what a well written and interesting look into the music industry book! Love it!! The characters are strong and the detail is great!! This book has over-taken my night time reading.....