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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Very talented writer, poor editing, December 22, 2003
"Plastic Gods" is a suspense packed thrill ride through the worlds of power politics, the legal system, and finance. This is easily one of the most exciting fiction novels of the year. When Matt Coleman starts his bankruptcy legal practice his wife Lynn comes up with a fantastic marketing plan - convince people that the credit card companies are manipulating them into a permanent state of financial slavery. Since their financial distress is a result of these practices there is no shame involved in filing a bankruptcy to get out of their grip and become a free person. As a result of this plan business booms and bankruptcy filings climb. Of course several banks that are involved in predatory credit card practices are severely hurt. The problem is that these are very powerful people and they do not want his success to continue, nor do they want other lawyers copying his success in other parts of the country. The head Midsouth Bank is desperate to stop Matt at any cost and the story really takes off from there.This is a very well written book that draws the reader into the storyline and doesn't let them go until the very end. I had to read the entire book at one setting to see how Matt would resolve his problems. Author William Manchee does an excellent job of keeping the reader guessing and makes the book one surprise after another. While his excellent writing style and use of plot twists and turns make this one of the most exciting fiction novels of the year, I don't rate it as one of the best. The reason is simple. While William Manchee is an excellent writer and I look forward to many more great novels tantalizing plot lines from him, the quality of the editing makes him come across as more of a hack writer. There are multiple sentences where a complete word is just plain missing, wrong words are used (such as "there" instead of "their"), and multiple other problems. As you near the end of the book and suspense is building, the problems become more and more common. This completely breaks up the flow of the novel and breaks the suspense that he is so masterful at creating because you have to stop and play fill-in-the-blank. I looked to make sure I did not have an uncorrected proof, but alas I did not. An excellent story, masterfully done, and recommended for those who like a good suspense story, it falls back into the category of mediocre only because of bad editing. Mr. Manchee has the potential to break out of the pack and become a well-known name in suspense novels, but only with better editing.
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Plastic Gods, October 28, 2003
When I picked up a recent edition of the Saturday mornings edition, The National Post, a Canadian newspaper, and turned to the financial section, what immediately hit me was an entire section devoted to consumer debt and credit cards.
Coincidentally, the day before I had received William Manchee's recent legal thriller Plastic Gods, that although is a work of fiction, revolves around this same theme.The story ventures into the world of powerful and unethical financial institutions dangling credit cards before those least equipped to resist it that ultimately lead them to financial and personal disaster. Matt Coleman is a young lawyer, just out of law school. He and his wife, who are aided by Lynn's marketing professor, decide that in order to jump start Matt's practice, they would embark on a series of info commercials, whereby consumers would be shown that it is not sinful to file for bankruptcy.
Banks would be shown to be the culprits. Consequently, much of blame would be placed on the shoulders of these financial institutions rather than the debtors. As the novel unfolds, Matt's and his wife Lynn's brilliant marketing plan prove to be a tremendous financial success and Matt's law practice takes off like a rocket.
However, along the way, Matt has also managed to ruffle a few feathers among some financial institutions.
One particular bank, the Midsouth Bank, does not take too kindly to Matt and Lynn's activities, and are quite disturbed at the serious financial damage that is being caused to their institution and the bankruptcies they now have to endure.
This leads the chief executive officer to take some very drastic and ruthless measures leading to tragic consequences affecting Matt and his wife, as well as others. The author's distinct and simplistic writing style takes the reader on a surprising and unpredictable ride that keeps you in constant suspense as what is around the next bend.
Action aficionados will not be disappointed, and although the book is a work of fiction, its theme is tantalizing. It is sure to leave many a reader thinking about some of the unsavory banking practices pertaining to credit card marketing and what is looming behind closed doors of these institutions. This review first appeared on reviewer's own site:Bookpleasures.com
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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fiction or Fact?, July 6, 2004
Matt Coleman is fresh from his bar exam and follows his father's footsteps into bankruptcy law. But Matt is from the new school of get rich quick lawyers and he has a new bride with a marketing degree to help him achieve that dream. A dream they realize much faster than expected.Matt and his wife Lynn find their niche in the infomercial field. Their brainchild of exposing the banking industries enslavement of the American people is a huge hit with the public. Their bankruptcy firm is up and running with more business and more money than they ever imagined. Not everyone is thrilled about the infomercials, however. Namely - the Texas Bar Association, who believe the infomercials do not adhere to legal advertising ethics, and MidSouth Bank of Houston, who believe they are losing millions of money as a direct result of Matt's bankruptcy filings. With their dream quickly turning into a nightmare, Matt and Lynn find they have made themselves the target of unscrupulous individuals who go to any means necessary to take revenge against those they feel have taken something from them. Means and methods that include taking down the empire of wealth the young lawyer accumulated, using the press to take down the practice and people the media helped create, and taking the very thing Matt Coleman held dearest. Now, admittedly, it's not a real stretch to imagine greedy lawyers, and bankers who would go to any means to keep their money to themselves. Or is it? I started reading the book thinking it would be the same old story about greed and corruption. But it's not. Manchee takes it to another level. At times I found myself thinking some of the scenarios were too far-fetched. But for some reason I was drawn to the story. I had to know what happened and if the bad-guys would be held responsible. And when I finished the last page, I was wondering...could this really happen? William Manchee has given us a great read for a time when stock markets and interest rates are fluctuating. PLASTIC GODS - Is it fiction or fact? Reviewed by Cindy Daniel, author of the Death Warmed Over Mystery Series
www.deathwarmedovermysteries.com
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