patchworkbunny reviewed Golden State by Ben H. Winters
Review of 'Golden State' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
We are surrounded by lies, from little white ones to huge whoppers coming out the mouths of politicians. Lying is human nature. But what if it were the worst crime you could commit?
Lazslo Ratesic is a Speculator for the Golden State. He can sense lies and it is his duty to apprehend the liars. When he is made to take on an apprentice, they find themselves investigating a death which has anomalies. The truth is not clear, but uncovering it will lead them down a dangerous path.
I thoroughly enjoyed this noir-style, near-future murder mystery. It's full of observations about lying and surveillance. It feels a very topical story, mixing the surveillance state with the cried of fake news, making people not know who to trust. Fiction is presented as truth and truth is now subjective. So you can see where the idea for Golden State came about, a …
We are surrounded by lies, from little white ones to huge whoppers coming out the mouths of politicians. Lying is human nature. But what if it were the worst crime you could commit?
Lazslo Ratesic is a Speculator for the Golden State. He can sense lies and it is his duty to apprehend the liars. When he is made to take on an apprentice, they find themselves investigating a death which has anomalies. The truth is not clear, but uncovering it will lead them down a dangerous path.
I thoroughly enjoyed this noir-style, near-future murder mystery. It's full of observations about lying and surveillance. It feels a very topical story, mixing the surveillance state with the cried of fake news, making people not know who to trust. Fiction is presented as truth and truth is now subjective. So you can see where the idea for Golden State came about, a future where they have decided that lying was our downfall.
This is not a world without small untruths, there are caveats around flattery, humour and metaphor. Everything goes on the Record, cameras watching every moment so they can be recorded as fact. People must keep a diary, a day book, and file each days facts along with evidence. Receipts, tickets, photos, the flotsam and jetson of everyday life. It all helps uphold the truth.
Fiction does not exist in the Golden State. Novels exist but they are true statements of historical events written in narrative form. The book starts with an extract of one such "novel" and it is revisited throughout the story. That "novel" is about Laszlo's brother Charlie, who died doing his duty.
The marketing blurb is keen to compare this to several recently popular dystopian novels, but to me it was reminiscent of Fahrenheit 451. Right down to the enforcer of the law taking home a contraband book...
I felt the ending was a little too convenient, but otherwise I loved it.
