"False light is a [type of] privacy tort that protects people from offensive and false facts stated about them to the public." It's a way for a person to stop character assassination and help restore reputation after particularly inflammatory and inaccurate statements have been made public. Although similar to the charge of defamation, there are some legal differences that make journalistic integrity of paramount importance when breaking a story. This law is extremely important to all of us in this day and age as social media has wreaked havoc and ruined lives through innuendo, speculation, and outright lies. The media is corrupt -- we all know it -- and we suffer each day not knowing how to separate truth from fabrication.
This novel is an amazing social commentary that focuses on a particular and unusual protagonist who is called upon to set a wrong, right. Sanford (Fuse) Petty is a middle-aged journalist who has been working for "Capitol Incursion" for years until he's suspended pending the outcome of an internal investigation brought about by a colleague making some baseless accusations about him because of a story he was digging into. He's an anachronism, anti-technology, and definitely a Don Quixote type who has been married forever to a woman he met in junior high and they have a teen-aged daughter. When his best friend, Kurt Rossiter, calls him for help after his young adult daughter, Samantha, says she was sexually assaulted by a famous man for whom she interned last summer, Fuse kicks into action using all the tools and sources he can find to extract vengeance. The target is Pacho Craig, the star and owner of MyStream - a virtual news network that engages in confrontational blast journalism popular with millennials. "Just understand one thing: perfect vengeance is when the target has no idea who did it to him." What a devious scheme set in motion. NO SPOILERS.
This book was completely unputdownable and I read it over a couple of hours today. To say it is timely is an understatement as it deals with so many current issues including the #metoo movement and an increasing distrust of the news media. The main character is so complex -- he has a way with words, he's witty, sardonic, and so clever. And funny. The interactions Fuse has with the other characters in the narrative show that yes, he's flawed, but he's definitely someone worthy of respect and admiration. The depth of characterization within the pages makes this work stand out as so many issues and situations arise that allow the reader to measure the inherent truth of each person's mettle and motivations. It's alarming to know that the "US has no real laws that prohibit biased and inaccurate reporting."
Just read it. Come away with a new understanding of how to look at what you see and hear from the media. Open your eyes and realize that there is bias and that no one is held accountable. This is definitely a 4.5 star read and worthy of a film adaptation. The author is one I plan to watch.
Thank you to NetGalley and Greenleaf Book Group Press for this e-book ARC to read, review, and highly recommend.
This is a standalone and is not part of any series.
Genre - thriller, literary, fiction
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