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Title: Plastic Gods (Rich Coleman Novels, 2) by William Manchee ISBN: 1-929976-23-2 Publisher: Top Publications Pub. Date: 01 October, 2003 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $14.95

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Average Customer Rating: 3.75 (4 reviews)

Rating: 3
Summary: a fascinating thriller
Comment: PLASTIC GODS gets only three stars because it is in dire need of an editor, however, & this is a huge HOWEVER, what it is about is interesting & important!

Rebeccasreads recommends PLASTIC GODS because it has a lot to think about -- our addiction to credit cards. It is a lively story for anyone struggling with thousands of dollars of debt; for anyone facing a lifetime of interest payments; for anyone living beyond their means & realizing what the great American Dream is costing them. It is also a dangerous book, so be warned, it has something subversive to say that will touch just about everyone with a bank account.

Good stuff!

Rating: 3
Summary: Very talented writer, poor editing
Comment: "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.

Rating: 4
Summary: Plastic Gods
Comment: 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