Title: History is a Lie

Author: Morton R. Leader

Release date: January 2, 2021

Source: Purchased from Amazon

Over the last year or so, I’ve connected with Morton on Twitter and read his first two releases. One thing I’ve loved seeing is his continued growth and improvement with each release and as he’s become a more refined writer, his ability to tackle ambitious concepts has also improved.

Case in point is ‘History is a Lie’ a novel that time jumps with most chapters to follow a central character. Leader dove into this with enthusiasm, which was evident from a few direct messages he sent me, sharing how excited he was for this book.

What I liked: ‘History is a Lie’ is tale that shares how an unknown or hidden race of creatures has been behind some of the biggest moments in Earth’s history and how the powers that be are in the know, but keep it covered up. Leader does a fine job of tackling different points throughout history and I really enjoyed seeing each section tackled.

As well, the banter between two of the characters that propels this story was really great. A mixture of sarcasm and disbelief.

The story moves along at a really great clip, which allows the reader to really become immersed in the worlds that Leader has created and the last quarter of the book finds another level, another gear where we see things come to a head. Leader really shines here, with some fantastic descriptive moments.

What I didn’t like: The biggest thing I noticed was for a story that is set in Vegas, there is a lot of ‘UK-isms’ in the dialogue and descriptions. Granted, Leader is from the UK, but there were a number of moments that pulled me from the story when I struggled to think that a US based FBI agent would use a specific word or phrase. Not sure if Leader used a North American Beta Reader on this, but if so – they should be fired haha!

Why you should buy this: As I mentioned, Leader has continued to make leaps and bounds of progress in his writing and ability to craft a story. I really enjoyed how this one rolled along and I think for fans of dark fiction, this would be a pleasant surprise. Leader does have another book out, which may be something fans of gang/crime fiction may want to dive into (personally not a genre I enjoy very much of), but I’m excited to see where Leader goes from here.

Well done, Morton!

4/5