Immoral Origins

This review is also featured on Behind the Pages: Immoral Origins

Thank you to Black Tide Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book! I voluntarily leave this review!

Unable to hold down a job, Jake Barnum steals what he can to provide for his ill brother. But the bills keep racking up. When he meets a woman posing as Marilyn Monroe an interesting offer is put on the table. The chance to join an organization called The Desire Card. A place where no matter what a client desires, they make sure it comes true. But what happens when those desires cross the moral line? How far will Jake go to make sure his own desires come true?

Down on his luck, Jake Barnum sees his golden opportunity with The Desire Card. At first, it seems like an easy enough job. But as his ambition grows, and his relationships become entangled within the Card, the complexities surrounding him grow. Jake's path becomes darker and darker, as he compromises his morals. Each new crime he convinces himself is justified, burying it all under careful lies he tells himself. Not to mention the payout is higher the dirtier the job. Readers will witness Jake slowly transform from a misguided man into a hardened criminal, willing to do just about anything for money.

Within The Desire Card, members earn their way into a celebrity mask. And once they don the mask, it becomes their identity. The duality shown by each character is frightening to behold. People down on their luck embrace their new persona with a near obsession. And while readers witness it firsthand with Jake, they also have the chance to see what is happening to others from Jake's point of view. It is chilling to see Marilyn Monroe's darkness and her unwillingness to embrace her past. She does all she can to leave it behind and at times seems unhinged. And as she crawls deeper into the darkness, she drags Jake along for the ride.

The characterization done in Immoral Origins was astounding. Lee Matthew Goldberg paints such a vivid picture of Hell's Kitchen in the late 70s. From the settings to the culture and all the walks of life within Hell's Kitchen. There are also songs incorporated into the narrative. Listening to them as the scenes unfold adds another level of entertainment to the story. Combine this with a well-written narrative and engaging characters, and readers will be sure to enjoy this dark thriller.