Publication Date: September 17, 2024
Nobody is particularly fond of DeWitt Emerson-“Witty” as he’s known to some, and “Dimwit” by his detractors. But as the Deputy Chief of the U.S. Embassy in Berlin, he has a good deal of political influence and prominence, so when he’s found murdered in Grunewald forest, the CIA, FBI, and the local police all swarm in to solve the crime. His deputy, Adam Jackson, thirty-five, is persuaded to covertly search his apartment, but when he’s spotted leaving, he barely survives a brutal kidnapping attempt. Soon, those who are sent to investigate the crime are consumed by turf wars, jealousy, and suspicion of an inside mole, second-guessing each other’s moves as the murdered continues to walk free.
In this fast-paced political thriller, Adam reluctantly becomes an underground operative in order to stop an ultra-right-wing conspiracy against democracy. Drawing on his knowledge of Berlin, and an innately gifted, if somewhat clumsy investigator, he finds a connection to the local aristocracy with ties to organized crime. Adam must avert further bloodshed in a cat and mouse struggle before the plot to end democracy’s pieces falls into place.
A gripping political thriller requires a balance between character development and a substantive plot. It’s even better if it’s delivered by someone who has lived within that spectrum.
Author Mike Blumenthal (as in Former Secretary of the Treasury) is no stranger to the political world. His book, The “Payday” Conspiracy, is set in Berlin and offers a sense of authenticity common to those with actual ties to the city.
The story unfolds in first person from the perspective of Adam Jackson, who works in the U.S. Embassy in Berlin. He’s a bit of a hot mess with a wife quite unhappy with the posting in Berlin and a boss who has just been murdered.
In a fast-paced adventure, readers are taken along for the ride as Adam plays a dangerous game trying to stop a plot against democracy. Full of twists and turns, the intrigue continues until the satisfying conclusion.
The “Payday” Conspiracy delivers non-stop action from start to finish.
Mike Blumenthal is a German-American, who, at age thirteen, barely escaped the Holocaust in 1939 with his Jewish family. A businessman, he has also served as a diplomat, Secretary of the Treasury, CEO of two major international corporations and was, until recently, founding directing of the renowned Jewish Museum Berlin. He is the author of two works of non-fiction.
