Publication Date: June 3, 2025
One day. One city on the edge. One man gambling it all.
In a Los Angeles rattled by an earthquake and on the brink of collapse, Marlon has twenty-four hours to change his fate. Drowning in debt, reeling from personal loss, and desperate to save his family, he’s seduced by a shadowy financial guru promising salvation. But as Marlon spirals deeper into a web of risk, secrets long buried begin to surface—and his final gamble might cost him everything.
Taut, urgent, and psychologically astute, Get Rich Quick is a gripping descent into the dangers of ambition, delusion, and the American obsession with success.
Soon to be a major worldwide film release.
A man living well beyond his means watches his world come crashing down in the span of 24 hours.
Author Steven Bernstein tells Marlon’s story in GRQ, which references an effort touted by the narrator as “Get Rich Quick.”
This is not exactly what one might refer to as a typical fiction novel. It feels more like an extended one-act play, complete with a narrator providing color commentary about Marlon’s woes. From that perspective, the limited character development would make sense.
Whether it’s a cautionary tale about financial behavior or an opportunity for the author to showcase a narrator masquerading as a con man, the focus is on a man’s desperation to stay afloat. Told through short chapters, the narrator adds comic relief to the main character’s ineptitude.
The tongue-in-cheek witticisms would resonate more effectively if spoken aloud, which causes me to circle back to the overall structure of the story. I went into the book expecting an intense story focusing on characters in the aftermath of an earthquake, but there was no need to break out the rescue equipment.
GRQ delivers insight into a man’s financial woes and the lengths he goes to solve them.
Steven Bernstein, ASC, DGA, WGA is an award-winning feature film director and screenwriter, shaping some of the most visually striking films of the past 40 years. His work on the Academy Award-winning film Monster and on Like Water for Chocolate has earned global recognition. He is a recipient of the American Film Institute Award, the Sloan Award (for writing and directing), the Cannes Golden Lion (for commercials), and is an ASC nominee for outstanding cinematography. He has worked on over 50 feature films. He wrote and directed several groundbreaking feature films with major talent (John Malkovich, Samantha Morton, Helen Hunt and many more). His podcast Filmmakerandfans, about the creative process in film production, is listened to by millions.
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