Plastic Gods
A Rich Coleman Novel
By William Manchee

      William Manchee's ninth book is touted as a Rich Coleman novel, and while our old friend Rich and his wife Erica are in the story, the main characters are their son Matt and his new wife Lynn. Matt and Lynn are doing well in their recently-opened law practice that specializes in bankruptcy. However, Lynn was impressed by her old professor's theories on credit card scams that get people so far in debt that they can never recover. Both Matt and Lynn, being a bit greedy, see the chance to skyrocket their business while discrediting the unethical bankers.

      They embark on a mission to trigger enough bankruptcies to put the lenders out of business and line their own pockets in the process. They initiate an advertising campaign that starts a consumer revolt against MidSouth Bank. Their expose uncovers much more than they anticipate including embezzlement and murder. They become victims themselves as Franklin P. Hill tries to discredit Matt, and when that doesn't work, he orders Matt's death. Matt's fear for Lynn and his questioning and review by the Texas Bar Association kept me riveted to the page as the tension built to a thunderclap of a climax.

     Manchee is a genius at taking a page from our daily lives and turning it into a high speed thriller, with characters that we definitely want to see again, and a well developed plotline that is right out of today's newspapers. This was the first Manchee novel for me, but definitely not the last.