Jake Wolfam lived his entire life dealing drugs and cheating people every chance he’s had, always trying to reach for his dreams. Every day, he sought to change the circumstances that kept him and mother poverty-stricken to no avail. Yet when he witnesses a murder, committed by his neighbor, mega-rockstar Damien Tungsten, he’s unexpectedly thrust into the limelight as a means to keep him quiet about what he knows, much to his friend Patrick’s dismay.

You see, Patrick found the body Damien tried to dispose of. As an artist, he’s overcome with the urge on molding the body to his every desire. In order to do that, he needs Jake’s help. Jake agrees reluctantly, never imagining the consequences that ensue because of his decision to do so.

Word soon gets out that there’s a new band member on the scene for In Dreams, making Jake’s life even more difficult as he tries to dodge paparazzi and the numerous attempts to end his life. As Damien begins to lose himself to the drugs that occupy his every day life, Jake sees it as an opportunity to finally make something of himself and the dreams he’s always harbored.

Yet there’s something he didn’t take into account – Damien. Damien is not yet ready to spend the rest of his life out of the public eye. As the days go by, Damien begins to crave the exposure he once had more and more. He begins to see Jake as a threat to his existence, one that must be dealt with and soon.

This was a very unique take on what could (and sometimes does) happen in the world of Hollywood. I enjoyed the book very much. The action was very fast-paced and consistent and keeps the reader entertained as they seek to find what happens next with every turn of the page. Granted, the book is told from several different perspectives but they do tie-in nicely to tell the story. I think it was well done. ( )

Idols & Cons is a chilling, surreal trip from drug dealing to stardom. John is a teenage drug dealer living in a slum apartment in a gentrified area of L.A. He deals drugs to help his mom make ends meet, although through her alcoholic haze, she doesn't know what he is doing. John's only friends are his rich neighbours: Damien, the lead singer of a boy band, and Patrick, a trust fund rich, wannabe famous, artist. These are the main characters that tell the story.

The story gets bizarre when John, through being a peeping tom, witnesses Damien accidentally murder of one of his groupies. Damien knows John watches people with his telescope, and while trying to hide the body, he sees John watching him. Patrick finds the body and that's where the squeamish fun really begins. John goes from being a small time drug dealer, to being held hostage, to being kidnapped, and then turned into a superstar member of a pop band.

The book is a fast paced, creepy, dark, and fun. It shows the seedy side of the making of an idol and what people will do to get and stay famous. It has twists and turns I never expected. Try as I may, I couldn't guess how it would end. Despite the gore, I couldn't put this book down. I highly recommend it and look forward to reading other books by S.S. Michaels. ( )

If you wanted to be rich and famous, how would you go about achieving it?

Long hours of practice and study to develop your talent?

Networking with people who got rich and famous they way you wanted to?

Watch your pop-star neighbor accidentally kill an underaged girl he is having sex with, help your psychopathic artist friend turn her body into art, and then ride that experience all the way to the top of pop music charts?

Well, I’m guessing you would never have picked number three. Nor would I, but that is how Jake Wolfram did it in S.S. Michaels’ Idols & Cons.

Idols & Cons is a book full of ambitious people with poor impulse control, and it chronicles the rise of Jake Wolfram’s (formerly John Thomas) rise from back-alley drug dealer to pop superstar along a road filled with guilt, psychopaths, nut jobs, fear, good intentions, compromised morals and ethics, and good old “sex, drugs, and rock and roll”. It is told from the point of view of a handful of characters all in the first person.

Idols & Cons is truly a roller coaster ride of a book. Like any good roller coaster you start off with a glimpse of the end as people return to the beginning of the ride. Once your strapped into the car and on the long climb to the top, you have a chance to reconsider how good an idea getting on the ride was in the first place. But once you reach the first plunge, your hooked. All you fears are carried away by the exhilaration of the ride itself as the roller coaster’s car speeds though twists, turns, corkscrews, and loops until you don’t know which way is up. The only difference between a roller coaster and Idols & Cons is you could put Idols & Cons down and stop the ride. But you won’t. The twists and turns plotted by S.S. Michaels into Idols & Cons will scare you, horrify you, sicken you, make you laugh out loud, and still leave you begging for more.

This is a masterful book that is reminiscent of the work of Jeremy C. Shipp (Vacation, Sheep and Wolves, Cursed) and Chuck Palahniuk (Fight Club, The Damned, Survivor). The prose is crisp. The character feel real. The emotions genuine. The fear and horror palpable. And the joke are hilarious. S.S. Michaels is a skilled writer.

Idols & Cons is the first novel of what I expect to be S.S. Michaels long and fruitful writing career. Get in on the ground floor. Pick up a copy of Idols & Cons and enjoy the ride.

Disclosure Note: I received a copy of Idols & Cons from Omnium Gatherum Media at no charge for review purposes. ( )

To say that S.S. Michaels' Idols & Cons is about sex, drugs, and pop music is completely accurate, but this book is also about three very powerful motivators: desperation, fear, and ambition. Michaels creates a set of characters, led by Jake/John, and dangles stardom over their heads like chum on a string. In return, each has no choice but to play the part of the shark.

I'll skip the summary, as you can read the product description on your own, and cut straight into the meat. Idols & Cons is told through first person, in dated entries by different characters. The format is very easy to understand, and it makes for a quick reading. I gobbled it up over two days, and enjoyed it immensely. The characters aren't entirely sympathetic, or even likeable, but the pacing keeps you hooked.

When I first read the synopsis for the story, I instantly wanted to see where the writer took the idea. I contacted the author about an advanced copy and received one. I knew there would likely be an intriguing murder, a cover-up, and a few thrills awaiting me. I wasn't expecting the heavy dose of despicable horrors, but I was pleasantly surprised when it turned out the story was about more than one young man getting bribed into keeping quiet about a crime.

Human depravity outdoes itself when the prized "fifteen minutes of fame" is at stake, a fact S.S. Michaels thoroughly explores. Be warned (or intrigued): the pages are littered with adult language from not-so-adult mouths, extreme drug use, sick works of art, a boy band, and the corrupting of the not-so-innocent. I recommend it for anyone who wants a glimpse of teen idols at their worst.

** Review also posted on Amazon, Goodreads** ( )