Police Man USA

The Shot That Split America

By: R. Anderson

Narrated by: Andrew Rowe

Length: 10 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

A superstar American athlete is on the cusp of breaking an iconic sport’s record - when he is gunned down! The murder is declared a hate crime, but no suspect is ever captured. Fans are furious. His tragic shooting is the last straw in a politically fueled debate on gun control; public upheaval forces the country to divide into two massive states: the super-progressive Frontier State and the ultraconservative Pilgrim State.

Sixty years later, Pilgrim State’s Detective Merit relies on highly advanced technology to solve homicides in under an hour, but when the top investigator decides to crack the historic shooting of the famed athlete, he faces a major problem - he’s never worked a cold case! Having to travel to the hyperliberal state of Frontier without his sophisticated crime-solving equipment, he must investigate the old-fashioned way - with blood, sweat, and tears. But can this gun-toting, God-fearing detective survive the culture shock of Frontier’s lawless society, resist its promiscuous temptations, and fight off cop-killers in time to unravel the mystery surrounding the nation’s infamous "shot that split America"?

©2021 R. Anderson (P)2022 R. Anderson

Brilliant Approach to Dystopian Sci-Fi!

The author did an incredible job of finding just the right balance between world-building and character development. The rich dynamics between the characters are immediately prevalent, as the interaction between protagonist James Merit of the Pilgrim state and characters such as Starla of the Frontier each highlights the deep-seated beliefs and values they held in opposition to one another, and the ways in which they come together, despite this show the depth of humanity and possibility that exists within us all. The futuristic setting and atmosphere the author plays with not only bring a sci-fi element to the narrative but bring plausible and very possible scenarios to life, such as the impact of climate change and the politically charged divide existing between liberal and conservative-minded individuals and politicians; showcasing how universal these viewpoints can often be, as well as how turbulent they are.

This is a brilliant book to read and would be greatly appreciated by anyone who enjoys dystopian crime thrillers with elements of science fiction, suspense, and murder, all rolled up in a finely tuned-mystery. The book will also appeal to those who enjoy audiobooks, as the author has also managed to bring this story to the audiobook world with a narrator that speaks with a gravitas and authority that instantly captures the listeners’ attention. The audiobook brings the mystery and suspense elements of the genre forward, even more, playing out as if a radio show of the 1920s.