Editorial Content for The Rumor Game
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Reviewer (text)
Annie Lemire’s job is to primarily debunk rumors. She is a reporter in Boston, struggling to break through the male-dominated journalistic profession. Annie has a knack for getting people to open up to her despite their initial hesitancy. Recently, her proving or disproving rumors relates to the US war effort.
The hawkish position of the United States after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor has inspired the patriotic fervor of the citizenry in Boston. However, Annie has noticed that another feeling has begun to pervade the city as attacks on Jewish citizens have been reported. Hate tracts and the rantings over the radio have led to theories about a Jewish conspiracy fueling the US entry into the war. Annie is alarmed when one of the assaults happens to her brother.
"...an intriguing combination of mystery and historical fiction... Mullen’s latest novel brilliantly showcases how a war was being fought globally but that indifference and bigotry were often as close as our backyard."
Devon Mulvey is an FBI agent working in the Boston field office. His daytime duties consist of investigating anti-war or isolationist rhetoric surfacing in the public, whether it be at munitions factories or even the Church. At night, Devon’s activities veer toward the caddish as he capitalizes on the dearth of men in the area and the surplus of lonely women due to the war. The tone of his work begins to change with the discovery of a murdered factory worker in the North End. The presence of a napkin with a drawn Nazi symbol in the deceased’s hand further perplexes Devon as to the motive of the crime.
Annie’s concern with the anti-Semitic attacks is coupled with alarm about anti-Jewish propaganda being slipped into shopping bags at local retailers. She decides to investigate on her own as her boss hasn’t sanctioned this line of inquiry. Annie soon finds something more sinister involving an organized group of hatemongers pursuing an agenda that could tear Boston apart.
Despite diverging paths in their respective careers, chance brings Devon into Annie’s orbit. The pair share a previous acquaintance from their youth living in the same neighborhood. Devon’s investigation and Annie’s prospective story have points of intersection, which leads to a reconnection between them. But the secrecy inherent in their jobs may extinguish any romance before it develops.
THE RUMOR GAME is an intriguing combination of mystery and historical fiction from talented author Thomas Mullen. Annie and Devon were once united by proximity, but the sting of intolerance led to the exile of Annie and the Lemire family. Annie is driven by her ambition to break into the boys club of journalism and write meaningful news stories. A strong woman desirous of justice and fairness in the world, she is also distinct in her devotion to her family, as seen in how she handles her brother’s assault. Devon is a charismatic rogue who divines purpose with the case of the murdered factory worker. In spite of his FBI position, he perceives that he is viewed as a coward for not signing up for military service. Consequently, he has something to prove to himself as much as to others. The character arc for both Annie and Devon will absorb the reader’s attention.
Mullen’s latest novel brilliantly showcases how a war was being fought globally but that indifference and bigotry were often as close as our backyard.
Teaser
Reporter Anne Lemire writes the Rumor Clinic, a newspaper column that disproves the many harmful rumors floating around town, some of them spread by Axis spies and others just gossip mixed with fear and ignorance. Tired of chasing silly rumors about Rosie Riveters' safety on the job, she wants to write about something bigger. Special Agent Devon Mulvey, one of the few Catholics at the FBI, spends his weekdays preventing industrial sabotage and his Sundays spying on clerics with suspect loyalties --- and he spends his evenings wooing the many lonely women whose husbands are off at war. When Anne’s story about Nazi propaganda intersects with Devon’s investigation into the death of a factory worker, the two are led down a dangerous trail of espionage, organized crime and domestic fascism.
Promo
Reporter Anne Lemire writes the Rumor Clinic, a newspaper column that disproves the many harmful rumors floating around town, some of them spread by Axis spies and others just gossip mixed with fear and ignorance. Tired of chasing silly rumors about Rosie Riveters' safety on the job, she wants to write about something bigger. Special Agent Devon Mulvey, one of the few Catholics at the FBI, spends his weekdays preventing industrial sabotage and his Sundays spying on clerics with suspect loyalties --- and he spends his evenings wooing the many lonely women whose husbands are off at war. When Anne’s story about Nazi propaganda intersects with Devon’s investigation into the death of a factory worker, the two are led down a dangerous trail of espionage, organized crime and domestic fascism.
About the Book
A determined reporter and a reluctant FBI agent face off against fascist elements in this gripping historical thriller set in World War II-era Boston.
Reporter Anne Lemire writes the Rumor Clinic, a newspaper column that disproves the many harmful rumors floating around town, some of them spread by Axis spies and others just gossip mixed with fear and ignorance. Tired of chasing silly rumors about Rosie Riveters' safety on the job, she wants to write about something bigger.
Special Agent Devon Mulvey, one of the few Catholics at the FBI, spends his weekdays preventing industrial sabotage and his Sundays spying on clerics with suspect loyalties --- and he spends his evenings wooing the many lonely women whose husbands are off at war.
When Anne’s story about Nazi propaganda intersects with Devon’s investigation into the death of a factory worker, the two are led down a dangerous trail of espionage, organized crime and domestic fascism --- one that implicates their own tangled pasts and threatens to engulf the city in violence.
With vibrant historical atmosphere and a riveting mystery that illuminates still-timely issues about disinformation and power, Thomas Mullen delivers another powerful thriller.
Audiobook available, read by Megan Tusing
