Picking up where "Bullet in the Chamber" left off, "Fake" pushes its protagonist harder, further, and faster than ever before. Still reeling from recent events in the last novel, Lark Chadwick presses forward in her true-to-form way only to find herself fighting against the ugly side of modern journalism. Unfortunately for her, it's only the beginning as the career field she's loved and thrived in for so long suddenly becomes fraught with falsities, fiction, and frenemies. Why bother reporting the truth when fake news leads in the viral headlines?

DeDakis brilliantly combines the hot subject of fake news - one we can't seem to get away from any more - with a high intensity plot full of scandals, secrets, and international incidents (...or are they fake?) that we've come to expect from his Lark Chadwick series. While his previous novels have concluded with the subtle insinuation that more would be coming, this one leaves the reader SCREAMING for what's potentially unfolding in the next book. "Fake" is exhaustingly suspenseful - I had to walk away from it a few times just to breathe and the ending left me shell-shocked. I hope to hell the next novel is already well on its way.

There is a facet of DeDakis' writing style that I especially enjoy when he combines a real world topic and a fictional narrative. In "Fake", he chronicles the disastrous effects of fake news on Lark's life. However, he's also discreetly highlighting the very serious, real-world implications of fake news on our society and its conditioning of future generations. For someone like me who stopped watching the news because I don't know what to believe anymore, a reevaluation of that stance is in order. Even if ignored by a portion of the population, fake news ruins real lives, real careers, and can have irreversible effects on real people. It's a complicated problem, yes, but it needs to be taken much more seriously by our culture which feeds on information-overload 24/7. While "Fake" is a work of fiction, it isn't purely for entertainment purposes only. It's smart writing and it makes you think long after you've finished the last page.

"Fake" is a must-read for thriller fans and well as those who love political fiction. I'd also recommend it for those looking for diversity and inclusion in the story line as the novel tips its hat to the #metoo and LGBTQ communities. Finally, I'd highly encourage those looking to read and follow a strong female protagonist to pick up any of the Lark Chadwick novels. It's refreshing to find that healthy balance of 'confident', 'smart', 'not sexualized', and 'not a man-hater' in her. She's relatable, believable, and just vulnerable enough to make female readers completely empathize with her. Years ago, I was overly skeptical (and yes, maybe even a bit offended) when I read the Acknowledgements section at the beginning of "Troubled Waters" and realized its male author was writing in the first person as a woman. But skepticism and offense quickly dissipated with each gripping page turn. The struggle is real and in "Fake", DeDakis still gets it. Very well done! ( )