Deepfake (Terry Luvello 2) by Joe Reilinger-a review

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Google Play /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date June 13, 2023

Having just completed a challenging case, private detective Terry Luvello was hoping for some rest. Instead, a 3:00 a.m. visit from a thirteen-year-old neighbor is a prelude to what will soon become the most perplexing case of his career. The girl’s father, the director of the Cleveland Federal Reserve, has just been accused of murder. Even worse, the police are in possession of evidence that seems to confirm the father’s guilt.

Reluctant though intrigued, Terry is soon thrust into the world of deepfake videos—fabricated recordings so real they are virtually impossible to disprove. Shortly after Terry begins his investigation, similar videos implicate four other individuals with ties to high finance.

With the help of his partner and girlfriend, police detective Hannah Page, Terry soon realizes that disproving the videos is only half the battle. In a case filled with misdirection, Terry and Hannah must determine the true motive behind his client’s frame while matching wits with an unknown adversary willing to kill anyone who stands in his way. As they learn more about their enemy’s true intentions, Terry and Hannah race against time to prevent a crime on a scale far greater than they could have ever imagined.

A transgender male with a uniquely wry sense of humor, Terry seeks to solve his case while continuing with the clinical transition he began months earlier. As the investigation reaches a climax, he must decide just what he is willing to sacrifice to save the woman he loves.

•••••

REVIEW:DEEPFAKE is the second instalment in Joe Rielinger’s contemporary, adult TERRY LUVELLO mystery, suspense series focusing on transgendered male, private detective Terry Luvello. DEEPFAKE can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story line is revealed where necessary.

Told from first person perspective (Terry) following several paths, DEEPFAKE follows in the wake of a 3am visit from PD Terry Luvello’s thirteen year old neighbor who claims her father has been arrested for murder. Ray West, a single father, is the director of the Cleveland Federal Reserve and has been accused of the killing of a female friend. An anonymous witness has come forward with a video showing someone who looks like Ray at the scene of the crime, a video that may or may not be a deepfake recording. With the help of his girlfriend, police detective Hannah Page, and IT genius Tomas O’Malley, Terry will begin to unravel the clues that lead to a well-planned, and soon to be executed theft of millions of dollars but Ray West is not the only high profile figure to be targeted in similar videos, videos that may all lead back to a familiar foe. An arson investigation ends with the death of a suspect, an investigation that also leads back to an unlikely source. From the Boston Irish Mob to the FBI, everyone becomes suspect in a technological nightmare.

Meanwhile, and secondary to the main story line, Terry Luvello’s transition from female to male is about to enter the pharmaceutical phase of his evolution. At this stage in the series, we are not privy to the intimate details, only that strangers and friends are aware of Terry’s life changing transformation.

DEEPFAKE is a story of greed, power and murder, deception and betrayal. The premise is intriguing and entertaining; the characters are interesting and thought-provoking.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy