Golden State

By: Ben H. Winters

Narrated by: Kiff VandenHeuvel

From award-winning, New York Times bestselling novelist Ben H. Winters comes a mind-bending novel set in a world governed by absolute truth, where lies are as dangerous as murder.
In a strange alternate society that values law and truth above all else, Laszlo Ratesic is a nineteen-year veteran of the Speculative Service. He lives in the Golden State, a nation standing where California once did, a place where like-minded Americans retreated after the erosion of truth and the spread of lies made public life and governance impossible.
In the Golden State, knowingly contradicting the truth is the greatest crime -- and stopping those crimes is Laz's job. In its service, he is one of the few individuals permitted to harbor untruths, to "speculate" on what might have happened.
But the Golden State is less of a paradise than its name might suggest. To monitor, verify, and enforce the truth requires a veritable panopticon of surveillance and recording. And when those in control of the facts twist them for nefarious means, the Speculators are the only ones with the power to fight back.

Critic reviews

"At a time in the real world when everybody seems to own their version of the truth and phrases like "alternative facts" are used to cover falsehoods, Golden State is, no lie, a fascinating examination that takes fidelity and correctness down a freaky Orwellian path."—USA Today

"Winters has a knack for creating appealing detective fictions that skew reality in thought-provoking ways, producing a hybrid of the familiar and the uncanny. . . . As you read, you feel your perception of the world slipping and warping. Winters brilliantly imagines the quotidian manifestations of a truth-obsessed culture."—Washington Post

"Once again, Ben H. Winters creates a world cleverly skewed a few crucial degrees from our own. . . . Winters is well aware of the tropes of dystopian noir, and it is fun to watch him mix and match them to good effect. . . . The detective plot works well, but it is in its questioning of the nature of truth and falsehood that the novel excels. . . . Smart, intricate and propulsive, Golden State is proof that Winters deserves our continued attention as one of crime fiction's most inventive practitioners."—San Francisco Chronicle

"Mr. Winters has won major awards in both the mystery and speculative-fiction genres. The brain-teasing Golden State exists in a space where those two forms coexist. As a consequence, a sympathetic reader's imaginings may persist long after the book's puzzles have been solved."—Wall Street Journal

"Nothing speaks to the power of a weapon like it inspiring a work of speculative fiction, and Ben H. Winter's Golden State is the dystopian take on the new tool of war du jour: lies."—Paste Magazine, 'One of the Best Books of January'

"In Golden State, Winters has fashioned a wry commentary on our current era of fake news."—The Guardian [UK]

"An entertaining new take on the venerable genre-blending of noir and science fiction."—The Los Angeles Review of Books

"Like any good dystopian yarn,Golden State shows . . . how any organization or government can warp good intentions into truly harmful ones."—The Verge

"An entertaining, unpredictable read."—Financial Times

"A perfectly poised ontological-thriller-comedy-dystopian-allegorical-page-turner, yet with tenderly real characters in its chewy center, this turned out to be just the thing I was looking for."—Jonathan Lethem

"Not many writers would take on Orwell, Ray Bradbury, the nature of truth, and the current administration all at a blow. Big shoes to fill--and they fit Ben H. Winters just fine. Golden State grabs notions of disinformation and literalism and brilliantly turns them on their head to see what falls from their pockets."—James Sallis, author of Drive

wait, what?

So, there's a sequel to actually resolve this or we're just left hanging?
I was enjoying the story but it seemed to take forever to get anywhere and then suddenly they put a brick on the accelerator and I couldn't follow.

Fascinating but no ending

I really enjoyed this book, finding the premise and setting fascinating. It has great worldbuilding and I found myself very intrigued - however, having just finished it, I am still intrigued. The ending didn't resolve anything, there are still so many unanswered questions. Is this planned to be a series? I hope there's more to come because it feels like there was a lot left unsaid.

Wonderful Narration

I always enjoy this author, and I particularly enjoyed this book. But the narration was the best part.

Is this our future ?

Imaginative and the theme of truth versus lies is very relevant to our time. Loved the twists and turns and the suspense.

Very Different!

I thought I would not see this to the end. In the beginning, it was hard to get used to how dark this alternate world is and how extreme. Great story with all the twists and turns. Narration took a little getting used to but I have to say, he’s cast well for this story. Can’t imagine it narrated by someone else. Good read after the author’s other books.