Virtual Vice by Jason Kays -- Book Review

Explosive and edgy, Virtual Vice by Jason M. Kays takes the reader on a journey into the bowels of the murky and deadly dark side of Internet venture capitalism.

Attorney Ian McKenzie's life takes a decided turn when he is introduced to the charismatic, but dangerous, Scott White. Hired by White to represent his interests in Metropoleis Media, a cutting edge Internet startup, Ian is soon drawn into the personal trials and tribulations of White's life. Leaving a trail of violence and abuse wherever he has been, White's quick descent into paranoia and mental illness finds Ian searching for a way out and a way to collect the ever mounting outstanding attorney fees that White owes him. Caught in the middle of the Feds, La Cosa Nostra and the Cali Cartel, Ian is trapped in a fatal game of corporate winner-take-all. How will he ever extract himself? And at what cost?

If you like wild rides, Virtual Vice is for you. Beginning with Ian McKenzie discovering his client naked and teetering on the edge of the veranda outside his hotel room, you're certain from the get go that this is no ordinary story.

Soon after meeting Ian, Scott White and some of his abnormal associates, the reader journeys through part of White's past and how Ian met and came to be hired by White before the book moves through in a mostly chronological format.

The author's love of music and his experience as an intellectual property attorney in information technology and entertainment law are clear from the onset, and it is his well-developed, complex characters that readers will appreciate the most. White's total deterioration that garners him some unwanted attention from past associates, Clarice Westwater's greed and ability to manipulate and Pastor Petey's feigned piousness, come alive within the pages of this book.

Virtual Vice gives a glimpse not only into the world of Internet venture capitalism, but also the music industry and Ponzi schemes, as White's long history of bilking investors and running across state lines is outlined.

Based upon true events, Virtual Vice is considered creative non-fiction, and therefore, the narrative carries the bulk of the story. This made it a little hard to get into at first. I am so glad I stuck with it, though, because the storyline is not only timely, it is riveting once it gets going and you'll find yourself turning page after page up to the explosive and satisfying conclusion.

A timely, attention grabbing story is what you'll find in Virtual Vice by Jason M. Kays.


Title: Virtual Vice
Author: Jason M. Kays
Publisher: BookSurge
ISBN-10: 1-4392-0131-5
ISBN-13: 9781439201312
SRP: $23.99 (U.S.)