NEW YORK – George Noory, the host of the widely acclaimed "Coast-to-Coast AM" radio show that is syndicated nationally on more than 600 radio stations, has found a new career with the publication of his first novel, "Night Talk."
The story, a science-fiction mystery, features Greg Nowell, a late-night host broadcasting from Los Angeles who serves as a thinly disguised alter-ego for Noory himself.
Nowell's fictional late-night radio show, much like Noory's "Coast-to-Coast AM," holds listeners spellbound and fascinated by tackling controversial topics, ranging from the political to the paranormal.
The action starts fast, when in the first few pages a brilliant but emotionally unstable computer hacker with a history of interesting but disturbing appearances on Nowell's radio show comes crashing out of a window on the opposite side of the street from where Nowell broadcasts in an apparent suicide. The hacker calls Nowell and says, "You killed me," just before the fatal fall.
Next, federal agents from various nebulous government agencies with the ubiquitous powers of the CIA, FBI and NSA combined show up, claiming Nowell was part of the secret cabal with tentacles throughout the government that the hacker was trying to expose before his untimely death.
As proof, the government agents show that money passed through Nowell's bank account to the hacker before his death. A possible espionage case against Nowell is established with evidence the hacker gave him a secret file before his death.
When the government agents threaten to lock up Nowell and throw away the key, asserting the government has the goods to convict him in a secret prosecution, Nowell goes on the run.
As he tries to unravel the deadly secrets the hacker discovered, Nowell is helped by Alyssa Neal, a mysterious but beautiful woman who Nowell comes to distrust as he escapes the murderous attempts of Leon, a brute controlled by unseen powers through a computer chip implanted in his head.
After the first chapter, I was hooked and couldn't put the book down.
In his attempt to get to the bottom of the mystery, Nowell is helped by various callers to the show who have "gone underground" in their distrust of the government or are angry and paranoid over the government's growing ability to gather 'total information" about all its citizens do.
Avid listeners of "Coast-to-Coast AM" will find that Noory weaves familiar themes of his radio show through the fast-paced thriller, connecting the forces behind the JFK assassination to those who created within the U.S. government a little-known agency called the U.S. Information Awareness Office – an existing branch of the federal government that opened in 2002 as part of the "war on terrorism," only to be defunded over concerns the office aimed to achieve "Total Information Awareness" over all citizens.
The satisfying, but totally unexpected ending of the book raises serious questions about whether the fictional "Matrix" is in the process of being created by the U.S. government, possibly in competition with aliens that both seek to achieve for themselves control over all human beings on earth.
This is a novel that is destined to be made into a full-length feature film. For years Noory has established himself as a late-night radio phenomenon, known for his skill in holding a national audience's interest by his study of the subjects under discussion, his sensitive yet probing questioning of guests, and his ability to identify with callers from around the globe, making their questions and comments part of the show’s drama.
Now, with this first novel, Noory has established himself as a brilliant storyteller, capable of writing a page-turner that will leave the reader wanting more.
I myself can hardly wait for the movie and the sequel novel.