I liked The Punishments by J.B. Winsor but thought it could have been better. Given the current political climate I think this  dystopian thriller is very timely.

Author J.B. Winsor writes about a United States where the government is taken over by Christian fundamentalists. The situation in the county is not unlike that today.

There is fear of terrorism, fear of immigrants, job loss attributed to immigrants and automation, desire for stability, etc.  The country elects a demagogue but the real power behind him is a Christian fundamentalist, Reverend John.

The not-so-good Reverend gets himself named director of the Department of Virtue for life and begins to consolidate his power. Since the Reverend believes he is the tool of God, no method to further his power (and therefore God’s ) is too much. Anyone who opposes expansion of his power must be eliminated.

The story of the growth of this power and efforts to limit it makes for a fine thriller. I thought it was a bit overdone and was a bit disappointed in the ending but that is just a matter of my preferences. I think it is a good book overall and one that is well-worth reading.

By the way, I notice this is a digital book and Amazon pricing is 99 cents as of this writing.

Please note that this review was updatedon January 24, 2017