A Novel That Our Elected Officials Would Do Well to Regard as an Exposé

A major newspaper appears to be involved in corrupt dealings with a mosque that is led by a beloved local sports hero yet has multiple connections to jihad terrorism. There’s a murder and a shocking arrest, but then the case against the accused, which had appeared airtight, quickly unravels. In this and much more, Len Getz’s superb novel Innocent Spouse could be a news account of contemporary events, albeit far more engagingly written, or a prescient insight into the world we could be living in far sooner than anyone expects.

I must confess that I’m not a big novel reader. While I read and admired a lot of the great ones when I was a young man — Crime and Punishment, Moby Dick, 1984 — after a while, even the bestselling novels of the day began to appear to me to be artificial, strained, and far too often thinly disguised advertisements for the spirit of the age, which is no spirit I want anywhere around me. (Kurt Schlichter’s novels are good, though. If you like them, you’ll love Getz’s.)

When, however, I heard that Getz had published a novel, I wanted to read and review it because I admired his investigative work and analysis, some of which has been published here at PJ Media. I did not, however, expect that I’d look forward to finishing up work every evening so that I could read more of Innocent Spouse. This is, quite simply, an outstanding novel, full of adventure, surprising plot twists and turns, and a telling look at an America that is rapidly changing in ways that are making this book read more like non-fiction than fiction.

The title refers to the legal situation in which a husband or wife is unaware of the actions of the others, particularly when it comes to paying taxes on undeclared income, and is thus not liable for the unpaid taxes and related fines. The book bears this title because the main character, who is in many but not all respects the hero of the story, is, improbably enough, an IRS agent. It would be giving away too much of the story for me to explain why the title is apt, indeed, thrillingly so, but there are some other aspects of the book that are worth noting.

Much of the action revolves around a mosque in Philadelphia that is the beneficiary of the extravagant largesse of a former NBA star who has converted to Islam. Numerous jihad terrorists have been linked to this mosque, but the NBA star has overseen the recovery of the surrounding neighborhood: what once had been a crime- and drug-ridden area is now serene and quiet. What’s more, his star power has hardly dimmed, and local authorities are loathe to pursue any leads into criminal activity inside the mosque for fear of appearing “Islamophobic” and besmirching the reputation, or even worse, incurring the annoyance, of the local hero.

A reporter for a major Philadelphia newspaper, however, conducts her own investigation and writes a series of articles exposing the mosque. To her rage and indignation, the paper rejects the articles and fobs her off with excuses, whereupon she publishes them in a rival paper. Before the full series has even appeared, however, this intrepid journalist is murdered.

Related: A Book to Win the Culture War

Who did it? No one you’ll likely suspect as you read along. But Len Getz’s portrayal of a law enforcement and media apparatus caught in a complex web of self-reinforcing corruption doesn’t just make Innocent Spouse a page-turner; it also sketches out a picture of the American public sphere that could just as easily not be a novel, but a revelation of the way things work today.

That’s not the main reason why Innocent Spouse is such a good novel; Innocent Spouse is so good because it’s finely drawn, briskly written, full of surprises, and marvelously entertaining from the first page to the last. But it’s an added bonus that Len Getz is a keen observer of the contemporary scene, one who is unencumbered by political correctness. He can and does, consequently, make his novel highlight truths about our own age — truths that our government and law enforcement officials would do well to ponder. But because these truths are inconvenient, they will likely continue to be ignored. If you know someone in government or law enforcement, however, give him or her the gift of Innocent Spouse. It will open some eyes.