Kingdom Come by J.G. Ballard

After the mysterious, but seemingly accidental, murder of his estranged father in a London suburb, former advertising agent Richard Pearson decides to visit his father’s adopted home.  As he investigates the murder, he discovers the dark side of the unassuming suburb: the megamall at the center of town. The local residents have become enamored with the mall and the consumerist lifestyle that goes with it. The novel begins as a traditional mystery complete with an elusive love interest, but it gradually becomes a typical Ballard dystopia when the residents’ consumerism leaves them with a void that can only be filled with violence.  They harass immigrants, stage violent marches through town, and aggressively support local sports teams.  In Kingdom Come, consumerism leads to boredom and boredom leads to fascism. For those readers who are unfamiliar with JG Ballard, this is a light introduction to his more brutal works like Crash and Cocaine Nights.

-Mike