Cyberkiss

Silicon Valley #3

by Sally Chapman

Hired to ferret out a stalker who is tracking computer programmer Bernard Kowolsky through the Internet, amateur sleuth Julie Blake and her partner, Vic Paoli, follow a trail of clues to a pharmaceutical company with too many secrets. Reprint.

Genres: Mystery

192 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published March 1, 1996

Reviews

[Catsalive · Rating 3 out of 5]

Julie Blake & Vic Paoli run a computer fraud investigation company in Silicon Valley, California. They are approached by Bernie Kowolsky when he feels his life is threatened. Kowolsky works for Biotech, a pharmaceutical company working on advanced vaccination R & D for the disease of the moment. Bernie is being stalked by his cybersex correspondent, but when he is killed, the investigation becomes much more serious, & not what a couple of tech-investigators are used to.

As you can imagine, the technology from 1997 looks positively prehistoric from 2026 eyes, but the tale is pretty well-told & the main characters likeable. The killers method of infecting Gloria is rather terrifying & sent shivers down my spine. 2.5★

[Susanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ohhoh, olipas se juttu. Huvittavaa tietysti oli vuoden 1996 internetin tietämys ja sen selostaminen, mutta ilmeisesti kirjailija silloin on tehnyt riittävästi taustatyötä aikanaan, joten tarina oli edelleenkin kutakuinkin uskottava muutamia "pikkujuttuja" lukuunottamatta. Mutta kun ei anna niiden häiritä, niin tässä oli varsin mukava ja käänteikäs rikosromaani.

Hauska yhteensattuma todellisuuden kanssa on se, että kirjan päähenkilö työskenteli Biotech-nimisessä yrityksessä, joka teki läpimurron aids-rokotteen kehittämisessä.

Tosielämässä aids-rokotteen kehittelyssä teki läpimurron suomalainen FIT Biotech -niminen yritys (perustettu 1995) ja se on yhä edelleen aids-rokotteen kehittelyn ehdoton kärkinimi. Ensimmäinen kliininen vaihe suoritettiin 2001-2002 ja 2006-2007 ollaan edetty kliinisten tutkimusten vaiheeseen, jossa suomalaista koerokotetta testataan 60 hiv-positiiviseen potilaaseen Etelä-Afrikassa. Etelä-Afrikassa siksi, että se on maailman aids-tilaston kärjessä yli 5 miljoonalla sairastuneella ja koska tarvittiin koehenkilöitä, joilla on hiv mutta joilla ei ole lääkitystä. Suomessa hiv-positiivisiksi todetuilla aloitetaan hoito heti. Mikäli koerokotteen voitokas matka jatkuu vielä tässäkin tutkimusten vaiheessa, voi markkinoilla olla aids-rokote 2008-2012. Mutta tämä jää nähtäväksi, nyt eletään kuitenkin vasta vuoden 2007 loppua...

[Judi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I stumbled upon this book at a summer sale and I really feel lucky! Chapman succeeds in writing a Silicon Valley Mystery that kept me guessing and with lots of humor.

This is the third book in a series featuring sleuth Julie Blake. When we meet her in this book, she has just left a successful career as a VP to start her own detective agency with her boyfriend Vic. (I personally believe in dropping out and trying something new, so I don't have a problem with this part of the plot...) They expect to solve security problems for large corporations but instead a "techno-nerd" client stumbles into their office (and lives) and they end up solving a murder (or two).

Chapman worked at IBM for nine years and is a veteran of Silicon Valley. For a techie, she sure writes a good mystery.

[Will Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book at a flea market, and I have been blessed by the experience! It's your typical pulp detective story, but with added cyberkink and explanations of the internet. It was written in 1997 and truly is a relic of its time.
I guessed who had killed Bernie early in the book, but it was so obvious I figured it was a red herring, and I was correct on both counts - Julie and Vic suspected the same person as I did, but then things got even more convoluted, and I loved it. It's not a work of genius or anything, but I wasn't looking for that, so it was exactly the fun summer read I needed.

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Julie has a boyfriend, Paoli. They have quit their jobs and set up their own company.
Lots of computer stuff.
Pretty good.