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Lana Elkins #1
Lethal Code
America's worst nightmare has come true: a "cyberPearl Harbor" attack by unknown terrorists has crippled the nation's power grid and brought the land of the free to its knees. As widespread panic and violence ravage the country, its ruthless captors issue their ultimatums and vow an apocalyptic reckoning.
A defenseless nation scrambles to fight an invisible invasion. Chief among America's last line of defense is Lana Elkins, head of a major cyber-security company and former top NSA operative who returns to her roots to spearhead the Agency's frantic efforts to combat the enemy's onslaught on its own terms. While she and her superiors take action to infiltrate a terrorist hotbed overseas, much closer to home ruthless jihadists with a nuclear bomb hijack a busload of schoolchildren, including Lana's daughter, and race toward a rendezvous with Armageddon in America's greatest city.
With Lethal Code, Thomas Waite raises the international techno-thriller to dangerously exciting levels, introducing a valiant new action heroine, and initiating a series that brings a harrowing new edge of realism to sensational speculative fiction.
368 pages, Paperback
First published July 22, 2014
204 people are currently reading
1496 people want to read
About the author
Thomas Waite
8 books158 followersTHOMAS WAITE is the bestselling author of the celebrated Lana Elkins thriller series. Lethal Code was declared "Taut, tense, and provocative" by Hank Phillippi Ryan, the Agatha, Anthony, and Mary Higgins Clark Award-winning author, who quickly added "...this frighteningly knowing cyberthriller will keep you turning pages--not only to devour the fast-paced fiction, but to worry about how much is terrifyingly true."
Trident Code followed in form. "Scary good," according to King Features columnist Dale Dauten: "The science and technology are as convincing as they are chilling, with an original trifecta of cyber, nuclear, and environmental terrorism all worked into one wild ride of a plot."
Unholy Code, the third novel in the series, received similar praise. "Rarely does a novel pull me down and strap me in for the long, beautifully turbulent ride like Unholy Code did," said Vincent Zandri, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Remains and When Shadows Come.
Waite's first novel, Terminal Value, reached #1 at Amazon. One reviewer wrote, "Terminal Value is to the corporate world what John Grisham's The Firm is to lawyering: a taut, fast, relentless thriller. A most impressive debut novel."
Shadowed, the follow-up to Terminal Value, was released October 2, 2018. Dale Dauten of King Features wrote "Thomas Waite has already established himself as a preeminent writer of riveting thrillers and Shadowed is no exception. From the murky depths of Boston's Charles River to the harrowing wild lands of Kenya, Waite takes readers on a ride so real they'll feel as if they're flying in the co-pilot's seat!"
Waite is a board director of, and an advisor to, a number of technology companies. His nonfiction work has appeared in The New York Times, the Harvard Business Review, The Boston Globe, and The Daily Beast.
Trident Code followed in form. "Scary good," according to King Features columnist Dale Dauten: "The science and technology are as convincing as they are chilling, with an original trifecta of cyber, nuclear, and environmental terrorism all worked into one wild ride of a plot."
Unholy Code, the third novel in the series, received similar praise. "Rarely does a novel pull me down and strap me in for the long, beautifully turbulent ride like Unholy Code did," said Vincent Zandri, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Remains and When Shadows Come.
Waite's first novel, Terminal Value, reached #1 at Amazon. One reviewer wrote, "Terminal Value is to the corporate world what John Grisham's The Firm is to lawyering: a taut, fast, relentless thriller. A most impressive debut novel."
Shadowed, the follow-up to Terminal Value, was released October 2, 2018. Dale Dauten of King Features wrote "Thomas Waite has already established himself as a preeminent writer of riveting thrillers and Shadowed is no exception. From the murky depths of Boston's Charles River to the harrowing wild lands of Kenya, Waite takes readers on a ride so real they'll feel as if they're flying in the co-pilot's seat!"
Waite is a board director of, and an advisor to, a number of technology companies. His nonfiction work has appeared in The New York Times, the Harvard Business Review, The Boston Globe, and The Daily Beast.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 103 reviews
October 15, 2014
2.5 I Have No Idea What I'm Doing Stars
I’m not in my element in this book so please take my rating with a grain of salt. I read mostly fantasy, contemporary and historical fiction. With those genres I have a large well of knowledge and experience to pull from but I believe this is the only book I have read that is straight up Thriller. I was invited to read Lethal Code by the author Thomas Waite in exchange for an honest review.
Was I thrilled?
Lethal Code starts out incredibly interesting as all the power goes out across the entire United States for a 24 hour period. After massive confusion and multiple catastrophes, all very thrilling, it magically comes back on. Then the message goes out that someone has hacked the United States and everything will shut down again, unless the U.S. pulls all its influence and forces out of every foreign Country.
There are a lot of tense and thrilling moments throughout the book. I was genuinely worried for multiple characters throughout as every new crisis hits and there were many. There were also a lot of twists and turns along the way. I won’t give away who the enemy was but part of it I thought was just playing on pre-existing prejudices and the other part I could almost buy into.
What I liked:
I enjoyed the way this story jumped PoVs to give a full range of understanding to most of the characters in the book. It really wouldn’t have worked as just a single PoV. I also liked all the tension that could be created by jumping between story lines until everything/one meets up at the end. There were a few characters that I found it easy to root for and I was more interested in their PoVs than many of the others, so I found myself reading just to get back to them.
There is also a very, very minor romance between a CIA agent and a nice Muslem man duped into helping the United Stated use him as bait.
I had also never really thought about what counties in the Middle East were doing to contain threats from terrorist organizations operating in their countries. I have only ever thought of America’s issues with terrorists but never how they could affect other countries.
What I Had Issues With:
I know that we live in a very technology driven world but I found it super hard to believe that a country or a group of people could essentially hack into the entire United States to shut everything down or take control of it remotely. I also found it extremely hard to buy into if that did happen the government would have no contingency for that and independent systems. But for the sake of the story I just pretty much let it go. Everything else I had issues with I’ll just mention in the section below.
Why this book may polarize you:
I really do think that it plays on a lot of prejudices that have been persistent since 9/11. Does every attack against the United States have to come from Al Qaida or some other terrorist extremism? Again I really don’t want to give away the bad guys but there are some crazy people with some extreme goals based mostly on religion and divine right.
A few of the things that really bothered me in the book were, the United States took a man into custody and knew he was probably innocent, but tortured him anyway to see if he would break or be a good candidate to use as a double agent. That same man was then tortured by the Saudi government for essentially the same reason. Really? Is that modus operandi for governments now days?
The extremes that everyone in the book seemed to go to just appeared to be over the top to me. Maybe all thrillers are like this and I just don’t know because I generally don’t read them. But all and all much of it didn’t seem plausible and the actions of people with gun fights and such in the middle of cities in the Middle East again seemed really unlikely.
Overall Conclusion:
This really isn’t my forte, I have nothing to compare it to but in general I liked a few of the characters and I really wanted to see how it ended. I really debated on what kind of rating I should give it but honestly either I’m entirely too naïve or I had to suspend disbelief to enjoy a majority of the story. I imagine if you like shows like 24, Eagle Eye and 2012 this might be up your alley.
I’m not in my element in this book so please take my rating with a grain of salt. I read mostly fantasy, contemporary and historical fiction. With those genres I have a large well of knowledge and experience to pull from but I believe this is the only book I have read that is straight up Thriller. I was invited to read Lethal Code by the author Thomas Waite in exchange for an honest review.
Was I thrilled?
Lethal Code starts out incredibly interesting as all the power goes out across the entire United States for a 24 hour period. After massive confusion and multiple catastrophes, all very thrilling, it magically comes back on. Then the message goes out that someone has hacked the United States and everything will shut down again, unless the U.S. pulls all its influence and forces out of every foreign Country.
There are a lot of tense and thrilling moments throughout the book. I was genuinely worried for multiple characters throughout as every new crisis hits and there were many. There were also a lot of twists and turns along the way. I won’t give away who the enemy was but part of it I thought was just playing on pre-existing prejudices and the other part I could almost buy into.
What I liked:
I enjoyed the way this story jumped PoVs to give a full range of understanding to most of the characters in the book. It really wouldn’t have worked as just a single PoV. I also liked all the tension that could be created by jumping between story lines until everything/one meets up at the end. There were a few characters that I found it easy to root for and I was more interested in their PoVs than many of the others, so I found myself reading just to get back to them.
There is also a very, very minor romance between a CIA agent and a nice Muslem man duped into helping the United Stated use him as bait.
I had also never really thought about what counties in the Middle East were doing to contain threats from terrorist organizations operating in their countries. I have only ever thought of America’s issues with terrorists but never how they could affect other countries.
What I Had Issues With:
I know that we live in a very technology driven world but I found it super hard to believe that a country or a group of people could essentially hack into the entire United States to shut everything down or take control of it remotely. I also found it extremely hard to buy into if that did happen the government would have no contingency for that and independent systems. But for the sake of the story I just pretty much let it go. Everything else I had issues with I’ll just mention in the section below.
Why this book may polarize you:
I really do think that it plays on a lot of prejudices that have been persistent since 9/11. Does every attack against the United States have to come from Al Qaida or some other terrorist extremism? Again I really don’t want to give away the bad guys but there are some crazy people with some extreme goals based mostly on religion and divine right.
A few of the things that really bothered me in the book were, the United States took a man into custody and knew he was probably innocent, but tortured him anyway to see if he would break or be a good candidate to use as a double agent. That same man was then tortured by the Saudi government for essentially the same reason. Really? Is that modus operandi for governments now days?
The extremes that everyone in the book seemed to go to just appeared to be over the top to me. Maybe all thrillers are like this and I just don’t know because I generally don’t read them. But all and all much of it didn’t seem plausible and the actions of people with gun fights and such in the middle of cities in the Middle East again seemed really unlikely.
Overall Conclusion:
This really isn’t my forte, I have nothing to compare it to but in general I liked a few of the characters and I really wanted to see how it ended. I really debated on what kind of rating I should give it but honestly either I’m entirely too naïve or I had to suspend disbelief to enjoy a majority of the story. I imagine if you like shows like 24, Eagle Eye and 2012 this might be up your alley.
August 1, 2014
I do not understand the rave reviews this book is getting. Everything in it was very contrived, and my suspension of disbelief kept getting snapped, like an old cat5 cable. The sentence structures and word choices were good-- the author knows how to write well, but the story, plot, and characters were just not working for me, as a reader.
November 15, 2014
In a word: disappointing. The premise is so interesting, but the delivery was very poor. I don't know how this has almost a 5 star rating on Goodreads. It started strong and then quickly devolved into something so forced and contrived that I couldn't wait to get out of it.
This book is very contemporary (2014). It includes reference to the Boston Marathon bombings and a cringe-worthy misuse of the word, “literally”. The tech references are also very "now". But the story is so over the top that I "literally" groaned more than once.
So, it went like this for the main characters: get into a scrape, get saved. Get into another scrape, get rescued, repeat ad nauseam.
Most annoying for me was the inclusion of Emma, the lead character's daughter. Seriously, what are the chances that she would have ended up in those circumstances? I would have preferred that the author omit her character from the story, as she added little to the plot, and her inclusion was wasted because her mother didn't have time to worry about her, so why bother with this sub-plot?
The only saving grace was that Lethal Code is short, so the suffering doesn't last too long. Skip this one. There are so many better books to waste time on this.
This book is very contemporary (2014). It includes reference to the Boston Marathon bombings and a cringe-worthy misuse of the word, “literally”. The tech references are also very "now". But the story is so over the top that I "literally" groaned more than once.
So, it went like this for the main characters: get into a scrape, get saved. Get into another scrape, get rescued, repeat ad nauseam.
Most annoying for me was the inclusion of Emma, the lead character's daughter. Seriously, what are the chances that she would have ended up in those circumstances? I would have preferred that the author omit her character from the story, as she added little to the plot, and her inclusion was wasted because her mother didn't have time to worry about her, so why bother with this sub-plot?
The only saving grace was that Lethal Code is short, so the suffering doesn't last too long. Skip this one. There are so many better books to waste time on this.
May 15, 2016
I really wanted to enjoy this book. The premise was highly interesting. Unfortunately, there were so many writing issues in the first 5-10 pages that I stopped.
The main character, Lana, is effectively shown as omniscient within the first few pages, knowing that a cyber attack is the cause of a major blackout, her internal voice (cough - the author - cough) walking through the entire investigation in a few seconds. There was no confusion, no mad scramble by the main character to determine if the cause was natural (e.g. Solar flare) or caused by other man made circumstances (eg EMP). Just a jump, boom, to her specific area of knowledge. Real people don't jump to such conclusions that quickly; discarding alternative scenarios in 30 seconds with no evidence gathered on way or another.
As a reader, I felt pushed along to the author's targeted storyline, rather than drawn in via a natural flow of events.
As this set of events is so early in the story and, most importantly, is covered by the publisher's own description, I have determined that no spoilers are in this review.
The main character, Lana, is effectively shown as omniscient within the first few pages, knowing that a cyber attack is the cause of a major blackout, her internal voice (cough - the author - cough) walking through the entire investigation in a few seconds. There was no confusion, no mad scramble by the main character to determine if the cause was natural (e.g. Solar flare) or caused by other man made circumstances (eg EMP). Just a jump, boom, to her specific area of knowledge. Real people don't jump to such conclusions that quickly; discarding alternative scenarios in 30 seconds with no evidence gathered on way or another.
As a reader, I felt pushed along to the author's targeted storyline, rather than drawn in via a natural flow of events.
As this set of events is so early in the story and, most importantly, is covered by the publisher's own description, I have determined that no spoilers are in this review.
April 8, 2015
This is the first novel I have read from Thomas Waite. I was pleasantly surprised . Tech thrillers are a new genre for me. I started reading this over Easter weekend and I couldn't put it down. I was turning pages well into the night. It made me think of what would happen if the world's technology was hacked and held for ransom. What would governments do?
This story is based around a cyber attack that cripples nearly everything in the U.S . They take everything down , the power grids , nuclear power plants , They cause a nation wide black out that causes thousands to die in terrible accidents. That is their initial show of force , their ultimate plan is to destroy the U.S with their own nuclear missiles, basically wiping out North America.
Along comes a small but but plucky group of intelligence and security experts . Led by Lana Elkin, she is the head of a cyber security company. She heads back to her roots and heads up the group to find the hackers and stop a world war . They have to do the undoable and find them before they destroy the U.S
The characters in this book are well written, and plot was tight and fast paced . The character of Lana was well written , she was a tough as nails woman but had a softer side to her also especially with her daughter. The story takes us on such a journey , this is a fast paced tight read. The techies will love the all the technical jargon and those of us that aren't that technological savvy won't get lost. Trust me I am not that tech savvy and I didn't get lost in all the jargon. There is only one thing that kind of had me lost is when Lana left her underage daughter basically alone while the world was ending. Other then that the book was awesome .
So if you want a totally different read and you like thrillers and trying to figure out who it is . This is the book for you .
October 5, 2014
Audiobook Review
1 1/2 Stars
0 for Storyline
3 for Concept
What a horrible read! Lethal Code portrays America decimated by a cyber-attack. Unfortunately, it focuses on the characters of Lana Elkins and her daughter. Elkins is the head of a cyber-security firm with close affiliations with the government. As the US is ground to a stop by a crazed cyber-maniac, we get to experience the sappy personal dilemmas of Lana's life. The author relates some information in a sentence or two here and there about how the populace and infrastructure is damaged, but it continues to dwell on a few individuals and their problems. Lana, this presumed guru of cyberspace, doesn't seem to know much about tech, and this is a direct reflection on the author's knowledge or research. Yes, some terms like 'logic bombs' is used, but a quick Google search can provide this level of information.
After Lana doesn't do much of anything to help the disaster, she's dispatched to Saudi Arabia as a secret agent to track down another character is acting as a secret agent, even though he too is only a tech executive. But he happens to be of Saudi origin, so of course the government intensively trained him for a day or two then shipped him off to infiltrate AQAP.
The entire story is a mess. Weak technology, fractured storyline, ridiculous characters, fractured storyline. A real waste of time.
1 1/2 Stars
0 for Storyline
3 for Concept
What a horrible read! Lethal Code portrays America decimated by a cyber-attack. Unfortunately, it focuses on the characters of Lana Elkins and her daughter. Elkins is the head of a cyber-security firm with close affiliations with the government. As the US is ground to a stop by a crazed cyber-maniac, we get to experience the sappy personal dilemmas of Lana's life. The author relates some information in a sentence or two here and there about how the populace and infrastructure is damaged, but it continues to dwell on a few individuals and their problems. Lana, this presumed guru of cyberspace, doesn't seem to know much about tech, and this is a direct reflection on the author's knowledge or research. Yes, some terms like 'logic bombs' is used, but a quick Google search can provide this level of information.
After Lana doesn't do much of anything to help the disaster, she's dispatched to Saudi Arabia as a secret agent to track down another character is acting as a secret agent, even though he too is only a tech executive. But he happens to be of Saudi origin, so of course the government intensively trained him for a day or two then shipped him off to infiltrate AQAP.
The entire story is a mess. Weak technology, fractured storyline, ridiculous characters, fractured storyline. A real waste of time.
August 12, 2014
Lethal Code
Thomas Waite
I went through Lethal Code by Thomas Waite while on vacation a couple weeks back. I had some plane and bus rides to get from point A to point B, and the book did a good job in passing the time. While I liked the cyber-thriller angle of the story, there was a fair amount of "suspension of belief" that was necessary to buy into the plot. There are definitely vulnerabilities that can be exploited by hackers, but not at the level you see here...
The story line revolves around a cyber-attack on the US that cripples nearly everything... power grids, control systems, nuclear facilities, etc. The terrorists make their initial show of force by turning off the power across the entire country for a 24-hour period, and tens of thousands die in various accidents and fires. But that's just the beginning, as they are not content to stop there. The plan is to eventually annihilate the country with their own nuclear missiles, and it looks like there is little that can be done to stop them.
But that wouldn't be much of a story if that was it. A small (and unlikely) team of security and intelligence experts (and one person who was originally fingered as the mastermind of the attacks) are put together to head to the Middle East to infiltrate the suspected organization that is running the hacking operation. They have to do what no one else has been able to pull off... find the site of the hacking attacks and stop them before America becomes a heap of radioactive rubble.
I liked the characters and the pacing of the story. I had no problems with feeling like things were dragging or that I didn't care what happened. I had more issues with the technical aspects of the story. Everything was just too perfect in terms of what the hackers could do. Things were done at a massive level with pinpoint precision, but many of the systems that were affected wouldn't have been accessible from the outside to begin with. While it might be possible to plant viruses in missile systems and such, there's no way that you could control them from an external site over the 'net. Also, knowing the technical state (or lack thereof) of many critical systems, the thought of being able to hack and control all of them at once is... non-existent.
Having said all that, it was still a fun read. Techies might get overly hung up on the details, and as such would have a hard time enjoying it for what it is. But if you're willing to let that go and "go with the flow", it's good.
Disclosure:
Obtained From: Amazon
Payment: Purchase
Thomas Waite
I went through Lethal Code by Thomas Waite while on vacation a couple weeks back. I had some plane and bus rides to get from point A to point B, and the book did a good job in passing the time. While I liked the cyber-thriller angle of the story, there was a fair amount of "suspension of belief" that was necessary to buy into the plot. There are definitely vulnerabilities that can be exploited by hackers, but not at the level you see here...
The story line revolves around a cyber-attack on the US that cripples nearly everything... power grids, control systems, nuclear facilities, etc. The terrorists make their initial show of force by turning off the power across the entire country for a 24-hour period, and tens of thousands die in various accidents and fires. But that's just the beginning, as they are not content to stop there. The plan is to eventually annihilate the country with their own nuclear missiles, and it looks like there is little that can be done to stop them.
But that wouldn't be much of a story if that was it. A small (and unlikely) team of security and intelligence experts (and one person who was originally fingered as the mastermind of the attacks) are put together to head to the Middle East to infiltrate the suspected organization that is running the hacking operation. They have to do what no one else has been able to pull off... find the site of the hacking attacks and stop them before America becomes a heap of radioactive rubble.
I liked the characters and the pacing of the story. I had no problems with feeling like things were dragging or that I didn't care what happened. I had more issues with the technical aspects of the story. Everything was just too perfect in terms of what the hackers could do. Things were done at a massive level with pinpoint precision, but many of the systems that were affected wouldn't have been accessible from the outside to begin with. While it might be possible to plant viruses in missile systems and such, there's no way that you could control them from an external site over the 'net. Also, knowing the technical state (or lack thereof) of many critical systems, the thought of being able to hack and control all of them at once is... non-existent.
Having said all that, it was still a fun read. Techies might get overly hung up on the details, and as such would have a hard time enjoying it for what it is. But if you're willing to let that go and "go with the flow", it's good.
Disclosure:
Obtained From: Amazon
Payment: Purchase
July 20, 2014
With Lethal Code, Thomas Waite has joined the ranks of other thriller writers like Scott Turow, David Baldacci, Lee Child, and Michael Connelly.
Waite introduces a new, valiant action heroine, Lana Elkins, head of a major cyber-security company and former top NSA operative. With the nation’s worst nightmare coming true (what Leon Panetta once called a “cyber-Pearl Harbor”), the reader is immediately swept up in a horrific cyber war against America and Lana joins up with the Agency to combat this invisible invasion. After grabbing your attention at the very beginning, Waite never lets you go. Add the fact that this riveting novel is also entirely plausible, and it is one scary story.
Lana Elkins, and the other characters in this novel draw you into the tension and conflicts they experience. Among those characters is Emma Elkin’s, Lana’s feisty yet caring fourteen-year-old daughter; Robert Holmes, Deputy Director of the NSA and a tough man with a heart; Ruhi Mancur, a Saudi expatriate who comes under scrutiny; and Candace Anders, who ostensibly works for an Indiana congressman but has a background that proves critical to the story. All of the characters are remarkably well developed.
Lethal Code is a fast-paced thriller that tells the shocking story of a massive and anonymous cyber attack on the United States and the unforgettable men, women, and children who fight back against these cowards with codes. There are ample suspects, including elite Chinese and North Korean hacker teams, cyber jihadists and rogue Americans. But there are also plenty of heroes, including everyday citizens who risk everything they hold dear to defend themselves and their country.
Waite’s first novel, Terminal Value, became a #1 best seller. With Lethal Code, he has firmly established himself as a pre-eminent writer of thrillers. I have no doubt that Lethal Code will exceed the reader’s expectations, and I am looking forward to reading the sequel.
Waite introduces a new, valiant action heroine, Lana Elkins, head of a major cyber-security company and former top NSA operative. With the nation’s worst nightmare coming true (what Leon Panetta once called a “cyber-Pearl Harbor”), the reader is immediately swept up in a horrific cyber war against America and Lana joins up with the Agency to combat this invisible invasion. After grabbing your attention at the very beginning, Waite never lets you go. Add the fact that this riveting novel is also entirely plausible, and it is one scary story.
Lana Elkins, and the other characters in this novel draw you into the tension and conflicts they experience. Among those characters is Emma Elkin’s, Lana’s feisty yet caring fourteen-year-old daughter; Robert Holmes, Deputy Director of the NSA and a tough man with a heart; Ruhi Mancur, a Saudi expatriate who comes under scrutiny; and Candace Anders, who ostensibly works for an Indiana congressman but has a background that proves critical to the story. All of the characters are remarkably well developed.
Lethal Code is a fast-paced thriller that tells the shocking story of a massive and anonymous cyber attack on the United States and the unforgettable men, women, and children who fight back against these cowards with codes. There are ample suspects, including elite Chinese and North Korean hacker teams, cyber jihadists and rogue Americans. But there are also plenty of heroes, including everyday citizens who risk everything they hold dear to defend themselves and their country.
Waite’s first novel, Terminal Value, became a #1 best seller. With Lethal Code, he has firmly established himself as a pre-eminent writer of thrillers. I have no doubt that Lethal Code will exceed the reader’s expectations, and I am looking forward to reading the sequel.
September 9, 2014
This was a very exciting and scary techno-thriller about a terrorist group that sets out to destroy the US by taking over technological systems.
I found the idea of the faceless, could be anyone even your neighbour, terrorist who attacks remotely through technology to be the scariest part. We live in an age where enemies are not staring at you across a battlefield, where psychological warfare is crucial, and where havoc and paranoia are commonplace.
Unfortunately, I was disappointed that the story was a lot more telling than showing. The main characters were mostly removed from the individual disasters that were happening, and so most of the story was told like you were watching it on tv, or through some other remote way. There was a lack of intimacy, and so it was hard to really feel involved in the story.
My other major complaint was how easy everything seemed. The hackers had no problems creating havoc, and our team of protagonists had very little trouble thwarting them. Everything seemed to go easily for both sides, which made it harder to get into. I like when there are stumbling blocks as reality is rarely without issues. The tension in a story can really be ratcheted up if there is no sure outcome, and in a thriller story, you want as much tension as possible.
With that said, I do like the continual uncertainty of specific characters and situations. I don’t want to spoil anything, but there were a few instances where it’s hard to tell who are the good guys, and who are the bad guys. This really helped to heighten the idea that the enemy could be anyone, and everyone was to be questioned.
Overall, while I loved the idea of the story, and certain elements within it, I did find there was a remote feeling to it that left me watching from afar. This led me to like the story, but not love it.
I found the idea of the faceless, could be anyone even your neighbour, terrorist who attacks remotely through technology to be the scariest part. We live in an age where enemies are not staring at you across a battlefield, where psychological warfare is crucial, and where havoc and paranoia are commonplace.
Unfortunately, I was disappointed that the story was a lot more telling than showing. The main characters were mostly removed from the individual disasters that were happening, and so most of the story was told like you were watching it on tv, or through some other remote way. There was a lack of intimacy, and so it was hard to really feel involved in the story.
My other major complaint was how easy everything seemed. The hackers had no problems creating havoc, and our team of protagonists had very little trouble thwarting them. Everything seemed to go easily for both sides, which made it harder to get into. I like when there are stumbling blocks as reality is rarely without issues. The tension in a story can really be ratcheted up if there is no sure outcome, and in a thriller story, you want as much tension as possible.
With that said, I do like the continual uncertainty of specific characters and situations. I don’t want to spoil anything, but there were a few instances where it’s hard to tell who are the good guys, and who are the bad guys. This really helped to heighten the idea that the enemy could be anyone, and everyone was to be questioned.
Overall, while I loved the idea of the story, and certain elements within it, I did find there was a remote feeling to it that left me watching from afar. This led me to like the story, but not love it.
August 7, 2014
The initial premise was somewhat compelling - a massive cyber attack and all the players right there. The end result was a bit shallow - characters had little depth, premise was somewhat of an afterthought, and the book seemed written for the screen. If you're going to write a book about hackers, you should probably talk about that some more, instead of just waving your hands and then blowing up a bunch of things.
Not a total loss - it was a fun metro read for a couple of days and got me thinking about prepping for the collapse of civilization.
Not a total loss - it was a fun metro read for a couple of days and got me thinking about prepping for the collapse of civilization.
October 29, 2018
HORRIFYING!
What an awesome book! This story actually puts chills down your spine with thoughts that it borders on reality. In this day and age of cyber warfare, it is a frightening tale especially in light of the present leaders of North Korea and the USA.
What an awesome book! This story actually puts chills down your spine with thoughts that it borders on reality. In this day and age of cyber warfare, it is a frightening tale especially in light of the present leaders of North Korea and the USA.
December 6, 2019
Exciting! Could not put it down!
The author create a plot that could be a wake-up call for America. The realism and the action were the best I've read in a very long time. Character development was awesome. Can't wait to read the next one
The author create a plot that could be a wake-up call for America. The realism and the action were the best I've read in a very long time. Character development was awesome. Can't wait to read the next one
May 9, 2018
As a thriller, this book is well done -- it kept me riveted and reading even when I should've been working or sleeping.
Some of the scenarios are plausible, such as a cyber attack taking down the power grid (a BIRD took down a good portion of the grid in 2004!) But the immediate aftermath of the first power outage was not that believable -- didn't happen in 2004 (the rioting and panic).
But, I decided to just go with it because it is an exciting book and at least it makes you think about areas where we are vulnerable to a cyber attack. Remember the hospitals going down recently? I suspect a real cyber attack will hit us where we bank a la "Mr. Robot."
But, as I mentioned, it was a fun read.
Some of the scenarios are plausible, such as a cyber attack taking down the power grid (a BIRD took down a good portion of the grid in 2004!) But the immediate aftermath of the first power outage was not that believable -- didn't happen in 2004 (the rioting and panic).
But, I decided to just go with it because it is an exciting book and at least it makes you think about areas where we are vulnerable to a cyber attack. Remember the hospitals going down recently? I suspect a real cyber attack will hit us where we bank a la "Mr. Robot."
But, as I mentioned, it was a fun read.
December 3, 2016
Decent read. The author was a bit out of his league in some areas of information, but for the most part he wrote an enjoyable thriller. Waite also did very well presenting strong, realistic female lead characters between the two agency women and the daughter. I found just about the entire story very readable and well-paced. The story doens't necessarily belong to great works in the realm of cyber attack novels, but does well as a fairly standard thriller.
April 5, 2018
This book jumps right into the action and does not stop until the end! Exploring at times some of the potential pitfalls of society's overly trusting reliance on technology, the story takes us through some all too possible scary events. Our main character, Lana, has the technical know-how to finally save the day.
Sometimes the action or the events can be over the top, but all in all this is a fun and exciting read.
Sometimes the action or the events can be over the top, but all in all this is a fun and exciting read.
July 18, 2018
Gripping all the way through
From the get go this book jumps straight in to the action. It establishes characters quickly and does a good job of their exposition as the story develops. Just enough detail to inform the reader what's going on, but not enough that it is full of technical jargon. There are some huge cliffhangers and great action sequences as well as heartfelt human dramas all throughout. Very good, 10/10
From the get go this book jumps straight in to the action. It establishes characters quickly and does a good job of their exposition as the story develops. Just enough detail to inform the reader what's going on, but not enough that it is full of technical jargon. There are some huge cliffhangers and great action sequences as well as heartfelt human dramas all throughout. Very good, 10/10
December 13, 2015
This amazing book kept me reading all night! Knowing that the happenings in this intense novel could be what is truly happening in the U.S. right now gave me chills. Cyberterrorism is a real thing and this book really tells it like it could be. I highly recommend this book and you can bet I will be looking forward to reading everything Thomas Waite has written.
April 20, 2018
Great disaster story with the backdrop of a mother having to save the world and her kid at the same time. Talk about working mother guilt. Seriously, Lana finds that her daughter has actually absorbed some of her teachings. A mother/teen daughter pairing that works well and keeps readers engaged to the end.
February 8, 2019
I would like to give it 5 🌟, but he kills off too many good guys
What's really scary is that you realize something like this could happen, particularly with all the self centered, reactionary people that we currently have leading our country. Although this book has a lot of violence, it does keep your interest and although it's a bit extreme, a lot of it's possible.
What's really scary is that you realize something like this could happen, particularly with all the self centered, reactionary people that we currently have leading our country. Although this book has a lot of violence, it does keep your interest and although it's a bit extreme, a lot of it's possible.
July 26, 2014
I don't hand out 5 stars often but this book deserves it. It's fast paced like a Dan Brown novel with Tom Clancy research and reality. A page turner to say the least. A scary look at a possible near future that may leave you with tears at the finish. Wow!
November 30, 2015
What aren't these people blowing up nowadays? What city isn't getting shot up, subways gassed, women raped, stoned, beheaded. Enough. I have to deal with this shit in the news, no need to get it in a book. It was a goodreads freebie, so I will donate it to the library. D... N... F...
December 2, 2014
Could not put it down!
Exciting to the end with many twists and turns. An all too plausible scenario. I am not going to tell the story like some reviewers do because the joy of any book is in the journey through it on your own.
Exciting to the end with many twists and turns. An all too plausible scenario. I am not going to tell the story like some reviewers do because the joy of any book is in the journey through it on your own.
March 26, 2015
It's OK, but I question the premise that all military systems are vulnerable to hacking. I wish that those who write action novels would learn enough about firearms to know the difference between clips and magazines. Editors and proofreaders seem to have the same problems.
April 16, 2015
This book was a very enjoyable read I will be recommending this to all my friends. It is a book that I will be happy to read more than once Great book Thomas Waite I now have a new favourite author.
May 28, 2016
Tom Clancy's Offspring?
Gritty, fast-paced action that kept me reading non-stop. Well done on this book, I will certainly be reading the next in the series, as well as following any of your future works. Thank you for an enjoyable read.
Gritty, fast-paced action that kept me reading non-stop. Well done on this book, I will certainly be reading the next in the series, as well as following any of your future works. Thank you for an enjoyable read.
June 16, 2016
A chilling book that was hard to put down. It's a nice subtle warning for why government cyber security is so important, even though much of this type of hacking would be impossible. It was a fun read for me.
August 2, 2016
Interesting Premise. Had the intensity to be great. The plot and characters did not work for me at times. Did not feel the daughters story line was necessary. Would have been better without her POV. The female FBI agent should have been killed. More telling occurred than showing. To many POV's.
February 10, 2017
A thought provoking novel.
If you ever wondered dear what a cyber attack would look like, this is the book for you. Mr. Waite has given us a view that should scare you, yet make you think and keep an eye on what's going on in the world.
If you ever wondered dear what a cyber attack would look like, this is the book for you. Mr. Waite has given us a view that should scare you, yet make you think and keep an eye on what's going on in the world.
May 28, 2017
This is a story that many Americans probably don't want to think about . But in reality it could happen . I feel we need to not be so complacent in our attitude toward . We all need to be brave show courage and remember things can happen .
April 14, 2018
fantastic it could really happen
i couldn't lay it down. at first i was afraid and then i knew I had to finish it. We all need to be aware. It is a cyberthriller and yo don't want to miss it.
i couldn't lay it down. at first i was afraid and then i knew I had to finish it. We all need to be aware. It is a cyberthriller and yo don't want to miss it.
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