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Deadly Odds #1
Deadly Odds
Bestselling author Allen Wyler (Dead End Deal, Deadly Errors, Dead Ringer, Dead Wrong) is back with a new breakout suspense thriller with a techno edge, Deadly Odds. Twenty-three-year-old Arnold Gold is a Seattle-based odds-maker and local computer genius. Described as a "part-time hacker and full-time virgin" by his friends, the awkward young shut-in flies to Vegas to try and get lucky--in more ways than one. But his high-stakes activity on the Net inadvertently thrusts him into a vortex of international terrorism. His dark net hacking has resulted in murder, and now it will take every last bit of Arnold's genius intellect and legendary hacking skill to stay one step ahead of the murderous terrorists, the FBI, the local cops, and his lawyer. Gold's only chance to save himself is to find the location of a bomb hidden somewhere in Vegas, and somehow prevent the explosion that will turn Sin City into the scene of the deadliest terror attacks since 9/11. Wyler's wild new thriller is as horrifyingly plausible as it is darkly funny and enjoyable. Deadly Odds is not only a page-turner, it's a terrific character-driven story about a young man who lives life through a computer and discovers its dark side. Edgy, twitchy, and filled with enough tech-savvy detail to keep both the techno-thriller and classic suspense fan enthralled, Deadly Odds is a new generation's thrill ride.
346 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 30, 2014
5 people are currently reading
58 people want to read
About the author
Allen Wyler
17 books60 followersAllen's thrillers have twice been nominated for the prestigious Thriller Award. He has served on the Board of Directors of the International Thriller Writers and is also an active member of the North American Crime Writers and Mystery Writers of America. He lives in Seattle.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
June 3, 2022
Would have been better without the droning, over drawn 23 year old man loss of virginity. 6 of 10 stars
January 25, 2021
He’s in deep with the big fishes and the odds are hardly in his favour…
Artificial Intelligence genius Arnold Gold seems to get himself in an increasing amount of trouble as his journey unfolds in a thrilling story of dramatic deception. For someone who just wants to make it with the fairer sex he sure does pay the price long after resorting to pay for such an experience which in turn leads to the barrel of a loaded gun and the rabbit hole of threat that envelops his life.
It’s part ‘True Romance’ part ‘Loser’ as our young hero has this way of tripping into a situation after an encounter with Las Vegas escort ‘Breeze’ who becomes the gateway to Gold’s deep trouble. While their time together is intimately relayed there’s always this feeling of some level of threat bubbling just under the surface. We learn that his success in the betting world is aided by the fact he’s a computer prodigy who surfs the Darknet which then in turn attracts less desirable types who want to exploit it soon piling on the pressure – eventually it seems everyone is after him, including the law. Perhaps Gold’s one and only pinnacle flaw is his uncanny inability to help himself or even refuse help – frustrating and immersive at the same time for readers and his legal counsel.
“fate had trapped him in a vise of opposing forces, slowly squeezing him to death. His only hope – at least as far as he could see was to stay on point and play the game…”
Allen Wyler has put together a strong story that I found to be both addictive and easy to read. On the fringes of crime or revenge thriller with some espionage themes it makes for a gripping read. Just how will Arnold Gold play himself out of this trouble? That’s question which will eventually be answered, the odds, deadly at best.
Artificial Intelligence genius Arnold Gold seems to get himself in an increasing amount of trouble as his journey unfolds in a thrilling story of dramatic deception. For someone who just wants to make it with the fairer sex he sure does pay the price long after resorting to pay for such an experience which in turn leads to the barrel of a loaded gun and the rabbit hole of threat that envelops his life.
It’s part ‘True Romance’ part ‘Loser’ as our young hero has this way of tripping into a situation after an encounter with Las Vegas escort ‘Breeze’ who becomes the gateway to Gold’s deep trouble. While their time together is intimately relayed there’s always this feeling of some level of threat bubbling just under the surface. We learn that his success in the betting world is aided by the fact he’s a computer prodigy who surfs the Darknet which then in turn attracts less desirable types who want to exploit it soon piling on the pressure – eventually it seems everyone is after him, including the law. Perhaps Gold’s one and only pinnacle flaw is his uncanny inability to help himself or even refuse help – frustrating and immersive at the same time for readers and his legal counsel.
“fate had trapped him in a vise of opposing forces, slowly squeezing him to death. His only hope – at least as far as he could see was to stay on point and play the game…”
Allen Wyler has put together a strong story that I found to be both addictive and easy to read. On the fringes of crime or revenge thriller with some espionage themes it makes for a gripping read. Just how will Arnold Gold play himself out of this trouble? That’s question which will eventually be answered, the odds, deadly at best.
October 23, 2014
If you like a little high tech in your thrillers, Deadly Odds is a great choice.
Arnold returns home with the pizza he ordered and hears his friend yell, "run!" Arnold runs, but he hears gunshots. Arnold hides in the alley and manages to escape, but his friend has been killed. Arnold can't believe his life has come to this. He knows who the killers are, and he knows why. And now he's caused the death of his best (and only) friend. How can he save himself and also mange to avenge the death of his friend?
Arnold is a nerd. But he has become quite successful at predicting the outcomes of sporting events using technology. His only problem is -- well -- he's a virgin. And he wants more than ever to be able to interact with women. After trying the speed dating thing, he decides to go to Las Vegas and hire an escort to teach him how to please a woman.
This all goes very well. Arnold is happy with his escort. They shop for new clothes for him and eat at fancy restaurants. But as soon as Arnold has a few too many drinks, his tongue starts wagging and he begins to talk about his very secret computer program than can analyze virtually any situation and predict outcomes.
Things turn very bad, very quickly and you'll have to read Deadly Odds to find out what messes Arnold gets into, and how he manages to get out of them.
There is a lot of high tech jargon, but it isn't really difficult to understand. My biggest issue is the repetition. You only need to tell me once about the Deepnet. It was described at least twice, using almost the same exact words. A lot of the technological and secrecy aspects were repeated so much that I felt like it was being pounded into my head. I get that his basement is secret. I get that he has all his programs offsite. There were just many little things that were referred to over and over that didn't add anything to the suspense.
The tension builds slowly and nicely. Wyler pulls you into this dilemma without you realizing it. Arnold is very clever and it is interesting to watch his mind work and figure out solutions. The lawyer was my favorite character. He's a good guy and a straight shooter. He added a lot to the story. Deadly Odds also seems like a realistic depiction of what could happen. I have no idea about most of this stuff, but I believed it.
Other than the repetition, Deadly Odds is well written, keeps your interest, and offers a unique premise. I would have to recommend this to only the oldest teens. There is a lot of sex. Not explicit, but still, the subject matter is mature enough to cause my hesitation. Otherwise, if you like a pretty realistic techno-thriller, Deadly Odds is a good one.
Arnold returns home with the pizza he ordered and hears his friend yell, "run!" Arnold runs, but he hears gunshots. Arnold hides in the alley and manages to escape, but his friend has been killed. Arnold can't believe his life has come to this. He knows who the killers are, and he knows why. And now he's caused the death of his best (and only) friend. How can he save himself and also mange to avenge the death of his friend?
Arnold is a nerd. But he has become quite successful at predicting the outcomes of sporting events using technology. His only problem is -- well -- he's a virgin. And he wants more than ever to be able to interact with women. After trying the speed dating thing, he decides to go to Las Vegas and hire an escort to teach him how to please a woman.
This all goes very well. Arnold is happy with his escort. They shop for new clothes for him and eat at fancy restaurants. But as soon as Arnold has a few too many drinks, his tongue starts wagging and he begins to talk about his very secret computer program than can analyze virtually any situation and predict outcomes.
Things turn very bad, very quickly and you'll have to read Deadly Odds to find out what messes Arnold gets into, and how he manages to get out of them.
There is a lot of high tech jargon, but it isn't really difficult to understand. My biggest issue is the repetition. You only need to tell me once about the Deepnet. It was described at least twice, using almost the same exact words. A lot of the technological and secrecy aspects were repeated so much that I felt like it was being pounded into my head. I get that his basement is secret. I get that he has all his programs offsite. There were just many little things that were referred to over and over that didn't add anything to the suspense.
The tension builds slowly and nicely. Wyler pulls you into this dilemma without you realizing it. Arnold is very clever and it is interesting to watch his mind work and figure out solutions. The lawyer was my favorite character. He's a good guy and a straight shooter. He added a lot to the story. Deadly Odds also seems like a realistic depiction of what could happen. I have no idea about most of this stuff, but I believed it.
Other than the repetition, Deadly Odds is well written, keeps your interest, and offers a unique premise. I would have to recommend this to only the oldest teens. There is a lot of sex. Not explicit, but still, the subject matter is mature enough to cause my hesitation. Otherwise, if you like a pretty realistic techno-thriller, Deadly Odds is a good one.
January 12, 2015
Any other day, I'd have a review ready to go for a book like this. In this case, this review was actually published.
If you're cool with clicking through to another site, the review is LIVE here: http://literaryorphans.org/ttl/scott-...
If you're cool with clicking through to another site, the review is LIVE here: http://literaryorphans.org/ttl/scott-...
April 16, 2020
Deadly Odds 2.0 by
Palmer Davidson is a lawyer, not a detective, but when FBI agent Gary Fischer walks in and tells him his client, Arnold Gold, is not only alive but may have blown up the terrorist sent to kill him, saying he is intrigued is an understatement. Working his leads, he sets out from Seattle to potentially save the life of his client. Meanwhile, the FBI is more interested in finding Arnold’s astonishing future-predicting algorithm than actually protecting him. Will Davidson find Arnold in one piece? And can he do it before Nawzer relays information to Naseem?
In Deadly Odds 2.0, we follow Palmer Davidson as he attempts to locate his hacker client before the deadly Jihadist terrorist known as Naseem does. Following a whispy trail of remembered conversations and educated guesses, he attempts to locate Arnold before Naseem and her people find and kill him.
Deadly Odds 2.0 is a fast-paced techno-thriller and the latest by author Allen Wyler. It has a range of characters to both love and hate. A strongly revenge-fueled villainess is found in Naseem and a smart intelligent protagonist is found in Davidson. Both Naseem and Davidson, along with Arnold and Fischer round out an interesting cast of characters.
While I liked Naseem as a strong but misguided female character, Wyler made her stand out by incorporating complexity in her character. For instance, the initial introduction to her character is a clear contradiction as she has a job as an escort while following an extremely conservative religion. This is one of the things that made Naseem one of the most interesting characters for me. On the other hand, Special Agent Gary Fischer’s grumpy no non-sense agent act feels a little predictable and left me wishing there was more depth to his limited character.
I enjoyed the overall story presented in Deadly Odds 2.0, but the grammatical and formatting errors disrupted the pace and enjoyment of reading. For example on page 34, “ …Given an early start and at the rate things he was progressing, he…” and page 7, “…and say I did to locate him, what would be the legal ramifications?…” I feel these are small editorial fixes that can easily be rectified.
Unfortunately, I have to give Deadly Odds 2.0 by Allen Wyler, 3 out of 5 stars. If it were not for the multiple mistakes, I would have enjoyed it more and given a higher rating, but with the number of misspelled and extra words, and grammatical errors, for me, made reading hard and distracting. Another round of editing and proofreading will make Deadly Odds a book worth another look. If you enjoy reading contemporary cyber-crime thrillers, then this is the story that would be for you.
Palmer Davidson is a lawyer, not a detective, but when FBI agent Gary Fischer walks in and tells him his client, Arnold Gold, is not only alive but may have blown up the terrorist sent to kill him, saying he is intrigued is an understatement. Working his leads, he sets out from Seattle to potentially save the life of his client. Meanwhile, the FBI is more interested in finding Arnold’s astonishing future-predicting algorithm than actually protecting him. Will Davidson find Arnold in one piece? And can he do it before Nawzer relays information to Naseem?
In Deadly Odds 2.0, we follow Palmer Davidson as he attempts to locate his hacker client before the deadly Jihadist terrorist known as Naseem does. Following a whispy trail of remembered conversations and educated guesses, he attempts to locate Arnold before Naseem and her people find and kill him.
Deadly Odds 2.0 is a fast-paced techno-thriller and the latest by author Allen Wyler. It has a range of characters to both love and hate. A strongly revenge-fueled villainess is found in Naseem and a smart intelligent protagonist is found in Davidson. Both Naseem and Davidson, along with Arnold and Fischer round out an interesting cast of characters.
While I liked Naseem as a strong but misguided female character, Wyler made her stand out by incorporating complexity in her character. For instance, the initial introduction to her character is a clear contradiction as she has a job as an escort while following an extremely conservative religion. This is one of the things that made Naseem one of the most interesting characters for me. On the other hand, Special Agent Gary Fischer’s grumpy no non-sense agent act feels a little predictable and left me wishing there was more depth to his limited character.
I enjoyed the overall story presented in Deadly Odds 2.0, but the grammatical and formatting errors disrupted the pace and enjoyment of reading. For example on page 34, “ …Given an early start and at the rate things he was progressing, he…” and page 7, “…and say I did to locate him, what would be the legal ramifications?…” I feel these are small editorial fixes that can easily be rectified.
Unfortunately, I have to give Deadly Odds 2.0 by Allen Wyler, 3 out of 5 stars. If it were not for the multiple mistakes, I would have enjoyed it more and given a higher rating, but with the number of misspelled and extra words, and grammatical errors, for me, made reading hard and distracting. Another round of editing and proofreading will make Deadly Odds a book worth another look. If you enjoy reading contemporary cyber-crime thrillers, then this is the story that would be for you.
December 2, 2018
The title of the book is attracting and the front cover of the book is catchy and justified according to the story. The plot of the story is hooking and captivating narrating style never lacked the grip of the story till the end anywhere. A perfectly compact and satisfying read for me. Would love to recommend this one for sure.
April 15, 2022
Kept me interested.
January 9, 2024
This was my first book by Allen Wyler. It's free on Audible so I downloaded it. I don't usually give up on books after 90 minutes but this book is just too annoying!
Instead of dialog we have to listen to Arnold's thoughts and they never end! The book might get better but I will never know. This book had a lot of negative reviews on Audible, they were all right :(
Instead of dialog we have to listen to Arnold's thoughts and they never end! The book might get better but I will never know. This book had a lot of negative reviews on Audible, they were all right :(
September 3, 2017
Deadly Odds is a very different story then what I'm used to from Wyler. There's no medical element to it, but it still falls within his favored genre, the thriller. Lately, his stories have felt very similar in their plot layout, but this one was refreshingly different. I loved the sexy introduction to the main character's exploits in Vegas and how that gets him caught in his predicament. I didn't find the main character very likable, but that didn't ruin the story for me; it made it more interesting. He's socially awkward and has a bit of an attitude, which made it hard for me to root for him. However, he's so interested in the opinion of others, especially women, that it seems believable that he should find himself blackmailed into helping terrorists.
While I loved the introduction and was pretty into the middle of the story, the conclusion was far too rushed. After the climax and action come to an end there is one chapter of a couple of pages that wraps the whole story up very neatly and quickly. I would've liked to ease into the ending of the book. Instead it felt like the author had run out of story and just wanted it over and done with.
If you're going to read any of Wyler's books, this is one of the books I'd say you should check out first. While Wyler's medical thrillers are interesting, I think he should definitely keep branching out into other sub-genres of the thriller section. This book proves he's got the talent to do so.
*I received a free copy of this book from the publisher for this review.
While I loved the introduction and was pretty into the middle of the story, the conclusion was far too rushed. After the climax and action come to an end there is one chapter of a couple of pages that wraps the whole story up very neatly and quickly. I would've liked to ease into the ending of the book. Instead it felt like the author had run out of story and just wanted it over and done with.
If you're going to read any of Wyler's books, this is one of the books I'd say you should check out first. While Wyler's medical thrillers are interesting, I think he should definitely keep branching out into other sub-genres of the thriller section. This book proves he's got the talent to do so.
*I received a free copy of this book from the publisher for this review.
November 19, 2014
Arnold Gold is a 23 year old computer genius. He has developed a way to use statistics to make money through online gambling. But he is obsessed with his virginity. After several failed attempts at dating, and the death of his roommate, he goes to Las Vegas and gets and escort. But after too much alcohol he starts bragging about this program.
Conveniently he is contacted by some guys that say they work for the FBI and they ask him to run some numbers. When his prediction comes true the real FBI catch up with Gold and decide to make him spy on the terrorists that want to use Gold’s data. Gold is stuck in the middle and trying to find a way to hack the terrorists without being caught or killed along the way.
Allen Wyler’s previous books are thrillers in the medical profession. This is another field but with the same style. There is a lot of technical information but not in an overwhelming way. There was a lot of action from the start. With everything going on in the world today with technology and terrorists, this books makes you feel like it could happen to you.
This is another great story by Allen Wyler. Make sure to add this one to your collection and check out his other books.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
Conveniently he is contacted by some guys that say they work for the FBI and they ask him to run some numbers. When his prediction comes true the real FBI catch up with Gold and decide to make him spy on the terrorists that want to use Gold’s data. Gold is stuck in the middle and trying to find a way to hack the terrorists without being caught or killed along the way.
Allen Wyler’s previous books are thrillers in the medical profession. This is another field but with the same style. There is a lot of technical information but not in an overwhelming way. There was a lot of action from the start. With everything going on in the world today with technology and terrorists, this books makes you feel like it could happen to you.
This is another great story by Allen Wyler. Make sure to add this one to your collection and check out his other books.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
December 23, 2014
Deadly Odds by Allen Wyler
Arnold Gold, a computer geek and hacker decides to fly to Las Vegas for some fun. Soon he finds himself in a whirlwind of trouble. A man ends up dead and Arnold finds himself dodging a lawyer, has terrorists, the police and FBI looking for him. It becomes apparent that Arnold has no choice but to try to help stop this bomb from going off, getting himself killed and the City blown up.
A fast aced thriller. Arnold is very likable,even though he basically has no life besides his computer. He makes the story more intense since he is an ordinary young man. There is plenty of action, and suspense. The story is well written. Allen Wyler really knows how to pull his readers into the story. I highly recommend Deadly Odds to those who love a great thriller, I was hooked from the first page.
Arnold Gold, a computer geek and hacker decides to fly to Las Vegas for some fun. Soon he finds himself in a whirlwind of trouble. A man ends up dead and Arnold finds himself dodging a lawyer, has terrorists, the police and FBI looking for him. It becomes apparent that Arnold has no choice but to try to help stop this bomb from going off, getting himself killed and the City blown up.
A fast aced thriller. Arnold is very likable,even though he basically has no life besides his computer. He makes the story more intense since he is an ordinary young man. There is plenty of action, and suspense. The story is well written. Allen Wyler really knows how to pull his readers into the story. I highly recommend Deadly Odds to those who love a great thriller, I was hooked from the first page.
February 25, 2015
Allen Wyler does a great job of pulling you into this story with its hapless goofball of a hero and intense beginning. I was very curious about what would happen to the guy, and although I often cringed at his decisions, they remained believable to me. Occasionally, the hacker talk sounded a little forced and unreal (I can't imagine a hacker using finger quotes when talking about "the cloud") but overall, the dialog rang true. I was really disappointed in the end of this book though. There was so much buildup, so much emphasis on the danger the hero was in, and just like that - boom - he was free of it. The resolution just felt way too easy.
October 14, 2014
rating: 4.5
I found this to be a mellow thriller in regards to pacing and plot. But certainly a page-turner.
The character development was engaging and I found myself hoping that all would turn out well for the main character in his predicament. I like the way he was transformed and empowered towards the end.
I got to learn a bit about another side of the internet -one that hackers and shady business frequent which is what made this fascinating read. It is always fun to learn about things going on behind the scenes.
I found this to be a mellow thriller in regards to pacing and plot. But certainly a page-turner.
The character development was engaging and I found myself hoping that all would turn out well for the main character in his predicament. I like the way he was transformed and empowered towards the end.
I got to learn a bit about another side of the internet -one that hackers and shady business frequent which is what made this fascinating read. It is always fun to learn about things going on behind the scenes.
January 9, 2015
A fast-paced read with a compelling plot that makes you wonder how technology is being used lately to aid in terrorism efforts. I've read many of Wyler's books and this one I found to be a refreshing read, since it was completely unlike his usual medical thrillers. I like it when authors take risks in their writing and branch out into other genres, since it shows that they're a versatile writer. Overall, I really enjoyed this book.
April 17, 2015
Nothing much here to get really excited about...the computer stuff is pretty basic. Using computers to predict sporting (and national) events, hacking, viruses, the secret internet, these have all been done before and as well. The book is readable but in a word the story and characters are...meh!
February 20, 2015
Fantastic read! I haven't read thrillers in a long time so I wasn't too sure what to expect with this, but man it kept my attention the whole time. I was rooting for Arnold and genuinely felt invested in his story. Definitely would recommend.
February 9, 2016
Great thriller - hacker, AI, Vegas, terrorists. Read it all in two days - edge of the seat stuff.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews