Hacked

Hacked

by Tracy Alexander

Dan had been diagnosed as ADHD as a child. He quite liked the ritalin, but then he got into computers, and for his parents a geek was better than something feral. It was hard to remember when the genuine hacking started; but free phone credit was the first illicit, tangible "real-life" results of a hack, though not the last.
By the time Dan is contacted online by "Angel," he is eager for the challenge laid before him - creating tricky bits of code. But Dan begins to suspect that something more nefarious may be planned for his code than he thought. He will have to decide what truly matters more - protecting his anonymity and freedom or preventing a deadly terror attack ...

Genres: Suspense, Fiction, Young Adult, Contemporary, Thriller

288 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2014

About the author

I had loads of jobs before I became a writer. Some were strange, like testing Birds Eyes fish fingers, and some were exciting, like working for Adidas and meeting all the athletes. I wanted to be an Olympic 100m Gold Medallist, but being a writer is pretty fabulous, although much slower.

Reviews

[Harry · Rating 4 out of 5]

The start of the book was cool but it was a bit slow getting into the thickness of the plot.(like all books ) for the actual content, I thought the read was really well thought out for a fifteen year old. This was my favourite book of the summer!

[Kaitlyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hacked is the story of a teenage boy who gets hooked on the power of hacking. He started small, with things like getting his sister a club penguin membership for free, but his own ambition, and the encouragement of his online friend, get him to do more and more dangerous activities.
I really enjoyed this book and found myself hooked from the very start, despite reading other reviews which said the beginning was slow. There was a good level of foreshadowing which increased the tension while the plot was still building. I didnt enjoy the second half as much, as the plot and tension changed very quickly.

[The Novel Vault · Rating 4 out of 5]

I managed to read this book in one sitting, it's a relatively short book so that wasn't that suprising really, but I'm not really sure how to describe this book or whether I liked it or not.

I think for me this book sit's somewhere between: Enjoyed and finished for the sake of reading, I wouldn't say i madly enjoyed this book or that I'd reread it in the future, but it served the purpose of interesting me while I was reading it so that was enough for me.

It's funny really because I think i got second hand stress from the event in this book which is a weird feeling to have, especially as that usually happens with a really good book, and I don't think this for me was a 'really good book' maybe just a good book, but I still got the second hand stress and emotional from the book, I think that can be put down to the book being well written which I did feel it was, it was young enough that it felt like really being 16, which is the age of the main character, but it was coherent at the same time.

[Goldncarrot · Rating 1 out of 5]

From start to end, bad, bad, bad.
whoever wrote this book is very raisest.
Just because of a terrorist attack happened, don't just blame it on MUSLIMS!!!!!
What the hell!!!!!! You can't state that the terrorist is a Muslim why wasn't it a regular person?
there are people out there like me who get offended and hurt for stupid people wanting to discriminate against others for the sake of fun. DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT READING THIS BOOK, not just because of its RAISEST but because it has unneeded people in it like Ruby. This book would have been a good book if there was no love in it or if it didn't show racism. At the start though, the character is just unlikable, Sometimes selfish.
this is just my opinion, the writing was good, the story was good if it didn't have the Muslim part.

[Lynda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Riveting and compelling. Sixteen-year-old Dan Langley spends nights on his computer, hacking for the sheer fun of it. He gets bolder and bolder as he finds he can manipulate code to break into government sites around the world, and network with other like-minded hackers. The thrill of the chase blinds him to the consequences. Tracy Alexander is an author who can put her readers inside the skin of the main character, feeling his thoughts, hopes and fears. As Dan's hacking slowly corrodes his world, things implode with a force that changes his life forever. Readers who enjoy this page-turning book might also enjoy Guantanamo Boy by Anna Perera and Inside the Cage by Matt Whyman.

[Iam Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

I came online in search of a hacker that could do a job for me, it was very important so I needed a strong hacker for my job. I came across several reviews but I figured CYBERTECHWIZARD64 at gmailcom was well praised for doing similar jobs that I needed. I decided to give this hacker on google mail the job, he gave me 24 hours to wait for results and then he came in. I was more surprised when I was informed I could see everything like a website, this hacker is accurate hacker for hire in my opinion. You should use him as well coz i highly recommend his service

[Wdmoor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hacked was lots of fun to read. At times silly, suspenseful and a decent mystery (though the bad guy isn't that hard to figure out), Hacked is a wonderful summer read.

Mr Alexander is fun to read. He's not one of those authors caught up in their own formula for writing a book. Sometimes his writing feels as undisciplined and goofy as his protagonist (that's not a bad thing, in fact it's downright refreshing) and one scene had me laughing out loud.

Highly recommended.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to an audio book version of this. I thought it was a good book. There was a person called Dan who hacked a surveillance drone and told someone called 'Angel' how to hack it but 'Angel' hacked a similar drone that instead was an attack drone.

[Sofia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read it a while ago. Idk when. Wasn't very good though b/c the main character was super sexist and just sTUPID. Like some people aren't the smartest but he just made bad decision after bad decision and I could not compute.

[Salfaraz · Rating 2 out of 5]

to be honest I got bored, this book just didn't get interesting fast enough to keep me into it. The idea sounded great, too bad it didn't live up to that promise!

[Courtney Rocher · Rating 2 out of 5]

Feels like the account of a middle aged woman who doesn’t really understand technology trying to write a book about hacking. The story fundamentally annoys me.

[Toni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad read

[Tyler Rackham · Rating 5 out of 5]

W Book Must Read

[Rachel (The Rest Is Still Unwritten) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Scholastic for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Find this review and more on my blog The Rest Is Still Unwritten!

Hacked is Tracy Alexander’s debut novel and is an interesting novel that explores the line between cyber-geek and cyber-terrorist and what happens when one boy crosses the line, with almost tragic results.

Sixteen year old British teenager Dan Langley is known to his friends and school mates for his hacking skills. Somewhat of a recluse, Dan is a cyber-geek with skills; able to hack into almost anything, a talent and passion that has helped him out, but also earned him a bit of a reputation. Yet for Dan, he finds himself crossing the line from cyber-geek and cyber-terrorist when a challenge by online peer and fellow "hacker" Angel sees Dan hack into a US drone, only to give the codes required for access to Angel, who takes over and hijacks the dangerous weapon. Plagued by his part in this seeming act of terrorism, Dan has no choice but to go to the authorities, telling them of his involvement and all he knows, an act that will see him thrust into the spotlight and facing the harsh consequences of his actions.

For me, Hacker was a decent read that started out slow, but steadily progressed. Even as a female author, Tracy Alexander manages to convey an authentic sounding male voice and a distinct male way of thinking in Dan; something not all authors manage to get right. The writing was solid, although I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that some of the technical terms and descriptions were lost on me, but Alexander wrote in such a way that I still understood the gist of what Dan was referring to.

At its base the storyline was simple; teenage hacker hacks drone, gives codes over to unknown online friend who then takes control of the drone, making threats to the London population while Dan has to deal with the fallout of his involvement; something that included the media coverage, criminal case and possible prosecution or extradition. And yet I liked how Alexander explored how easily doing something as simple as editing some online code and hacking can escalate; especially when someone isn’t aware of the risk they take or are being taken advantage of without their knowledge.

Overall I liked Dan. He was easy enough to follow, and I liked his running internal monologue. He didn’t blow me away as a character, but I felt he grew throughout the story and certainly learnt his lesson where hacking is concerned. Alexander writes a decent male lead and I enjoyed the authentic interactions Dan had with his family and friends.

Despite it’s slow start, Hacked turned out to be an enjoyable read that kept me on the edge of my seat towards the end as we fought to determine what Dan’s future would be. With Hacked concluding nicely, I’ve discovered that Tracey Alexander has written a companion novel, Alias, detailing Angel’s story and considering Angel’s role within Hacked, I’m intrigued to see what Alexander has planned there!

[aconstellationoftomes · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm a huge computer geek! My laptop is my baby and if anybody tries to steal my child there will be war. As soon as I saw the title of the novel, Hacked, and read the word "cyber" in the blurb, I was sold.

The hacking and coding aspect are seriously FANTASTIC! I have no cooking-clue about anything to do with hacking, but the author makes Dan's hacking and coding processes simple to understand. The way in which Alexander, the author, wrote about the hacking showed that she did a ton of research to make this aspect believable. The hacking is at the center of the story and is the start of Dan's many problems. Unfortunately it was the only aspect that is done right.

I think the problem stems from what I wanted the book to be and what the book actually is. I wanted hacking (which I got), mystery, thriller, government conspiracies, cover-ups and people on the run and in hiding. I wanted the type of things that happen in action movies. This is not what the book focused on. Instead it focuses on a character, whose hacking turns into a major problem when he mistakenly and indirectly helps Angel, an online friend, to steal a drone. Dan has to deal with the consequences of what he has indirectly done. The fact that Hacked focuses more on the main character, Dan, wasn't the problem. The fact that I want a sort of bigger picture view is the problem.

Another minor issue that I had with Hacked is the disjointed writing style that makes me feel distant from the book and its characters. Halfway through the book I did get used to the writing style and the book became easier and smoother to read.

Even although Hacked is a really quick read, I feel as though more pages are needed. Why? Firstly, to give Angel a little more page time. I know nothing about what her personality was like (and I totally understand that personalities don't really show online especially when a crime needs to be committed), but she seems very one-sided as a character. I do know that Angel is getting her own story and maybe who she is and what she's all about will be explained there, but whether I'm going to read it, will depend entirely on how I feel. Secondly, Hacked ends abruptly, extremely conveniently, predictably and there are more questions than answers at the end of the novel. I like my endings to be complete. There must be no loose ends and every part of the story must be tied up into a neat parcel called "The End." This was something that Hacked didn't have.

Honestly speaking, I feel as though the issues that I encountered with this book are more "me" problems, than "general reader" problems. Even although I had so many "me" issues with the book, Hacked is a quick read that allowed me to escape reality.

[TheCosyDragon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review has been crossposted from my blog at The Cosy Dragon . Please head there for more in-depth reviews by me, which appear on a timely schedule.

Dan is a hacker. When he drifts from one side of the law to another in order to get justice for his friend, he suddenly finds himself on the wrong side of the law – with no-one listening to what he can do to help.

Ok, first off. It’s a plot driven novel. That basically means you can kiss goodbye to character development. In fact, if you ignore character development all together, you would be better off. I found the characterisation of the main character patchy, and I never really got into the motivations of the other characters.

The premise of this novel is that it is easy to cross a line with hacking on the internet. There’s a couple of different terms I could use, but the easiest is ‘White Hat’ and ‘Black Hat’. Basically, the Black Hats are the guys with a malignant intent – they want to destroy things just to prove they can. Then there are White Hats, those who find the holes in security and help out the ‘good guys’.

The ending was particularly unsatisfying. Yay, happy for everyone. But not really… I wanted more meaty bits of details! How many other people were scammed? The second half of the book was far weaker than the first.

Dan didn’t seem like he was 16 years old. He could have been younger. In fact, his friends also acted very young, with the exception of the girl he liked – who seemed a bit up herself to be honest. She saw only black and white, no grey.

I didn’t like the explanation of ADHD being the reason Dan wasn’t to blame for anything. it’s a diagnosis. It’s the first line of the blurb. But it doesn’t do anything for the story. It’s about the computers, and I don’t think the author should be trying to sell anything else with it.

Other reviewers have given this one star. I don’t think it’s that bad, honestly, provided you read it for what it is, and you hit the target market just right. It’s not going to appeal to everyone, that’s for sure.

I put off reading this novel because I was warned it wasn’t very good. I actually enjoyed it, and read it in one sitting. Granted, I had nothing else to do, but I just couldn’t seem to put it down. The more I think about it, the more holes I want to poke in it though. My initial assessment was 4 stars, and I’m going to leave it at that (err on the side of nice). It’s a driving plot that should keep people enthralled – even those people who ‘hate’ reading.

[Linda Guest · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dan is an ordinary 16 year old, studying for GCSEs, meeting his girlfriend, playing computer games with his friends but he has a secret hobby. As soon as he had a computer of his own he realised that playing games wasn’t enough, he wanted to write code and after he had taught himself how he started to look at how other websites were constructed, that’s when he discovered backdoors into sites and ways to crack their codes. It started with a small hack, free cinema tickets, just to see if he could do it but when his best friend Ty is the victim of a hit and run, Dan decides to hack into the CCTV systems to try and find out who had knocked his friend down, hacking into the American military satellite is a step too far with very serious consequences for Dan.
I enjoyed this book, it’s well written and believable. It will appeal to both boys and girls particularly in the 11 – 16 age range.

[Rhondda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sixteen year old Dan Lagley is too clever for his own good. He had been diagnosed as ADHD earlier in his life and was prescribed the usual pills to keep his energy manageable. When he discovered computers however, there was no need for the drugs, he was hooked and his energies were devoted to understanding them manipulating data. This interest and ability does lead to danger and Dan is sucked into the world of hacking, where things are not always straightforward and may be dangerous. His close friends try to warn him about the dangers but he finds it all too thrilling. The story is told from Dan's point of view and the reader sees him becoming more involved in pushing the boundaries (just to see if he can) until he is unwittingly part of a major security scare. This you can see coming but Dan's thoughts as he has to decide what to do next and the consequences make for an interesting read with a satisfying ending.

[Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

What happens when a 16 year old kid manages to hack a drone, sends the code to an online friend, who then appears to use it to send anther drone to bomb London? No? Well that's the plot of this book. It's written as an examination of the 'one sided' extradition pact between the UK and the U.S. , and feels real. It would be interesting to hear from hackers as to how real this really is.
Dan's friends are a mix of people, each with their own character, and his girlfriends are real characters with their own emotions and motivations. The family react in a believable manner: each person has a definitive personality and acts rationally.

So, overall, a better book than I was expecting. It could do with some polishing (the 149 characters in Twitter is a bit of an oops ) but the premise and details are ok.

[cosy_reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hacked tells the story of Daniel Langley, a 16 year old who has a talent for hacking.

When he gets popular at school for the small things he hacks into things go to the next level. His world is turned upside when he meets Angel online. They soon become friends but then Angel disappears. Soon Dan learns the consequences of his own actions.

A short, quick read and very entertaining. The characters were all great. The author clearly did his research on hacking and the legal system.

One thing I did not like about the ending was that it was too predictable and very abrupt.

Overall it was an excellent read and one I would recommend to others.

[Charlie Carrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not sure what I was expecting, but this was a compelling read. Warmed to the eponymous hero (much to my surprise) and although aimed at a young adult audience, even as an older adult, I enjoyed it thoroughly.

[Zachary Finch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the story, really interesting. Gives a nice insight into hacking that makes it more understandable if you know nothing about it, like what you can and can't do with it, and how dangerous it can be. Absolutely loved the ending, and the lead up to it, great read.

[VJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story - Dan was a very real character ...... I got into the book very quickly and couldn't put it down. I wanted to know what would happen. I could visualise this book as a film - am very excited about the sequel from the point of view of Angel!

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent fast paced adventure. It's hero is a geek who is very good at coding - so good that it draws him into a very dangerous situation. Believable characters, action and plots. Loved it!

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a bad read, but it could have been better.

[Chrizia Nicole Cayanan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3? 3.5? It was really interesting. I'm not really into programming or hacking and stuff but I liked it. What happens to Dronejacker (angel) though?? And to Dan? Did he continue hacking and stuff?

[Stuey Mac · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book on the recommendation of one of my students and thoroughly enjoyed it

[Chantal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Consequences of actions, the power of social media and how easily the devil makes work for idol hands are the themes of this riveting read.
Recommended: 13+

[Katy W · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened to the audiobook in the car with my eleven year old.

[Fi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strangely disappointing, especially Dan's reaction to the identity of 'Angel.