Dark Data: Control, Alt, Delete

by Douglas J. Wood

August 14 and September 11 were the last two of a string of dates on Lori Torchia’s list. But nothing in the chronology seemed to correspond to them.. Then it hit reporter Rebecca Taft. ‘The dates are in the future. Lori’s telling us that there will be terrorist attacks on August 14 and September 11!’ Taft felt sick to her stomach. Paula Janković is a willing tool of Constantine Petrenko, a Russian oligarch with a penchant for world domination and insatiable greed. Using a superstorm of dark data and fake news, Janković has become skilled at harnessing the power of the mysterious Selfish Ledger and personal social media accounts to get innocent people to do her bidding, however horrible it may be. Abu al-Badri is a terrorist leader who wants to further his cause. By aligning himself with the same wealthy benefactor, he has all he needs to access top targets around the world to wreak unimaginable violence and destruction. Together Janković and al-Badri unleash a coordinated attack that is designed to leave societies and financial markets in ruins and no one richer or more powerful than the Russian standing at the top. Dark Data is a new cautionary tale and unrelentingly fast-paced thriller from Douglas J. Wood, author of the award-winning Samantha Harrison political trilogy. In 2018 he published his memoir, Asshole Attorney: Memories, Musings, and Missteps in a 40-Year Career. A partner at Reed Smith LLP, he has over four decades of experience in the practice of entertainment and media law, allowing him to frequently impart knowledge gained from his career in his books. He and his wife live in New Jersey.

283 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 31, 2019

Reviews

[Kristine L. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story focuses on the economic fall-out of an all-out cyber war and financial terrorism.

Think bad. Very, very bad.

Using an army of highly skilled computer hackers, a Russian oligarch launches a coordinated attack designed to cripple financial markets, collapse entire economies, and unleash societal chaos unseen since The War of the Worlds. Only this time the villains aren’t space aliens. They’re cyber terrorists.

The vast cast of characters includes:

An Algerian arms dealer. Axios reporters. A Chinese computer scientist. A zillion shadowy “black hat” computer programmers. A greedy Russian zillionaire. A huge network of spiders, cookies, algorithms and bots.

It’s 1984. On steroids.

Chapters include geographic headings. Good thing. Otherwise we’d lose track of where we are.

Chapters themselves are short and taut, especially as the story gallops to its uncertain end. Wood’s pacing is also pitch-perfect, building intensity to its nail-biting climax.

This cautionary tale will have you on the edge of your seat until the final page. Just realize that you, as a reader, are being manipulated as deftly and expertly as are some of the other characters in this gripping story. (Either intentionally or otherwise, the plot includes biases and prejudices toward certain people groups as well as a startling misapprehension of basic Christian doctrine.)

Anyway, Dark Data may make you think twice before you log into your computer or post a status update. You may also want to read up on the Selfish Ledger. Just sayin’.

My Rating: 3.5

[Robert Lewter · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very frightening barn burner.