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Code of War
SECURITY NO LONGER EXISTS.
Technology's proliferation is complete: cars that control themselves, devices that control your homes, and the death of privacy.
Jen Yates is someone who's learned to manipulate these systems. She's a skilled hacker, and her specialty is Cyber Kinetic Eliminations. Her task: killing from behind a computer screen.
With a growing success rate, she's given the ultimate target: a Chinese General who's sole task is reforming the People's Liberation Army.
Can Jen Yates and her team assassinate one of China's most influential men? Can they derail the Chinese Communist Party's reform regimen?
Even the thought could have disastrous consequences ...
Technology's proliferation is complete: cars that control themselves, devices that control your homes, and the death of privacy.
Jen Yates is someone who's learned to manipulate these systems. She's a skilled hacker, and her specialty is Cyber Kinetic Eliminations. Her task: killing from behind a computer screen.
With a growing success rate, she's given the ultimate target: a Chinese General who's sole task is reforming the People's Liberation Army.
Can Jen Yates and her team assassinate one of China's most influential men? Can they derail the Chinese Communist Party's reform regimen?
Even the thought could have disastrous consequences ...
306 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 15, 2019
21 people are currently reading
34 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 8, 2019
An Awesome Technothriller
I haven’t sat down and physically read a book in quite some time – at least not a full-fledged novel. But I’m glad I took some time out of my schedule to check out Code of War by Tom Shepherd. Shepherd is a new author in the technothriller genre but you wouldn’t know it from his debut. The story jumps right into it and honestly it never let me go.
Early in the novel we’re introduced to a group of hackers who are trying to not only prove themselves but are up for government contracts. We get to know them a bit in the first few chapters but after that we’re thrown right into the fire with them. And what a fire it was.
Shepherd knows his stuff and he didn’t shy away from the political players in this one. The major components of the story (I won’t spoil anything) felt ripped right out of the newspaper and all the tech – if it didn’t exist today, could very well exist tomorrow. That, to me, is a sign of a great technothriller. Some of the tech felt like it was going to fall apart since I work in the industry but it really didn’t. I honestly went into it trying to be critical and I had a hard time.
The pacing and overall storytelling in Code of War was good and I found myself staying up far too late to finish reading just one more chapter. His character building was great, especially for a brand new author. It wasn’t perfect by any means but even veteran writers don’t get it perfect every time. There were a few times that I found myself wondering why a character would act a certain way or do something and most of the time Shepherd would explain it, but a few times I was left in the dark. Nothing to take away from the story, but definitely something that I think he’ll hone in on in his future stories.
Overall, Code of War was a book that I found myself glad I read, which when you read as many book as I do – that doesn’t happen with every book. My next hope is that he’s able to team up with a great narrator and turn this great story into an audiobook. Hopefully soon!
I haven’t sat down and physically read a book in quite some time – at least not a full-fledged novel. But I’m glad I took some time out of my schedule to check out Code of War by Tom Shepherd. Shepherd is a new author in the technothriller genre but you wouldn’t know it from his debut. The story jumps right into it and honestly it never let me go.
Early in the novel we’re introduced to a group of hackers who are trying to not only prove themselves but are up for government contracts. We get to know them a bit in the first few chapters but after that we’re thrown right into the fire with them. And what a fire it was.
Shepherd knows his stuff and he didn’t shy away from the political players in this one. The major components of the story (I won’t spoil anything) felt ripped right out of the newspaper and all the tech – if it didn’t exist today, could very well exist tomorrow. That, to me, is a sign of a great technothriller. Some of the tech felt like it was going to fall apart since I work in the industry but it really didn’t. I honestly went into it trying to be critical and I had a hard time.
The pacing and overall storytelling in Code of War was good and I found myself staying up far too late to finish reading just one more chapter. His character building was great, especially for a brand new author. It wasn’t perfect by any means but even veteran writers don’t get it perfect every time. There were a few times that I found myself wondering why a character would act a certain way or do something and most of the time Shepherd would explain it, but a few times I was left in the dark. Nothing to take away from the story, but definitely something that I think he’ll hone in on in his future stories.
Overall, Code of War was a book that I found myself glad I read, which when you read as many book as I do – that doesn’t happen with every book. My next hope is that he’s able to team up with a great narrator and turn this great story into an audiobook. Hopefully soon!
February 23, 2021
Tom Shepherd's ability to build a crescendo of suspense carried me swiftly from one chapter to the next.
Jen Yates is at the helm of a covert team of highly skilled hackers, Marcus Keen and Harrison Lowe. Work requests are ordered by officials who never meet the cohorts and involve targets only seen virtually. As the story unfolds, the author adeptly alludes to members of the secretive trio carrying personal secrets of their own.
The story line introduces another set of characters with a focus on Gabriela Martinez, a CIA agent. The introduction of her character and connection to the hackers is intertwined effectively. With the author's ability to pivot back and forth between scenarios, I was able to easily migrate from the viewpoint of one character to another.
Code of War is a techno-thriller that surpassed my expectations. It is written in the third person, which enables the reader to learn the strategic thinking of intense characters. Various themes emerge throughout the book: Power and backlash of technology, loyalty and betrayal, and global repercussion of political decisions and revenge. Shepherd does not allow the story to lose momentum. I was riveted from beginning to end. The story begins with action and ends with a longing to know what happens next.
My curiosity piqued at every hint of what Marcus and Harrison were concealing, and although primary questions were answered, I felt an urge to peel back the layers to learn more of the underlying reasons for their actions. Some of the dialogue struck me as a bit cartoonish. Jen referred to Marcus and Harrison as "boys," and Marcus addressed Jen as "boss lady." Overall, it was well-edited, though I did find two spelling errors.
I recommend Code of War to readers fascinated with technology and espionage. Be aware there are some violent scenes of torture, but that underscores the tenacity, perseverance and heroism of the main characters. The book excited me from cover to cover, and I am looking forward to the next adventure that follows this debut thriller.
This review was published on Reedsy/Discovery and my blog.
Jen Yates is at the helm of a covert team of highly skilled hackers, Marcus Keen and Harrison Lowe. Work requests are ordered by officials who never meet the cohorts and involve targets only seen virtually. As the story unfolds, the author adeptly alludes to members of the secretive trio carrying personal secrets of their own.
The story line introduces another set of characters with a focus on Gabriela Martinez, a CIA agent. The introduction of her character and connection to the hackers is intertwined effectively. With the author's ability to pivot back and forth between scenarios, I was able to easily migrate from the viewpoint of one character to another.
Code of War is a techno-thriller that surpassed my expectations. It is written in the third person, which enables the reader to learn the strategic thinking of intense characters. Various themes emerge throughout the book: Power and backlash of technology, loyalty and betrayal, and global repercussion of political decisions and revenge. Shepherd does not allow the story to lose momentum. I was riveted from beginning to end. The story begins with action and ends with a longing to know what happens next.
My curiosity piqued at every hint of what Marcus and Harrison were concealing, and although primary questions were answered, I felt an urge to peel back the layers to learn more of the underlying reasons for their actions. Some of the dialogue struck me as a bit cartoonish. Jen referred to Marcus and Harrison as "boys," and Marcus addressed Jen as "boss lady." Overall, it was well-edited, though I did find two spelling errors.
I recommend Code of War to readers fascinated with technology and espionage. Be aware there are some violent scenes of torture, but that underscores the tenacity, perseverance and heroism of the main characters. The book excited me from cover to cover, and I am looking forward to the next adventure that follows this debut thriller.
This review was published on Reedsy/Discovery and my blog.
December 7, 2019
Really enjoyed the story! It was a fast paced page turner. It shook me up because it’s truly terrifying to think of this as a reality of our lives. I’m thinking some of my daily activities will have me wondering now. The books characters had life stories and feelings that had me connecting to each one of them and caring about all of their outcomes. The author does a great job with the characters relationships to each other. It’s very well done from all aspects.
October 10, 2019
Gripping thriller that echo's reality
A very well written story that sucks you in from the beginning. Watching current events unfolding in reality makes reading this story a little scary. Which tragedies are truly accidental and which are conjured by some covert groups or government to steer political and economic fortunes. But the characters were believable and vulnerable to the chaos and desperate decisions they had to make. Pressure gets to everyone.
A very well written story that sucks you in from the beginning. Watching current events unfolding in reality makes reading this story a little scary. Which tragedies are truly accidental and which are conjured by some covert groups or government to steer political and economic fortunes. But the characters were believable and vulnerable to the chaos and desperate decisions they had to make. Pressure gets to everyone.
October 10, 2019
I’m a prodigious reader and rarely publish a recommendation about a book, but this book should be a movie. The cover caught my attention and did not disappoint. It’s a great story that was easy to read but hard to put down. Fortunately, I was on another long flight and had the time to read the entire book. It is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time.
August 13, 2019
Profanity!!!
I don't read books with profane language. Authors that can't tell a story without profanity are not authors in my opinion.
I don't read books with profane language. Authors that can't tell a story without profanity are not authors in my opinion.
November 3, 2019
What a page turner! You get sucked into the story and don’t want to put it down! I recommend this book and hope there will be a book #2.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews