What do you think?
Rate this book
Encoded: A Richard Braddock Mystery
Encoded - A techno-thriller
Not even his wife knows that Paul Elliot, ex-military officer and now the President of the United States, fathered an illegitimate child during the Vietnam War.
As a personal favor (and totally off the record), the President asks aging PI Richard Braddock to come out of retirement and find his daughter. No one, not even Paul Elliot, is prepared for what Braddock A high-tech plan, ten years in the making, that will bring the United States to its knees without a single shot being fired.
A fast-moving, high-tech thriller you'll never forget.
Not even his wife knows that Paul Elliot, ex-military officer and now the President of the United States, fathered an illegitimate child during the Vietnam War.
As a personal favor (and totally off the record), the President asks aging PI Richard Braddock to come out of retirement and find his daughter. No one, not even Paul Elliot, is prepared for what Braddock A high-tech plan, ten years in the making, that will bring the United States to its knees without a single shot being fired.
A fast-moving, high-tech thriller you'll never forget.
318 pages, Paperback
Published July 28, 2020
2 people are currently reading
3 people want to read
About the author
Richard Nedbal
3 books2 followersRichard was raised in the mid-west and was fully invested in electronics by the age of seven after receiving his amateur radio license. He went to the University of Illinois and later joined the USAF during the Vietnam war, where he taught electronics in the crypto field. After the USAF, Richard joined the Carnegie Mellon Institute and learned how to design integrated circuits used in microprocessor-based automotive fuel injection systems. Then Richard and his family moved to Silicon Valley, where he became the microprocessor engineering manager for a semiconductor company. He founded two software companies just as the Internet was about to take off. Although Richard has published numerous technical articles and has written several books, this is his debut novel in his planned Richard Braddock series. He lives in Northern California.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 6, 2024
Richard yang mendapat tugasan menjejaki anak perempuan Presiden memulakan tugasannya bersama beberapa orang lagi. Tetapi tugas yang disangka hanya tugas menjejak bakal berubah. Rahsia besar telah diketahui mereka semasa dalam misi mengenalpasti sasaran.
Seawal cerita sudah memberi gambaran apa akan terjadi jika kehilangan sumber internet. Mula-mulanya SH rasa tak ada internet tak apalah. Ada buku boleh dijadikan hobi melepaskan bosan. Namun, setelah itu baru SH sedar di dunia sekarang ni semuanya menggunakan internet. Perbankan juga salah satu yang menggunakan internet. Tak ada internet maksudnya perbankan tidak boleh berjalan lancar. Memang gelisahlah kalau ini terjadi. Nak cari arah, nak beli buku, nak bergosip dengan kawan-kawan tentang buku semuanya perlukan internet.
Jalan cerita agak menarik namun di dalam perbualan antara watak-watak banyak sangat maklumat atau penerangan tentang dunia komputer yang SH tak faham apa pun. Rasanya orang-orang yang di dalam bidang tu je yang faham. Dan memang terlalu banyak limpahan maklumat yang tidak diperlukan pun.
Dengan berjalannya masa dan hari seperti yang ditulis dalam naskah ini, SH turut merasa gelisah dan ingin tahu apa yang bakal terjadi seterusnya. Adakah internet akan lumpuh terus atau bakal diselamatkan. SH pula rasa macam SH ada bersama mereka mengharungi situasi itu. Menurut SH penulis mampu mengekalkan elemen ingin tahu itu kepada pembaca.
Seawal cerita sudah memberi gambaran apa akan terjadi jika kehilangan sumber internet. Mula-mulanya SH rasa tak ada internet tak apalah. Ada buku boleh dijadikan hobi melepaskan bosan. Namun, setelah itu baru SH sedar di dunia sekarang ni semuanya menggunakan internet. Perbankan juga salah satu yang menggunakan internet. Tak ada internet maksudnya perbankan tidak boleh berjalan lancar. Memang gelisahlah kalau ini terjadi. Nak cari arah, nak beli buku, nak bergosip dengan kawan-kawan tentang buku semuanya perlukan internet.
Jalan cerita agak menarik namun di dalam perbualan antara watak-watak banyak sangat maklumat atau penerangan tentang dunia komputer yang SH tak faham apa pun. Rasanya orang-orang yang di dalam bidang tu je yang faham. Dan memang terlalu banyak limpahan maklumat yang tidak diperlukan pun.
Dengan berjalannya masa dan hari seperti yang ditulis dalam naskah ini, SH turut merasa gelisah dan ingin tahu apa yang bakal terjadi seterusnya. Adakah internet akan lumpuh terus atau bakal diselamatkan. SH pula rasa macam SH ada bersama mereka mengharungi situasi itu. Menurut SH penulis mampu mengekalkan elemen ingin tahu itu kepada pembaca.
July 16, 2020
Delightful read! Didn't want to put the book (Kindle) down. TJ is a bit weak, but I guess she was supposed to be. I have just enough "tech" to be able to follow the plot, and found it all a well-developed story with fun characters. I loved the wise-cracking main character, and found you personally in many places, starting with "Farley." Keep up the good work!
September 12, 2020
I already read the author’s memoir. That was a book I could leave and read a chapter every now and then. But Encoded is a whole different thing. The PI Braddock is a high-tech senior citizen who uses his wit and sarcasm, and a few old friends, to find the president’s illegitimate daughter that no one knows about. As every chapter put forth another riddle, I started to really understand Braddock’s psyche. He meets some strange people as he travels back to Vietnam, and then back to the US when he discovers there’s more to this search than he bargained for. Was the president really ignorant of what his daughter has been doing?
The beginning prologues are a little long, and confusing at first, but it all made sense as I dug in.
Being somewhat technical I was not put off by references to semiconductors, which are not fictional at all, but I found myself asking, “Is this really possible?” I rate Encoded at 5 out of 5 stars because it is fun to read, fast moving, and very topical without stretching my imagination into fantasy. I guess you could call it a political techno-thriller whose premise is chilling but I was left with positive closure. I could see the movie in my mind since there is a good mix of mystery, fun, some sexual references, politics and a strong message about all of us getting too comfortable with our technology and not realizing how dependent we really are. I turned off my Alexa and my laptop before retiring.
Not bad for his first novel, but I’ll be looking over my shoulder on the next Valentine’s Day. If you read it, you'll see why.
The beginning prologues are a little long, and confusing at first, but it all made sense as I dug in.
Being somewhat technical I was not put off by references to semiconductors, which are not fictional at all, but I found myself asking, “Is this really possible?” I rate Encoded at 5 out of 5 stars because it is fun to read, fast moving, and very topical without stretching my imagination into fantasy. I guess you could call it a political techno-thriller whose premise is chilling but I was left with positive closure. I could see the movie in my mind since there is a good mix of mystery, fun, some sexual references, politics and a strong message about all of us getting too comfortable with our technology and not realizing how dependent we really are. I turned off my Alexa and my laptop before retiring.
Not bad for his first novel, but I’ll be looking over my shoulder on the next Valentine’s Day. If you read it, you'll see why.
March 8, 2022
This is a fast-paced book that is quite heavy with some computer stuff (hardware and software). Nonetheless, I believe it would not hinder your enjoyment of the book.
I like that the story raises awareness of how dependent people have become with the internet. The impact of losing it and its vulnerability to threats are thoroughly discussed in the book. I actually did not expect this story to go to a certain direction, but I am glad it did. The plot twist was unexpected as well, as we already have a lot of revelation in the story.
The only thing that I did not like about it is the beginning and the ending. I struggle to get into the Prologue, only to figure out that it is irrelevant to the whole story. Also, the ending felt irrelevant as well. I can see what the author is trying to do with the Prologue and Epilogue, but I think it could me told in a different means.
I like that the story raises awareness of how dependent people have become with the internet. The impact of losing it and its vulnerability to threats are thoroughly discussed in the book. I actually did not expect this story to go to a certain direction, but I am glad it did. The plot twist was unexpected as well, as we already have a lot of revelation in the story.
The only thing that I did not like about it is the beginning and the ending. I struggle to get into the Prologue, only to figure out that it is irrelevant to the whole story. Also, the ending felt irrelevant as well. I can see what the author is trying to do with the Prologue and Epilogue, but I think it could me told in a different means.
December 19, 2020
I just finished Richard Nedbal's first novel, Encoded, a Richard Braddock mystery. An intricate modern day thriller which I couldn't put down once I started reading. Set in the modern day real world, the twists and turns keep you turning the pages for answers and satisfaction, only to present unforeseen consequences with more intensity. I highly recommend this book! I am looking forward the the next in the series! Hurry up, Richard!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews