Zimmerman's Algorithm

by S. Andrew Swann

Abandoned by his allies during the deadly theft of the Daedalus supercomputer, Washington, D.C., police detective Gideon Malcolm searches for the those responsible for the ambush that nearly took his life and follows an investigation that sends him on the trail of a missing scientist and into the midst of a vast conspiracy that holds the fate of the world at its mercy. Original.

Genres: Fiction

400 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

S. Andrew Swann is the primary pseudonym of Steven Swiniarski, who also writes as S.A. Swiniarski, Steven Krane, and S.A. Swann.

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was a pretty good techno-thriller novel for its time. I didn't think it was a science fiction novel at all. It's a little too complex, so it's a little hard to keep track of all the plot twists and turns if you don't pay close attention. It's a well-written story of a police detective (who conveniently happens to have a brother who's an FBI agent) looking for a supercomputer stolen by a terrorist group, and the titular Dr. Zimmerman whose knowledge holds the key to world security. Events rendered the premise obsolete soon after it was published, but it was an enjoyable change-of-pace read.

[Nicholas George · Rating 3 out of 5]

Readers beware: you come to this way beyond its expiration date. Written in 2000, its premise is based on a supercomputer (remember those?) and a terrorist group similar to Al Qaeda but called something else. Oh -- and references to the World Trade Center bombing that was vastly eclipsed by what happened a few years later. So everything is dated, which is only part of the problem. The plot is way too complex, with far too many moving parts, even though it is fairly well-written. I've never heard of the author (not an untalented man) and that probably is to be expected.

[Tao · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best scifi thriller, but it is readable. Trite, from time to time. But I managed finishing it.