The Computer Nerd

by Jeremy Bursey

Last year, Anston had his wife committed to the asylum. Last night, she escaped. This turn of events could put a damper on his love life.
Anston Michaels has spent the last year living a life without drama. He builds computer programs in his spare time, spends once a month ocean fishing with his two friends, and goes on the occasional date to keep things from getting too lonely. He’s pretty sure he couldn’t be happier. So, when he returns home from his fishing trip for a night of unwind, he’s surprised to find Rebecca, his latest would-be girlfriend, sitting on the porch, intruding on his evening, collecting on a date he’s forgotten about. What’s worse, while he prepares to leave with her, he discovers that someone even more intrusive has been calling while he was away, someone he can’t ignore. Even though acknowledging the caller’s request for a meeting means losing the date, and likely the beautiful Rebecca with it, he has to accept it. It’s a matter concerning his She has just escaped the mental hospital he’d committed her to a year ago, and now the caller believes she may be looking for payback.
What follows is a journey into the mind of a woman who seeks mutilation or marriage, reconciliation or revenge, or something far more sinister than anything Anston could imagine, and he must rescue her from her madness and stop her from ruining both of their lives before it’s too late. But is it actually madness that drives her? And is it really she who needs the rescuing? And does Anston truly know his ex-wife as well as he thinks he does?
The Computer Nerd is the suspenseful but quirky tale of a former married couple who seem constantly to walk out of step with each other, even when their love still lingers beneath the surface, even when their livelihoods are at stake. Their journey is sometimes frightening and sometimes ridiculous, but no relationship is perfect, and they must rediscover their range for understanding as they work together to deal with a personal crisis that combines kidnap, conspiracy, and, worst of all, forced love into a tidy little demented weekend getaway package that neither is sure they’ll survive thanks to the sociopathic third party who’s tagged along for the ride.
Complete safety in virtual isolation? Or likely destruction in a real romance? In the program of life, we must consider all the variables.
Also comes with a post-credits scene.

337 pages, Hardcover

First published October 20, 2015

About the author

Jeremy Bursey is the author of many short stories, novels, and other things he no longer remembers writing, each covering topics and genres that differ from what he had written previously because why not? He holds a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Central Florida, which he’s been paying for since the ‘90s, and currently works as a writing tutor, so he, like that organ grinder who severs his business relationship with his pet monkey, will pay for it indefinitely. He appreciates feedback for anything he posts, and he hopes you’ll read it—any of it—now, preferably.

Reviews

[Roger · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Computer Nerd, my first read from author Jeremy Bursey. Not a badly written book but I never made a real connection with the plotline. I finished the book because that's what I almost always do, especially with a new author. If I read a blurb about another of the author's writing and it grabs my attention I'd probably give it a try because the writing for this one was good. “I received a free Kindle copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review." The gifting of this book did not affect my opinion of it. (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018).