She is a CypherGhost: An untraceable hacker, someone who can be anywhere and do anything using a computer. Can an aircraft be hacked? Can a human being be hacked? Don’t be so sure… is a passenger on has been hacked. Its engines have stopped and everyone aboard is screaming.
When Charlette De Spain’s boyfriend is falsely accused of stealing secrets from the FBI and dies in prison under mysterious circumstance, it changes her life. Once an Art History major, now a budding computer hacker, she gathers the proof that he was innocent. When no one pays attention, she decides to become jury and executioner of all those responsible.
But the aircraft carrying one of her primary targets also carries Ann.
In an America whose government is silently at war with its hackers, who prevails and who fails isn’t limited to the two young battling women, but might also involve the fate of the entire nation.
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This seventh book in the Spies Lie Series by DS Kane was an intense story of suspense and then action-adventure takes over. The usual collection of characters of Swiftshadow, Cassie, Lee, Avram, Ann, William, Grace, Jon among them, were once again here for the reader to enjoy their continuing journeys of trials and tribulations that always seem to follow them wherever they might try to hide. This book utilized quite a bit more cyber technology and vocabulary than some of the others because it was completely encased in computer hacking and counter-hacking for both the good and the not so good other side. This was another scary case of the author’s convoluted mind coming up with yet another way for the USA to no longer be by letting the reader see how it could happen in real life. I can’t wait to see what terror he brings in book 8 of the series. This is a voluntary review of this book.
Female Hackers and a Bit of Sci-Fi
While thrillers aren’t my main reading jam, I do enjoy a good techno-thriller every now and again. I was especially curious about this particular book when I saw that the two main characters were young female hackers. In a world where hackers seem to always be men, at least as portrayed in books and movies, I loved this idea. These two women are at cross-purposes when the book starts, though they don’t know of each other or meet until later. The author has done a good job blending the technology, spy, and governmental aspects of this story. I found it to be a gripping and page-turning read. The author has a straightforward writing style that made me want to keep reading “just one more chapter” until I stayed up way later than I should have. The author has experience as a spy and working with a variety of businesses, and his expertise shows. The ending has some surprising twists, layering on a bit of sci-fi as well. I had read no other books in this series, yet I didn’t feel lost in any way. If you enjoy techno-thrillers, especially with well-drawn, strong female protagonists, you may very well appreciate this book.
I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.
This is book seven of the Spies Lie series and continues the story of Ann Sibley Sashakovich, the adopted daughter of former spy Cassie, who was rescued off the streets. She is now studying computer forensics at Stanford University, having been trained up in computer skills over the last few years by William Wing, a famous hacker and computer expert that Cassie has used and been in contact with before. Ann picked up her IT skills really quickly and it made sense to study it further at college. She has enjoyed her first semester and on travelling home for Thanksgiving, the plane she is on, is hacked and starts to plummet to the ground, with no power! Luckily she has her laptop with her and tries to hack in herself to see what she can do. She manages to reset the planes electronic systems and the plane lands safely, but she ends up arrested for saving herself and all on board!
Unfortunately, in doing so, she has also made herself an enemy. A hacker known as CypherGhost, who has been operating for some ten years and is so far untraceable. She started on this path after her high school love interest was arrested for hacking into a government system and stealing secret data. He went on trial and was sentenced to a whole life term basically. Shortly after, he was found dead in his cell and a letter she was sent from a guard, stated that two dark suited men visited him just beforehand. She blames the government for his death and spends her time constantly moving from place to place, whilst also improving her hacking skills. She is seeking vengeance against all those involved in her boyfriend’s death. Starting with the judge for his trial, who is on the same plane as Ann.
A government which is secretly waging a war against hackers, has some parts of it with their own agenda, who will take extreme measures against all hackers, black hats, grey hats and white hats. Not differentiating between any of them. CypherGhost’s actions feed the ammunition that a certain senator is looking for, as one of the stages of a huge plot to the American government and replace it with a military takeover, but one that will be controlled by a secret organisation of business owners all around the world! It is just a year since American society almost fell after the attacks from China and Russia, now this. Two hackers have been identified by their online presence and skills, as being the perfect candidates to recruit to this secret organisation and pretend hacker forum, recruiting hackers from everywhere. One is Ann, who was obviously identified after her arrest for hacking the flight controls to save everybody on the same plane as herself. The other is CypherGhost, who they suspect was responsible, but who is untraceable.
A complex tale of modern warfare carried out over the communication and data highways of America, with computer, company and personal data being transferred between companies and individuals, open to access from hackers with little effort. Far too many places and people are open to attack and ripe for the picking. The youngest member of the team, Ann, is eager to join the others in Swiftshadow to trace CypherGhost, especially since it is her life at risk and it seems none of the others have the skills needed to find this hacker. Add in some nanotech being used to track hackers all over America and false imprisonment of millions, it may not be a good time to be a hacker! Very technical in parts, but there is a full description of all the terminology, the characters from the whole series and even links to articles with examples of cyber hacking and issues, all at the end of the book. Certainly a shocking look at what might be, especially if the wrong people can get hold of your networks or control parts of the country and government. All the main characters have dealt with difficult and dangerous situations, in each storyline, and they just get better and better! I love reading about them and hope to see them all survive for another adventure. I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.