Midnight StrikeCyber Division SeriesTerrorists are targeting Dallas, Texas. Nora Brooks and Randall Goodwin have until midnight to stop an unprecedented cyber attack.Who would want to bring about the collapse of the nation’s ninth largest city? And if they succeed, what is their next target?Nora Brooks has a new partner–Randall Goodwin is young, confident, and a computer genius. He thinks he … computer genius. He thinks he wants out from behind the desk at the agency’s headquarters, and so he joins Nora in pursuing cyber terrorists. When Dallas, Texas is hit with a coordinated attack, Nora and Randall board a C-20 Gulfstream Naval Jet bound for the Lone Star state. At risk are four different sectors–transportation, utilities, medical, and infrastructure. If allowed to proceed, the toll on the 1.3 million population will be devastating. Nora and Randall arrive at the Dallas command center to discover they’re facing a coordinated attack from four different cyber terrorists, and at least one of them is on the inside.
Midnight Strike is book 2 in Vannetta Chapman’s Cyber Terror series. The journey begins with Fading Into the Night, a novella set in the Amish community of Shipshewana which first appeared in the Summer of Suspense Anthology.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
“Have you studied this file at all?”
“Sure.”
“Looks like a cascading attack across transportation, communication, utilities, and medical.”
“Which is the reason it’s a Level 4.”
“Transportation could stop air travel, ground travel, all traffic cams and lights…”
“A real mess in a metroplex the size of Dallas. Then with comms out you have no cell service.”
“Which means no 9-1-1.” Nora suddenly understood the director’s concern. Most threats they dealt with hit one, possibly two sectors. They hadn’t seen anything this invasive. “Utilities means no gas and electric.”
“Not as big a deal as it might be in the north. No one is going to freeze to death in Dallas, even in January.”
“And medical. How does that fit in? It seems…like an overreach.”
“Most hospitals are hooked up to the grid like everyone else. Tonya told me—”
“Tonya, the girl you dated exactly twice?”
Randall flashed her a smile. “The same. She was a pharmacist at Johns Hopkins. Told me they can’t dispense a pill on their own. It’s all done through a giant computer. Doctors put in their codes and the machine dumps out the meds.”
“They must have a backup plan in case the system goes down.”
“They have a generator.”
“Which won’t help a bit if our perp has hacked into the actual system.” Nora’s mind scanned the list of cyber-terrorists they’d encountered over the last ten years. Most were behind bars, but it seemed that for every one they arrested, two more sprouted up. “I can’t think of a single cyberbug who has the ability to do something like this.”
Randall stuffed the small airplane pillow behind his head. He was really going to go to sleep. She couldn’t believe it.
She nudged him with her foot.
“Any idea what we’re facing here?”
“You’re the experienced agent on our team. What do you think it is?”
She scanned back over the three pages, then closed the file and stared out the window. “No single group has the capability of doing something like this.”
“Which means…”
“Which means it’s a coalition. Something has prompted our cyberbugs to work together.”
“All the more reason to get some sleep.”
Ten minutes later Randall was snoring.
Sometimes she envied his ability to shut everything off.
It didn’t work that way for her. It never had.
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I do not consider myself a big reader of cybercrimes novels but if Vannetta Chapman wrote more of those I would. This is a short novella and I was hungering for more. She made me think of situations I never consider a possibility in my little town but I should.
This is the second of a three novella series but you can read a stand-alone. Both in this series have been time stoppers for me, meaning nothing but reading is accomplished. I am already anticipating the release of the third novella.
Wow! Hang on tight for this heart pumping story. Nora and her new partner Randall are racing against time to ensure that Dallas does not experience the devastating results that would happen if the cyber terrorists are successful. Midnight Strike is a fast paced book with strong characters and a get even criminal. The drama is realistic of what could happen if a major city endured a cyber attack against major facilities and sectors that keeps the population safe.
Midnight Strike is book two in Chapman’s Cyber Division series but can easily be read as a standalone. The growth in Agent Nora Brooks is remarkable since her first assignment in Fading into the Night. I look forward to reading the next novella, Daybreak, to see how Nora and her partner will handle it. One thing for sure, Chapman’s research is evident in this series about cyber attacks and terrorists.
I received a complimentary e-book from the author and was under no obligation to write a positive review. All thought are my own opinion.
Midnight Strike is the second novella in the Cyber Division series. It picks up sometime after the first book in the series and follows Nora Brooks, the heroine from book one, Fading Into the Night. If you haven’t read book one, don’t worry, Midnight Strike stands on its own.
I liked watching the way Nora and her partner, Randall, divided out the tasks based on their specific strengths in order to discern exactly who was behind the attack that could potentially cripple the entire grid in Texas.
These novellas are quick and easy reads, yet they really get you thinking about how all things are tied into computer systems now, making life as we know it vulnerable to cyber threats.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
Midnight Strikes ( Cyber Devision #2 )
By; Vannetta Chapman
Midnight Strikes is book two in Cyber Devision series. Wow, what a story. i was captured at the start and did not want to put it down. A short fast paced story with suspense and mystery . Chapman story is so real you are sitting on the edge of your seat trying to hang on for your life. Terrorists is targeting Dallas, Texas and the clock is running down. Nora and Randall has a new assignment . Can they stop this cyber attack before it is to late and nothing is left of Dallas?
I was given a complimentary copy of this book, but was not told that I had to give a positive review. All opinions are my own.
I felt the tension begin ramping up in the first few pages and it continued to build throughout this book. Vannetta Chapman knows how to write a suspenseful story, and this one seems as if it could be taken from today’s headlines. That’s what made this book seem so chilling to me. I could see how it would be possible for these events to happen now.
As much as I loved the plot, it’s the characters that make this story work. This is the second book in the series with Nora Brooks, and I like her no nonsense, focused-on-the-job character. She is willing to give her life to protect the country. I thought the character of Randall Goodwin was a great addition to the series. Although he and Nora are very different, they make great partners and their ability to work together well adds to the story.
At the end of the book, there’s a hint that there’s more adventure ahead for Nora and Randall, and I’m already looking more to reading the next book in this series.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.
This exciting, short book offers a quick read, which is good because you don’t want to put it down. With terrorists targeting Dallas, Texas, can federal agents stop the hackers who hope to destroy the world as we know it? The scenario is too real but I’m glad it’s fiction and not in the news. Fast-paced and action-packed, the novel will keep you caught up in the story as the race to stop the tragedy steals your breath. Twists and surprises add to the suspense. A winner from a talented writer. I received a copy from the author. All opinions are my own.