Trying to avoid Spoilers.
Remember Special Agent Pendergast's twins? One of them turns up unexpectedly on his doorstep.
Blue Labyrinth is just as weird and unbelievable as all of the others in this series. Lots of twists and family history in this one. While this series has nothing to do with literature, if you have followed Pendergast's bizarre adventures over the years, you won't want to miss it. Addictive as any bad habit--I can't turn them down.
Read in Oct. Review scheduled for Nov.
NetGalley/Grand Central Publishing
Mystery/Crime/Weirdness. Nov. 11, 2014. Print length: 416 pages.
Book description:
“What is the silence of six, and what are you going to do about it?”
These are the last words uttered by 17-year-old Max Stein’s best friend, Evan: Just moments after hacking into the live-streaming Presidential debate at their high school, he kills himself.
The Silence of Six is a YA novel by the author the Norton Award-winning author of Fair Coin and Quantum Coin (neither of which have I read).
The first chapter or two had me wondering if I'd continue reading (very YA), but then I became interesting is some of the information about hackers. The two groups mentioned are Anonymous and Dramatis Personae -- and the loose group of hackers known as Anonymous (they released private information in Ferguson) actually exist. I don't know about D.P. (one more interesting example of social media influence: a psychological experiment where Facebook manipulated emotions)
While elements of The Silence of Six are not realistic, the theme about cyber security and the possible use and/or misuse of private information is quite genuine as most people have reason to know. The story is fast paced, and while I failed to truly feel much connection to the teen protagonists, the vulnerability of our personal and financial privacy on the internet and the ways in which social media can be used and/or abused are certainly relevant to all of us.
Read in October. Review scheduled for Nov.
NetGalley/Adaptive Studios
YA/Mystery/Tech/Conspiracy. Nov. 5, 2014. Print length: 245 pages.
NetGalley/Adaptive Studios
YA/Mystery/Tech/Conspiracy. Nov. 5, 2014. Print length: 245 pages.
These two books sound intriguing, and I find myself leaning towards more of the latter, despite the unrealistic elements. I think the issue of cyber security catches my attention.
ReplyDeleteThe Preston & Child series starts with Relic. The Silence of Six is for a younger audience, but the cyber stuff and the hacking is very interesting.
ReplyDeleteI love Special Agent Pendergast and the Preston & Child books. They're fun. The only one I didn't like as much is the one where they killed off Bill Smithback. I'm still angry about that.)
ReplyDeleteMe, too! That was unnecessary. I'm still surprised that they did that.
ReplyDeleteI've read three of the Preston/Child books, but never continued on with the series (I read Relic, Reliquary and Cabinet of Curiosities). I always meant to. I've only ever met the one Pendergast and he was such an interesting character.
ReplyDeleteI love the cover of The Silence of Six. The world of hacking is such an intriguing one. Scary, in many ways.
Wendy - Pendergast is the most unusual "FBI" agent I've ever heard of. :)
ReplyDeleteI like the cover of The Silence of Six, too. While the book is more suited to a younger audience, I did find some of the tech stuff and the info on hacking fascinating. My computer skills are so minimal, I'm always impressed by what experienced techs can accomplish.