Quantum Breach by Denver Acey

Tanner Zane is a Mormon with a secret criminal past. Nobody suspects that, before his religious conversion, Tanner hacked into thousands of computer networks across the globe. He accumulated millions of dollars from his illegal activities until a sudden, life-changing event caused him to abandon hacking and give his fortune to charity. But Tanner’s guarded past is exposed when he is kidnapped by his mysterious neighbor and forced to hack into an impossible target – Los Alamos National Labs. Inside the government facility is a prototype quantum computer that is powerful enough to crack the digital safeguards of the Internet. When Tanner learns that cyber-terrorists will use the quantum computer to commit massive identify theft and corporate espionage around the world, he deliberately engages in an intellectual battle with his captors to prevent them from obtaining the device.

Do you see the sub-title under the main title of this book?  "A Mormon Hacker Novel".  That seriously cracks me up.  Oh my.  Tanner, a Mormon with a secret...  I wish they would have gone with "The Quantum Breach" and left it at that.  Yes, the main character is a Mormon (a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) but there is no religious doctrine preached within and the whole idea of him being "Mormon" is really moot point.

Tanner is a likable, smart guy.  His past misdeeds come back to haunt him when he is kidnapped and forced to use his hacking skills again.  He does what he has to do to keep his family alive and safe but all the while he is planning and plotting.  Those kidnappers underestimated Tanner and his abilities.

What I enjoyed as a reader was that while we were following the plans and execution of the kidnappers, we always knew Tanner was up to something but we didn't know exactly what.  There were little hints and I had it mostly figured out, but not entirely.  There was just enough to make me think I was smart but not enough to give it all away.

This book had that spy, espionage feel with some action and danger.  It was completely clean, which I appreciate.  There wasn't really what I would consider romance, which was totally fine with me because this wasn't really that type of book.

I don't know if I can say I loved the eye opening insight into how easy it is for people to gather my information in this digital age.  It is scary to think how easy it is.  I think I am guilty of complacency and even a bit of ignorance when it comes to identity theft and how I put information out into the digital world.  I need to be much more careful.

Overall this was a good book and I really enjoyed reading it.  It kept my attention the whole way through.  The ending left it a bit open so I'm thinking there could be a follow up book.  I would definitely pick up another book by this author.

You can purchase "The Quantum Breach" at Amazon.

Few people understand the terrifying, yet realistic threat of computer hacking like Denver Acey. Denver has spent his entire professional career in the information technology industry where he has witnessed and even thwarted actual cybercrime. From his top-secret job working for the US government to securing computer networks at Fortune 500 companies, Denver is personally familiar with hackers and their unscrupulous activities.

But over the years, Denver has become increasingly frustrated with Hollywood's inaccurate portrayal of cybercrime. Hackers are more intelligent and more sophisticated than simple teenagers, who guzzle down Mountain Dew while playing video games. Cybercrime is a billion-dollar business that encompasses organized crime and foreign governments. For these elite hackers, the fruits of success are iconic trademarks, innovative patents, and government secrets.

Because of his unique background, Denver decided to write a book to dispel hacking myths while highlighting the tenacity of cybercriminals. Utilizing actual computer hacking concepts and scenarios that he has experienced firsthand, Denver illustrates -- in a simple way for even the non-techie to understand -- how vulnerable we all are to cybercrime.

Spy for a Spy by Jordan McCollum + a giveaway!

We're celebrating the launch of Spy for a Spy, sequel to I, Spy! Read on to get a cool spy tip for your daily life, free & discounted reads, and enter to win some great prizes! You can also find Spy for a Spy at the special $3.99 launch discount on Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble and JordanMcCollum.com!

About the Book

Canada is probably the last place you’d expect to find an American spy. And it was the last place CIA operative Talia Reynolds expected to run into fellow operative Brand Copley. AKA her new boss. AKA her ex-boyfriend.

Just the guy every woman wants to face in the middle of planning her wedding. Once again, Talia’s lying to the man she loves, but this time, to protect his heart. After Brand takes over Talia’s latest case and steals her newest agent, he assigns her to spy on her old boss—who’s suddenly giving her every reason not to trust him. With only weeks until the big day, planning falls by the wayside as she goes into damage control mode. But when Talia discovers Brand’s real motives, fighting him is the only option, no matter what the personal and professional cost.

I am a Jordan McCollum fan. I just can't help it. There might have been a little squee that escaped me when I was invited to sign on for this blog tour. Yeah, a little squee. I reviewed "I, Spy" awhile ago and a couple weeks ago I read the novella, "Mr. Nice Spy". There is just something about these spy books that have me hooked.

Talia is so flawed, so tortured.  You want to simultaneously shake her and love her.  Really her motivations are honorable- lying to protect the innocent (aka Danny).  But keeping people in the dark in the name of love and protection isn't always the best and smartest idea.  You would think Talia would have learned that by now, but no.  She just keeps on making the same mistakes.  Danny has the patience of a saint.  Honestly.  If we could only bottle that up and sell it. . .  :)

"Spy for a Spy" had me so absorbed, flying through the book.  I had to keep telling myself to slow it down, take it easy.  I just couldn't help it.  I felt like I was going crazy for half the book.  Like Talia.  The first person narrative really works for this book.  It's so easy to get caught up in her head.

This book is clean (like squeeky)(no swearing, no sex) which I completely love.  There are mentions of the main characters being LDS and some traits particular to the LDS faith (no drinking, no premarital sex) but there is nothing preachy at all.  No religious discussions or anything of that nature.

Well, I'll end as I began.  Coming full circle to this:  I am a Jordan McCollum fan and I love this book series.  I can't wait for the next book.  I wonder if we'll ever get Talia and Danny against the world together?  That would be completely awesome.  

Excerpt

From chapter 12: CIA operative Talia Reynolds's ex-boyfriend/new boss, Brand, has assigned her to spy on her old boss, Will, who's allegedly betraying their country. Though Talia doesn't trust Brand, she has to take the assignment—especially once she realizes Will is trying to recruit her fiancé Danny to the CIA.
Parked outside Will’s house three days later, I readjust my binoculars and slump a little lower in my car seat. It’s dark, I’m in a car he won’t recognize, and he should have no reason to worry, but I’m nothing if not careful.
Will’s not nearly as cautious as I am. (Seriously, no one is.) No surveillance detection run on the way home, no meetings, no signals, no nothing. In fact, this has to be one of the most boring surveillance assignments I’ve ever done. Brand. Is. Wrong.
The garage door to Will’s unremarkable stucco rambler rolls open and there’s everyone’s favorite CIA chief of station in a Mr. Rogers cardigan. Leaving for a meeting with an agent?
Will heads past his perfectly nondescript car: Canada’s most common make, model, and even color — Honda, Civic, white. He’s got a bag. I train my focus on that black garbage bag, less than half full. To anyone else, that’s just trash. To me, it’s something he doesn’t want people to see. My pulse picks up a tick. This could be important.
Will reaches the passenger side of his car. Opens the door. Leans in. He’ll stick the bag in there and drive off and betray everything he was ever supposed to stand for.
Or not. He straightens, pulls out a Tim Hortons sack and stuffs it in the trash bag. He deposits the garbage in the black plastic bin beside his house and goes back in.
No relief allowed yet. Could still be a drop off. A risky one, sure, but we’re in Canada. How secretive would a double agent from a friendly foreign country have to be?
It’s a long, long night until the lights go out at Will’s. I wait until he has to be asleep, each minute ratcheting the muscles in my shoulders, my back, my legs tighter. Finally, I open the car door and prowl along the hedgerow to check the back. Lights off.
I move to the garbage can and ease the lid open. Of course the bag is way at the bottom. Grateful it’s well after dark, I lower the can to the ground and crawl inside.
Yes, the real life of a spy puts James Bond movies to shame. Nonstop glamour. I drag the bag out and replace the trash can, hunkering down beside it to hide from the street. Normally, I’d take this and run (yes, I do this enough to have a “normally”), but I can’t risk Will noticing. I hardly need my flashlight to see that this is an unremarkable, sadly lonely load of kitchen trash: microwave dinners, desserts for one, budget meals. I almost feel bad for our $150 tab this week, like he’s been doing penance for his accounting gluttony.
Nothing incriminating here whatsoever. Okay, so Will’s trying to recruit Danny to the CIA. Doesn’t mean he’s gone to the dark side.
Could I have fallen for Brand’s strategy all along: put me on Will’s trail to keep me off his? Everything he’s been doing — all that talk about how I can’t be impartial, the “apologies,” those “genuine” gestures, siccing me on Will, if only for a few days — it’s not just Brand being obnoxious. It’s Brand being covert.
Yep, I’m an idiot. I reload the garbage bag, slip it back into the bin and head out.
I know what I have to do. I have to watch Brand, and I have to be extra careful to make sure he thinks everything’s fine.
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Hone your spy skills

Spy skills can come in handy in the most unusual situations, like this one . . . Further hone your spy skills by reading Spy for a Spy!

About the author

An award-winning author, Jordan McCollum can’t resist a story where good defeats evil and true love conquers all. In her day job, she coerces people to do things they don’t want to, elicits information and generally manipulates the people she loves most—she’s a mom. Jordan holds a degree in American Studies and Linguistics from Brigham Young University. When she catches a spare minute, her hobbies include reading, knitting and music. She lives with her husband and four children in Utah.

Join the party & enter to win!

As part of the debut of Spy for a Spy, Jordan is co-hosting a launch party with Julie Coulter Bellon, author of Pocket Full of Posies. Join us November 12 on Facebook (Jordan's and Julie's pages) and Twitter (follow Julie and Jordan) for drawings throughout the day, and enter to win more fabulous prizes here!! a Rafflecopter giveaway

Special deals!

Spy for a Spy is a sequel to the novel I, Spy, available for 99¢ at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Jordan's site this week only! To save her country and her secrets, CIA operative Talia Reynolds will have to sacrifice the man she loves. More about I, Spy. Also, as a free gift this week, Jordan is giving out free e-copies of a prequel novella, Mr. Nice Spy, on Amazon and her site!