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.