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The Hidden Assassinsby: Robert Wilson |
The Blue Nowhereby Jeffery DeaverJeffery Deaver's research into the machine world led him not only to Silicon Valley, that Californian repository of technical wizardry, but straight to those talented computer gurus of programming and infiltration, the hackers. Whether or not you're interested in PC's (Personal Computers), you'll be fascinated by The Blue Nowhere. It's both scary and educational. Even though it was written several years ago, the possibilities this book presents are frightening; all the more so when you consider the current barrage of viruses from hackers aimed at your PC. When The Blue Nowhere was written, most hackers resolutely avoided hurting the private citizen, but that no longer applies. Now the fact that your personality, your background, and absolutely everything intimate about you can be discovered by a serious computer wizard who can crack even the most sophisticated government codes may give you pause. Such computer geeks infiltrate not only your telephone company, but also the Social Security Department, the IRS, and every other government agency including those in the Pentagon. The Blue Nowhere takes you behind the scenes of innocent PC use, and shows you what is possible in the computer world. What's really frightening is the fact that with every new technological advance in today's actual machine world, the hackers and crackers become more and more adept, and the alarming situations in The Blue Nowhere become closer to possibility. If you have a PC, all this may supply you with the impetus to go out and purchase the best screening software you can find – not that it will do you much good! Jeffery Deaver's novel begins with a murder. In The Blue Nowhere, the young man who commits the murder is known – and shunned – by brother hackers as someone to stay away from, both online and in person. His user name varies between CertainDeath and Phate, depending on whom he contacts. His unquestionable talent rates him as the most talented, best hacker online. That talent, and the hours he's spent developing it, has also blurred the demarcation between reality and computer games. The most often used game was a MUD (multi-user dimension) set in medieval times, where you could hunt down computer-created people and kill them. Points were given according to the difficulty level involved in tracking any particular person. Phate spent so much time on his computer that he now believes the game is real – and acts on it. The only difference to him is that the game must go on in the present. Wyatt Gillette was an online friend, and came up with the name 'Kings of Access' for the avid group of hackers who enjoyed the MUD game. All of them were gifted computer geeks, and soon gained a world-wide reputation for writing programs that were able to get computers to do amazing things. The group disbanded when Phate began to get a little weird. Wyatt at that time was almost as good as Phate. Now he's become just as good – on the same level, and even perhaps better. In The Blue Nowhere we first meet Wyatt in a San Jose prison, where he's been incarcerated for two out of the three years his sentence requires. He hacked – just to see if he could - into what was supposedly a totally secure site at Western Software. This was an organization with top secret information, connected to Standard 12, a Department of Defense encryption program. Someone, however, from the Computer Crimes Unit has come to visit, and offers him a temporary release if he helps them catch a computer killer. The killer, of course, is Phate. Wyatt recognizes his former friend's trademarks almost at once. Then, even though we know who the murderer is, Jeffrey Deaver takes us on a wild ride where both Phate and Wyatt duke it out on their computers, giving us both incredible situations and awesome insight into what could happen if such a talented loony as Phate wrote programs that could infiltrate the most protected computer sites. Murder follows murder as Phate plays his 'game' but Wyatt gradually gains on him, catching up at last. Then, when Phate is finally disposed of, his online other friend, Shawn, takes over, and the race is on to discover who 'Shawn' is. Jeffrey Deaver's denouement will surprise you. The Blue Nowhere is practically a must for anyone with the slightest interest in what's become as common an entertainment tool as the TV. Even if your interest isn't sparked by possibilities of the computer scene, the mystery and chase alone will keep you reading this book. Alan Paul Curtis |
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