The Blue Nowhere

Reading a work of fiction means suspending belief. Jurassic Park didn't cut it technically... but I loved the book. My software is used daily in thousands of physician's offices across the country. I have an MA in Computer Science and 20 years of coding experience. And yes... this book is not perfect technically. So what? It's still a seat-of-your-pants thriller! Is it possible you'll get lost in the technical stuff? I suppose... But that's secondary to the story. I have yet to read a work of high tech fiction that doesn't take extreme literary license with the facts. I love to read. And I have yet to regret reading a Jeffery Deaver novel. I thought it was a terrific book. And the ending has so many breath-taking twists... you may have to read the last few chapters twice just to make sure you got it!

This book surprised me on many levels, and I start by saying that I highly recommend it. As a person who likes to savor books, I read this one in two evenings. After Speaking in Tongues, I was a little wary of getting excited about another Jeffery Deaver's book. But as a programmer, I decide to pick it up because it is about something I have an interest in. Wyatt Gillette, a convicted felon, and the California Computer Crimes Unit attempt to stop a man, and an unknown accomplice, who uses his computer for the ultimate evil: murder. Jeffery Deaver throws out a few curve balls to keep the reader guessing, but avoids the unbelievable twists that seem to be rampant in thrillers. Generally I find that hi-tech fictional works are usual laughable in their portrayal and explanations of the technologies involved. Along this line,I have long felt that Michael Crichton is one of the best authors in researching his topics. I was very pleasantly surprised to find that Mr. Deaver did a great job in his own; all-in-all, his events and explanations were realistic and they reflect his opinion that the reader is not stupid, without going so far as to be a textbook on the subject. It is a very fast moving book, and there are complaints that the characters are not deeply developed. I attribute this to two things. It would take away from the quick pace of the story, and furthermore it is unnecessary. You learn enough about Wyatt and Phate without needless filler. Don't get me wrong, there are a couple of spots where I crinkled my nose in disbelief, but it is a work of fiction and it is a very good one at that.

There are some people who are mediocre at what they do and then there are masters. Jeffrey Deaver is the master of suspense in my humble opinion. No one weaves a thriller together quite like he does. His latest novel, The Blue Nowhere, is no exception. Phate is a killer, a killer that finds out every intricate detail of his victim's life beforehand by snatching the root directory of their computers. He is a hacker, the best of the best, a wizard and there is only one person that can stop him: another wizard. Wyatt Gillette is trying to quietly serve out his three-year sentence at a federal penitentiary for computer tampering. However, he jumps at the chance to help track down a killer when the local authorities arrange to get him released for 72 hours. He gets even more excited when he discovers that the killer is one of his old running buddies. Wyatt and Phate had founded The Knights of Access together, both geniuses in their own right. But there was one slight difference: Wyatt did it for fun, just to see if it could be done, and Phate did it for evil. So they parted ways and now it is time for them to have the ultimate showdown. Typing more than 100 words per minute, trying to outsmart each other, the police fade into the woodwork as they go after each other for vengeance, glory, and for the love of the game. This is not a good novel. This is a great novel. If you have never experienced a Jeffrey Deaver ride, this is a good place to jump on the bandwagon.

From the moment I cracked this book, it became my downfall. I couldn't leave it, even for a few minutes, without longing for its fast-paced, utterly addictive plot. From the first paragraph to the last, this novel captured my imagination so fully that I wanted to skip meals and postpone sleep, much like the hackers portrayed in its pages.The novel begins with the murder of a highly security conscious woman. From the first few pages, the reader knows this is no ordinary murder, although the chapters to come will reveal exactly how extraordinary the killer is. When the police suspect a skilled hacker who has taken his role-playing games into the real world, they enlist the aid of a convicted felon and "wizard" (an expert hacker) who is granted a temporary release from prison. At first glance, this is not a novel premise, but HOW the cracker accomplishes his murders elevates this story to the level of pure creepiness, reflecting the level of technology our society has acquired and our blind confidence in it. The killer's intelligence and intimate knowledge of code make him a particularly elusive and dangerous suspect.Deaver's plot twists and turns so many times, giving false clues in the best spirit of genre and then dropping new ones, so the reader makes dozens of guesses about the outcome but probably will come up short. Although Deaver does make some clumsy moves (for example, dialogue often takes unnatural directions for the sake of exposition, and sometimes his facts are slightly off the mark) and can be repetitive, all in all his slips don't detract from this in-the-throat thriller. Yes, the characters aren't fully realized and verge on being types, but hey, you don't read this kind of book for characterizations. You read it to lose yourself in a suspenseful plot, and Deaver certainly delivers here. Deaver is such a good storyteller that he can make you both gullible and paranoid at the same time. Right now I can't even type this review without a hitch of doubt.Next time your computer crashes, or your typing seems sluggish, or you meet someone in the street who looks vaguely familiar and who reminds you of who he is, you'll break out with little beads of sweat, wondering if the world really is how it appears. This residual effect is Deaver's greatest triumph.

I was really excited when I saw this ebook: I've been waiting impatiently for the next Jeffery Deaver title ever since reading Empty Chair and Devil's Teardrop. The Blue Nowhere (a term for cyberspace and the dangerous personal and criminal connections it can create) features Wyatt Gillette, an imprisoned hacker who agrees to help track down Phate, a person for whom the blue nowhere of the book's title holds murderous possibilities.Deaver's latest title is full of intrigue, suspense, and twists and turns of the plot. If you're a Deaver fan, or if you're interested in a good thriller about the internet and personal privacy, you should definitely check out the ebook.