Title: The Logic Bomb
Author: Scott Richard Lord
Publisher: Friesen Press
ASIN: 978-1460249109
Pages: 264
Genre: Thriller
Reviewed by: John Murray, Pacific Book Review
Book Review
The Internet has become as necessary as electricity in modern life. The rise of the smartphone has only made being connected incrementally vital. As we move from a paper society to a digital one, many of us overlook privacy and security. Data exists as ones and zeros but can have huge repercussions that can bring down individuals, corporations, and even countries. This fear spreads with each successive news story about leaked data, hacked accounts, and inaccessible sites. As this fear grows and becomes justified, a war will be fought on a new battlefield.A cyber war needs specialized weapons. One such weapon is the focus of Scott Richard Lord’s “The Logic Bomb.” A logic bomb is a piece of software that upon activation triggers a malicious attack on a target system. Typically, a logic bomb is used like the Trojan horse, smuggled into the target system. “The Logic Bomb” kicks off the action with a drug-induced scheme to swindle an insurance company. The two meth-addicted bikers win the case thanks to a morally grey small-time attorney, Tom Tresh. Tom balances an interesting career defending criminals while dipping a toe into the murky Los Angeles underworld. Tom’s friend talks him into handling the legal services for a deal involving the theft and sale of a “financial software” package. Events rapidly spiral out of hand when the truth behind the software, Elidera, is revealed. Elidera is a logic bomb, and a powerfully effective one at that. A cutthroat mob family, a group of survivalist hackers, a Chinese government front company, and a crime boss step on to the scene. “The Logic Bomb” explodes with action as the tension ratchets and Tom’s son is kidnapped. Lodged between the crises of a kidnapped son and the digital WMD, Tom races to save his loved ones and hopefully save the world.
Right off the bat, “The Logic Bomb” reads like a well-crafted movie. The hopped up bikers crashing and cutting off their own foot is only the first “What!?” moment this story has in store. Scott Richard Lord’s debut novel marks a hell of a kick-off. The characters are dynamic and fleshed out. Scenes play out gloriously erratic with wonderfully chaotic characters. While each character acts in his or her own interest, it is never clear how situations will resolve. The dialogue is snappy and flows sinuously. Lord’s writing is engaging and never veers into boring info dumps despite extensive legal scenes. Minor formatting errors and some obvious filler detract from an otherwise tense and stunning legal/cyber-thriller mashup.
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