Disruption by Chuck Barrett

Assuming I beat my compadres to the 'send' button today . . . this review represents a bonafide MRB milestone:

Review #1000.

We rejoin Jake Pendleton and his partner, the former AISE agent (Italy's External Intelligence and Security Agency) Francesca Catanzaro who both continue to work for Commonwealth Consultants, a for-hire espionage company that has (mostly) a single client - President Rebecca K. Rudd. 

They are tracking Boris, a hacker of some note. He's a central player in the hack to beat all hacks. 

The whole operation is the brainchild of Qasem Kazemi,

a former General in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard who now heads up Tarh Andishan, a cadre of expert hacker-terrorists. His plan is to disrupt (hence the title) a whole bucketload of everyday operations like airports, trains, cell phones, electrical grids, utilities, military and civilian satellites, etc. in order to force the world's attention away from his prime target . . . being a deranged Iranian, you should be able to guess the object of his obsession.

The plan in highly compartmentalized. A slew of world class hackers each has a task. Boris's task is to upload a set of commands, which he is to receive from another hacker that known as The Jew, that will spread via satellite across most of the connected world and trigger other hacks to spread widespread confusion and panic especially Europe, the Far East, and North America.

All is in play and ready for a midnight Halloween execution order from Kazemi. But The Jew has figured out much of what is to transpire and holds the final coding that is to screw with the satellites. Knowing what could happen, The Jew inserts a number of bread crumbs in his code that should lead an expert hacker to the solution and stop the Disruption from being fully executed.

Kazemi captures The Jew and tortures him beyond belief, but The Jew holds out knowing he is a dead man and is willing to die before giving up all the codes, releasing just enough of the codes for some expert out there to decipher his embedded clues . . . and that's turns out to be Commonwealth's own genius hacker George Fontaine.

Jake and Francesca track Boris through DC, but lose him. Just as they lose him, a Commonwealth research lab in Belgium goes up in flames sending both to Europe to chase down a myriad of crisscrossing clues to the whereabouts of Kazemi. Jake and Francesca race through Venice, Rome, Florence, Vienna, Baden-Baden, plus a couple transatlantic crossings, trying to close in on Kazemi while also attempting to find out why the AISE always seems to be right behind them.

Were I the type who awarded stars for books, I'd probably give this 3.5 to 4 out of 5 stars. Of all the characters, my favorite is Commonwealth's own hacker, Fontaine. And while the story is well plotted, paced, and extremely well written, Jake and Francesca are just a touch toooooo good at what they do to be entirely believable. A quality beach read (and seeing as how I read much of this at the beach last week, I think I'm qualified to make such a statement).

One other thing noteworthy in this story is Barrett's use of reasonably current events. Apparently Tarh  Andishan is a real group of Muslim hackers,  the ongoing upheavals in Iran, North Korea-China tensions, ISIS, that Air Malaysia flight that disappeared over the Indian Ocean a couple years ago, and a whole bunch more. Including current events, particularly those that so far have defied explanation (that lost plane plays a huge role in the lead up to events) helps drive the possibility of what's described awfully close to home.

Close enough to start some readers to start building dwellings off the grid and keep a go bag at the ready?

Available October 26, 2016.

ECD

Blown by Chuck Barrett

Imagine you are on your Harley Fat Boy headed across Arkansas for El Paso to see if an old flame still carries a torch for him. Imagine you are and ex-Delta who now works for one of those alphabet soup agencies devoted to national security. And imagine your job is wet work for that agency. 

Hunger gets the better of you and you pull into this out of the way joint for some pub grub. Mostly local color. A young fit guy is putting up with this old guy running his mouth about what’s wrong with any and everything. Three grease balls sit at the counter dressed more for Jersey, not for southern heat and humidity. Gregg Kaplan’s radar signals an alert. The sudden turn of the guys at the counter and the resulting exchange of gunfire with the outnumbered young guy pushes Gregg’s ‘help’ button. A quick disarm, a shot or two, and some quick action by the young guy puts the three sleaze balls on the floor with the old guy scrambling for the door. 

The young guy is a US Marshall who is delivering someone to Witness Security (not witness protection - no such service we are told). He’s be mortally wounded in the shootout. As Gregg tries to stem the blood loss, they both find that Delta is a common bond. The dying Marshall pleads on thei

r Delta brotherhood for Gregg to deliver the guy to WitSec, to which Gregg agrees.

Gregg takes off after the witness beginning repeated chases and escapes from the mob, the Marshall’s service, the FBI, and local police. Across Arkansas, Tennessee, eventually ending up in Northern Virginia. At each close encounter, Gregg learns more about this witness and just what put him in line for WitSec. 

One suggestion before starting this book. Find someplace quiet where you won’t be disturbed. Barrett starts the book off with a band and manages to set up blast after blast after blast and Kaplan becomes more suspect of the witness and the possibility of insider info within the Marshall’s service or the FBI.  Author of the best selling Jake Pendleton series, one of which (Breach of Power) has been reviewed here. This one is far better. A 90+ mph mystery. Hope you don’t get carsick easily.

East Coast Don

Breach of Power by Chuck Barrett

In the waning days of WWII, an American major who processes the remains of soldiers for burial in the US is being chased down a mountain, falls into a snow crevice, and dies. In his hands, a journal. 

Current day. Ashley Regan and Sam Connors are hiking the mountains on the Germany-Austria border; an annual event commemorating their first trip together. Ashley is in the lead and spots a cave, wanders deep inside and uncovers the corpse. Yes, she should tell the cops, but the body is clutching a book. Obviously important to the individual. First, grab the journal. Then tell the authorities. 

It's in German, so a friend translates. The information sets Ashley on a trail of cemeteries digging up caskets of servicemen so mutilated by war that an open casket funeral was not possible. 

Jake Pendelton and his partner Francesca Catanzaro work one of those ubiquitous 'government contractors'. They are called for a private audience with President Rudd. America's first woman president who is riding high in the polls, a shoo-in for a 2nd term, and set to host a summit that should stabilize a wounded worldwide economy. She has a few problems she needs handled quietly and quickly by someone who would guarantee discretion- Jack and Francesca. President Rudd has evidence that one of the most senior Senators is a child predator. Someone is trying to blackmail her. And graves of black soldiers are being desecrated; she needs to know if this is a hate crime and solved before the press gets hold of the story.

And why does the Chief of Staff have an assassin on speed dial? The investigation jumps from Arlington to Charleston to the Pensacola area, and Butler, TN. Graves are dug up, caskets opened, but the remains are undisturbed.

Barrett explores what should the President do if clues about her ancestry become public when she didn't even know about the details until this investigation concludes. Thought the premise was interesting, the plot was entertaining and the Pendelton character was believable. So, while I liked it, don't expect any awards to come its way. As West Coast Don says, this would be a good airplane read. Or on a cruise. Or a long car ride.

ECD