Review by ab2020 -- Russia's Biggest Hack
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ab2020
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Review by ab2020 -- Russia's Biggest Hack
[Following is a volunteer review of "Russia's Biggest Hack" by James E. Doucette.]
3 out of 4 stars
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The Cold War may have “officially” ended in 1991, but in some ways, it is still going on. The many tensions between Russia and the United States include political disagreements, economic sabotage, technological warfare, and espionage operations. Russia's Biggest Hack by James E. Doucette is an enthralling and vivid novel that explores these tensions. It takes place in the year 2000, and its plotline incorporates everything from romance to the Y2K problem.
The protagonist of Russia’s Biggest Hack is a man by the name of John Ward. When the novel opens, he is the chief of operations at Global Communications, a top telecommunications firm. However, the mysterious death of the company’s president throws his career into disarray. Unbeknownst to him, Russian spies and the Russian mafia are working to oust him from the company and turn the company into a puppet for Russian geopolitical interests. As dark forces infiltrate the company’s top ranks, Ward must be on guard against those who want him dead. With the support of the FBI, the love of his wife and children, and the lessons he learned as a soldier in Vietnam, Ward confronts one threat after another from his former colleagues.
Russia’s Biggest Hack is a highly engrossing novel. It is a short book (only 200 pages), and the short chapters (often only two or three pages long) keep the story moving at a fast pace. The prose is lively and clean, and I found myself deeply absorbed in the plot. James E. Doucette is a strong writer; his style, diction, and tone made the novel generally very enjoyable to read. I found a few typographical errors, but none of them were particularly bothersome.
Despite all these strengths, Russia’s Biggest Hack occasionally felt like a very simplistic book. John Ward is a typical “good guy” with a loving wife and loving children. Before joining Global, he had a successful career in the military. He is brave, intelligent, and responsible. Essentially, he is without fault. His enemies (the Russian spies and their henchmen) are somewhat more complicated characters, but they are still pretty stereotypical. I wish the characters had a bit more depth. If they were less obviously “good” or “evil”, then the plot would also be a bit more complex. I appreciated that the novel was very straightforward, but it could have used a bit more depth.
Overall, Russia’s Biggest Hack is a strong novel. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys thrillers and spy novels. This is a relatively light thriller (it’s not extremely intense or violent), but it’s a worthwhile read if you’re looking for something fun and short. I cannot give it a perfect rating because I did find it a little shallow at times. However, I still enjoyed it a lot. Thus, I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars.
******
Russia's Biggest Hack
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
3 out of 4 stars
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The Cold War may have “officially” ended in 1991, but in some ways, it is still going on. The many tensions between Russia and the United States include political disagreements, economic sabotage, technological warfare, and espionage operations. Russia's Biggest Hack by James E. Doucette is an enthralling and vivid novel that explores these tensions. It takes place in the year 2000, and its plotline incorporates everything from romance to the Y2K problem.
The protagonist of Russia’s Biggest Hack is a man by the name of John Ward. When the novel opens, he is the chief of operations at Global Communications, a top telecommunications firm. However, the mysterious death of the company’s president throws his career into disarray. Unbeknownst to him, Russian spies and the Russian mafia are working to oust him from the company and turn the company into a puppet for Russian geopolitical interests. As dark forces infiltrate the company’s top ranks, Ward must be on guard against those who want him dead. With the support of the FBI, the love of his wife and children, and the lessons he learned as a soldier in Vietnam, Ward confronts one threat after another from his former colleagues.
Russia’s Biggest Hack is a highly engrossing novel. It is a short book (only 200 pages), and the short chapters (often only two or three pages long) keep the story moving at a fast pace. The prose is lively and clean, and I found myself deeply absorbed in the plot. James E. Doucette is a strong writer; his style, diction, and tone made the novel generally very enjoyable to read. I found a few typographical errors, but none of them were particularly bothersome.
Despite all these strengths, Russia’s Biggest Hack occasionally felt like a very simplistic book. John Ward is a typical “good guy” with a loving wife and loving children. Before joining Global, he had a successful career in the military. He is brave, intelligent, and responsible. Essentially, he is without fault. His enemies (the Russian spies and their henchmen) are somewhat more complicated characters, but they are still pretty stereotypical. I wish the characters had a bit more depth. If they were less obviously “good” or “evil”, then the plot would also be a bit more complex. I appreciated that the novel was very straightforward, but it could have used a bit more depth.
Overall, Russia’s Biggest Hack is a strong novel. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys thrillers and spy novels. This is a relatively light thriller (it’s not extremely intense or violent), but it’s a worthwhile read if you’re looking for something fun and short. I cannot give it a perfect rating because I did find it a little shallow at times. However, I still enjoyed it a lot. Thus, I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars.
******
Russia's Biggest Hack
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: The Altitude Journals by David J Mauro
