Review by Twylla -- Doppelgänger by Marc J. Seifer
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Review by Twylla -- Doppelgänger by Marc J. Seifer
[Following is a volunteer review of "Doppelgänger" by Marc J. Seifer.]
Doppelgänger by Mark Siefer is the first installment of a two-part series. It is the story of a German Jewish family, the Maxwells, in the early 1900s who own very successful businesses. The plot toggles to a contemporary murder mystery that has connections to a hacker lurking in cyberspace. The two stories are connected through Abe Maxwell who is currently about 98 years old.
Elias Maxwell, the owner of Maxwell Bavarian Machineworks, felt that his Jewish religion was a joke that cut into his profitability. Jews were not allowed to own property or run for office. They were outsiders and inferiors. So Elias "converted" to Christianity for practical reasons. The rest of the family remained devout and faithful to their Jewish heritage.
Rudy is a journalist for Modern Times Magazine. His current assignment is to investigate the area of computer hacking and cyber-attacks. Computers all over the world were attacked simultaneously by the "Oh, ****!" virus. This virus was triggered to strike everywhere on the same day by a hacker named NTroodr. This particular virus was benign, but what about the next one? If Rudy can break the story, this is his chance for a Pulitzer! My favorite thing about the computer hacking story is NTroodr finds that the anti-virus software used by the Universities is so robust, he can’t penetrate it. So he finds another way to infiltrate them. It is brilliant!
Rudy discovers that he is not biologically related to his mother. When Rudy travels to Germany on his honeymoon and later for a work assignment, his look-a-like, Rolf Linzman, always seems to cross his path. Could this German have something to do with his biological parents? His "doppelgänger" also has doubts that he is biologically related to his mother. I think this part of the story has a universal appeal, especially to people who have been adopted. Everyone wants to know their roots and who they are.
There are three major cliff-hangers in this first book of the series. First, who is this hacker who calls himself NTroodr? Second, who are Rudy’s biological mother and father? Does he have the same biological parents as Rolf? How is Abe Maxwell connected to both of them? Third, why is Abe, a Holocaust survivor, protesting MB Airways? The story continues in Crystal Night.
This book does not follow the usual formula of a murder mystery. Normally the crime and the suspects are introduced. It is followed by an investigation, and clues are revealed. The hidden motives of stakeholders are revealed, and the crime is resolved. In this case, the murder occurred about halfway through the book, and the storyline continues into the second part of the series. The variation of the “rules” adds a refreshing unpredictability to the story.
One of my favorite sub-stories was the airplane race from Munich to Rome to Athens to Cairo to Istanbul and back to Munich. I especially enjoyed the history of the development of airplanes and the Zeppelin airships that were used during World War I.
The historical and technical material in this book was meticulously researched and was developed into a compelling story. I am giving this book an enthusiastic rating of 4 out of 4 stars. The book is very well written and professionally edited. I found two minor errors that I would never have noticed if I hadn’t been looking for them. I would recommend this book to airplane enthusiasts and history buffs everywhere.
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Doppelgänger
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Doppelgänger by Mark Siefer is the first installment of a two-part series. It is the story of a German Jewish family, the Maxwells, in the early 1900s who own very successful businesses. The plot toggles to a contemporary murder mystery that has connections to a hacker lurking in cyberspace. The two stories are connected through Abe Maxwell who is currently about 98 years old.
Elias Maxwell, the owner of Maxwell Bavarian Machineworks, felt that his Jewish religion was a joke that cut into his profitability. Jews were not allowed to own property or run for office. They were outsiders and inferiors. So Elias "converted" to Christianity for practical reasons. The rest of the family remained devout and faithful to their Jewish heritage.
Rudy is a journalist for Modern Times Magazine. His current assignment is to investigate the area of computer hacking and cyber-attacks. Computers all over the world were attacked simultaneously by the "Oh, ****!" virus. This virus was triggered to strike everywhere on the same day by a hacker named NTroodr. This particular virus was benign, but what about the next one? If Rudy can break the story, this is his chance for a Pulitzer! My favorite thing about the computer hacking story is NTroodr finds that the anti-virus software used by the Universities is so robust, he can’t penetrate it. So he finds another way to infiltrate them. It is brilliant!
Rudy discovers that he is not biologically related to his mother. When Rudy travels to Germany on his honeymoon and later for a work assignment, his look-a-like, Rolf Linzman, always seems to cross his path. Could this German have something to do with his biological parents? His "doppelgänger" also has doubts that he is biologically related to his mother. I think this part of the story has a universal appeal, especially to people who have been adopted. Everyone wants to know their roots and who they are.
There are three major cliff-hangers in this first book of the series. First, who is this hacker who calls himself NTroodr? Second, who are Rudy’s biological mother and father? Does he have the same biological parents as Rolf? How is Abe Maxwell connected to both of them? Third, why is Abe, a Holocaust survivor, protesting MB Airways? The story continues in Crystal Night.
This book does not follow the usual formula of a murder mystery. Normally the crime and the suspects are introduced. It is followed by an investigation, and clues are revealed. The hidden motives of stakeholders are revealed, and the crime is resolved. In this case, the murder occurred about halfway through the book, and the storyline continues into the second part of the series. The variation of the “rules” adds a refreshing unpredictability to the story.
One of my favorite sub-stories was the airplane race from Munich to Rome to Athens to Cairo to Istanbul and back to Munich. I especially enjoyed the history of the development of airplanes and the Zeppelin airships that were used during World War I.
The historical and technical material in this book was meticulously researched and was developed into a compelling story. I am giving this book an enthusiastic rating of 4 out of 4 stars. The book is very well written and professionally edited. I found two minor errors that I would never have noticed if I hadn’t been looking for them. I would recommend this book to airplane enthusiasts and history buffs everywhere.
******
Doppelgänger
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Contagion Domination by William Nisol
