Official Review: Russia's Biggest Hack by James E. Doucette

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KRay93
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Official Review: Russia's Biggest Hack by James E. Doucette

Post by KRay93 »

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Russia's Biggest Hack" by James E. Doucette.]
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3 out of 4 stars
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Russia's Biggest Hack by James E. Doucette is a historical fiction/thriller novel that takes place at the end of 1999. It follows John Ward, a high-ranking employee of Global Communications, the dominant provider of telecommunications services in the United States. After an air accident that claims the life of Global’s president, John is left in an uncomfortable position with the new manager and the direction he proposes for the company, just like many other members of the executive board.

When John finds out that Global will ally with a Russian company of the same market, he begins to suspect that there is something more behind the recent and mysterious developments around Global’s brand-new business strategy. As a faithful employee and a patriot, John puts his life at stake to unmask a secret Russian conspiracy that seeks to cripple the American infrastructure and return the country to the Stone Age, paving the way for Russia to become the world's greatest superpower.

The prose from the book is quite fluid and, above all, very suitable for a fast-paced thriller. The author focuses on describing the actions that the characters carry out, leaving aside the environments that surround them and everything that happens in their minds. While this favors the development of a compelling plot, it also harms the characters. In most cases, they fall into the classic stereotypes of techno-thrillers or spy novels. The author would have benefited from including some extra pages to deal with this issue, especially in the case of John. He could have been a far more appealing protagonist if Doucette had fleshed out his past in Vietnam and the relationship with his distant father.

This novel also has its fair share of technical language, although this is something to be expected given its genre. Although the author has done a great job in relation to his research in the world of telecommunications, all the techno-babble may prove a bit excessive for those who are not used to this environment or do not find it interesting. Additionally, although the editing work is quite acceptable, there are some minor formatting errors. These revolve around double blank spaces after periods and a couple of missing double quotation marks in dialogues. In any case, these issues do not move the reader away from the narrative flow.

Despite its shortcomings, this book manages to deliver what it proposes. The author takes advantage of the current political climate of the United States to promote an intriguing conspiracy novel reminiscent of Tom Clancy’s classics. Even if the characters are in second place next to the plot, the story is utterly engaging, and it certainly kept me hooked until the very end, which I found quite satisfactory since it left no stones unturned. All things considered, I think the most appropriate thing for me is to give this book 3 out of 4 stars. I recommend it to fans of techno-thrillers and spy novels that are mostly developed within the corporate world.

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Russia's Biggest Hack
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AmySmiles
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Post by AmySmiles »

I don't find techno-babble thrilling, but I appreciate your review. I mildly interested until you mentioned that.
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Cecilia_L
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Post by Cecilia_L »

This sounds like an interesting plot but my eyes begin to glaze over reading too much techno-babble. I appreciate your honest review!
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Post by Sahani Nimandra »

I'm intrigued by the title and it seems like a high profiled read. I'm not into techno thriller though, but thank you for the details.
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Post by kandscreeley »

A Russian conspiracy?? Say it isn't so? Sounds quite thrilling but the technical language is throwing me off a bit. I'm going to pass on this one for now, but I'll keep it in mind for a future date. Thanks.
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Post by Jonida »

So intriguing when it is about Russian conspirancies... must be a intense book. I have to add it to my reading list. Thank you for the review!
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Post by obialor chidera »

very intriguing storyline and brilliant review too
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Post by Theo Sanders »

This book seems to contain all the elements that I love - espionage, mystery, intrigue and techno babble! I'm looking forward to reading it.
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Julie Green
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Post by Julie Green »

I recently read The Last Assassination by this author and had a similar reaction ...a decent plot, but characters a little shaky...also resulting in a 3 star review.
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Post by Aan Granados »

This is my favorite genre. I know what you mean about too many technical terms. I once read a book where the description of the bomb was made was a whole chapter. I tend to skip it sometimes, then just continue. Thanks for your review.
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SweetSourSalty AndSpicy
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Post by SweetSourSalty AndSpicy »

The author focuses on describing the actions that the characters carry out, leaving aside the environments that surround them and everything that happens in their minds.
The descriptions could have helped in engaging the senses and adding more depth to the characters. Thanks for the insights.
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