Helpful Score: 3
Emily Doyle, a single mother and computer teacher, has acquired a dangerous secret admirer who has the ability to take control of any car remotely and turn it into a weapon to kill the person inside. At first, the rash of deaths seems random, but Ben Colter, chief investigator, realizes Emily is the key. Together, they race time to find out who the madman is, before his "love" flips over to hatred.
*** This is perhaps Ms. Coffey's most suspensefully frightening novel to date. Tightly coherent action that seems all too real will hold your attention from the first page to the end. ***
The first incident occurs in Albany, New York followed by Providence, San Diego and Miami. In each case the driver insisted the car drove it self. Insurance companies and car manufacturers are concerned though no one has linked the four incidents. Following the fifth event when a school principal's vehicle reportedly did the same thing, the consortium hires Colter Associates to investigate. Ben Colter heads to the new site in Wickfield, Connecticut while the other two associates split the remaining four locations.
In Wickfield, Ben meets computer guru Emily Doyle who he recently offered a job to, but she declined since she is a single parent raising a ninth grader by herself. They are immediately attracted to one another. However, unbeknownst to either, Lyden Gray, a participant in Emily's on-line chat, thinks she is a goddess who he must protect from evil-doers like principals who take up her time as he can hack into any computer program even those in a car.
With wireless cell phones used to set off explosions, the technology seems frighteningly plausible. Thus readers obtain a powerful scary investigative thriller that grips the reader from the moment we comprehend what Lyden achieved from a remote distance with the principal's car. Colter and Emily are intelligent likable protagonists, but the obsessed Lyden steals the show with his dangerous skills that makes one wonder about the safety of a car with all the computer gizmos inside.
*** This is perhaps Ms. Coffey's most suspensefully frightening novel to date. Tightly coherent action that seems all too real will hold your attention from the first page to the end. ***
The first incident occurs in Albany, New York followed by Providence, San Diego and Miami. In each case the driver insisted the car drove it self. Insurance companies and car manufacturers are concerned though no one has linked the four incidents. Following the fifth event when a school principal's vehicle reportedly did the same thing, the consortium hires Colter Associates to investigate. Ben Colter heads to the new site in Wickfield, Connecticut while the other two associates split the remaining four locations.
In Wickfield, Ben meets computer guru Emily Doyle who he recently offered a job to, but she declined since she is a single parent raising a ninth grader by herself. They are immediately attracted to one another. However, unbeknownst to either, Lyden Gray, a participant in Emily's on-line chat, thinks she is a goddess who he must protect from evil-doers like principals who take up her time as he can hack into any computer program even those in a car.
With wireless cell phones used to set off explosions, the technology seems frighteningly plausible. Thus readers obtain a powerful scary investigative thriller that grips the reader from the moment we comprehend what Lyden achieved from a remote distance with the principal's car. Colter and Emily are intelligent likable protagonists, but the obsessed Lyden steals the show with his dangerous skills that makes one wonder about the safety of a car with all the computer gizmos inside.
Helpful Score: 3
This was very well written, definitely kept my attention. The story of a very technological stalker. Makes you think! I enjoyed it very much.
Helpful Score: 3
An intriging novel...can you imagine your car taking contol of itself and killing you? Not creepy, but rather someone controlling the computer in your car. A very good book!
Helpful Score: 1
Cars seem to be remotely controlled. Ben is investigating why. Emily, a computer expert living in a small town discovers she has a stalker. How these two are connected is the crux of this story. Good read, moves quickly, minimal suspense, nice romance. Recommended
Helpful Score: 1
A Porsche careens out of control in a crowded parking lot. A brand-new SUV smashes through a dealership's plate-glass window. A Mercedes races wildly down a pier before diving off the end onto the deck of a yacht. Then two more wrecks. Witnesses report the vehicles had "a mind of their own" before each accident. Five in a row can't be a coincidence. Computer guru Emily Doyle has become the focus of a hacker determined to capture her attention and in some way, she is connected to each of the victims. Ben Colter is the investigator called in by the automakers to find the link. Emily and Ben must unravel the puzzle of the seemingly random attacks, as a twisted mind moves from virtual reality to international terrorism.
A fast, absorbing tale!
A fast, absorbing tale!
