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Book Review of The Devil's Code (Kidd & LuEllen, Bk 3)

The Devil's Code (Kidd & LuEllen, Bk 3)
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Helpful Score: 1


At his home in Dallas, John James Morrison knows he is in trouble by the nocturnal visit of the security agents. They escort John to AmMath where St. John Corbiel plays a tape in which they caught John violating company policy. John tries to bluff but Corbiel kills him. The security agents arrange a cover-up to make it seem like a night guard shot John while discovering him in a forbidden area late at night.

John's sister Lane Ward believes the official interpretation of her sibling's death rings false. She asks John's former partner Kidd to investigate her brother's death. Kidd, an expert on stealing data traveling along the information highway, agrees. He learns that John uncovered something major that led to his deliberate murder. Kidd and his partner LuEllen begin to uncover a monster conspiracy involving AmMath and the Feds using technology to hide murder and blackmail. That knowledge could make Kidd the next dead person.


It has been about a decade since John Sandford wrote a Kidd novel (see THE FOOL'S RUN and THE EMPRESS FILE) having switched to the popular Prey novels. Perhaps the earlier Kidd tales were ahead of the times, but with the Internet, Intranet, and Extranet explosion, THE DEVIL'S CODE plays like a modern day electronic thriller. The tale is well executed due to Kidd's intellect, witticism, and ethical beliefs. Although it may seem hard to accept an electronic thief has scruples, Kidd does and that propels his compulsion to investigate. Best selling author John Sandford has returned with one of his great characters in a story that will please more than just net conspiracy buffs because of its fast-paced, gigabit loaded hard driving plot.