fun romp, nothing to stand out from the pack but not sad i read it. thanks to the publisher and author and netgalley

An interesting tale where computers and humans connect on a much deeper level. Terrifying possibilities of A.I usage in military conflict. A sumptuous techno-thriller.

We have Voodoo, an Iraq vet carrying the baggage of a kill during a mission . . . a 12yo kid. Years ago. And he still has nightmares. He’s also a widower. His wife died a couple years ago from cancer. More nightmares. Voodoo (his handle, his entire team has such handles) may be a skilled shooter, but he’s also a hunter be it human or virtual. His team has the requisite digital geniuses and muscle.

The team has been activated to find an American artificial intelligence scientist working in Japan. Looks like the next big front in warfare is the use of AI and this tiny group of brains in Japan has a step on everyone. First one scientist is beheaded, another looks to have died in ritual suicide. The third (the American) has been kidnapped. The fourth (Naomi) is on the loose coming back from a meeting in the US. Someone is after them primarily for one particular subroutine of their system called The God Algorithm (a way to use a person’s subconscious to predict and manipulate the future; heavy stuff). Naomi finagles a place on Voodoo’s team.

The team arrives in Japan with little preparation and start hunting for something they’ve little understanding. About all they know is that the Japanese yakuza (mafia) is gunning for this algorithm. And it’s hard for Voodoo to trace the bad guys because the yakuza have co-opted most every civil network in Tokyo, particularly the CCTVs.

But seriously, are we to believe that a crime network has the digital chops to do any of this? Probably not. Mostly likely there is/are governments all trying to take a light year jump ahead of everyone else by getting this God Algorithm.

This is a technothriller on the digital front and could easily come from Tom Clancy, Brad Thor, Jack Carr or any other of a dozen modern thriller writers. Good characters. Believable storyline. Briskly plotted. What more could you ask for? Kept me glued to my seat.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance review copy. Due to be released June 4, 2022.