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Lethal Code: A Lana Elkins Thriller    by Thomas Waite Amazon.com order for
Lethal Code
by Thomas Waite
Order:  USA  Can
47North, 2014 (2014)
Softcover, CD, e-Book
* * *   Reviewed by Hilary Williamson

Thomas Waite's Lethal Code features devastating - and steadily escalating - cyber attacks on the United States homeland, their origin unknown. This electronic Pearl Harbor comes out of the blue and takes security forces off guard, despite repeated warnings by experts in the field.

The futuristic thriller's lead is one of those experts, Lana Elkins, a former top NSA operative who now heads a cyber-security company, CyberFortress. Lana is the single mother of fourteen-year-old Emma, a typical teen, both loving and rebellious. As soon as she realizes what is going down, Lana heads for Fort Meade, where the deputy director of NSA wants her help.

Another key character is Ruhi Mancur, an American born in Saudi Arabia. He runs marathons and works at the Natural Resources Defense Council. He's also under surveillance by security forces, who soon link him to the attack - but is he guilty? We also meet his neighbor, Candace Anders, who helps him when he is attacked by a mob. Sharpshooter Candace, though, is more than she seems.

All of these individuals play key roles (in the United States, Saudi Arabia and Yemen) in ending Web War I. I found Emma's involvement perhaps the most poignant and gripping, after a school bus is taken by jihadists and those on it must overcome their natural fears in order to fight back and avert catastrophe.

Lethal Code is gripping, fast moving and with appealing leads. As I read it, I could see the inevitable movie unfold before my eyes. If you enjoy books and films featuring a race against time to save the world from disaster (in this case Cybergeddon), you'll devour this one in one sitting.

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