My rating: 3 of 5 stars
In this thriller by Dan Brown, Susan Fletcher, mathematician and cryptographer, is called in by her boss at the NSA to help track down the key to a code implanted in the nation’s supercodebreaking computer- one even the TRANSLATR can’t break. The code was developed by a former NSA employee who wants the organization to reveal the existence and purpose of TRANSLATR, or he and his mysterious partner will release the code to the world at large, essentially making the secrets of the NSA available to anyone. Susan’s fiancé is sent to Spain to retrieve a ring that is supposed to contain the passcode to disable the virus but by the time he gets there, the ring is gone. He begins a race to find the ring and code, pursued by an assassin determined to also find the code- and kill anyone in his way.
As with most Dan Brown books, that’s the bare minimum of the story. But much more detail would get into spoiler territory. The story is, as with most of Brown’s novels, much larger and more complex than a simple paragraph can detail. There is a lot of intrigue and betrayal, twists and turns that complicate everyone’s missions and ideals, and a decent helping of Big Brother is watching. Characters are decent, if a bit stereotypical. Setting isn’t the main focus of the story, with much of it in the European locales quick and not overly detailed. The NSA headquarters are much the same- you get enough to follow your way around, but this is not a story that leans on worldbuilding. There’s a fair bit of action on all fronts, a few deaths, and a lot of “this is not what it seems”. In other words, a typical Dan Brown thriller.
I did enjoy the book. It’s fast-paced, has a ripped from the headlines feel (even though it is set in 1996), and there is enough real life detail to make the fictional parts plausible. Those who enjoy action thrillers with national security implications will probably enjoy it, also.
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And So On... 