About the Book
"In the cloud, your most valuable secrets are open to the highest bidder." Luke Durant, one of the best in the undercover world of technology counter-espionage, has failed on his long-term assignment. His best results so far: the cover life he pretends to lead, and his agency-censured, unquenchable, and insuppressible feelings for girlfriend Kate Carter. Luke is forced to turn his back on one of them forever: it's the agency, or Kate. But leaving the agency isn't easy. He'll be red-flagged, watched, and suspected of cashing in on something he discovered. So what? He's squeaky clean, a patriot, and his decision has nothing to do with money. Leaving the agency will let him live his life in private, with Kate, no longer spying for dirty details of criminals using the cloud to steal, ensnare, extort, and escape unnoticed. And with Kate the transition will be seamless - he never told her about the agency, or what he truly does. The decision is clear, if not easy. But once Luke's resignation is accepted, his world tumbles. Someone is after him, and maybe after Kate, all because Kate's pompous brother Jacob asks her to copy a flash drive onto a corporate server. Whoever is after them also has money, and power, and seems to know their every move. With the agency already suspicious, and access to agency spy tools and intelligence cut off, Luke is catapulted into the fight of his life. Worse, someone close to Luke has betrayed him, and discovering who it is may cost him more than he ever imagined. And might cost him everything. He must discover who's behind it, and how it all ties together, before everything is pinned on him... or puts both him and Kate six feet under. "Iseminger is a strong new voice in thrillers... and in this technology-centered world, his voice is authoritative." With its breakneck pace, David Iseminger's nimble writing and plot surprises make this page-turning suspense thriller impossible to put down. With the technical prowess of Clancy, the breakneck pace of Patterson, and the hairpin-riddled plotting of Grisham, Iseminger strikes a perfect balance among plot, characters, setting, and pace. On top of all that, his extensive experience at the world's largest software company - Microsoft - and his in-depth knowledge of networks, make this thriller as real as it gets.
About the Author :
I grew up in Washington State, in a loving family with siblings that taught me all sorts of things, including the not-so-well-known fact that ice cubes made from milk don't taste very good. A few years later I graduated from the University of Washington, with a degree in English and Comparative Literature. Shortly thereafter I taught myself computers and programming, went to Microsoft and specialized in networks, networking, and the Windows operating system. By then I'd been writing fiction for some time, without much publishing luck, but gathering a whole lot of persistence. One day I saw a banner on a technology book publisher's website that said, CALL TO AUTHORS. I thought, "I can write a technology book. That would be fun!" Twelve tech books later I came up for air, decided to take a break, and went back to fiction. About three months later, I finished a thriller I called Net Worth. A lot of life happened in the few years that followed, including starting a family, getting deeply involved in local education issues (I'm a school board director, and advocate for ever-stronger kids' education), built our house, but always managed to find time for writing. I created three online courses in that time too - in part because I love learning, but also because I enjoy helping others learn. Teaching those courses has been very rewarding; they're now offered in learning institutions throughout the world, all online. A few years ago I reached 10,000 students, which was a milestone... and every day I log into the self-paced Discussion Areas of my courses, and interact with students who are learning about networks in a story-like, analogy-strengthened online classroom. The response has been overwhelmingly positive, and I enjoy all of it - the teaching, learning, and especially interacting with students who want to expand their knowledge. I've started a couple local charities centered around learning... specifically, getting books into the hands of young school kids who otherwise might not have a book of their own. It's an easy charity to apply to your community, so feel free to contact me if you're interested. To learn more about me, my upcoming novels, see student reviews about my courses, or to connect with me (there are a few ways to do so), visit my website at www.iseminger.com. Please stop by - I'd love to hear from you. Thanks for reading! Warm regards, David Iseminger
