The Exploit by Daniel Scanlan
I would like to thank the author and Aries Fiction for an advance copy of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review
Publisher - Aries
Published – Out Now
Price – £3.99 Kindle eBook
Warning this book is a sequel to The Hacker by Daniel Scanlan so there will be spoilers
When a deadly enemy reappears with a lethal new plan, it's up to FBI Special Agent Ericka Blackwood to stop him - but not before she overcomes the failures of her past.
Following her harrowing encounter with predatory cybercriminal Dantalion, and her decision to pursue vengeance over duty, Ericka Blackwood hit rock bottom. Her only path to redemption is through the relentless pursuit of her elusive old enemy.
But Ericka is not the only one seeking Dantalion, whose tastes for chaos and carnage have drawn him into the world of international terrorism. When an attempt to destroy a Pakistani jail alerts intelligence services that Dantalion has emerged from hiding, Ericka and her old FBI team are hot on the criminal mastermind's trail.
Which is exactly what he wants...
Our reliance on Technology is absolute – its how you read this blog, how we chat, find things out and work. Everything from heating to spaceships are run in a digital world and that means there is a risk the wrong person decides to play with these. The role of the hacker has always had an amoral role but in Daniel Scanlan’s next instalment of the Ericka Blackwood Files with The Exploit delivering a fun global game of cat and mouse.
To briefly recap the world has been slowly made aware of an infamous terrorist/hack/master-criminal who calls himself Dantalion who is happy to blackmail, terrorise and kill for money or more often his pleasure. In his way stood expert digital expert FBO agent Ericka Blackwood and after a tense stand-off Danatlion was finally exposed and went into hiding but the stresses placed on Ericka had a huge impact as she faced up to her own tragic past. Dantalion after two years though has started gain to cause trouble, but no one knows where Erica has run to.
This is a really fast paced thriller. We have Ericka quite broken; ravaged with guilt from giving into temptation to find her sister’s killers and now in hiding. Dantalion has been nursing his won wounds and now exposed starts to feel he too has nothing to lose. We get the two circling around each other from across the globe trying to get the other’s attention for a final conflict. For Ericka she has her estranged team in the FBO trying to save her and we get in Danatalion’s a mix of the criminal and unwilling falling into his schemes. I really enjoyed the various ways Scanlan explores the weaknesses of our systems and in this case how easily in the wrong hands war could be come a game for profit. Dantaliuon is more of a monster here than before (which is saying a lot) and the feeling he can now do whatever he wants is an unsettling one. My one reservation is that this story is zipping around the world in multiple countries and scenes and the pacing is frenetic and perhaps needed a little more time to breathe and let the story mature as it had in the first instalment.
The Exploit is a good global thriller that has a fascinating antagonist and lead character and while this tale settles one of these battles there are hints more dangers for Ericka await in the future. I’ll be interested in seeing what happens next.
