Status
Available
Call number
Call number
F Dea
Genres
Collection
Publication
Simon & Schuster (2001), Edition: First Edition, 432 pages
Description
His code name is Phate -- a sadistic computer hacker who infiltrates people's computers, invades their lives, and with chilling precision lures them to their deaths. To stop him, the authorities free imprisoned former hacker Wyatt Gillette to aid the investigation. Teamed with old-school homicide detective Frank Bishop, Gillette must combine their disparate talents to catch a brilliant and merciless killer.
Original publication date
2001-05-01
Similar in this library
User reviews
LibraryThing member Ste100
Good, not great. Some misattributions to computer terminology in the book, the last third of it seems rather contrived
LibraryThing member PhillipThomas
A reasonable story and therefore read. Not the best I've read, but not the worst either.
A predictable group including cops and hackers are in pursuit of a killer using social engineering to get close to his victims - part of a real-life MUD game.
The book starts off well, however towards the end
A predictable group including cops and hackers are in pursuit of a killer using social engineering to get close to his victims - part of a real-life MUD game.
The book starts off well, however towards the end
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includes increasingly unrealistic plot twists, many of which detract from the main plot rather than contribute to the suspense. Some aspects of the "technology" make no sense. Show Less
LibraryThing member john_hunter
Very outdated, even just a few years after publication. I guess author/editor thought they needed to extremely dumb down and explain computer terminology that is (and was even at the time of publication) fairly well understood (or can be easily discovered without so much heavy handed coddeling in
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the text). Show Less
LibraryThing member soozif
If you are paranoid about losing your identity or life via the internet, this book is NOT for you.
LibraryThing member edwardsgt
The trouble with computer crime stories is they date very quickly, this is no exception.
LibraryThing member oldsetbuilder
There a couple of things that interested me about this book. First of all, I am a 'computer person'. Saying I am like a hacker is like saying a gas station attendant (if they still had them) is like an Indy 500 race car driver.
For the past 40 years I have made my living as a programmer from Basic,
I don't think it is necessary to understand all the computer jargon, though it made me feel comfortable when he used it correctly. After all, we don't have to be a soldier to understand the dangers of war.
The Blue Nowhere is a frighteningly plausible story, well written with lots of blind alleys.
Another thing that interested me is that the location for the story is in my back yard. The antagonist lived in my home town and all the action took place within 10 miles of my home.
I have never thought about it before, but every story needs to be set someplace, usually someone else's town, state or country that I have little knowledge of. Sure I usually recognize an occasional European city or two I have been to but no story has ever been situated in my home town. It was kind of neat. I found my self saying, "I know that street." or even ocassionally, "There is no school any where near PARC." But by in large, it brought out the visualization of the setting. So I guess whenever a story is situated near the reader it should be appreciated because it seems to bring the story more to life.
All in all, programmer or not, Silicone Valley resident or not, you will enjoy this story. It may (read SHOULD) frighten you as well.
For the past 40 years I have made my living as a programmer from Basic,
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Fortran, COBOL, and into Visual Basic so I did get 'most' of the computer references, obsolete or not. I don't think it is necessary to understand all the computer jargon, though it made me feel comfortable when he used it correctly. After all, we don't have to be a soldier to understand the dangers of war.
The Blue Nowhere is a frighteningly plausible story, well written with lots of blind alleys.
Another thing that interested me is that the location for the story is in my back yard. The antagonist lived in my home town and all the action took place within 10 miles of my home.
I have never thought about it before, but every story needs to be set someplace, usually someone else's town, state or country that I have little knowledge of. Sure I usually recognize an occasional European city or two I have been to but no story has ever been situated in my home town. It was kind of neat. I found my self saying, "I know that street." or even ocassionally, "There is no school any where near PARC." But by in large, it brought out the visualization of the setting. So I guess whenever a story is situated near the reader it should be appreciated because it seems to bring the story more to life.
All in all, programmer or not, Silicone Valley resident or not, you will enjoy this story. It may (read SHOULD) frighten you as well.
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LibraryThing member TheoClarke
A brilliant hacker is released from jail to help the police capture a cybercriminal who finds and researches the lifestyles of his victims so that he can fool them into accompanying him to their deaths. A sparsely written thriller conveying Deaver's apparent view that cyberspace, or in his term
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'The Blue Nowhere', is a sterile environment offering intellectual challenges to the emotional deformed. Show Less
LibraryThing member terriko
There's some great pieces about computer culture and some of the authors quiet portrayals of the protagonist had me laughing out loud because I know people like that. The author has clearly done his research (and then, of course, taken liberties -- some of which make sense, some of which don't),
Even so, I found it an enjoyable crime thriller, and I admit I stayed up a bit too late finishing it.
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but I think he could have done with a little *less* explanation at times. It's hard to retain the knife-edge emotions you want for a crime thriller when your characters take every opportunity to prattle on about computer history. ;) Even so, I found it an enjoyable crime thriller, and I admit I stayed up a bit too late finishing it.
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LibraryThing member maureen61
The book was suspenseful andengaging but the detailed comuter information was overwhelming to a non"geek".
LibraryThing member agatatera
It's fourth book by Deaver which i had a chance to read. And I just confirmed my opinion - he knows how to write compelling books. Each of them was surprising me with sudden changes of action, new ideas, solutions for situations. It's also clearly visible that he's having a lot of employees, as his
So, the story starts - how original - with the murder. The investigation is leading into anonymus hacker, who thinks that life is a computer game and people are just characters in it. That's why police decide to ask for help from another hacker, who is right now doing sentence - Gillette. Was is a right decission? Who the hell is Phate? And who is Shawn? How to fight with them?
I read this book almost with bated breath. There is a lot of interesting info there, I could learn new things. Especially, there is a lot of info related with social engineering and its' possible use. How you could manipulate people around you? What you can do to reach your aim? There is also a lot of information related with computers, internet, hacking, methods of police work and so on. That's also the thing which I like in his books - they look like well prepare with the content, having a lot of interesting details. And besides, I always learn something new while reading his books, even if they are just "popular massread" or however you'll call it.
Besides, I just confirmed my opinion even more about the influence of computers and internet on our daily life. How much we're reliable on them in basicly each moment of our life! And how huge danger it can be for us...
I gave to this book 5 out of 6. Because it's interesting, well written, compelling, with well builded plot. And I'm happy I have another 4 books of him already waiting on my shelve ;)
Short quote (my translation):
"(...) let's ask: to whom we turn when we move in the Blue Nowhere?"
My rating: 5/6
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books are very well prepared if it comes to the info given, for me they look credible (I know I'm not an expert at all ;P).So, the story starts - how original - with the murder. The investigation is leading into anonymus hacker, who thinks that life is a computer game and people are just characters in it. That's why police decide to ask for help from another hacker, who is right now doing sentence - Gillette. Was is a right decission? Who the hell is Phate? And who is Shawn? How to fight with them?
I read this book almost with bated breath. There is a lot of interesting info there, I could learn new things. Especially, there is a lot of info related with social engineering and its' possible use. How you could manipulate people around you? What you can do to reach your aim? There is also a lot of information related with computers, internet, hacking, methods of police work and so on. That's also the thing which I like in his books - they look like well prepare with the content, having a lot of interesting details. And besides, I always learn something new while reading his books, even if they are just "popular massread" or however you'll call it.
Besides, I just confirmed my opinion even more about the influence of computers and internet on our daily life. How much we're reliable on them in basicly each moment of our life! And how huge danger it can be for us...
I gave to this book 5 out of 6. Because it's interesting, well written, compelling, with well builded plot. And I'm happy I have another 4 books of him already waiting on my shelve ;)
Short quote (my translation):
"(...) let's ask: to whom we turn when we move in the Blue Nowhere?"
My rating: 5/6
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LibraryThing member Parsiya
Although containing some "hacker myths" like deformed fingers from extensive typing etc etc. The book had a lot of redundancies to familiarize the general public with computer jargon. From the "Civilians' Point of View" it does a good job, but from a Computer Geek it has loads of boring
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conversation about what we already know packed with few scenes of Intense action.All in all, I liked this book. Show Less
LibraryThing member LivelyLady
I think it was a reread, but just as good the second time. Do I dare use a computer?????
LibraryThing member readingrat
Have to go middle of the road here. There were parts I hated so much I nearly gave up on the book and parts that were fairly gripping. I do remember the internet the way it was back in the mid to late 90's (the setting of this book) however I'm not exactly sure how many other readers will. The 90's
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internet bares only a passing resemblance to what it has developed into today which makes this book feel very dated although it is only 10 years old. On top of that, the author tends to spend a lot of time explaining the terms and technology which just has the effect of bogging the action down. I can't imagine most readers care very much how a keyboard interrupt works. On the other hand the action does move pretty between the slow spots. Show Less
LibraryThing member bretschwartz
Enjoyed it very much!
LibraryThing member losloper
Someone is killing people in Sacramento Valley. Seemingly unrelated, the deaths are perpetrated by a murderer who knows everything there is to know about the victims - who can kill them because of the intimacy he seems to have with them. An intimacy which is created by his ability to track their
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every move through the virtual world, as soon as they switch on their computer. Streetwise cop Frank Bishop is detailed to the case, allied unwillingly to a young hacker, Wyatt Gillette, who is sprung from prison to pit his brilliance against the criminal's. But no one knows who to trust in an environment where everything is suspect, and pressing the wrong letter on your keyboard may mean death. This is the novel that will make you hesitate every time you click on the box that says 'Are you sure you want to send this over the Internet?'. Show Less
LibraryThing member devenish
A stand-alone novel which takes the reader into the sometimes murky world of computers. After reading this book you may think twice about logging-on next time.
A computer wizard who goes by the user -name of Phate has a game-plan to kill a number of people with the assistance of his almost
Thus begins this exciting book and although others have complained about the technical details getting in the way (too basic or too difficult) I really don't think either is the case. The main thing is that this is a really good thriller that will keep you reading right up to the last page, What more could you ask for.
A computer wizard who goes by the user -name of Phate has a game-plan to kill a number of people with the assistance of his almost
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unbeatable computer skill and knowledge. He is able to hack into any computer system and change their instructions at will. The police are unable to stop this expert hacker until they discover another who equals him. The only trouble is that this second man is already in prison and is not ready for release for another year.Thus begins this exciting book and although others have complained about the technical details getting in the way (too basic or too difficult) I really don't think either is the case. The main thing is that this is a really good thriller that will keep you reading right up to the last page, What more could you ask for.
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LibraryThing member riida
i have always found fiction about computer security very hard to enjoy ('net force' and 'digital fortress' come to mind). i guess being in the industry myself, i find them more annoying than entertaining (an experience that may be similar to a history major sitting down to watch pearl harbor??).
i
having said that, i have never enjoyed a novel based on it security as much as i have this one :)
i
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had high hopes at the beginning of this book. in spite of myself, i found the early chapters actually sound credible - tech-wise...but as the story went on, the inaccuracies in all the techno-babble quickly made them sound like poor attempts at geek-ery. although i realize, of course, that all the hacking and computer security stuff was nothing more than a plot devise, it still kind of ruined the experience for me.having said that, i have never enjoyed a novel based on it security as much as i have this one :)
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LibraryThing member ecw0647
The " nowhere" represents online space, that world of electrons that hackers and unline freaks lose themselves in. It' a nifty metaphor and Deaver handles the technical details of this novel very well — at least as far as I could tell. A brilliant programmer, a cracker (someone who breaks into
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another computer to do damage as opposed to a hacker who just breaks in to poke around for the thrill of beating the system) is killing people and the Computer Crimes Unit relaizes they are in way over their heads. They enlist the help of Wyatt Earp — oops, Wyatt Gillette — another brilliant hacker currently in jail for having broken in to some defense department computers — to help them find Phate. Phate (there are many spelling related puns) was a former associate of Wyatt' who has so confused reality with a computer game he was playing that he has mixed up the real killing with that of the computer game. By accessing linked computers he is able to " engineer" his identity (changing grades, occupation, references, ownership, etc.,) and track down an ever-increasing set of targets, giving himself additional points as the difficulty inceases. Of course, if you' paranoid, this book will really get you going, because Phate has created a program called Trapdoor that permits him to enter your computer and collect all the information stored therein and then use that data to his own nefarious purposes. Of course, if you never go online, you would have nothing to worry about. Throughout the story, Phate has an ally, one who keeps revealing the police plans and actions so Phate can stay one step ahead of the authorities. The identity of this ally, Shawn, comes as a complete and very satisfying surprise. Good story. Show Less
LibraryThing member WhitmelB
Written in 2001, a time when the general public was becoming very aware of what computers could do but did not understand how. In this thriller we find the hero to be a computer hacker who is totally immersed in that electronic world, the "Blue Nowhere", and we discover thatr our worst fears coud
the plot has lots of twists and turns and provides interesting and fascinating insights into the hackers world. While computers have become more accessible to more people than ever before, the structure of this novel remains as valid today as when it was written - there is danger in The Blue Nowhere.
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be realized by way of his keyboarding expertise. Wyatt Gillette had made one bad mistake in his life and was in prison paying for it. His expertise with computers and the software that runs them, makes him invaluable to the police investigating a murder that had been perpetrated by someone who knew all about the victim, information that could only have been stolen from computers that had all her information stored on them. the plot has lots of twists and turns and provides interesting and fascinating insights into the hackers world. While computers have become more accessible to more people than ever before, the structure of this novel remains as valid today as when it was written - there is danger in The Blue Nowhere.
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LibraryThing member Carl_Alves
In The Blue Nowhere, we have computer hackers run wild as Phate, a Silicon Valley hacker, is taking a computer game to a whole new level, collecting points by killing hard to kill targets. Phate does this by infiltrating people’s computers with a trap door virus, giving him access to all of the
This is a different type of crime thriller than what I am used to reading. Serial killers in fiction tend to be very similar and generic, but Phate is a very different kind of killer. He is completely disassociated with reality. For him, the only thing that matters are machines, code, and virtual reality. He doesn’t see people as being people. To him, they are only objects. He contrasts with Gillette, who also is enthralled by machines, but he at least has an ex-wife that he loves and views people as people, and not mere lines of code. The chase in this novel works well. The one shortcoming is the believability of Phate’s character. The way he acts and the real world skills he has is so unlike any hacker type I have ever known. I’m not tech savvy enough to determine how realistic some of the online activities were, but the characterization of Phate was a bit sketchy. This was a good thriller and an entertaining read, one that I enjoyed.
Carl Alves – author of Blood Street
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information on their computers. He then hunts them down and kills them, often by manipulating data found in computers to some way trick them. The computer crimes division is a bit overmatched in trying to deal with Phate, so they use an incarcerated computer hacker, Wyatt Gillette, to assist in their investigation. Gillette is an equally skilled hacker and matches wits with Phate, with whom he shares a past history. The lead Detective, Frank Bishop, uses Gillette’s skills and old-fashioned police investigation to hunt down Phate as he continues to kill.This is a different type of crime thriller than what I am used to reading. Serial killers in fiction tend to be very similar and generic, but Phate is a very different kind of killer. He is completely disassociated with reality. For him, the only thing that matters are machines, code, and virtual reality. He doesn’t see people as being people. To him, they are only objects. He contrasts with Gillette, who also is enthralled by machines, but he at least has an ex-wife that he loves and views people as people, and not mere lines of code. The chase in this novel works well. The one shortcoming is the believability of Phate’s character. The way he acts and the real world skills he has is so unlike any hacker type I have ever known. I’m not tech savvy enough to determine how realistic some of the online activities were, but the characterization of Phate was a bit sketchy. This was a good thriller and an entertaining read, one that I enjoyed.
Carl Alves – author of Blood Street
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LibraryThing member mbmackay
Thriller/whodunnit - good fun.
Read Mar 2004
Read Mar 2004
LibraryThing member Carol420
Unless you are a "tech geek" the language will put you off this book, or you will find yourself skipping over it. Overall this novel is a little light weight, but was quick and fun to read if you need a diversion. I would recommend it and rate it "Pleasurable not-memorable".
LibraryThing member .Monkey.
I don't usually find much fault in Deaver's books but I have to say, a lot of the tech talk in this felt very awkward, and it was only written in 2001 when a handful of the irksome things should already have been changed; the first handful of pages I wasn't sure if I was going to keep on with it.
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But, as we get more into the plot and the characters, his usual excellence shines through and helps overcome the odd bits of tech talk. Overall if one enjoys Deaver's work and can push past the opening, this ought to be pretty enjoyable. Show Less
LibraryThing member grizzly.anderson
The heart of the story - a bad guy with a penchant for penetrating security, especially computer information security, to meet people face-to-face and murder them, and the cops and convicted hacker trying to catch the bad guy - is reasonably interesting.
The language and the writing is AWFUL. I read
And then Deaver makes up ridiculous stuff about computer nerds/hackers left and right, most of it for no particularly good reason. For example, the good-guy and the bad-guy hackers type so hard and violently that every one of their finger tips is callused, and this is a common hacker affliction. Yep, thumbs too. Because they invented a new way of typing using their thumbs more to type faster. I've NEVER heard of anyone with one callused finger tip like that, let alone all 10.
Also, the good-guy regularly hits keys on his keyboard so hard that he jams them, unplugs the keyboard and plugs in a new one so he can keep going. And I'm typing on a keyboard of that era. If a key jams (it happens) it is MUCH faster to smack the keyboard and knock it loose than to REPLACE THE KEYBOARD. What does all of this fallacious crap do to further the story - ooooh. these guys are REALLY BAD ASS NERDS. They break keyboards. They type so hard they have calluses. oooooooh. Yep. That absolutely defines hyper computer nerd for me. Oh, and the good-guy hacker did finger-tip push-ups while he was in prison to keep up his finger strength for typing when he got out.
Basically, the writing style is so horribly bad that it kept yanking me out of the story and making me mad at the author. If I ever meet Jeffery Deaver I will have to resist the urge to slap him, because he probably goes to a gym regularly and will kick my nerdy butt, which is why he doesn't actually know anything about computers or the internet, or anyone he could have asked to get it right.
The language and the writing is AWFUL. I read
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this book on the recommendation of a friend, and had to check the copyright date to make sure that I wasn't being unfair. I wasn't. By 2001 the Internet and the World Wide Web were settled and accepted names, but Deaver had to be clever and invent a reason that everyone in his novel would actually call it "The Blue Nowhere", or failing that "The Machine World". Plenty of verifiable facts are wrong. And then Deaver makes up ridiculous stuff about computer nerds/hackers left and right, most of it for no particularly good reason. For example, the good-guy and the bad-guy hackers type so hard and violently that every one of their finger tips is callused, and this is a common hacker affliction. Yep, thumbs too. Because they invented a new way of typing using their thumbs more to type faster. I've NEVER heard of anyone with one callused finger tip like that, let alone all 10.
Also, the good-guy regularly hits keys on his keyboard so hard that he jams them, unplugs the keyboard and plugs in a new one so he can keep going. And I'm typing on a keyboard of that era. If a key jams (it happens) it is MUCH faster to smack the keyboard and knock it loose than to REPLACE THE KEYBOARD. What does all of this fallacious crap do to further the story - ooooh. these guys are REALLY BAD ASS NERDS. They break keyboards. They type so hard they have calluses. oooooooh. Yep. That absolutely defines hyper computer nerd for me. Oh, and the good-guy hacker did finger-tip push-ups while he was in prison to keep up his finger strength for typing when he got out.
Basically, the writing style is so horribly bad that it kept yanking me out of the story and making me mad at the author. If I ever meet Jeffery Deaver I will have to resist the urge to slap him, because he probably goes to a gym regularly and will kick my nerdy butt, which is why he doesn't actually know anything about computers or the internet, or anyone he could have asked to get it right.
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LibraryThing member susandennis
A mystery thriller set in the world of computer hackers - this book was written for me and I loved it. The Silicon Valley police get a hacker out of jail to help them track down another hacker who is killing real people. Deaver knows his computer stuff. This book is full of intricate computer
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information and history. At times, the story gets a bit bogged down because Deaver has to stop and explain every term and every computer concept but he gets none of them wrong and the story he crafts is frightening and totally possible. Show Less
Pages
432