Broken Genius

April 20, 2020
Murray’s competent debut, a series launch, introduces Will Parker, who left his job as the CEO of a fabulously successful tech company to become a special agent in the FBI’s Cyber division out of guilt for an error Will made in a coding program that led indirectly to the murder of a kidnapped co-ed. A case takes Will to Indiana, where Roger Caplan, a vendor at a local comic convention, has been murdered; traces of radioactivity that match “the 2011 Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear accident” were found in Caplan’s hotel room. The trail leads Will to a Dark Net auction of the Fukushima Unicorn, a portable quantum computer that has the potential to change the world for good or ill. Will and his cohorts as well as his adversaries, who include “the most skilled and prolific hacker in Asia,” are soon racing through crowds of cosplayers and Star Trek fans to gain control of the quantum computer. Fortunately for Will, no one else is nearly as smart, fit, or as quick-witted as he is. Computer geeks will look forward to Will’s further adventures. Agent: Melissa Edwards, Stonesong.

June 1, 2020
Murray's debut novel, the first of a projected series, introduces Will Parker, an FBI special agent who focuses on cybercrime. Several years ago, Will was a tech-company CEO with a new computer program that would revolutionize the industry. Then a maniac exploited Will's brainchild, a woman was murdered, and Will, stricken with guilt, put his talents to use in law enforcement. Now, tasked with investigating a murder at a comic-book convention, Will soon learns that the victim was up to some serious no good, and that only Will, with his unique blend of skills, can prevent a much worse tragedy. This is a solid thriller with a plausible story and a flawed but determined hero. It doesn't break any new ground, but it does introduce us to a protagonist who has plenty of room to grow and plenty of crimes to solve. A good series-launcher.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)