The Last Hack

May 1, 2017
Shy, lacking in self-confidence, Samantha Morpeth is really up against it. She's 19, her mother is in prison, she's trying to qualify for university admission, and she's the sole support of her younger sister with Down syndrome. To add to Sam's problems, a social-welfare agency has decided she is no longer eligible for benefits. But, come evening, Sam, who lacks self-confidence in the real world, becomes Buzzkill, a brilliant and infamous computer hacker. Investigative journalist Jack Parlabane, whose sometimes dodgy investigative techniques have been noted by the blue-ribbon Leveson Inquiry into Britain's tabloid press, may have his last chance to resurrect his career when he's hired by a trendy web magazine. Jack secures an exclusive interview with Buzzkill, but, in short order, Buzzkill is threatened with exposure by another shadowy web presence, and Sam exhorts Jack to help her with the hack her blackmailer demands. Sam and Jack soon learn that failure could be fatal. Brookmyre has produced another compelling thriller, and Sam is a delightfully complex and engaging character.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)