The Intruder

by Greg Krehbiel

The Intruder is a sci-fi / suspense novel set in the year 2065 in and around Washington, D.C. Jeremy Mitchell is a refugee from a separatist, anti-technology community who is a fish out of water in the high-tech society of the 21st century. He recklessly plunges into his new environment and finds himself caught in a confusing web of technology and intrigue.

After receiving his implant -- the late 21st century equivalent to a smart phone -- Jeremy begins to see, through his implant, images of people who are invisible to everyone else. Jeremy's doctor believes that these images are a psychosis brought on by rejection of the implant and she threatens to have him detained, drugged and evaluated.

As he fights for both his sanity and his liberty, Jeremy becomes the pawn in a contest between powerful groups he doesn't understand. His loyalties are tested by a budding love affair with a young college student, who, along with her computer geek girlfriend, are dragged into the conflict.

As Jeremy descends deeper into an eerie cyber world he can't escape, he starts to uncover the real meaning of the apparent coincidences that have placed him in the middle of the most important conflict of the decade.

The fast-paced action and suspense don't slow down until the climactic conclusion.

Genres: Science Fiction

277 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 13, 2012

About the author

Greg Krehbiel is a happily married father of five wonderful children. He's enjoying a successful career in professional publishing that has included lengthy gigs in editorial, product development, IT and tech development, marketing, and audio and web conferencing. He earned a bachelor's degree in Geology and studied theology as preparation for ministry -- then thought better of it. He's a home brewer (beer, wine and mead), an occasional jogger, an avid writer, and enjoys camping and fishing. He lives in Laurel, Maryland.

You can read more about Greg Krehbiel's books at the Crowhill Publishing site -- http://crowhill.net

Reviews

[Janet Cardillo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I usually don't like science fiction

So I wasn't sure I would want to read this book. The technology was just advanced enough that it seemed apropos, but not so far out that I couldn't follow it. I liked the 3 main characters so I kept reading to see what happened. Towards the end I was a bit confused between eh was good and who were the bad guys. I liked the way it all came together at the end.

[Bryan Cacciatore · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I really enjoyed The Intruder and it's unique take on a splitting of society, I think it tried to push plot twists a little too far at times and focused more on that than the progression of the story. It took a little getting used to, but eventually it just became expected and worked well; just a style that I am not really used to.

The plot and how everything interconnects was very well written and thought out; all the pieces to the puzzle are slowly revealed, even ones that you didn't even know existed. Everytime you think you know what is going to happen next, something gets in the way of it happening and the tables are turned. When the hallucinations started to be introduced I was worried that it would fall into a world of disbelief, but the author thought that through as well and it was incorporated into the story slowly and, again, in a very believable way.

The technology in the book is well rounded based on where it is currently heading and it's "nefarious" uses sound like today's society advanced. Everything is kept close enough to current reality that it makes sense and is easy to follow. If you like to read about the future of technology or deep government conspiracy and spying on privacy, this might just be the book for you.

[Jeremy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think this was a really good idea for a novel. I enjoyed reading about some of the technology the author created.

But I did not enjoy the plot. I never really cared about any of the characters. They all seemed so rigid to me.

I also did not like the typos and grammatical mistakes. They distracted me from the story. One example that comes to mind is "discreet" instead of "discrete". I read the Kindle version, so maybe that is the reason for the mistakes.

[Shamshaad · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not a big fan of futuristic novels, and didn't read a synopsis of the book before actually reading the book, so I was rather surprised that I enjoyed it so much.

If that is our future, so be it...2015 was once the future too...I look forward to flying cars...

[Caleb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well written. New, fresh ideas and well developed plot lines, characters and details. Well done.