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Tanner Zane #1
The Mormon Hacker
The Quantum Breach is a story about Tanner Zane, an upstanding Mormon with a secret criminal past -- extensive computer hacking. When kidnappers force him to breach a top-security government facility, Tanner engages in an intense game of intellectual cat-and-mouse with his captors. This thrilling tale will change the way you reveal information online!
278 pages, Paperback
First published February 26, 2013
6 people are currently reading
436 people want to read
About the author
Denver Acey
4 books16 followersFew people understand the terrifying, yet realistic threat of computer hacking like Denver Acey. Denver has spent his entire professional career in the information technology industry where he has witnessed and even thwarted actual cyber-crime. From his top-secret job working for the US government to securing computer networks at Fortune 500 companies, Denver is personally familiar with hackers and their unscrupulous activities.
Because of his unique background, Denver decided to pen a book to dispel hacking myths while highlighting the tenacity of cyber-criminals. Utilizing actual hacking concepts and scenarios he experienced firsthand, Denver illustrates -- in a simple way for even the non-techie to understand -- how vulnerable we all are to cyber-crime.
Denver can be followed on Facebook and Twitter, or emailed at aceyauthor(at)gmail(dot)com. He'd love to hear your comments or questions on his books.
Because of his unique background, Denver decided to pen a book to dispel hacking myths while highlighting the tenacity of cyber-criminals. Utilizing actual hacking concepts and scenarios he experienced firsthand, Denver illustrates -- in a simple way for even the non-techie to understand -- how vulnerable we all are to cyber-crime.
Denver can be followed on Facebook and Twitter, or emailed at aceyauthor(at)gmail(dot)com. He'd love to hear your comments or questions on his books.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
July 24, 2015
(1.5 stars)
This book alternates between reading like a technical manual and a poorly-written piece of fiction. The point of view is all over the place, and while it's clear the author had a story to tell, it got bogged down in redundancies and unnatural prose. I finally ended up skipping a hundred pages... and literally missed nothing because it presents a dozen recaps of every event. I did enjoy the whole exchange and FBI involvement toward the end, but it was still kind of terrible.
Specifics that bothered me:
How many times does this book mention 'Mountain Dew'? I'd guess at least a hundred. There are 'Don't do anything stupid, we're watching you, we'll hurt/maim/kill you,' reminders every two seconds up until he gets away. There's something along the lines of, 'No one knows my secret hacker past' at least a dozen times. And while we're at it, the phrase 'Social Engineering' is like Acey's pet.
The Quantum Breach... is a fancy title that has little to do with the plot. A quantum-computer's diamond core is the bad guys' goal, but it's actually a straight-forward 'we're kidnapping you for your skills' kind of story.
Tanner apparently has a medical condition, as he wets himself twice and vomits for weird reasons less than 50 pages into the book.
Why get Tanner to be their hacker? Yeah, Jeff knew him, but he's been out of the game for years, technology advances incredibly quickly, and everyone else is hired, so why not hire a willing guy who's still in it? Because... There'd be no plot without him, I guess.
Also. The whole religion thing. If this book is for Mormons, it specifically points out beliefs that Mormons would already be familiar with, and for no reason--the plot relies on his beliefs or the quandary of his hacking very little. If this book is not for Mormons, well... It repeatedly equates not having religion (or specifically the LDS religion) with not having morals, so apparently the non-religious have nothing keeping them from doing ALL the bad things! ...nope, it's not for non-members.
This book alternates between reading like a technical manual and a poorly-written piece of fiction. The point of view is all over the place, and while it's clear the author had a story to tell, it got bogged down in redundancies and unnatural prose. I finally ended up skipping a hundred pages... and literally missed nothing because it presents a dozen recaps of every event. I did enjoy the whole exchange and FBI involvement toward the end, but it was still kind of terrible.
Specifics that bothered me:
How many times does this book mention 'Mountain Dew'? I'd guess at least a hundred. There are 'Don't do anything stupid, we're watching you, we'll hurt/maim/kill you,' reminders every two seconds up until he gets away. There's something along the lines of, 'No one knows my secret hacker past' at least a dozen times. And while we're at it, the phrase 'Social Engineering' is like Acey's pet.
The Quantum Breach... is a fancy title that has little to do with the plot. A quantum-computer's diamond core is the bad guys' goal, but it's actually a straight-forward 'we're kidnapping you for your skills' kind of story.
Tanner apparently has a medical condition, as he wets himself twice and vomits for weird reasons less than 50 pages into the book.
Why get Tanner to be their hacker? Yeah, Jeff knew him, but he's been out of the game for years, technology advances incredibly quickly, and everyone else is hired, so why not hire a willing guy who's still in it? Because... There'd be no plot without him, I guess.
Also. The whole religion thing. If this book is for Mormons, it specifically points out beliefs that Mormons would already be familiar with, and for no reason--the plot relies on his beliefs or the quandary of his hacking very little. If this book is not for Mormons, well... It repeatedly equates not having religion (or specifically the LDS religion) with not having morals, so apparently the non-religious have nothing keeping them from doing ALL the bad things! ...nope, it's not for non-members.
February 23, 2016
0.4 of a star. This book was so painful to read. The moment it started off with a mirror description for the main character, it was amateur hour for this novel. Everything was told with very little shown. There were several mentions of "These people are professionals", but there was nothing demonstrated towards that fashion. Cruelty doesn't equal professionalism and it's naive for Acey to make such a connection. And with the "bad guys" telling so much about themselves to Tanner it's a wonder he couldn't escape sooner.
Saying a person is intelligent doesn't make them so, show it. I just felt like Tanner was a...well he wasn't a strong character by any means. Especially after wetting himself not once, but twice in a short span of pages.
The dialogue was repetitive and often useless. There was clarifying of lines that didn't need clarifying or wouldn't be said in a natural dialogue. "What if I refuse to do it out of principle?" "Are you saying you're morally opposed to this?" No, Sherlock, he's telling you he doesn't like brownies. What do you think he means!?! The author is treating us like we don't know commonplace words or context...I mean if he said, "What if I refuse to defenestrate it?" And the reply were, "You mean you don't want to throw it out the window", perhaps I could see the reason for the clarification, but here, no. N-O. No. We were reminded of the Grandmother story not only once, but twice. Once told; the others were put into dialogue. However, the second mention occurred mere pages after it was told, making its telling in the narration useless. The very token that these "professionals" show any interest in his life leading away from his hacking is the mark of someone very unprofessional. Real professional criminals would not care in this instance. Their only goal is to get this guy to do the job for them. Lastly, regarding them, why would they give him access to a website where he could post music? It was obvious that that was how he was doing it, despite the fact the one time the author decides to wait until the end to mention the how is so lazy.
The action had very little interest to me and when the book ended, nothing felt resolved. People died and it still felt like the climax never came. Too much attention was paid to their backgrounds, especially for Charles and his entire tangent with Becky.
There were far too many points of view with too much background given for each person that got a voice. And most of their voices had nothing distinctive and actually detracted from the main plot. I'm all for subplot, but none of them had any real ends that didn't feel manipulated or added any real value.
A pet peeve of mine is super short scenes all in succession. Half of those could have been eliminated. We didn't need the Scientist's POV because she never really returns as a serious character. Her POV added the exact same information that we are already later given, so why bother with her at all. Her phone had no real significance because they never got it. Instead, its whole purpose was to draw a parallel to Larry. I think the author was more focused on the dangers of keeping anything with you that has any of your information on it than he was in the story of this novel.
And the religious aspect here was so sloppily done it begged to be taken out. It was either completely cliché or practically non-existent, constantly equating the finding of god to be the all access pass of knowing morality. It's foolish to paint such a black and white brush.
And then the few elements of sexism just pushed this further into something boring and offensive. I'm not sure if Acey is doing this on purpose, but when he referred to the men he said they're professionals (three or four times spelled out completely), however when he talked about the female FBI agent he shortened it to "She's a pro"....Granted, right after his first use of pro he then has Tanner say the guys were pros, but I think that was more of a syndrome of accidental repetitiveness rather than actual deliberation. Then there's the girl who receives the FBI phone call and when they say they're looking for a robbery suspect and give the description she says she wished she'd seen him. People don't want to see criminals, attractive or not. The author paints his women as useless (deliberately puts the lead FBI female in the tram that gets stuck or stops moving for her to do anything whatsoever) and well, horny for lack of a better word right now.
Finally, Megan, dear sweet Megan. What a waste. You could drive a bus through the foreshadowing done for her reappearance in Tanner's life. Good foreshadowing has elements of subtly, but there was none paid here. The line that bothered me most about this was, "Megan's assertiveness might have startled other men, but not Tanner." Do I really need to describe what is wrong with this statement?
This story lacked mystery because all of the POVs provided you with all of the information long before it was revealed to Tanner or in repeating narrations.
In conclusion, don't pick this book up... Just don't do it.
Saying a person is intelligent doesn't make them so, show it. I just felt like Tanner was a...well he wasn't a strong character by any means. Especially after wetting himself not once, but twice in a short span of pages.
The dialogue was repetitive and often useless. There was clarifying of lines that didn't need clarifying or wouldn't be said in a natural dialogue. "What if I refuse to do it out of principle?" "Are you saying you're morally opposed to this?" No, Sherlock, he's telling you he doesn't like brownies. What do you think he means!?! The author is treating us like we don't know commonplace words or context...I mean if he said, "What if I refuse to defenestrate it?" And the reply were, "You mean you don't want to throw it out the window", perhaps I could see the reason for the clarification, but here, no. N-O. No. We were reminded of the Grandmother story not only once, but twice. Once told; the others were put into dialogue. However, the second mention occurred mere pages after it was told, making its telling in the narration useless. The very token that these "professionals" show any interest in his life leading away from his hacking is the mark of someone very unprofessional. Real professional criminals would not care in this instance. Their only goal is to get this guy to do the job for them. Lastly, regarding them, why would they give him access to a website where he could post music? It was obvious that that was how he was doing it, despite the fact the one time the author decides to wait until the end to mention the how is so lazy.
The action had very little interest to me and when the book ended, nothing felt resolved. People died and it still felt like the climax never came. Too much attention was paid to their backgrounds, especially for Charles and his entire tangent with Becky.
There were far too many points of view with too much background given for each person that got a voice. And most of their voices had nothing distinctive and actually detracted from the main plot. I'm all for subplot, but none of them had any real ends that didn't feel manipulated or added any real value.
A pet peeve of mine is super short scenes all in succession. Half of those could have been eliminated. We didn't need the Scientist's POV because she never really returns as a serious character. Her POV added the exact same information that we are already later given, so why bother with her at all. Her phone had no real significance because they never got it. Instead, its whole purpose was to draw a parallel to Larry. I think the author was more focused on the dangers of keeping anything with you that has any of your information on it than he was in the story of this novel.
And the religious aspect here was so sloppily done it begged to be taken out. It was either completely cliché or practically non-existent, constantly equating the finding of god to be the all access pass of knowing morality. It's foolish to paint such a black and white brush.
And then the few elements of sexism just pushed this further into something boring and offensive. I'm not sure if Acey is doing this on purpose, but when he referred to the men he said they're professionals (three or four times spelled out completely), however when he talked about the female FBI agent he shortened it to "She's a pro"....Granted, right after his first use of pro he then has Tanner say the guys were pros, but I think that was more of a syndrome of accidental repetitiveness rather than actual deliberation. Then there's the girl who receives the FBI phone call and when they say they're looking for a robbery suspect and give the description she says she wished she'd seen him. People don't want to see criminals, attractive or not. The author paints his women as useless (deliberately puts the lead FBI female in the tram that gets stuck or stops moving for her to do anything whatsoever) and well, horny for lack of a better word right now.
Finally, Megan, dear sweet Megan. What a waste. You could drive a bus through the foreshadowing done for her reappearance in Tanner's life. Good foreshadowing has elements of subtly, but there was none paid here. The line that bothered me most about this was, "Megan's assertiveness might have startled other men, but not Tanner." Do I really need to describe what is wrong with this statement?
This story lacked mystery because all of the POVs provided you with all of the information long before it was revealed to Tanner or in repeating narrations.
In conclusion, don't pick this book up... Just don't do it.
July 31, 2017
This was a great book, and very timely seeing as how my identity just got stolen! So it was interesting to see what was different a few years ago when this book was written, and now. I liked Tanner's character, and thought the author did a good job rounding him it and letting us get to know him.
About a man named Tanner Zane who used to be a hacker then something happened to his grandma and he decided to change his ways and then joined the Mormon church. Then a group of men kidnap him and take him up into the mountains where he is asked to use his old hacking skills to try and steam a quantum computer for a foreign government. It was pretty good! I like these kinds of books. They are enjoyable to me.
About a man named Tanner Zane who used to be a hacker then something happened to his grandma and he decided to change his ways and then joined the Mormon church. Then a group of men kidnap him and take him up into the mountains where he is asked to use his old hacking skills to try and steam a quantum computer for a foreign government. It was pretty good! I like these kinds of books. They are enjoyable to me.
June 12, 2014
This book hooked me from the first page and didn't let up the entire time! Tanner Zane is a computer programmer. His company gives all their employees a two-month paid sabbatical after they've been there for seven years, so his is just beginning. He's on his way to Phoenix to pick up his parents and they're going to take a leisurely tour of the Pacific Coast. However, when he gets to their home, he's stunned to see them blindfolded, gagged and bound to chairs and then he's grabbed from behind and faints.
When he wakes up, he finds himself bound to a chair in his parents' garage. He's told that his cooperation depends on whether his parents will live or not and is told that he needs to do some hacking for them. He's taken to a remote location where he meets the "Dream Team," aka the "Starting Five": Charles, Michael, Magic, Patrick and (a couple of days later, the boss) Larry.
In his college years, Tanner was a hacker until something happened that shook him up and made him stop. He then found religion and changed his ways. He had promised not to hack anymore, but his captors didn't care about that--they just wanted results. They hurt him and threatened him and he started to work with them. I felt that Tanner was up to something but couldn't figure it out. There are some great twists and turns which kept me quickly turning the pages to find out what would happen next.
This is one of those books that will make you think about your online presence. I like to think I'm careful but I know I've had lapses in judgment and posted things that I wanted to take back later. Tanner explains some of the things people do that make them vulnerable to identity theft. This book also shows how easy it is to exploit people in their personal lives to get them to do what you want, like finding someone in financial trouble or starting a relationship with someone who is looking for their soul mate. I also love that all of it was explained in a simple way that anyone (even me) can understand.
There is mention of religion and how it's changed Tanner's life, but there's no preaching, so anyone interested in a fast-paced, thrilling book will enjoy this one! There's also a touch of romance. While thinking that I want to read more, I realized that Denver Acey wrote The Utah Code Breaker, which is a book I've had on my Kindle for a while now and also features Tanner Zane, and now I am looking forward to reading that book as well. And I hope Mr. Acey is planning even more books in the future!
I received a copy of this book to review. My opinion is 100% my own.
Mel's Shelves
When he wakes up, he finds himself bound to a chair in his parents' garage. He's told that his cooperation depends on whether his parents will live or not and is told that he needs to do some hacking for them. He's taken to a remote location where he meets the "Dream Team," aka the "Starting Five": Charles, Michael, Magic, Patrick and (a couple of days later, the boss) Larry.
In his college years, Tanner was a hacker until something happened that shook him up and made him stop. He then found religion and changed his ways. He had promised not to hack anymore, but his captors didn't care about that--they just wanted results. They hurt him and threatened him and he started to work with them. I felt that Tanner was up to something but couldn't figure it out. There are some great twists and turns which kept me quickly turning the pages to find out what would happen next.
This is one of those books that will make you think about your online presence. I like to think I'm careful but I know I've had lapses in judgment and posted things that I wanted to take back later. Tanner explains some of the things people do that make them vulnerable to identity theft. This book also shows how easy it is to exploit people in their personal lives to get them to do what you want, like finding someone in financial trouble or starting a relationship with someone who is looking for their soul mate. I also love that all of it was explained in a simple way that anyone (even me) can understand.
There is mention of religion and how it's changed Tanner's life, but there's no preaching, so anyone interested in a fast-paced, thrilling book will enjoy this one! There's also a touch of romance. While thinking that I want to read more, I realized that Denver Acey wrote The Utah Code Breaker, which is a book I've had on my Kindle for a while now and also features Tanner Zane, and now I am looking forward to reading that book as well. And I hope Mr. Acey is planning even more books in the future!
I received a copy of this book to review. My opinion is 100% my own.
Mel's Shelves
June 3, 2014
(4.5)
I’m somewhat of a privacy nut. Not only for the possibility of identity theft but for the safety of my children. I can’t say I’m special enough to target but who knows, I may unintentionally tick someone off, run into a loon, or as this book illustrated, used as a pawn! This novel reminded me that my paranoia is not unfounded. There are career professional hackers out there out for a quick buck and due to our technology age, cyber terrorism is possible. But don’t get me wrong, this book was not out to freak the readers out. Quite the opposite in fact. Through the entertaining story, the reader was enlightened to the world of hackers and its impact on individuals and the nation. Hackers are not just behind the scene/computer but out in the public ..pulling the “stupid tourist” trick, posing as police officers, or even date you!! You’ll be introduced to terms like, rootkit, PKI, Shor’s algorithm, malware, and Bluesnarf. Such information gives you the feeling of being in the inside track and that was invigorating …knowledge is power kind of thing. So kudos for that! But the story line was fantastic as well. I was captivated early on and found my mind reeling in the account as I read. I felt Tanner’s toe pain, I saw the Starting Five’s (the captors: Charles, Patrick, Magic, Michael, and Patrick …basketball fans will understand) trickery, and I understood Becky and Ken’s vulnerability. There were thrilling and surprising moments that had me shouting, “Oh crap, no way!” I was absolutely enthralled. I knew Tanner was up to something with the bass guitar but wow, he’s one really smart cookie! And the author even threw in a sweet love interest. So this novel had it all; information, action, twists, and romance.
The read was so exciting that I agreed to take my kids to our local trampoline place. They played, I read. How smart am I? Killed two birds with one stone. An hour here and there like those, I finished the book in one day!
This was not your typical Hollywood espionage story with heavy violence and sexual content. That wasn't necessary. Who knew? ;)
**eARC provided by publicist in exchange for an honest review.
Jinky is Reading
I’m somewhat of a privacy nut. Not only for the possibility of identity theft but for the safety of my children. I can’t say I’m special enough to target but who knows, I may unintentionally tick someone off, run into a loon, or as this book illustrated, used as a pawn! This novel reminded me that my paranoia is not unfounded. There are career professional hackers out there out for a quick buck and due to our technology age, cyber terrorism is possible. But don’t get me wrong, this book was not out to freak the readers out. Quite the opposite in fact. Through the entertaining story, the reader was enlightened to the world of hackers and its impact on individuals and the nation. Hackers are not just behind the scene/computer but out in the public ..pulling the “stupid tourist” trick, posing as police officers, or even date you!! You’ll be introduced to terms like, rootkit, PKI, Shor’s algorithm, malware, and Bluesnarf. Such information gives you the feeling of being in the inside track and that was invigorating …knowledge is power kind of thing. So kudos for that! But the story line was fantastic as well. I was captivated early on and found my mind reeling in the account as I read. I felt Tanner’s toe pain, I saw the Starting Five’s (the captors: Charles, Patrick, Magic, Michael, and Patrick …basketball fans will understand) trickery, and I understood Becky and Ken’s vulnerability. There were thrilling and surprising moments that had me shouting, “Oh crap, no way!” I was absolutely enthralled. I knew Tanner was up to something with the bass guitar but wow, he’s one really smart cookie! And the author even threw in a sweet love interest. So this novel had it all; information, action, twists, and romance.
The read was so exciting that I agreed to take my kids to our local trampoline place. They played, I read. How smart am I? Killed two birds with one stone. An hour here and there like those, I finished the book in one day!
This was not your typical Hollywood espionage story with heavy violence and sexual content. That wasn't necessary. Who knew? ;)
**eARC provided by publicist in exchange for an honest review.
Jinky is Reading
June 10, 2014
Do you see the sub-title under the main title of this book? "A Mormon Hacker Novel". That seriously cracks me up. Oh my. Tanner, a Mormon with a secret... I wish they would have gone with "The Quantum Breach" and left it at that. Yes, the main character is a Mormon (a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) but there is no religious doctrine preached within and the whole idea of him being "Mormon" is really moot point.
Tanner is a likable, smart guy. His past misdeeds come back to haunt him when he is kidnapped and forced to use his hacking skills again. He does what he has to do to keep his family alive and safe but all the while he is planning and plotting. Those kidnappers underestimated Tanner and his abilities.
What I enjoyed as a reader was that while we were following the plans and execution of the kidnappers, we always knew Tanner was up to something but we didn't know exactly what. There were little hints and I had it mostly figured out, but not entirely. There was just enough to make me think I was smart but not enough to give it all away.
This book had that spy, espionage feel with some action and danger. It was completely clean, which I appreciate. There was some violence though. There wasn't really what I would consider romance, which was totally fine with me because this wasn't really that type of book.
I don't know if I can say I loved the eye opening insight into how easy it is for people to gather my information in this digital age. It is scary to think how easy it is. I think I am guilty of complacency and even a bit of ignorance when it comes to identity theft and how I put information out into the digital world. I need to be much more careful.
Overall this was a good book and I really enjoyed reading it. It kept my attention the whole way through. The ending left it a bit open so I'm thinking there could be a follow up book. I would definitely pick up another book by this author.
Tanner is a likable, smart guy. His past misdeeds come back to haunt him when he is kidnapped and forced to use his hacking skills again. He does what he has to do to keep his family alive and safe but all the while he is planning and plotting. Those kidnappers underestimated Tanner and his abilities.
What I enjoyed as a reader was that while we were following the plans and execution of the kidnappers, we always knew Tanner was up to something but we didn't know exactly what. There were little hints and I had it mostly figured out, but not entirely. There was just enough to make me think I was smart but not enough to give it all away.
This book had that spy, espionage feel with some action and danger. It was completely clean, which I appreciate. There was some violence though. There wasn't really what I would consider romance, which was totally fine with me because this wasn't really that type of book.
I don't know if I can say I loved the eye opening insight into how easy it is for people to gather my information in this digital age. It is scary to think how easy it is. I think I am guilty of complacency and even a bit of ignorance when it comes to identity theft and how I put information out into the digital world. I need to be much more careful.
Overall this was a good book and I really enjoyed reading it. It kept my attention the whole way through. The ending left it a bit open so I'm thinking there could be a follow up book. I would definitely pick up another book by this author.
November 1, 2015
If you like hackers or are a hacker you will enjoy this book. It has adventure and most of the bad guys got what they deserved and more. It is one of the better works of LDS fiction. I felt that it had an incomplete ending, but it looks like it is the first in a series. I will be interested to read more adventures of Tanner Zane.
April 3, 2013
Good story. Not religious, but the small amount of references to the LDS faith are accurate and respectful. The book overall could use some editing in a few places - spelling and grammar. An enjoyable read and worth the 99 cents I paid for it on Amazon.
April 4, 2019
I'm pretty conflicted on how to rate this book. The first half of it was really slow. It was full of processes on how a hacker works, which should interest me so I can protect my formation better, but just didn't. It was the type of book I felt was more suited to my brother -- if he read fiction instead of computer manuals -- than to me. I had to force myself to plug through. (It took me about 3 months to get through the first half of the book.) About half way through, the book REALLY picked up and there was no forcing myself to read. (Once I reached that point, I forced myself to put the book down to go to bed, but finished it first thing the next morning.) I was really engaged and enjoyed the book. I will probably give the next Tanner Zane book a try.
December 11, 2023
I read this book for the hpootp flourish and blotts reading challenge. I used the 2023 reading challenge prompt reada book with a title including the letter q. I enjoyed this mystery. It was exciting without being too scary. it had the proper amounts of twists and turns. i would read another by this author.
March 12, 2018
The writing was terrible, the plot has been done before, and for all the author's desire to prove how dangerous cyber crime can be, I feel like he really only made a statement for how dangerous being abducted can be. The only reason I finished the book was because I promised my 12-yo I would.
July 28, 2020
Having been to New Mexico recently, it was fun to read about places familiar to me. There were many twists and turns, a few predictable events, and an abrupt ending. Overall, I thought it was a good book.
May 28, 2017
Makes you think about how much personal information you put on the internet.
June 4, 2017
It got a little slow in the middle, but the last third of the book was very exciting.
December 11, 2019
Read #2 first. Had to came back and read #1. Enjoyable fun read. I like the real hacking, not the fictional representation.
August 10, 2024
Credible
Entertaining as well as believable. Though the Mormon angle was superfluous. Still, better than most computer\hacking based stories. If only fighting crime were this straightforward.
Entertaining as well as believable. Though the Mormon angle was superfluous. Still, better than most computer\hacking based stories. If only fighting crime were this straightforward.
February 5, 2017
Subtitle is "A Mormon Hacker Novel." I think that says it all.
March 12, 2017
I like fast-paced action stories. This one had a little bit of everything it was kidnapping, espionage, and intrigue. Overall a fun read!
October 9, 2016
Only the second time in my life I had to put a book down and just stop reading it half way through because it was so frustratingly bad.
June 2, 2014
5 STARS
I enjoyed The Quantum Breach. The technology of the book was over my head but made the book feel real and very believable. Especially with all the cyber stealing of countries. The suspense was very good you were not sure how it would all play out.
I liked Tanner and a few other characters in the book. The kidnappers were good characters too. At times they were really likeable.
It did mention LDS beliefs very simple and not preachy. Mainly as one motive for Tanner's change and why a relationship had broken up.
The setting was the Albuquerque, New Mexico area. It made me want to visit some of the places.
Tanner Zane used to be a computer hacker and made a fortune. Then he realized what he had done and changed. He gave his money to charity. Now he has been at a company that after working for seven years you get two months off paid vacation. He is taking his parents on a trip paying for everything. He is single.
The plot somehow a gang new he was a computer hacker and kidnapped him and his parents. They were kept at different locations. If Tanner did not steel technology from a high security place they would kill his parents. He would be working 18 hour days. He was in a isolated area. Had a ankle monitoring bracelet with GPS on it. He always had two guards around him at a time and someone who understood what he was doing with computer.
You never knew if Tanner could break into the top secret site. If they would kill his parents or him. Good drama, lots of action, smart thinking. Good clean read.
I would read another book by Denver Acey again. Especially with Tanner in it.
I think I need to look at what is on my computer and what information is out on the internet about me. I know an awful lot is.
This is a good book if you want a smart, action, spy book novel that is real life like.
I was given this ebook to read for the purpose of giving a honest review of it from Cedar Fort.
I enjoyed The Quantum Breach. The technology of the book was over my head but made the book feel real and very believable. Especially with all the cyber stealing of countries. The suspense was very good you were not sure how it would all play out.
I liked Tanner and a few other characters in the book. The kidnappers were good characters too. At times they were really likeable.
It did mention LDS beliefs very simple and not preachy. Mainly as one motive for Tanner's change and why a relationship had broken up.
The setting was the Albuquerque, New Mexico area. It made me want to visit some of the places.
Tanner Zane used to be a computer hacker and made a fortune. Then he realized what he had done and changed. He gave his money to charity. Now he has been at a company that after working for seven years you get two months off paid vacation. He is taking his parents on a trip paying for everything. He is single.
The plot somehow a gang new he was a computer hacker and kidnapped him and his parents. They were kept at different locations. If Tanner did not steel technology from a high security place they would kill his parents. He would be working 18 hour days. He was in a isolated area. Had a ankle monitoring bracelet with GPS on it. He always had two guards around him at a time and someone who understood what he was doing with computer.
You never knew if Tanner could break into the top secret site. If they would kill his parents or him. Good drama, lots of action, smart thinking. Good clean read.
I would read another book by Denver Acey again. Especially with Tanner in it.
I think I need to look at what is on my computer and what information is out on the internet about me. I know an awful lot is.
This is a good book if you want a smart, action, spy book novel that is real life like.
I was given this ebook to read for the purpose of giving a honest review of it from Cedar Fort.
October 31, 2014
Anyone who knows me, knows that I'm obviously not skilled in the dark side of technology. I thought this story was very clever and engaging. I was completely fascinated...and sometimes almost horrified...by what went on. I don't know how in the world the author came up with the ideas and skills in this book, but they made for a great story! Hopefully, they're not based on true stories, because there were things in here that scared me a little.
Tanner has changed. He was quite a skilled computer hacker until something happened to cause him to quit. He also found religion and turned his back on his past, secret life. Now, he is right back where he used to be and the way he deals with his situation is astounding. I don't think I could ever be brave enough, not to mention smart enough, to pull of what Tanner did. There were twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat.
This story really caused me to stop and think about what I put on the Internet. I'm sure I give away too much information, even though I try hard to be careful. I guess I'm pretty naive and really didn't realize how easy it is for people to get personal information. There was a dating situation that was very believable and it made me wonder if the people I "meet" are really who they seem to be.
The story ends on an open note, leaving room for a possible follow up or companion book. I understand that this story was previously published under the title The Mormon Hacker. It has since been changed and the author has published another book, The Utah Code Breaker.
Content: no language; violence (shootings, torture, threats, perilous situations, death, kidnapping), but not graphic; no romance; talk of religion, but not preachy. I would consider it clean for an older teen or adult.
Tanner has changed. He was quite a skilled computer hacker until something happened to cause him to quit. He also found religion and turned his back on his past, secret life. Now, he is right back where he used to be and the way he deals with his situation is astounding. I don't think I could ever be brave enough, not to mention smart enough, to pull of what Tanner did. There were twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat.
This story really caused me to stop and think about what I put on the Internet. I'm sure I give away too much information, even though I try hard to be careful. I guess I'm pretty naive and really didn't realize how easy it is for people to get personal information. There was a dating situation that was very believable and it made me wonder if the people I "meet" are really who they seem to be.
The story ends on an open note, leaving room for a possible follow up or companion book. I understand that this story was previously published under the title The Mormon Hacker. It has since been changed and the author has published another book, The Utah Code Breaker.
Content: no language; violence (shootings, torture, threats, perilous situations, death, kidnapping), but not graphic; no romance; talk of religion, but not preachy. I would consider it clean for an older teen or adult.
May 6, 2014
Tanner has worked hard at his job for many years and is looking forward to his two month sabbatical, a trip up the coast he plans on taking with his parents. Everything goes wrong when he finds his parents tied up in their home and they are all kidnapped with his parents held as bait.
Tanner is held hostage forced to use skills from his secret past to hack into a computer system to steal plans for a super computer.
This isn't a simple hack that can be done in minutes but takes weeks of preparation work, research and careful execution.
The book is an exciting read throughout the entire book. As I read I began to worry that something far fetched and one of those how did they make it out of that moments (only in the movies) kind of moments would happen; but much to my delight the book reads extremely believable and truly feels like all of the events could have happened.
The author's background in information technology, where he actually witnessed and thwarted cyber-crime, definitely lends to the credibility of this story but it is written in a way that non-tech savy people can enjoy.
I loved this book and finished it in two days as I wanted to find out what happened next. It had a satisfying ending though felt like it could also be setting up for a sequel which I would love as I would love to continue following the characters in this book.
This is what I call a clean book-free of language, sex, or intense graphic imagery.
I definitely recommend this.
*I was given a complimentary copy to review.
Tanner is held hostage forced to use skills from his secret past to hack into a computer system to steal plans for a super computer.
This isn't a simple hack that can be done in minutes but takes weeks of preparation work, research and careful execution.
The book is an exciting read throughout the entire book. As I read I began to worry that something far fetched and one of those how did they make it out of that moments (only in the movies) kind of moments would happen; but much to my delight the book reads extremely believable and truly feels like all of the events could have happened.
The author's background in information technology, where he actually witnessed and thwarted cyber-crime, definitely lends to the credibility of this story but it is written in a way that non-tech savy people can enjoy.
I loved this book and finished it in two days as I wanted to find out what happened next. It had a satisfying ending though felt like it could also be setting up for a sequel which I would love as I would love to continue following the characters in this book.
This is what I call a clean book-free of language, sex, or intense graphic imagery.
I definitely recommend this.
*I was given a complimentary copy to review.
November 9, 2015
We Mormons are prone to hyperbole when we evaluate the artistic output of our people. Like proud parents, we hear Peter Breinholt and think he’s as good as James Taylor. Many years ago I saw a newspaper ad for Marvin Goldstein’s then-latest album that claimed he was better than Beethoven. Maybe they meant the dog movie. This book is no exception - the back-cover review promises it will “change your life” and that it “rivals the books of Tom Clancy and John LeCarre”.
I liked it. I might have even liked it more than my high school read of Clancy's The Hunt for Red October, which I mostly remember as being “really long” and going on and on about submarine parts, like the author thought, “Hey, I spent a lot of time painstakingly researching all this crap and I’m going to fit it in!”
I’m intrigued by the subtitle “A Mormon Hacker Novel”. My guess is the publisher said they could get it on the shelves of Utah bookstores if it had a Mormon flair to it. That part of the character development feels really forced, but at least it’s brief and only intermittent — it could easily be edited out without impacting the story at all. Speaking of editing, this book could have used more of it. “Nonetheless” is not the same as “no less”. Some of the dialogue feels unnatural, but not enough to drive me crazy.
I don’t know if John le Carré needs to feel threatened, but this was an enjoyable read I can recommend to Mormons and non-Mormons, hackers and non-hackers alike.
I liked it. I might have even liked it more than my high school read of Clancy's The Hunt for Red October, which I mostly remember as being “really long” and going on and on about submarine parts, like the author thought, “Hey, I spent a lot of time painstakingly researching all this crap and I’m going to fit it in!”
I’m intrigued by the subtitle “A Mormon Hacker Novel”. My guess is the publisher said they could get it on the shelves of Utah bookstores if it had a Mormon flair to it. That part of the character development feels really forced, but at least it’s brief and only intermittent — it could easily be edited out without impacting the story at all. Speaking of editing, this book could have used more of it. “Nonetheless” is not the same as “no less”. Some of the dialogue feels unnatural, but not enough to drive me crazy.
I don’t know if John le Carré needs to feel threatened, but this was an enjoyable read I can recommend to Mormons and non-Mormons, hackers and non-hackers alike.
September 30, 2015
This novel has an Oceans Eleven feel to it, with a lot of cerebral plotting to hack into a secure complex, the Los Alamos National Labs, to steal trade secrets. And along the way, we are taught about the sophisticated threat of cyber crime. Tanner Zone, recently converted Mormon and once professional hacker, is kidnapped and forced into some high tech corporate espionage. The plot draws us in on two fronts: how will Tanner get access to the information he's being forced to steal and at the same time can he outwit his captors to save himself and his parents who are being held hostage to his good behavior?
As interesting as the plot is, almost more so is the underlying realization of how vulnerable we are to cyber-crime. "Social engineering," a primary tool of elite hackers, is basically manipulating people into giving out confidential information to open the way for sophisticated computer hacking. And getting personal information is easier than ever nowadays using social networking sites: "They might as well just call them 'social engineering' sites instead of social networking." The book is a good jump off point to consider how we use the internet, which the author suggests has "fostered a massive wave of narcissism across the world. People blogging and tweeting about every little detail in their lives." "The internet provides a false sense of security."
As interesting as the plot is, almost more so is the underlying realization of how vulnerable we are to cyber-crime. "Social engineering," a primary tool of elite hackers, is basically manipulating people into giving out confidential information to open the way for sophisticated computer hacking. And getting personal information is easier than ever nowadays using social networking sites: "They might as well just call them 'social engineering' sites instead of social networking." The book is a good jump off point to consider how we use the internet, which the author suggests has "fostered a massive wave of narcissism across the world. People blogging and tweeting about every little detail in their lives." "The internet provides a false sense of security."
February 29, 2016
the premise seemed as if it would be much more suspenseful than it actually was. it was obvious this was written by an amateur engaging in his first attempt as the prose was very stilted and unnatural. also, I was disappointed that the intellectual cat and mouse battle hinted at in the book's description was not even apparent until the end when the main character explains how he was able to get away from his captors; there is no hint of his intentions before that. although the story was able to hold my attention all the way to the end, it really could've been 100 times better with some guidance and constructive input before actual publication. it was unable to elicit any real emotion or depth of feeling, not even a sense of urgency, fear, intrigue, suspense. I'm not even sure why Mormonism was promoted as part of the story as it clearly wasn't integral to the plot and when it was mentioned it was only casually, in passing as a vague explanation of only part of the reason why he no longer engaged in hacking. it wasn't the main reason and could've easily been left out entirely, unless the author was simply trying to appeal to a strictly Mormon audience to sell his book. overall, the book didn't live up to the full potential it could have and so it was a disappointment.
May 8, 2013
The Mormon Hacker was an all around decent book. Unlike a lot of technothrillers out there, this one contained a good amount of hacking using real technology of today. It also portrayed real hacking using social engineering and realistic ways of gaining access instead of the standard technology that can unrealistically break encryption and gain access to system that are impossible to get into. Finally, a book about hacking that was either written by a real hacker or someone that did real research on the subject.
While there were quite a few grammatical errors throughout the book, it was nothing too jarring that takes you away from the story. The story itself doesn't pull you deep in or try to throw curve balls at every turn which made this a nice and easy read. I imagine that those who aren't into technology will enjoy this "kidnapped and forced to break the law" story, but it is better appreciated by old-school hackers who still see hacking the old-school way. After reading The Mormon Hacker I feel I have no choice but to continue on to the second book The Utah Code Breaker just to see what becomes of Tanner Zane.
While there were quite a few grammatical errors throughout the book, it was nothing too jarring that takes you away from the story. The story itself doesn't pull you deep in or try to throw curve balls at every turn which made this a nice and easy read. I imagine that those who aren't into technology will enjoy this "kidnapped and forced to break the law" story, but it is better appreciated by old-school hackers who still see hacking the old-school way. After reading The Mormon Hacker I feel I have no choice but to continue on to the second book The Utah Code Breaker just to see what becomes of Tanner Zane.
October 18, 2015
R1
You may think that computer hackers are just teenagers sitting at their computers, drinking Mountain Dew. Hollywood has led you astray. The Quantum Breach, by Denver Acey, will be able to give you the truth about black hat hacking, phishing, and bluesnarfing with the story of a Mormon hacker. Acey will keep you reading the book with all of the points of view and cliffhangers (suspense-literary element).
Tanner Zane is an LDS computer programmer who used to hack computers all around the world, completely invisible in cyberspace, but he swore off hacking after his grandmother got phished and had her life savings cleaned out. However, he is kidnapped by several men to hack into the Los Alamos National Labs, which was the command center for the Manhattan Project, to retrieve plans for the world’s first operational quantum computer instead of going on his two-month paid sabbatical. I learned a lot about computers with Tanner’s geeky hacker vocabulary, such as the word “rootkit” (rich vocabulary-literary element).
This book has gotten many readers that give it a 5-star rating, including me. A suspenseful, eye-opening read.
You may think that computer hackers are just teenagers sitting at their computers, drinking Mountain Dew. Hollywood has led you astray. The Quantum Breach, by Denver Acey, will be able to give you the truth about black hat hacking, phishing, and bluesnarfing with the story of a Mormon hacker. Acey will keep you reading the book with all of the points of view and cliffhangers (suspense-literary element).
Tanner Zane is an LDS computer programmer who used to hack computers all around the world, completely invisible in cyberspace, but he swore off hacking after his grandmother got phished and had her life savings cleaned out. However, he is kidnapped by several men to hack into the Los Alamos National Labs, which was the command center for the Manhattan Project, to retrieve plans for the world’s first operational quantum computer instead of going on his two-month paid sabbatical. I learned a lot about computers with Tanner’s geeky hacker vocabulary, such as the word “rootkit” (rich vocabulary-literary element).
This book has gotten many readers that give it a 5-star rating, including me. A suspenseful, eye-opening read.
June 4, 2014
This book is a wake up call to everyone who uses the internet or stores information on their phone. Denver Acey takes an intriguing story and integrates scenarios that can happen to anyone.
Tanner is a hard working man who is headed out for a much needed break. His plan is to take his parents on a trip for his two month sabbatical. He has done some things in his past that he is not proud of, hacking, and has reformed his life. There are people who know too much about him, who plan to use his skills to steal information from a high security location.
Tanner is amazing. He is able to use his intellect to outwit his captors. The mind games in this book were well written. Tanner is a likable character. In some ways this book was coming full circle for him, his past and his present collided.
This book is clean and is great for anyone who loves a suspense book. There is high stakes espionage, a little romance, and some action.
Tanner is a hard working man who is headed out for a much needed break. His plan is to take his parents on a trip for his two month sabbatical. He has done some things in his past that he is not proud of, hacking, and has reformed his life. There are people who know too much about him, who plan to use his skills to steal information from a high security location.
Tanner is amazing. He is able to use his intellect to outwit his captors. The mind games in this book were well written. Tanner is a likable character. In some ways this book was coming full circle for him, his past and his present collided.
This book is clean and is great for anyone who loves a suspense book. There is high stakes espionage, a little romance, and some action.
July 2, 2014
WOWIE!! A comment inside says, "The Quantum Breach" will change your life" and you can bet your little bootie it will! Maybe not in any huge ways, but in one significant way: protecting your personal information and computer and phone passwords! If you don't get shocked into better security after reading this, you are either an idiot or brain dead. I'm assured that all the computer-speak and hacker procedures inside are spot on for accuracy, but aren't hard for even a moderate computer user to understand.
Reformed hacker Tanner Zane is kidnapped with his elderly parents, and forced to hack into the Top Secret Government Labs in Los Alamos or suffer his parents' torture and death. What a choice: your parents or your morals! The novel begins to race after page 10, and never lets up until the conclusion. I couldn't even sleep that night! Lots of surprise twists, which I will not spoil.
Reformed hacker Tanner Zane is kidnapped with his elderly parents, and forced to hack into the Top Secret Government Labs in Los Alamos or suffer his parents' torture and death. What a choice: your parents or your morals! The novel begins to race after page 10, and never lets up until the conclusion. I couldn't even sleep that night! Lots of surprise twists, which I will not spoil.
June 4, 2013
The name of the book drew my attention first because you don't usually see Mormon and hacker in the same sentence. The plot line is definitely unusual and has some interesting twists and turns. The ending was a bit of a downer because there were several minor threads that were left hanging. It makes you wonder if there's a sequel in the making.
However, the book has the same problem that I keep running into with some of the free books-no one does even a mediocre job of editing. There were misspelled words, missing words,words in the wrong order, incorrect use of words (then for than); things that just jar me right out of the flow of the story. All of that being said, I really enjoyed the story. Hopefully, before the next one comes out the author will employ the services of a good editor.
However, the book has the same problem that I keep running into with some of the free books-no one does even a mediocre job of editing. There were misspelled words, missing words,words in the wrong order, incorrect use of words (then for than); things that just jar me right out of the flow of the story. All of that being said, I really enjoyed the story. Hopefully, before the next one comes out the author will employ the services of a good editor.
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