Zimmerman's Algorithm

by S. Andrew Swann

THE THEFT-It began on a deserted interstate in Virginia. The entire operation took less than twelve minutes. The result-one supercomputer hijacked, one highway patrolman dead....
THE STING-Washington, DC Police Detective Gideon Malcolm had been given a tip about the stolen Daedalus supercomputer. Yet no one was willing to give him the backup he needed to check it out. So Gideon turned to the one person he knew he could count on, his brother, FBI Agent Raphael Malcolm. Together they set up their stakeout. When no one showed, they went in to check out the seemingly abandoned warehouse-and stumbled into the midst of a deadly ambush....
THE PAYBACK-Now Gideon wanted answers, and he wasn't going to stop until someone paid for what had happened to him and Rafe. But the powers that be were equally determined to force Gideon-and the world-to forget this covert operation gone totally wrong. Yet Gideon refused to be blackmailed, threatened, or bought off. And what began with a stolen computer let him to the trail of a mysterious woman, Dr. Zimmerman, whom everyone seemed intent on finding. For Zimmerman's knowledge could compromise not only U.S. security but that of every nation in the world!

Genres: Fiction

ebook

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

S. Andrew Swann is the primary pseudonym of Steven Swiniarski, who also writes as S.A. Swiniarski, Steven Krane, and S.A. Swann.

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was a pretty good techno-thriller novel for its time. I didn't think it was a science fiction novel at all. It's a little too complex, so it's a little hard to keep track of all the plot twists and turns if you don't pay close attention. It's a well-written story of a police detective (who conveniently happens to have a brother who's an FBI agent) looking for a supercomputer stolen by a terrorist group, and the titular Dr. Zimmerman whose knowledge holds the key to world security. Events rendered the premise obsolete soon after it was published, but it was an enjoyable change-of-pace read.

[Nicholas George · Rating 3 out of 5]

Readers beware: you come to this way beyond its expiration date. Written in 2000, its premise is based on a supercomputer (remember those?) and a terrorist group similar to Al Qaeda but called something else. Oh -- and references to the World Trade Center bombing that was vastly eclipsed by what happened a few years later. So everything is dated, which is only part of the problem. The plot is way too complex, with far too many moving parts, even though it is fairly well-written. I've never heard of the author (not an untalented man) and that probably is to be expected.

[Tao · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best scifi thriller, but it is readable. Trite, from time to time. But I managed finishing it.