What do you think?
Rate this book
Shutdown
Erika Conklin can hack her way into any computer--a talent that has turned her into an indentured servant for the FBI. The agency caught her making an illegal entry into classified government files and offered her a Hobson's choice: go to prison for a long time or go to work for them. She's sleepwalking through her long, boring days, fantasizing about the lucrative jobs that might have been hers in Redmond or Silicon Valley. Suddenly a series of high-tech failures, ranging from a bloody railway accident in Florida to an industrial disaster in Texas, kills hundreds of people. Almost as disturbing, inexplicable computer shutdowns threaten America's dominance in the semiconductor industry.
Analyzing the computer failures, Erika realizes that sabotage is causing the technology meltdown. She traces the campaign of terror to the Japanese government's effort to destroy public confidence in American-made chips and thereby win the race for economic hegemony in the new millennium. From tracking down computer viruses to accompanying special agent Brent McClaine and his team on a high-risk mission to bring the perpetrators to justice, Conklin is a sassy, savvy heroine whose unique talents are all that stand between the successful future of American technology and a shutdown. R.J. Pineiro, a computer engineer, made a good run at the bestseller lists with two previous millennium thrillers (01-01-00, Y2K). This time, in Shutdown, his writing is more assured, his characters more fully explicated, and his pacing tighter. - -Jane Adams
320 pages, Hardcover
First published May 12, 2000
4 people are currently reading
73 people want to read
About the author
R.J. Piñeiro
34 books52 followersBorn in Cuba and raised in Central America, R.J. Pineiro spent several years in the midst of civil wars before migrating to the United States in the late 1970s, first to Florida to attended Florida Air Academy in Melbourne. There, RJ earned a pilot's license and high school diploma in 1979, before heading to Louisiana for college.
R.J. earned a degree in electrical engineering from Louisiana State University in 1983 and joined the high-tech industry in Austin Texas, working in computer chip design, test, and manufacturing.
In the late 1980s R.J. began studying to become a novelist. Reading everything from classical literature to contemporary novels, R.J.'s love of storytelling became uncontrollable. Using an aging personal computer, R.J. decided to launch a writing career.
R.J.'s first published work, SIEGE OF LIGHTNING, a novel about a sabotaged space shuttle, was released by Berkley/Putnam in May of 1993. A second novel, ULTIMATUM, about a second Gulf War scenario, was released the following year, 1994, by Forge Books, which went on to publish R.J.'s next 12 novels over the following 13 years.
In 2015, R.J. teamed up with TV News military analyst Colonel David Hunt to kick off the "Hunter Stark Book Series." The first book in the series, WITHOUT MERCY, about ISIS gaining acquiring nuclear weapons, was released on 3.7.17. The second book, WITHOUT FEAR, about the war in Afghanistan, was released on 8.7.18
In 2017, R.J. also teamed up with New York Times bestselling author Joe Weber. The result is ASHES OF VICTORY, a novel of global terrorism and international conflict released by Ignition Books on 9.3.18
In 2018, R.J. penned a nineteenth novel, AVENUE OF REGRETS, a mystery revolving around sex trafficking and domestic abuse released on 11.16.18
R.J. is married to L.M. Pineiro, an artist and jewelry designer. They have one son, Cameron & Daughter-in-Law Sarah, and two crazy dogs, Coco and Zea.
R.J. earned a degree in electrical engineering from Louisiana State University in 1983 and joined the high-tech industry in Austin Texas, working in computer chip design, test, and manufacturing.
In the late 1980s R.J. began studying to become a novelist. Reading everything from classical literature to contemporary novels, R.J.'s love of storytelling became uncontrollable. Using an aging personal computer, R.J. decided to launch a writing career.
R.J.'s first published work, SIEGE OF LIGHTNING, a novel about a sabotaged space shuttle, was released by Berkley/Putnam in May of 1993. A second novel, ULTIMATUM, about a second Gulf War scenario, was released the following year, 1994, by Forge Books, which went on to publish R.J.'s next 12 novels over the following 13 years.
In 2015, R.J. teamed up with TV News military analyst Colonel David Hunt to kick off the "Hunter Stark Book Series." The first book in the series, WITHOUT MERCY, about ISIS gaining acquiring nuclear weapons, was released on 3.7.17. The second book, WITHOUT FEAR, about the war in Afghanistan, was released on 8.7.18
In 2017, R.J. also teamed up with New York Times bestselling author Joe Weber. The result is ASHES OF VICTORY, a novel of global terrorism and international conflict released by Ignition Books on 9.3.18
In 2018, R.J. penned a nineteenth novel, AVENUE OF REGRETS, a mystery revolving around sex trafficking and domestic abuse released on 11.16.18
R.J. is married to L.M. Pineiro, an artist and jewelry designer. They have one son, Cameron & Daughter-in-Law Sarah, and two crazy dogs, Coco and Zea.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 25, 2009
This was a really good tech thriller. Pineiro is was an engineer for 22 years (worked for AMD, I think) building microprocessors, so who better to write a believable tech thriller than someone in the industry. Basically the Japanese are tired of America doing so well in terms of silicon, so they hatch a plan to sabotage some integrated circuits - which leads to multiple disasters in the US. The storyline of a former hacker turned FBI agent definitely has you rooting for the main character. He did a good job with this one. The only downside was that the technology was outdated since this was written in 2000. But that was easy to overlook. I will definitely read more of Pineiro's books.
December 8, 2021
An F-117 loses control and crashes into a heavily populated area of Las Vegas. Two trains collide head-on in Florida. Two commercial airliners collide over a residential section of Chicago. An oil refinery explodes in Texas. Together, thousands of Americans are killed and injured in what turns out to be the result os a case of cyber-terrorism the likes of which we were unprepared to withstand. “A new kind of terrorism had been launched against America, and unfortunately, the perpetrators were even more elusive than Osama bin Ladin and his kind. The deadly beauty of their approach had left a large number of ticking bombs across the country, making the situation much worse than in 2001.” (p. 107. And the weapon being used? Corrupted semi-conductors designed to fail in computer systems after a certain amount of time had elapsed. But who was the enemy?
Enter into the story it’s two main characters; career FBI agent Brent MacClaine and a young, highly intelligent computer hacker felon Erika Conklin, convicted of creating a virus which stole passwords to major institutions in America thought safe from hacking (including the FBI’s). Given a choice of spending ten years in a Federal pen or six years working for the FBI and a clean record, she chose the latter. The two were then paired together to track the sources of the cyber terrorism and stop it before more damage to America’s infrastructure and population could occur.
A bit plodding and predictable in spots the climactic conclusion was vivid and exciting, and a bit tragic.
Enter into the story it’s two main characters; career FBI agent Brent MacClaine and a young, highly intelligent computer hacker felon Erika Conklin, convicted of creating a virus which stole passwords to major institutions in America thought safe from hacking (including the FBI’s). Given a choice of spending ten years in a Federal pen or six years working for the FBI and a clean record, she chose the latter. The two were then paired together to track the sources of the cyber terrorism and stop it before more damage to America’s infrastructure and population could occur.
A bit plodding and predictable in spots the climactic conclusion was vivid and exciting, and a bit tragic.
October 23, 2020
Schon spannend, aber leider auch übertrieben patriotisch und teilweise voller nationalistischer klischees
November 7, 2020
TODAY IN THIS WORLD IS A SHUT DOWN ARE WE PRAY UP AMEN.
January 30, 2010
Somewhat outdated in 2010. Corny heroes. Simple fast paced action plot. I skimmed most of the terrorist result sequences because they were just the author's attempt to instill Hollywood dramatics and engage the reader's senses. After having actually seen enough actual disaster footage, I don't think the reader needs to be pounded with the consequences of a disaster here, especially after each sabotage success occurs.
I think the federal government has the resources to have a top team of cyber professionals such that Erika Conklin wouldn't stand out as a singular star on a software team, and contemporary team techniques and good business management ensure that one person doesn't represent critical failure if they leave. This hero setup of an indispensable Erika is one element that made it hard for me to get really fired up about the book. This concept might have worked in the 60's, even the 70's, and at smaller firms today; but not on a critical national defense scale.
The rest of the characters - both good guys and bad guys - were fleshed out just enough to be believable and fit well with the overall plot and action sequences.
It was interesting that Japan was represented as the source of a major potential threat, when today China, Korea, Russia, and the middle east get all the headlines.
I think the federal government has the resources to have a top team of cyber professionals such that Erika Conklin wouldn't stand out as a singular star on a software team, and contemporary team techniques and good business management ensure that one person doesn't represent critical failure if they leave. This hero setup of an indispensable Erika is one element that made it hard for me to get really fired up about the book. This concept might have worked in the 60's, even the 70's, and at smaller firms today; but not on a critical national defense scale.
The rest of the characters - both good guys and bad guys - were fleshed out just enough to be believable and fit well with the overall plot and action sequences.
It was interesting that Japan was represented as the source of a major potential threat, when today China, Korea, Russia, and the middle east get all the headlines.
September 7, 2007
R.J. Pineiro writes a good hi-tech thriller and Shutdown is no exception. A series of computer chip failures, leading to disastrous computer shutdowns, begins to destroy public confidence in American semiconductor plants. Erika Conklin, a hacker forced to work for the FBI or go to jail, discovers that sabotage is causing the chips to fail. With the help of special agent Brent McClaine, she discovers that the failed chips were designed by traitors planted within the American chipmakers by the Japanese government.
The plot is fast moving and realistic, which we expect from the author, a chip designer himself. The Erika Conklin characterization is thin but acceptable. Brent McClaine is pretty much a stock character, however. A good read for those of us who enjoy cyber-thrillers.
The plot is fast moving and realistic, which we expect from the author, a chip designer himself. The Erika Conklin characterization is thin but acceptable. Brent McClaine is pretty much a stock character, however. A good read for those of us who enjoy cyber-thrillers.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews