The Scorpion

by John A. Autero

You watch the TV news every night and think you know what’s going on… think again.

Three friends innocently stumble upon government information that describes a top-secret underwater excavation site and refinery that processes a newly discovered source of energy. The friends are determined to reveal the truth about the facility to the American public and stop the flow of misinformation being dispensed by corrupt authorities within the United States Government. They realize that just because something is legal doesn’t mean it’s right.

“The Scorpion is a Thriller on steroids!”

Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Thriller

330 pages, Paperback

First published March 25, 2015

About the author

John A. Autero is an indie author of thriller-suspense adventure novels. An engineer by education, John employs a technical style of writing that combines existing technologies with those that are yet to be developed. John enjoys anything sci-fi, automotive, heavy metal and ballistic. Always a fan of government conspiracies and black-ops, stories like "The Terminator" and "The X-Files" are always on his list of favorites. John was born in the United States and has spent his entire life there, where he happily lives with his wife and pets.

Reviews

[Stephan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible. Utterly bad. 1 star bad! The author classified this as speculative fiction and as a techno thriller. It is not. A thriller is supposed to be gripping and intense, this book is plain and boring, the plot is flat. It is far from techno, the author mixes up dark net and deep web, obviously doesn't even know what TOR (the anonymization network) is, thinks 'the onion router' is a device. He talks about nuclear power plants the size of a lighter being built in hobby geeks' living rooms and miniaturizing them on a nano level. All this is so wrong.

I feel insulted. It's like the author called me stupid in complicated words and didn't think I'd understand.

The characters are flat and stereotype. On several occasions a characters valued conviction is highly described and next thing he throws it overboard without another thought one single paragraph later. The characters sometimes act upon the cheasiest conspiracy theories imagineable.

The book feels like a short story that is stretched out to a book without fleshing it out. The whole story could be told in 300 words and you wouldn't have missed a thing. The twist is.. there is no twist.

Why did I finish it? It's like that cheap horror movie you can't take your eyes off because you can't believe that it is being sold to you as a movie. It kept getting worse and I read on because I kept thinking, "It can't get worse than this! ". But it did.

Run from this book. As fast as you can, as far as you can. It is not bad, it is subterranean terrible.

[Stace · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I rated books by the speed that I read them this would be a certain five stars. It was well written, well edited and the action moved at a pace.

John A. Autero brings us believable science fiction and a US government conspiracy which I would like to think was not so believable, but who knows? All this was wrapped around a tense road trip by the three friends as they tried to escape capture by government agents.

I was interested to discover that Rhodophyta actually exists in our oceans although I have no evidence that anyone has managed to use it as an energy source – yet!

During the last few chapters I felt that the story was losing its authenticity but then the author brought the whole story together with a link that I had not seen coming.

The book ends with plenty of hints of more storylines and I look forward to reading more from John A Autero in the future. This was an enjoyable read and it fully deserves my award of four stars.

Reviewed by Clive on www.whisperingstories.com

[Nesly Clerge · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great story!

The scorpion, authored by John Autero is a compelling tale of conspiracy and espionage. It's conspiracy on steroids! The author provided a little of everything: Snipers, high speed chases, a high-tech memory retrieval apparatus, government cover-ups and plenty more. Mr. Autero has a vivid imagination and has demonstrated ascendancy for structuring such an intricate plot. The story starts out with an explosion at the Eggano Refinery, then Autero goes back and explains the reasoning behind it. The three main characters are Bruce, Pete and Bart. The three gentlemen are very much different from each other and this is where the author revealed his skills of character development. The ability to provide parallels and contrast between the individuals were executed in an adroit manner. Bruce discovered a server drive that contained top secret government information, and the government agency wanted it back; the ruthless agents are willing to take drastic measures in order to retrieve it. Now, the life of these three men are in jeopardy. What happens next? Are they captured? Are they killed? Do they escape?

The story is cerebral and is teeming with suspense. This novel ended up being more thought-provoking and more astute than I initially imagined. The only faux-pas (but not really) is the fact that I wanted to know what happened to some of the individuals but I believe this is Mr. Autero’s clever way of preparing for the second installment. Without reservation―FIVE EASY STARS!

[James McCormick · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Scorpion is one of those books which is hard to put down but once you do you can’t help but constantly think about it. It’s been a while since I read a ‘good’ thriller and this one I’m pleased to say turned out to be a ‘great’ one.

The boiled down, no nonsense prose struck me from the start and it serves its subject of top secret machinations perfectly. I was gripped from the beginning and the author’s tense, claustrophobic prologue (one which constantly shifts emotional charge as the gifted and prescient engineer Jerry Taylor wavers between hope and fatalistic despair until the culmination of the inevitable disaster) could with a little work be a novella in its own. Personally I’d liked to have seen Taylor as the main protagonist but I can’t deny that the dynamic of introducing three young, naïve friends (Bruce, Pete and Bart, all working for a Hazardous Recovery company called Big Cat) rather than continuing with the older, wiser and more resourceful Taylor, was a skilful plot device. Even Beaker, their super smart friend is no street wise operator. The juxtaposition of innocence and amoral, ruthless NSA government forces works extremely well. This is very much a David and Goliath tale.
Nothing in this story is beyond the realms of credibility. We do live in a world of secret and Machiavellian intrigue, where government agencies view people as either an asset or a problem (and do not hesitate for a moment to eliminate anyone seen as being too much of the former whilst the latter can be brainwashed and put to work). Human rights are a fiction and mean nothing to these powerful sociopaths. “Just because something is legal doesn’t mean it’s right,” someone comments late in the book. The elite write the rules to suit themselves and as this work shows are often extremely articulate in justifying themselves.

Yet there is hope in John Autero’s tale. There will always be individuals willing to take a stand, regardless of personal danger to expose wrongdoings, something we’ve seen in the real world with a series of high profile whistle blowers over the last few years.
The Scorpion is a rather short work but packs the punch of a blockbuster novel.

The term ‘conspiracy’ has become devalued over the last couple of decades, often purposely so, but the author shows just how important it is to shine the spotlight on those who would remain in the shadows.

An excellent, five star read.

[Tassa DeSalada · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Scorpion" is an excellent book!! It takes a really talented writer to keep the suspense going this strong and even for an entire book. Wow!! It's everything I was led to expect and more. What an explosive book!! I loved it! The action is constant and escalates as the story works its way thru to the very end. The suspense keeps the book in your hands, and your eyes glued to the pages. This thriller thrills on every page. There are surprises and treats on every single page. The twists and turns are many and completely unexpected. There's lots of super cool techno talk - engineering and computer related. There's lots of talk about government-enemy conspiracy theories.

"The Scorpion" took fate and karma to a whole new level. Karma shows itself, providing much relief to devastation. You never know what's in store for someone. Having read the reviews of "The Scorpion", I was super happy to see that I could get a free copy of this book if I reviewed it. This is a great "curl up under a nice warm blanket" book.

[Susanne Leist · Rating 5 out of 5]

A conspiracy theory to end all conspiracy theories. Three young men, who are also friends, work at a recovery site in Nebraska. Bruce finds a server driver in the landfill but it looks different than any he had seen before. He shows it to his friends, Pete and Bart. They decide to bring it to another friend, Bleaker, who is a nerd and a genius. Inserting it into his computer, he fearfully realizes that the server contains secret government documents from the US Department of Energy and Homeland Security. Beaker quickly clears the info from his computer so it wouldn't ping a warning to the government. The guys soon realize that they're in over their heads.
Meanwhile, Commissioner Springer at the NSA is organizing a squad to locate and bring in the boys. They did receive a ping of their whereabouts. He knows that revealing the cover-up will hurt him and dozens of government officials. He doesn't want anyone to know what happened to the underwater station in the Indian Ocean, where many lives were lost. They are able to locate Bert and Pete and then bring them in. They are able to read their minds. It seems that the boys found out about the secret fuel being developed from red algae from the bottom of the ocean. And this fuel will be used for a space station, if needed by government officials.
Their friend Beaker is brought in and is found to be a genius. He is added to the other nerds at the agency after his memories are erased and adjusted.
The race is on to find the last boy, Bruce, who is on a mission to meet with Jack, the Avenger, who broadcasts government conspiracies to the public. Is Jack a good guy or does he really work with Spender? Conspiracies atop of conspiracies.
This is a book that makes you think. Conspiracies do occur in real life, but how deep are they? Could they be as deep and convoluted as the ones in this book? I hope not. But enjoy the ride.

[John Autero · Rating 5 out of 5]

Greetings all!

My new book "The Scorpion" will be released sometime in March of 2015. Keep an eye open for the cover reveal as well as the formal release. I'm sure that anyone interested in a hi-tech, earth-bound sci-fi mystery will find it interesting. I hope you grab a copy! Thanks and Take Care - John A. Autero

[Dennis Killian · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow. Lame. Not worth the effort.

[Alexander Engel-Hodgkinson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh...
I was curious about this one for a while. I've read good things about it, and the 4+ rating was promising. But unfortunately, for me, it was a letdown.
Despite a mostly promising introductory chapter, even then I couldn't take it as seriously as the prose seemed to want me to. I don't know if Autero did this on purpose, but when the first characters you're introduced to are not-so-friendly co-workers named Tom and Jerry, it kind of ruins the immersion and turns it into an unintentional comedy of sorts. This story has a couple of moments like this, but none that stuck out as much as this one. Sorry.
The prose was my second-biggest problem with this novel. I try not to harp too much on the spelling and grammar of independent work, since we indie authors generally don’t have an editor on hand, but sometimes the mistakes are so front-and-center that they can’t be ignored. Autero would have benefited from doing another look through his work before he published it. The amount of spaces splitting up conjunctive adverbs—among other things like repetitive phrasing—was pretty jarring for me.
The dialogue was unintentionally silly at times, with uber-patriotic, over-dramatic rants and expository-filled descriptions both in dialogue and in the prose itself. Autero felt the need to fill us in on the backgrounds of EVERYTHING, from a random sniper who never shows up again, to a simple truck stop the characters buy gum from. There’s a lot of telling and not much showing. I was especially disappointed when the cause of this whole thing, plus the answers to most of the questions that arise throughout the story, are all made clear in the biggest page-spanning, expository info-dump paragraphs I’ve ever seen in a novel in the last couple of pages. It just comes off as lazy to me.
Anyway. Despite the disappointing ending and prose, the story was decent and the mystery, when it was a mystery, was imaginative and clever. The characters Bruce, Bart, and Pete were mostly likable enough, with maybe the exception of Pete, only because I hate the type of person (or character) that he is. I liked Bruce and Bart enough to move on, though, even if they weren’t as interesting as the author wanted them to be—owed to the fact that most of their traits and memories and whatnot were explained to me. When I’m reading a book, I like to feel like I’m actually there, watching the events unfold, rather than feel like someone is feeding it to me with a figurative spoon long after it happened. By then, I’m no longer an observer (or better yet, a participant of sorts).
Here I am, trying to list the novel’s merits and constantly falling into the bits that drag this book down. Autero is clearly knowledgeable in the subjects of conspiracy theories and brings up a few interesting ideas. I would’ve liked to see those ideas developed a bit more (like the repurposing switch, for example—that one is something I’d love to see in a sequel or future unrelated work, because it has the potential to create interesting plots centered entirely around its concept). Autero handled paranoia and theorists and cover-ups fairly well, and I liked the villain because he seemed to develop into more than just the ‘director behind the desk’ trope as the story went on.
All in all, I feel as though this novel was an example of something that could have been much better than it was presented, especially with its promising concepts and ideas. I remain interested in Autero’s other work, despite the bad first impression I’m giving off. Oh well… I was never good with first impressions, anyway.

I received a free copy for an honest review.

[Erik Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the days of Walter Cronkite, most of the American public if not all of the American public believed in mainstream media. Why? Because the news wasn’t made up of opinions, it was made up of facts. When Cronkite used his traditional sign off; “…and that’s the way it is”, we believed him because we knew that’s how the way it was. Currently, the news is made up of not just opinions but most of the stories that the news covers are parts of the entertainment world. What most people don’t remember is that the news was originally supposed to be the unofficial fourth branch of government to keep a close eye on the other three. The ratings of Mainstream news are slipping while alternative news media ratings are skyrocketing. Why? Because the American people are tired of hearing the news of the “trauma” of being a reality or movie star and they want to know what our government is really doing. Why are they so interested in knowing what our government is doing to our rights and tax dollars? Because they now know that all politicians are corrupted from both sides. But why does mainstream news think that this isn’t newsworthy? John A. Autero answers that question in his book; “The Scorpion”.
The book begins with a refinery engineer named Jerry Taylor who discovers a safety hazard while working in the Indian Ocean. The actual work site is The Enggano Excavation Site and Refinery. When he also discovers that the hazard is connected to the U.S Government and some of its agencies, he quits his job. In the midst of leaving, he tries to investigate the hazards and how they can be prevented while not stepping on any of the Government’s toes. Before he can try out any of his solutions, he is “silenced”.
We then meet three recyclers; Bruce, Pete and Bart. While working in a landfill, Bruce finds a server driver and shows it to his friends. They then take it to another friend; Bleaker who is a typical computer geek. When he discovers that the driver contains many secrets from the government, one of which was the one that Jerry Taylor was silenced for, Bleaker clears the driver in fear that it will alert the Government. But it’s too late and soon, a Commissioner of NSA; Springer locates Bert, Peter and Bleaker and brings them in for questioning. After they are told about what’s really going on in the Indian Ocean, they make Bleaker a tech body in their agency because of his high intelligence. Meanwhile, Bruce is still being hunted by NSA. Bruce is in the midst of meeting with an alternative news personality who regularly repots on conspiracy theories relating to the government. But will this really help Bruce and his friends or will this makes things worse, not just for them but for the country?
John Autero’s book is filled with entertainment, suspense and very well developed characters but I wish that it was just pure entertainment. While the actual events may not be true, the main idea of the book however is true. The truth is simply this; the American Government is fully corrupted and mainstream news is connected. Where’s the evidence of this? What I stated earlier; mainstream news reports mostly on entertainment and not actual news. Of course they do report on the Government from time to time but bias exists in their reporting. It depends on where it all comes from. Two of the greatest examples would be Fox News’ relationship with the Bush administration and MSNBC’s relationship Obama’s. Thank God for alternative news media and thank God that most of America is now turning to them for the type of news that Walter Cronkite always reported on.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who knew digging in the dump could thrust you into the middle of the biggest government cover-up in the USA's history? When Bruce and his two friends find an unmarked computer server drive while reclaiming electronics equipment for their day job, they decide to keep it to store music and movies on. But the top secret government data already on the drive isn't the kind of information you can just ignore.

When the drive contacts the NSA, government agents come running to reclaim the data and anyone who has seen it. But the three friends aren't going down without a fight. What ensues is an edge-of-the-seat race against time to expose the disaster and cover-up with the help of an underground conspiracy-exposing podcaster known only as the Folsom Street Avenger.

Content:

Drug Content:
PG - The three friends make it a weekly habit to visit a local bar. One plays designated driver while the others get a bit wasted. The effects of a hangover are described in some detail. Some drugs are used to obtain the truth, Illegal street drugs don't show up in the book.

Violence:
PG - A sniper is used at one point to take out a target. His expertise is described at some length, as well as some of his past activities. NSA agents discuss eliminating people rather blandly. An agent considers the pros and cons of several methods of killing an unarmed target. No gratuitous violence.

Language:
R - There's a significant amount of cussing in this book, from the first page, where the F-bomb is dropped quite a few times, to late in the book. The first few pages are actually the worst, and if you don't have a problem there, the rest of the book is much better.

Adult Content:
PG - I don't really recall any adult content in the book, and actually few females show up in the work, other than moms and aunts.

Christian content:
Ah, pretty much nada. The aunt(?) seems to have a level of faith, and gives some good advice, but there's no scripture that I remember in the novel, and while the central message seems to be one of exposing truth, it's driving force is the public's right to know rather than any moral accountability.

Final analysis:
The Scorpion is a well-written, fast-paced techno-thriller, with believable characters and high stakes on both sides of the fence. I was put off a bit by the language, and the missed opportunity to drive the story's main message by the need for a moral accountability in government, but in retrospect the story stood well on its own, with even room for a fast-paced sequel? Five Stars!

[Deneale Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr. Autero sought me out, and when I read the details on this book, I knew my readers would enjoy the insight on this book titled: “The Scorpion” because, it is a truly eye opening read!


So let’s get started shall we:

You know how you watch the news, thinking that you want to know what’s going around you, and the rest of the World? This book will enlighten you.

Within this book, there are these three friends who discover something. Something they probably shouldn’t have.

From the first sentence, I was drawn to Jerry. His character is very outgoing and the kind of person who is always wanting to learn and know more. He is also someone who believes he's doing the right thing.

As I began reading this book, I knew I would keep reading it, and had to know what was going on, because Jerry wanted me to know.

Now Tom, he kept trying to keep Jerry calm, and focused. But that didn’t always work, because of Jerry and his determination. Jerry just had his mind set, and that was it. Calm just wasn’t something he could do. But it still didn’t stop Tom, from trying.

Now mind you, Tom and Jerry…(Oh I just now noticed that, I didn’t before until I typed this. LOL) are not two of three friends. Ok?

The three friends are Bruce, Pete and Dean. These three stumbled upon an underwater evacuation site and refinery, which processes a brand new energy source. They can’t seem to learn who built this site, nor what the fuel is or was used for.

Then they learn that on December 26, 2004 something happened. Through their shocking finds these people learn that some things aren’t legal, and some things are. But just because they are legal, that just doesn’t make them right.

These three learn some extremely shocking things, and risk exposing the evidence they find, and causing turmoil and making it public.

The thrill of the chase is in this book, the race against time, this book, wow. “The Scorpion” just made me gasp. I mean, we know there are secrets out there, you know it, I know it. But to read it written and how and what happens while creating, and hiding, and making secrets.

This was truly a five star amazing read. Just astounding. You need to read this now!

[Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t usually read books like The Scorpion. A somewhat fun tech thriller, with lots of science fiction elements, chase scenes, typical government villains, and oh so many conspiracies. Could make a decent movie, but tricky to work as a book (and long for an ebook).

For fans of that sort of genre, should be an enjoyable romp. For other kinds of readers it may disappoint at times. Opening with mysterious scenes that get exciting from the get-go, with the usual problem of engineers and Marines being smarter than the bureaucrats, the narration then goes all over the place. Honestly, lots of telling not showing. Infodumps can work, don’t get me wrong. But for this particular reader, the menus at the restaurants and family backstory of every soldier and passerby was a bit much. Plus the politics. I sensed that the world-building was all getting confusing for the writer. Like, nukes casually mentioned?

Eventually our everymen protagonists get caught up in something out of their depths and utilize their multiple resident genius friends, again and again, to decode the hard drive and then the NSA/CIA/ETC inevitably chases them all over the country to reprieve. So villainous, right. I did have the impression sense that the hacking terminology was not quite right. Although to be fair I’m not an expert.

Also, an overuse of the word “nerd.” And cheesey speeches. Sorry but while it’s good to question the mainstream this book is not as smart with that as it would like to be.

In the end, it’s tied up. Re: conspiracies themes for sure…

Lots of readers may like The Scorpion and find its themes and subject matter exciting. Definitely worth a read, and if one likes, then there’s certainly more to read from author John A. Autero!

[Jay Saph · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Scorpion is a mainstream style conspiracy thriller which will no doubt appeal to many readers of airport bookshop type fiction. Three men come across a piece of equipment which holds information to a dark US government conspiracy. It's a bad guys chase the good guys type story that has a reasonable ending, if a little flat. I thought the author did a good job explaining the technical elements to the story, obviously an engineer by training. The subject matter seemed well researched and believable. That said, there were a few things that didn't quite add up if you thought about the plot more closely (without spoiling things).

I think my main issue with The Scorpion was the narrative. First of all, at times the narrator was inside more than one character's head in the same scene explaining thoughts and feelings of each. For me this made it difficult for me to connect with any particular character. This "omniscient" point of view is used, I suppose, but I think only in classic/specialist literature. In any case it is tough to pull off skillfully. The other point is that for me the narrator paid attention to too many insignificant details - how someone chewed their food, when they put a car transmission in "park" etc etc. There was also quite a lot of back-story filling which sometimes was a little distracting.

I know this may sound a bit critical and the writer's style is a personal taste just as some like heavy metal versus classical music. However, for me I think if this novel was better executed it could have resonated a little more with me. But I'm may be in the minority here. Others have really enjoyed the story and I applaud the author for that.

[Celeste · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

The story revolves around three friends who innocently stumble upon government information that describes a top-secret underwater excavation site and refinery that processes a newly discovered source of energy. The Government is not happy about this and sets out to capture and re-purpose the ‘citizens’.

I like a good conspiracy as much as the next person, but I wasn’t crazy about this book. It starts out well enough, at the top-secret underwater excavation site in fact, and explains what happens there. Then it moves on to Bruce, Pete and Bart and how they come across information regarding the excavation site. Unfortunately from here on out I couldn’t totally immerse myself in the story because I found the prose too jarring and a lot of it was more about telling, than showing. I also found some parts of the writing awkward and repetitive. The differing tenses (switching between past and present), plot holes and overly dramatic characters (as well as character behaviors that made no sense or seemed too trite) bothered me too much for me to derive any enjoyment out of this book.

It had an interesting premise, but that seemed undeveloped to me. I can’t see anyone going through that much trouble to catch 3 people to hide a secret that those 3 people haven’t even figured out. Did not enjoy this one.

[David Kempf · Rating 5 out of 5]

DON'T SPEAK OUT OR THE SCORPION WILL STING YOU

John A. Autero's The Scorpion is a great techno - thriller and is filled with enough conspiracy theories to make Alex Jones shake his head with doubt.It's somewhat dark with lots of action, science fiction, witty humor (the kind you have to think about a moment before you get the joke), secret tyrannical government operations, and various sinister secrets that run deeply to keep the American people in the dark. The Scorpion character is aptly named. No one of us would like all of our private dirty laundry made public. In an era where the average person wonders if technology is turning us into a police state, Autero has created a sense of plausible menace for the brave reader. The Scorpion is similar in plot to movies where perfectly sane characters are put in mental hospitals or where there are vampires or aliens but no one believes the honest protagonist. You can also easily spot the writer's love for The X Files and The Terminator films throughout the story. Whether the reader is politically right or left, most Americans can agree that the government is not telling us the full truth. Autero's book is well-worth reading and I found it be highly entertaining and thought provoking. As our mystery man character says"Until next time, this is The Scorpion." If you speak out, you could be next to have your life destroyed.

[Kshitij · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scorpion is a great read. Going into the story, I didn’t know what to expect, but it turned out to be an excellent thriller with a very interesting concept. At times story read like as if I’m watching movie as I was easily able to connect with the characters and visualize the scenes in my mind. The whole Nebraskan setting and the government agency following young men seemed so real and so terrifying. The story takes some time to catch the pace but it never drags or feels boring, in fact I found it very complete and suspenseful in terms of the plot, as the three friends tried to sort out the uninvited troubles they were dragged into. I found the conversation between Pete, Bruce and Bart spicy and entertaining even when they were in dangerous situations.

Overall Scorpion is a well written and a well paced high tech thriller with lots of suspense. All the characters are pretty “likeable” and their actions speak for who they are. Bart’s character is strong and outspoken. Jerry’s character and his emotions are well described especially at the beginning of the story that sucks the readers immediately into the story. I’ll read other works of the author.

[Lune Spark · Rating 5 out of 5]

The media sells us what is sold to them. And we take it as truth. This book has made me realize this to even deeper levels.

A dutiful engineer discovers irregularities in a refinery but can't do much about it. Four friends find the secret, but NSA gets in action before they could go too far. One of them goes to alternate media to share the hidden truth. Will they be able to escape the giant noose that's well connected in the background to all the corruption?

The Scorpion is a must read by the author John Autero. It's a tale of prevailing corruption, diminishing trust in mainstream media, and the rise of alternate media as more reliable source of information.

[James Blakley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Author John A. Autero’s “The Scorpion” begins promisingly enough: A covert, undersea Indian Ocean refinery’s chief engineer slowly discovers that his malfunctioning equipment is the result of a vast conspiratorial web spun by spidery security groups within the duplicitous D.C. Metroplex. As he’s building evidence, the entire refinery rumbles. And suddenly, the engineer realizes that not only will the plant’s massive mechanical failure likely cost him his life, but so too the fact that he now knows too much. This sensational set-up for what’s touted as a mystery thriller, however, can’t hold up the suspense and conspiracy elements consistently throughout.

The story switches from the Indian Ocean to the American Midwest to introduce its trio of heroes: Average Joes Bruce, Pete, and Bart who work at a Nebraska landfill. From there on, the pace slows to that of the sludge they recycle, with too much infodump of their lives. For example, there’s very little dialogue until Chapter 3, as Chapter 2 spends too much time describing the 3 men. The setup for the “conspiracy” action briefly fills Chapter 4. But its intrigue is then diluted by another round of uninteresting, off-work interaction between Bruce, Pete, and Bart. This seems like filler between the time they find the mysterious contents of a computer server that get the feds who burned the Indian Ocean engineer now on hot on their trails too. As for “the bad guys” backing the conspiracy? They’re far too removed from the main Midwestern setting to give the story the true menace it needs.

“The Scorpion” salvages 3 stars though because author Autero obviously knows his stuff, as an applied scientist, lending enough imaginative and real-world insight for the book to live up to the “techno” part of its technothriller claim. And it’s nice to discover along the way that this is a near-future tale, albeit of modest intrigue, with references to the nuclear destruction of a major Midwestern city, presence of as yet developed high tech, and a newer space station than modern day ISS. And there are clever nods to the cat-and-mouse antics of politics (with allusions to character names like “Tom and Jerry”), the high price tag on military industrial complex projects (referenced by Commissioner “Spender”), and the stereotypical nerdiness of all things computer-driven (with a key character named “Beaker”: Perhaps attributed to the geeky lab assistant Muppet). So we get some themes intended to buoy the book.

If quite so much time wasn’t spent on the unrelated aspects of the heroes’ lives early on and better development of the villains and pacing necessary for a good thriller given instead, this has the makings for a higher caliber story. But the opening bite from the undersea catastrophe becomes almost an afterthought. Thus, “The Scorpion” can’t sustain its billed thrills.

[Mandy (MP Book Reviews) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three friends stumble upon government information describing a top-secret plant for a new source of energy. They are determined to stop the spread of misinformation from corrupt elements of the US Government and start spreading the truth instead. This then becomes a mixture of a suspense story and a morality story working out that legal is not always right. The pace goes faster and faster as the danger ramps up and their exposure to the corrupt elements increases. Can they finally reveal everything that is true or will they fall to the corrupt sections of the government?

I really enjoyed this story which was gripping and addictive as I got further and further into this deep and meaningful suspense story. It was well written and enjoyable once I got past the ground I had to understand at the start of the book - so my advice would be to prevail and you will start to enjoy it more as you understand it more fully.

[Luanne Turnage · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written flow wise. The idea for the book is cute and would make good light-reading for historical references (smart and researched).
Pretty clean, which is often a nice change.
I thought personally during the early part of the book the writer leaves the scenes too early. I wanted more scene and emotional building. But, then I am a Stephen King fan so do with it what you will.
But it was a fun quick read and I enjoyed it!
I don't want to say much more than that or I'll have spoilers!

[Joe Vitucci · Rating 3 out of 5]

A super secret research / production facility produces a new energy fuel. Years later, a server is recovered from a dump and booted up, which automatically pings the government. Now the race is on to see if the government can retrieve the server before the information is released to the public and heads start rolling.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is imaginative and has an interesting plot. It was a pretty good read. I had fun with it.

[James Faro · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book opens in December 2004 at the Enggano Refinery located in the Indian Ocean. Jerry is a qualified engineer concerned that safety procedures at the refinery are not being adhered to. His fears are proved right when there's an explosion at the plant. This kills all the employees and has greater consequences.
Years later, three friends in their twenties are working for Big Cat, a recycling company at a landfill site in Nebraska, when they dig up a strange looking server driver. Bruce takes it to his computer geek friend, Beaker, who soon discovers classified information on the driver relating to the Enggano Refinery. The Department of Energy have secretly developed a new energy source using a strain of algae which grows on the bottom of the ocean. A "ping" has been sent out notifying the Department of Energy that the files have been accessed. Beaker tries to get rid of the driver, but it's too late. From this point on, the friends are in danger.
So begins a gripping thriller full of suspense which kept me on the edge of my seat. The three friends, Bruce, Bart and Pete are forced to go on the run. Each is a different character. Bruce is friendly and considerate, always wanting to see the good in people, trying to do what he thinks is right and ready to uphold the law. Bart is impulsive, outspoken and ready for a fight. And Pete, having been bullied at high school, now has a fear of most people, particularly those in authority. All three characters are well developed and totally believable and I liked the friendship and interaction between them. Although Bruce knows that Pete will probably betray them if he's caught, he still thinks of him as his friend.
Meanwhile, Commissioner Walter Spender of the Homeland Security Digital Information Division is tracking the friends every movement. He is desperate to keep the truth about Enggano secret and will stop at nothing to do so. He has his own reasons for the cover up and these become clear at the end of the book. Spender is ruthless and determined. He has no problem in making use of some of the disturbing practices going on at the Department, such as, memory retrieval and "repurposing" where an individual is given a new identity after their memories have been wiped.
Through Barts brother, Jim, the three friends try to make contact with the Fulsom Street Avenger who operates from the Dark Internet and keeps the public informed about government cover ups. But can he be trusted?
This book throws up many thought-provoking questions which affect all of us: a thriller which deals with many issues relevant to today's society (corruption, conspiracies, betrayal, etc.) We may think we live in a democracy, but to what extent are we being manipulated by the government? The theme of this book made me think of Orwell's 1984, where the main character is never sure who to trust. Yet this book, The Scorpion, ends on an optimistic note, sending out the message that there will always be people who are prepared to stand up for what they believe in and who have the strength of character to do so. Never be afraid to question what the establishment tells you.
A great read: original, well written, and one which I highly recommend.

[Bruce Perrin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Scorpion is the story of a government cover-up and the efforts of three friends to reveal the truth about it to the public.

The book has good pacing and action. Right from the first chapter, the reader is placed into a suspenseful and rapidly evolving situation. Character development is good, as you get a solid feel for the traits and dispositions of each of the friends, both through the story and by way of anecdotes from their past. The latter form of familiarization, however, continued well into the novel and after a while, it seemed somewhat distracting to the main plot. Similarly, noting that the main figure drove with his hands at 10 and 2 to illustrate, I assume, his careful nature, became somewhat redundant by the end of the book. But overall, the characters seemed realistic and quite believable. And as is often a plus for me, the author dips his literary toe into some advanced technologies, including two that are primarily extensions of current research and a third that is more futuristic, substantially adding to my enjoyment of the yarn.

My primary concern about the book involved what seemed to be an internal disconnect in the plot. Specifically, the cover-up described in the book involved a project that had consumed ‘trillions of tax dollars,’ implying a long-term, manpower intensive project. It also involved technology that would be easily discoverable by the public at large. And yet, it was secret, attesting to the measures the government must have taken to keep it hidden during development and deployment. The friends, however, learned of the situation when computer equipment from that project was discarded and was being sold on eBay or dumped in public landfills…without being erased. It was this disparity between portraying the government as both extremely efficacious most of the time and as incompetent as the Keystone Cops in this specific case that troubled. I suppose it’s possible…but it would be unusual.

Finally, a word to the potentially interested reader. Depending on your political leanings, you may characterize the primary protagonist as a patriot, bringing governmental corruption to light, or an anarchist, undermining solid public policy. In the case of the cover-up in this specific story, the governmental corruption being revealed was clearly one of self-centered and morally bankrupt behavior. But in the main protagonist’s musings about what to do, much more controversial topics are mentioned, e.g., the government’s right to require people to wear seat belts. Depending on your leanings, you may or may not have difficulty getting behind the main character as a folk hero.
So, for readers who enjoy tales of governmental conspiracies, laced with high tech undertones, and the efforts of others to bring these excesses to light, you will find a good story in The Scorpion.

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Robert Grey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Footprints (also by the same author) and liked it so thought I would give The Scorpion a try. And I'm glad I did. Hands down one of my favorite books of the summer (I know, I know... I should read more books. Hyuckity-hyuck-hyuck.)

Three friends working as recyclers at a landfill unwittingly find evidence of a massive government cover up that would ruin lives and end careers of powerful government officials.

The manhunt is on! Things quickly go from bad to awful, as the government dragnet creeps closer and closer. Under constant threat of capture (and much, much worse--some really creepy consequences and not everyone makes it out unscathed) the three friends have to decide what is in their and ultimately, the country's best interests.

The Scorpion is a near-tech tale, much of the technology is readily available today, but some of the government's most closely guarded secrets push into tech-level tomorrow land.

It's good stuff, and lots of fun. The plot twists keep coming right up until the final paragraph (no kidding) with lots of interesting intellectual themes to tickle the mind along the way.

Some stand outs for me:

The opening scene is played straight, but with two characters named Tom & Jerry having a Mickey Mouse conversation with the useless bureaucrats back in Washington. Little touches like this crack me up. Was it intentional? I don't know, but I liked it.

The writing itself is straight forward, description is taut and precise. I had never heard the expression "brick on your paycheck" before and loved it. I'll be using this one myself next April.

Mr Autero wields a deft touch, handling complex and serious subjects such as patriotism, the responsibility of citizens when the government misbehaves, and the manipulation and withholding of information to the public all without coming across as preachy. Then he turns around and turns the fun-volume up to eleven with shadow governments, black helicopters, conspiracy theories, and [spoilers removed]...

My favorite scene was the interlude with Gommy and Mr. Davidson. I finished the novel several days ago and still find myself thinking about them. No clue why. Probably because it was well written and authentic... And that's the hallmark of a good book; it sticks with you long after you've read it and weeks later still gives you something to think about.

I'm all in on this one, five stars. You can't go wrong with a solid sci-fi/thriller told in a way that is both thought-provoking and entertaining. Mr. Autero, you keep writing 'em and I'll keep reading 'em.

[Eric Martindale · Rating 5 out of 5]

This exotic thriller begins at an oceanic excavation site below the Indian Ocean, an original and creative setting that sucks the reader in in the opening seconds of the story. Jerry, an extraordinarily credentialed engineer, is responsible for mining turbines that are drilling for Rhodophyta, a rare red algae. When production is unexplainably ramped up, the turbines are stressed to the point of failure, and the unthinkable happens. A few years later, friends Bruce, Bart and Pete discover a server while working on a hazardous substance recovery team at a landfill, and their curiosity gets the best of them. Then, there is an interesting sort of interlude – a short chapter that centers around a conspiracy broadcast by a man called the Folsom Street Avenger. (I love it!) On the heels of the discovery of the server by the three men, this is a superb device that creatively foreshadows the direction that the story takes.

Unbeknownst to the three friends, the movement of the server alerts the Department of Energy, and soon the men are on the run. The three men turn to the Folsom Street Avenger, but with their lives at stake, can they trust him? One-by-one, various governmental agencies enter the chase, until finally, the men are apprehended.

I won’t give away the ending, but the story is thrilling throughout. The prose is simply compelling, giving the story a feel reminiscent of a Stephen Pressfield or James Patterson novel. The dialogue is raw and real, and it is quite difficult not to empathize with the main characters. Moreover, Autero really does his homework; this is no elementary novel. There is science behind every facet of the story, and it is easy to lose oneself in this book. All-in-all, this story is intellectual, detailed, and nothing if not through-provoking.

One final comment… There is an important message in this book. While it is not realistic that “government” is evil, it is entirely plausible that individuals within it are. This is the world we live in. Mainstream media has branded any talk of conspiracy as lunacy. But without conspiracy, there is no Hitler, no Stalin, no Mao Zedong, no Pol Pot, and no Hillary Clinton. Americans have become complacent in an era of comfort. The day that we no longer stand guard against excess and abuse is the day that we lose the America our Founding Fathers gave us.

[Sonal Panse · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Autero can tell a good story and this one gets off to a gripping start with a tense situation developing at the underwater Enggano Excavation Site and Refinery somewhere in the Indian Ocean. The event chain-starts a series of tragedies and the narrative leads us to Nebraska many years later, where three young men, Bart, Bruce, and Pete, close friends and employees of the Big Cat Hazardous Substance Recovery company, work at removing hazardous electronic waste from public landfills. On the day of Bart's 22nd birthday, they find a server driver and, since it appears to be pretty intact, Bruce decides to keep it and see if it can be reused. This decision gets them embroiled well over their heads in an US governmental cover-up that could cost them their lives.

Along with a thrilling chase, we get an over-view of how basic human rights are daily being eroded and encroached upon in the United States (and elsewhere, really), how patriotism and nationalism can twist people into doing monstrous things, how the government engages in the purposeful spread of misinformation (and the crazier the better, so that all 'conspiracy theorists' can be labelled as nuts and the spoon-fed public can be made to disregard true facts when they are presented to them from sources other than the mainstream media. Oh, it's just a conspiracy theory, they will say, without even examining anything.), and why it is as essential as ever for good people to take a firm stance against tyranny.

It is an entertaining story, but the writing could have benefited from tighter editing. There is a lot of telling rather than showing, many info dumps, and many unnecessary details. Why does the reader need to know how a character eats a chocolate cake or butters his toast, for instance, or the height, weight, and clothing choice of a minor character that appears only once? Is the information relevant to the story? Does it take the story forward, or give an important insight into the character's motivation? No. Then get cut it out.

I received a free copy of this book for an honest and non-reciprocal review.

[Saleh Radaideh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing. I was awe-struck by the amount of tension in the book, which kept me stuck reading on and on. This is definitely a page-turner. The style of writing is spot-on, and the characters are well-developed and interesting.
The story starts with a facility called the Enganno refinery and excavation site. This place is located underwater. Due to one of the mistakes that one of the workers had done, the lives of all those in the site were put in danger. They began mapping out the possible problems this led to, and eventually figured out what the problem was. They thought they had to get rid of turbine 5, but when they did so, things actually got worse. As I was reading this part of the story, my eyes opened wide with excitement and interest. I’ve not read something this interesting in quite a while.
Later in the story we meet three new friends: Bart, Pete and Bruce. These three friends work at a company called Big Cat. They are very close friends, and they always joke about one another with a light heart. There’s much humor in the story, making it enjoyable. Despite their humour, they have bigger work and matters to take care of. These three friends go deeper into a case with the United States Government, which is contains top secret information regarding an underground facility. They wanted to stop the misinformation from the government, and unlock the secrets talked about in numerous conspiracy theories.
I believe this book touches on very important topics which reflect in the real world, even though it’s a novel. This must be highlighted in the mainstream, as it speaks of truths we ought to know. It correctly reflects the state of our current world, being filled with the secrecy of the top class. This is a book that brings much awareness to important issues facing our reality. It’s a book to be shared.

[Mike Driver · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Scorpion

The Scorpion begins with a scene that could be straight out of a Hollywood movie. Deep below the Indian Ocean a submerged refinery is processing a new volatile fuel source, Jerry Taylor, the senior engineer discovers a problem with the turbines, but before he can resolve the situation a huge explosion rips the structure apart.
The story is then taken up by a trio of friends; Bruce, Pete and Bart who make a living scavenging across landfill sites looking for appropriate technological equipment that they can pick up. Fatefully they find a server driver which contains important information that relates to the destruction of the refinery and from there the action is propelled forward in true conspiracy theory fashion.
As for the writing, the book is well written and provides an interesting stylistic mix between Tom Clancyesque detail and exposition, and the frat boy humour of the three friends and their associates. Overall, however, it is the intriguing central premise that holds the reader which, without giving too much away, grows further as the involvement of the NSA adds further spice to the mix. There are a couple of occasions, however, when the book feels like it is straddling the line between a script and novel and whilst it has the merits of both there are occasions, particularly in a couple of dialogue exchanges, where a less script like approach could add variety to the interplay of speakers.
Overall a good read and if you’re a fan of Tom Clancy and techno thrillers there is plenty to sink your teeth into.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.