What do you think?
Rate this book
The Good Traitor
The US ambassador to China is killed in a suspicious plane crash just days after a news article links Chinese spies to US business interests. The American intelligence community is left scrambling to investigate possible connections between the crash and a series of other high-profile deaths.
On the other side of the world, ex-CIA operative Kera Mersal returns to the United States determined to clear her name after being branded a traitor for exposing illegal government surveillance. There, former colleague and fellow fugitive J. D. Jones contacts her with a new find out who is staging accidents to murder news sources. As the news site continues to publish stories about top-secret CIA programs and Chinese government corruption, Mersal reunites with old allies to uncover the truth and prove her loyalty to her country once and for all. But Mersal’s investigations put her on the trail of a sinister hacker whose own motives may influence a vaster—and more deadly—geopolitical conspiracy than either of the world’s two largest superpowers is prepared to handle.
On the other side of the world, ex-CIA operative Kera Mersal returns to the United States determined to clear her name after being branded a traitor for exposing illegal government surveillance. There, former colleague and fellow fugitive J. D. Jones contacts her with a new find out who is staging accidents to murder news sources. As the news site continues to publish stories about top-secret CIA programs and Chinese government corruption, Mersal reunites with old allies to uncover the truth and prove her loyalty to her country once and for all. But Mersal’s investigations put her on the trail of a sinister hacker whose own motives may influence a vaster—and more deadly—geopolitical conspiracy than either of the world’s two largest superpowers is prepared to handle.
336 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 5, 2016
127 people are currently reading
403 people want to read
About the author
Ryan Quinn
25 books155 followersRyan Quinn is the best-selling author of the novels The Good Traitor, End of Secrets, and The Fall.
A native of Alaska, Quinn was an NCAA DI Champion while on the University of Utah Ski team. He worked in book publishing for five years in New York City and now lives in Los Angeles where he writes and trains for marathons.
A native of Alaska, Quinn was an NCAA DI Champion while on the University of Utah Ski team. He worked in book publishing for five years in New York City and now lives in Los Angeles where he writes and trains for marathons.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
April 3, 2016
An enjoyable techno-thriller.
The disaster that was Spectre, the latest Bond film, made it seem that spy thrillers set in the information age are inherently absurd. I was constantly aware of how Bond would never get away with his antics with the existence of modern surveillance. This thought was disappointing, but I had resigned myself to the idea that from now on all decent spy movies and novels would be set in the erstwhile Cold War era. Quinn’s second novel in his spy thriller series, however, has given me hope. It doesn’t just tolerate modern surveillance capabilities as part of the narrative; rather it embraces them as central to the plot.
As our protagonist goes from ‘rogue-spy-within-the-system’ to full-out ‘spy-on-the-run’, the characters and agencies deal with the friction emerging technologies cause on the institutions they are disrupting. The fictional examples seem far too real: This book comes out three years after Snowden’s leaks, and only a month after the FBI’s court case to break into a private iPhone. The ‘internet of things’ has opened up a new world of technology vulnerabilities: for starters, WIRED reporters recently hacked into a Jeep remotely and crashed it.These are the technology themes that the novel embraces and employs as part of the narrative.
I was also pleased to find the background theme of American and Chinese businesses competing for influence in Africa, as well as Chinese-American relations. It has been well-established in the last few years that hackers from China regularly steal trade secrets from Western businesses and this theme was touched upon in the novel.
The disaster that was Spectre, the latest Bond film, made it seem that spy thrillers set in the information age are inherently absurd. I was constantly aware of how Bond would never get away with his antics with the existence of modern surveillance. This thought was disappointing, but I had resigned myself to the idea that from now on all decent spy movies and novels would be set in the erstwhile Cold War era. Quinn’s second novel in his spy thriller series, however, has given me hope. It doesn’t just tolerate modern surveillance capabilities as part of the narrative; rather it embraces them as central to the plot.
As our protagonist goes from ‘rogue-spy-within-the-system’ to full-out ‘spy-on-the-run’, the characters and agencies deal with the friction emerging technologies cause on the institutions they are disrupting. The fictional examples seem far too real: This book comes out three years after Snowden’s leaks, and only a month after the FBI’s court case to break into a private iPhone. The ‘internet of things’ has opened up a new world of technology vulnerabilities: for starters, WIRED reporters recently hacked into a Jeep remotely and crashed it.These are the technology themes that the novel embraces and employs as part of the narrative.
I was also pleased to find the background theme of American and Chinese businesses competing for influence in Africa, as well as Chinese-American relations. It has been well-established in the last few years that hackers from China regularly steal trade secrets from Western businesses and this theme was touched upon in the novel.
November 12, 2016
Novel received courtesy of Goodreads.com First Reads Giveaway
I liked the premise of the story crafted by Ryan Quinn in "The Good Traitor". A news outlet is invented that scans the internet for stories that are related and put them together so that people get the "whole" story. The problem with that is that governments don't necessarily want all news disseminated to the people. Kera Mersal is on the run after leaking sensitive information to the public. When the U.S. Ambassador to China is killed in a suspicious plane crash, Kera begins to look for links. She tries to figure out the connection between this news organization, the plane crash and the Chinese. I enjoyed the story but probably would have enjoyed it more if I cared more about the characters. Since I haven't read any of Quinn's other books, I may have missed that connection. I also had trouble following all of the acronyms used in the book. Since a couple of them were also from previous books, I'll assume that I would have better understood had I read the books in order.
I liked the premise of the story crafted by Ryan Quinn in "The Good Traitor". A news outlet is invented that scans the internet for stories that are related and put them together so that people get the "whole" story. The problem with that is that governments don't necessarily want all news disseminated to the people. Kera Mersal is on the run after leaking sensitive information to the public. When the U.S. Ambassador to China is killed in a suspicious plane crash, Kera begins to look for links. She tries to figure out the connection between this news organization, the plane crash and the Chinese. I enjoyed the story but probably would have enjoyed it more if I cared more about the characters. Since I haven't read any of Quinn's other books, I may have missed that connection. I also had trouble following all of the acronyms used in the book. Since a couple of them were also from previous books, I'll assume that I would have better understood had I read the books in order.
April 1, 2016
I enjoyed Ryan Quinn’s first tech thriller, End of Secrets, so I read this book as soon as I could. Very glad to see he continues to write real characters in thought-provoking situations, in a clear style. Also, he researches a lot — the elements that play like science fiction here are all things that are in actual development right now. You can learn about them 5 years before the rest of the world by reading this book.
September 18, 2020
Pretty bad story, excellent narration by Angela Dawe. (audible review)
Wow this story was a struggle to get through.
There is zero character development, especially for the so-called main character Kera. There were many random characters just thrown in making you stop and say "who the heck is this person and where did they come from".
Where is the mystery and intrigue? The story was so confusing and convoluted. Terrible writing IMO. This book was missing so many elements to potentially being a good book.
Kera is a Traitor. For what????????? You don't even find that out until so far in the book and there is no back story to it, it's more of an after thought.
I can say the only character I actually liked was Angela Vasser. She is the only character that had any development at all.
As for the narration, it was great. That is the only thing that kept me listening.
Sorry to say I cannot recommend this book at all, ever.
Wow this story was a struggle to get through.
There is zero character development, especially for the so-called main character Kera. There were many random characters just thrown in making you stop and say "who the heck is this person and where did they come from".
Where is the mystery and intrigue? The story was so confusing and convoluted. Terrible writing IMO. This book was missing so many elements to potentially being a good book.
Kera is a Traitor. For what????????? You don't even find that out until so far in the book and there is no back story to it, it's more of an after thought.
I can say the only character I actually liked was Angela Vasser. She is the only character that had any development at all.
As for the narration, it was great. That is the only thing that kept me listening.
Sorry to say I cannot recommend this book at all, ever.
March 22, 2016
This is a fine cyber-terror thriller. We start out with a few seemingly unrelated deaths. The people who died are insignificant (what can you expect only a few pages into a story), but they are the catalyst that cascades a trail of dominoes that traverse through the remainder of the book. The plot is intense through most of the book which you want in a thriller, and mostly believable (which you want in any genre), with one exception.
Near the end of the book, in order to culminate the plot, a certain set of actions need to transpire. Two key opposing pawns (Russian and American) need to meet. Not only do they need to meet, but with all security measures removed (both physical and cyber). The author tried to set up a scenario to allow this occurrence, but it was too much of a stretch to be believable. With the rest of the book so tight, it was a little disappointing to have this one critical plot element collapse. Because this is a critical piece of plot it requires the cost of one rating star. However, the rest of the book was so well written, it maintained the remainder of the story at a four star level of writing.
A complimentary advance copy of this book was provided by the publisher for the purpose of review at Netgalley.com .
Near the end of the book, in order to culminate the plot, a certain set of actions need to transpire. Two key opposing pawns (Russian and American) need to meet. Not only do they need to meet, but with all security measures removed (both physical and cyber). The author tried to set up a scenario to allow this occurrence, but it was too much of a stretch to be believable. With the rest of the book so tight, it was a little disappointing to have this one critical plot element collapse. Because this is a critical piece of plot it requires the cost of one rating star. However, the rest of the book was so well written, it maintained the remainder of the story at a four star level of writing.
A complimentary advance copy of this book was provided by the publisher for the purpose of review at Netgalley.com .
March 19, 2019
I was with this one all the way as it looked at the flip side of the Gnos.is concept and the way it collates the drizzle of data about a certain issue from within a monsoon of unrelated data and comes up with something of significance, which it then published as fact. This is done without fear or favour or human intervention. This is all done without accessing secure networks but scraped together from publicly available sources; so what's the harm, what could possibly go wrong and given that the data is publicly available, even if it's not possible for a human to aggregate the data drizzle, why not publish? This part was fine and dandy as was the main character running around doing the hands on bit.
Where I felt it fell down was at the end when the main character headed off to China without any plan that I could discern and was then, courtesy of the MSS and for no rational reason, thrown together with the character at the centre of the operation. A couple of flash drives and a little gun play later and all is resolved; all rather too pat. I was also expecting further discussion of the morality of Gnos.is automatically publishing facts, which can only be established to be facts by Gnos.is itself, regardless of consequence but it didn't arrive.
Where I felt it fell down was at the end when the main character headed off to China without any plan that I could discern and was then, courtesy of the MSS and for no rational reason, thrown together with the character at the centre of the operation. A couple of flash drives and a little gun play later and all is resolved; all rather too pat. I was also expecting further discussion of the morality of Gnos.is automatically publishing facts, which can only be established to be facts by Gnos.is itself, regardless of consequence but it didn't arrive.
April 2, 2020
Received this book from a Goodreads giveaway. This was a fast good read with an interesting but scary (because it could happen) concept.
Preceding the events in this story, the CIA operative, Kera Mersal, and a co-worker had discovered that the project they were working on with an illegal surveillance of US citizens. After reporting it up the chain of command, they were to told to back off and do their jobs. Neither agreed with that attitude, so they released the information to Gnos.is and were branded traitors to the US, conspirators with China.
Gnos.is is an independently funded news agency that trolls the internet and accepts information from independent sources (such as Kera), what Gnos.is does is very the information from various sources to confirm its authenticity before publishing. Governments, including the US and China, what Gnos.is stopped.
Kera just wants her job back. When she's told that that will never happen, she is determined to prove (despite her past) that she is in fact a patriot.
Preceding the events in this story, the CIA operative, Kera Mersal, and a co-worker had discovered that the project they were working on with an illegal surveillance of US citizens. After reporting it up the chain of command, they were to told to back off and do their jobs. Neither agreed with that attitude, so they released the information to Gnos.is and were branded traitors to the US, conspirators with China.
Gnos.is is an independently funded news agency that trolls the internet and accepts information from independent sources (such as Kera), what Gnos.is does is very the information from various sources to confirm its authenticity before publishing. Governments, including the US and China, what Gnos.is stopped.
Kera just wants her job back. When she's told that that will never happen, she is determined to prove (despite her past) that she is in fact a patriot.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 1, 2017
The story is OK but kind of light, and at times somewhat implausible. The author is not immune from stereotypes and clichés (all hackers are pale, idealistic weirdos drinking litres of Red Bull....).
I read The Good Traitor after the two books by Adam Brooks(Night Heron and Spy Games) and I could not avoid comparing the authors and their work, which present several similarities: they are both emerging writers, they both are trying to modernise the espionage genre. But I must confess Ryan Quinn's work is not at Adam Brook's level.
The tradecraft as presented here is rather light stuff, the plot lacks depth and complexity, the characters are too simple.
Here's the difference between an OK book snd a great one.
I read The Good Traitor after the two books by Adam Brooks(Night Heron and Spy Games) and I could not avoid comparing the authors and their work, which present several similarities: they are both emerging writers, they both are trying to modernise the espionage genre. But I must confess Ryan Quinn's work is not at Adam Brook's level.
The tradecraft as presented here is rather light stuff, the plot lacks depth and complexity, the characters are too simple.
Here's the difference between an OK book snd a great one.
January 16, 2020
Rousing Spy Story
This is the first book that I've read by Ryan Quinn and I really enjoyed it. As with all spy stories it has tons of characters and whose side the are on is hard to ascertain. This story concentrates on hackers and their ability to access top secret information and their beliefs as to whether secrets should or should not be exposed. The main character Kera Mersale, a spy gets caught up in a tussle between the U.S. And China about the moral aspects of releasing secrets and the human costs of doing so. The book requires intense concentration to follow the characters and keep them straight, but the results are worth it.
This is the first book that I've read by Ryan Quinn and I really enjoyed it. As with all spy stories it has tons of characters and whose side the are on is hard to ascertain. This story concentrates on hackers and their ability to access top secret information and their beliefs as to whether secrets should or should not be exposed. The main character Kera Mersale, a spy gets caught up in a tussle between the U.S. And China about the moral aspects of releasing secrets and the human costs of doing so. The book requires intense concentration to follow the characters and keep them straight, but the results are worth it.
May 17, 2017
This was a very good novel, from the moment I started reading the book I was captivated and anxious to see where the author would take us. I could not put this book down and it really is a great book that is available on Kindle Unlimited . So you should go check it out... I am not able to read the way I want with my current schedule which is why it took so long for me to finish this book but it is not from lack of quality that is for sure. Fantastic read that is worth checking out.
November 19, 2017
THIS WAS A VERY INTERESTING BOOK. A LOT OF THE SITUATIONS IN THIS BOOK YOU CAN ACTUALLY SEE HAPPENING. THIS WAS A VERY WELL WRITTEN NOVEL
February 17, 2018
Fast paced, thriller, filled with great action and twists, need to find more books by Ryan Quinn
March 18, 2018
Great story line
Great story line. Fantastical read about computers knowingly running how the people get news and how it controls their lives
Great story line. Fantastical read about computers knowingly running how the people get news and how it controls their lives
March 26, 2018
Interesting book
I enjoyed the book, it was easy reading. The plot was great and I had trouble putting the book down.
I enjoyed the book, it was easy reading. The plot was great and I had trouble putting the book down.
May 15, 2018
Excellent
Suspensful. Did not trust anyone until the end. Hope there is a sequel. Read the book in three days. Recommend.
Suspensful. Did not trust anyone until the end. Hope there is a sequel. Read the book in three days. Recommend.
July 2, 2018
Slow start, better ending
Slow start for contextual purposes, but progressively gets better throughout the book. An interesting fiction, would recommend for all levels of readers.
Slow start for contextual purposes, but progressively gets better throughout the book. An interesting fiction, would recommend for all levels of readers.
December 10, 2018
This book has made me a real fan of the author who tells a page turner of a book. Another eye opener about today's technology.
May 8, 2016
Summary from Goodreads:
"The US ambassador to China is killed in a suspicious plane crash just days after a news article links Chinese spies to US business interests. The American intelligence community is left scrambling to investigate possible connections between the crash and a series of other high-profile deaths.
On the other side of the world, ex-CIA operative Kera Mersal returns to the United States determined to clear her name after being branded a traitor for exposing illegal government surveillance. There, former colleague and fellow fugitive J. D. Jones contacts her with a new assignment: find out who is staging accidents to murder news sources. As the news site continues to publish stories about top-secret CIA programs and Chinese government corruption, Mersal reunites with old allies to uncover the truth and prove her loyalty to her country once and for all. But Mersal’s investigations put her on the trail of a sinister hacker whose own motives may influence a vaster—and more deadly—geopolitical conspiracy than either of the world’s two largest superpowers is prepared to handle."
My Thoughts:
The Good Traitor was a book that I couldn't resist picking up because it just sounded a bit different from my more recent reads. I'm a sucker for a thriller pretty much all of the time but add in spies and "top-secret CIA programs" and this book went on to my TBR wishlist just like that. I may be the world's moodiest reader but books like this are what helps keep my reading interesting and stops me from getting a case of the book slumps. This book just felt like such a refreshing change of pace and I enjoyed every minute of it. The story focuses on Kera Mersal who is on the run herself as she has been branded a traitor to the U.S. government. I loved Kera's character and really enjoyed reading about the different things that she had learned from being in the CIA. All of the different identities that she had created, the ways that she went about covering her tracks so that no one could find her....all of those things had me so completely intrigued. It really gets you thinking about how much of a footprint you leave just by things you share on the internet, using your phone, or other things like that. It is crazy!
I also really enjoyed the mystery portion of this book. There was a ton of suspense surrounding what was really going on. I found myself guessing the entire time which I really loved. The author used technology to add another layer of suspense which almost sounds weird saying it like that. But then when I tell you that I won't be getting on an elevator anytime soon thanks to this book- well, maybe that will help you understand a bit more without ruining anything. The thing I found scariest about this book is how accurate it almost is when it comes to the media and how easily they can portray things in a certain light. I don't think it is a spoiler to share that Kera wasn't really a traitor but she never stood a chance thanks to all of the media attention surrounding what happened. It just makes you think and even though this is a fictional read it left me a bit uneasy. Too close to possible truths perhaps? All I can really tell you is that I couldn't put this book down. I finished it in a matter of days because I just didn't want to stop reading. I would love to read more about Kera but the author did a really great job of wrapping up this book. That ending was so intense! This definitely was the perfect read for the mood I was in and I enjoyed it all the more because of it.
Overall, I really liked this book and am eager to read more by this author. This was such a suspenseful and thrilling read for me and I couldn't get enough. It just felt like a breath of fresh air which I couldn't help but appreciate. I need more books like this in my life! I would recommend this one to both fans of mysteries and thrillers. It is a great ride and I can't wait to hear what others think of it. Recommended!!
Bottom Line: A book that just fit my reading mood perfectly! I love when this happens!
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher as part of a PICT book tour.
"The US ambassador to China is killed in a suspicious plane crash just days after a news article links Chinese spies to US business interests. The American intelligence community is left scrambling to investigate possible connections between the crash and a series of other high-profile deaths.
On the other side of the world, ex-CIA operative Kera Mersal returns to the United States determined to clear her name after being branded a traitor for exposing illegal government surveillance. There, former colleague and fellow fugitive J. D. Jones contacts her with a new assignment: find out who is staging accidents to murder news sources. As the news site continues to publish stories about top-secret CIA programs and Chinese government corruption, Mersal reunites with old allies to uncover the truth and prove her loyalty to her country once and for all. But Mersal’s investigations put her on the trail of a sinister hacker whose own motives may influence a vaster—and more deadly—geopolitical conspiracy than either of the world’s two largest superpowers is prepared to handle."
My Thoughts:
The Good Traitor was a book that I couldn't resist picking up because it just sounded a bit different from my more recent reads. I'm a sucker for a thriller pretty much all of the time but add in spies and "top-secret CIA programs" and this book went on to my TBR wishlist just like that. I may be the world's moodiest reader but books like this are what helps keep my reading interesting and stops me from getting a case of the book slumps. This book just felt like such a refreshing change of pace and I enjoyed every minute of it. The story focuses on Kera Mersal who is on the run herself as she has been branded a traitor to the U.S. government. I loved Kera's character and really enjoyed reading about the different things that she had learned from being in the CIA. All of the different identities that she had created, the ways that she went about covering her tracks so that no one could find her....all of those things had me so completely intrigued. It really gets you thinking about how much of a footprint you leave just by things you share on the internet, using your phone, or other things like that. It is crazy!
I also really enjoyed the mystery portion of this book. There was a ton of suspense surrounding what was really going on. I found myself guessing the entire time which I really loved. The author used technology to add another layer of suspense which almost sounds weird saying it like that. But then when I tell you that I won't be getting on an elevator anytime soon thanks to this book- well, maybe that will help you understand a bit more without ruining anything. The thing I found scariest about this book is how accurate it almost is when it comes to the media and how easily they can portray things in a certain light. I don't think it is a spoiler to share that Kera wasn't really a traitor but she never stood a chance thanks to all of the media attention surrounding what happened. It just makes you think and even though this is a fictional read it left me a bit uneasy. Too close to possible truths perhaps? All I can really tell you is that I couldn't put this book down. I finished it in a matter of days because I just didn't want to stop reading. I would love to read more about Kera but the author did a really great job of wrapping up this book. That ending was so intense! This definitely was the perfect read for the mood I was in and I enjoyed it all the more because of it.
Overall, I really liked this book and am eager to read more by this author. This was such a suspenseful and thrilling read for me and I couldn't get enough. It just felt like a breath of fresh air which I couldn't help but appreciate. I need more books like this in my life! I would recommend this one to both fans of mysteries and thrillers. It is a great ride and I can't wait to hear what others think of it. Recommended!!
Bottom Line: A book that just fit my reading mood perfectly! I love when this happens!
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher as part of a PICT book tour.
April 16, 2016
Ryan Quinn in his new book, “The Good Traitor” Book Two in the Kera Mersal series published by Thomas & Mercer gives us another adventure with Kera Mersal.
From the back cover: The US ambassador to China is killed in a suspicious plane crash just days after a news article links Chinese spies to US business interests. The American intelligence community is left scrambling to investigate possible connections between the crash and a series of other high-profile deaths.
On the other side of the world, ex-CIA operative Kera Mersal returns to the United States determined to clear her name after being branded a traitor for exposing illegal government surveillance. There, former colleague and fellow fugitive J. D. Jones contacts her with a new assignment: find out who is staging accidents to murder news sources. As the news site continues to publish stories about top-secret CIA programs and Chinese government corruption, Mersal reunites with old allies to uncover the truth and prove her loyalty to her country once and for all. But Mersal’s investigations put her on the trail of a sinister hacker whose own motives may influence a vaster—and more deadly—geopolitical conspiracy than either of the world’s two largest superpowers is prepared to handle.
Ryan Quinn has given us a spy novel, but not just any spy novel this one deals with the possibility that there is an entity out there that is causing accidents so that there could be news. The very idea of that is frightening. Then Kera also has to deal with terrorist activity involving hacking into computer systems. Plus she also is trying to clear her name after being branded a traitor from the previous book. Mr. Quinn has given us a terrific character with Kera Mersal, she is quite engrossing and we come to care for her and want her to succeed. That is not such an easy task as the bad guys are trying to kill her. Kera and her friends, who also are quite interesting, are in for the ride of their lives that will twist your nerve endings and becomes more suspenseful until the last hundred pages which is an extremely wild ride. On top of everything this is quite an engrossing thriller that will have you muttering “oh, no” as you are reading as fast as you can to get to the next page. Don’t start this book late at night as it will cost you sleep sleep as you will not want to put it down. I am already looking forward to the next book in this series.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Partners In Crime. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
From the back cover: The US ambassador to China is killed in a suspicious plane crash just days after a news article links Chinese spies to US business interests. The American intelligence community is left scrambling to investigate possible connections between the crash and a series of other high-profile deaths.
On the other side of the world, ex-CIA operative Kera Mersal returns to the United States determined to clear her name after being branded a traitor for exposing illegal government surveillance. There, former colleague and fellow fugitive J. D. Jones contacts her with a new assignment: find out who is staging accidents to murder news sources. As the news site continues to publish stories about top-secret CIA programs and Chinese government corruption, Mersal reunites with old allies to uncover the truth and prove her loyalty to her country once and for all. But Mersal’s investigations put her on the trail of a sinister hacker whose own motives may influence a vaster—and more deadly—geopolitical conspiracy than either of the world’s two largest superpowers is prepared to handle.
Ryan Quinn has given us a spy novel, but not just any spy novel this one deals with the possibility that there is an entity out there that is causing accidents so that there could be news. The very idea of that is frightening. Then Kera also has to deal with terrorist activity involving hacking into computer systems. Plus she also is trying to clear her name after being branded a traitor from the previous book. Mr. Quinn has given us a terrific character with Kera Mersal, she is quite engrossing and we come to care for her and want her to succeed. That is not such an easy task as the bad guys are trying to kill her. Kera and her friends, who also are quite interesting, are in for the ride of their lives that will twist your nerve endings and becomes more suspenseful until the last hundred pages which is an extremely wild ride. On top of everything this is quite an engrossing thriller that will have you muttering “oh, no” as you are reading as fast as you can to get to the next page. Don’t start this book late at night as it will cost you sleep sleep as you will not want to put it down. I am already looking forward to the next book in this series.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Partners In Crime. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
May 21, 2016
I read End of Secrets, the first book in this series when it came out as a Kindle First and was excited to see Ryan Quinn had a new book and immediately downloaded it on NetGalley. I will repeat the broken record I say for all books in a series--start with End of Secrets first. There is some catch-up in this book but you'll benefit from learning the details of how Kera Mersal goes from CIA operative to Edward Snowden-like fugitive--considered a traitor by her government and most of the population after the smear job they do on her.
This books starts with the downing of a private plane owned by a Chinese businessman and with the US ambassador to China on board. Then there are a couple of elevator accidents--in NYC and in Paris and the intelligence community begins to see that there may be links between these deaths that came after Gnos.is, the high-tech news agency introduced in the first book publishes a story about corruption in Chinese government. Kara is back in the country and looking for a way to clear her name and works with and around Gnos.is with an aissgnmentfrom her former colleague J.D. Jones and former potential romantic interest Rafael Bolivar (see you need to read the first book...) to put all the pieces together.
I am not the most techy of people but Quinn creates drama and builds angst about a world where nothing is really private so well that he makes me paranoid to turn on my computer or smart phone. It's fascinating and terrifying and makes for an absorbing page-turner with a definite "ripped-from the-headlines" vibe. Kera remains a worthy protagonist--a strong woman and easy to root for. We also get a deeper dig into Lionel Bright, CIA Director and Kera's former mentor in the organization which I liked. I would have liked more time with Rafael, J.D. and Gnos.is--maybe in the next book? And I liked the addition in this book of Angela Vasser--another smart and strong female character, aide to the Ambassador to China--who finds herself framed and vilified and a potential murder target in need of Kera's assistance. I enjoyed The Good Traitor even a bit more than the first book and look forward to more from Kera. If you like espionage, cyber-technology, FBI/CIA and political thrillers, you will likely enjoy this one.
Note: I was given a free ARC copy of The Good Traitor from the publisher via NetGalley in return for a fair and honest review. I was not compensated for my review and my thoughts and opinions are my own.
This books starts with the downing of a private plane owned by a Chinese businessman and with the US ambassador to China on board. Then there are a couple of elevator accidents--in NYC and in Paris and the intelligence community begins to see that there may be links between these deaths that came after Gnos.is, the high-tech news agency introduced in the first book publishes a story about corruption in Chinese government. Kara is back in the country and looking for a way to clear her name and works with and around Gnos.is with an aissgnmentfrom her former colleague J.D. Jones and former potential romantic interest Rafael Bolivar (see you need to read the first book...) to put all the pieces together.
I am not the most techy of people but Quinn creates drama and builds angst about a world where nothing is really private so well that he makes me paranoid to turn on my computer or smart phone. It's fascinating and terrifying and makes for an absorbing page-turner with a definite "ripped-from the-headlines" vibe. Kera remains a worthy protagonist--a strong woman and easy to root for. We also get a deeper dig into Lionel Bright, CIA Director and Kera's former mentor in the organization which I liked. I would have liked more time with Rafael, J.D. and Gnos.is--maybe in the next book? And I liked the addition in this book of Angela Vasser--another smart and strong female character, aide to the Ambassador to China--who finds herself framed and vilified and a potential murder target in need of Kera's assistance. I enjoyed The Good Traitor even a bit more than the first book and look forward to more from Kera. If you like espionage, cyber-technology, FBI/CIA and political thrillers, you will likely enjoy this one.
Note: I was given a free ARC copy of The Good Traitor from the publisher via NetGalley in return for a fair and honest review. I was not compensated for my review and my thoughts and opinions are my own.
April 7, 2016
I really liked this novel of international espionage and suspense. It is a chilling combination of technology and deception set in the framework of international relations.
Our heroine is ex-CIA agent, Kera Mersal, who is trying to clear her name after blowing the cover on an operation gone rogue. Her fall from CIA grace is in End of Secrets but I have not read that book and thoroughly enjoyed this one.
Kera is one tough woman. She puts all of her CIA skills to the test as she investigates several suspicious deaths, including that of the U.S. Ambassador to China. The request for her expertise does not come from a government agency but from two men running a technological news agency. These fellows are from the previous novel but again, there is enough back story to understand what's going on.
Their news service is unique. A computer sources information from all over the world, compares collected data and word relationships, verifies the truth of a story, then publishes it on the web. No primary source is needed to uncover a story. Words, phrases, locations, etc., from a variety of sources are all processed to reveal the underlying truth.
I found that aspect of the novel fascinating. Running parallel to that accumulation of data and information is that of government agencies. Reading this novel really made me aware of how vulnerable American citizens are to having their emails and phone calls investigated by government agencies.
This is a spy novel and some of the spying and terrorist activity involves hacking into computer systems. Action in the novel reads like today's newspaper with one country trying to gather information about another country or a major company. That was highlighted in the novel in the relationship between China and the U.S.
I really enjoyed this techno spy thriller. It has well crafted characters and a compelling plot. Quinn has done his research to create a plausible novel. I recommend it to those who enjoy first rate espionage adventure.
I received a complimentary digital copy of this book through Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours for the purpose of an independent and honest review.
Our heroine is ex-CIA agent, Kera Mersal, who is trying to clear her name after blowing the cover on an operation gone rogue. Her fall from CIA grace is in End of Secrets but I have not read that book and thoroughly enjoyed this one.
Kera is one tough woman. She puts all of her CIA skills to the test as she investigates several suspicious deaths, including that of the U.S. Ambassador to China. The request for her expertise does not come from a government agency but from two men running a technological news agency. These fellows are from the previous novel but again, there is enough back story to understand what's going on.
Their news service is unique. A computer sources information from all over the world, compares collected data and word relationships, verifies the truth of a story, then publishes it on the web. No primary source is needed to uncover a story. Words, phrases, locations, etc., from a variety of sources are all processed to reveal the underlying truth.
I found that aspect of the novel fascinating. Running parallel to that accumulation of data and information is that of government agencies. Reading this novel really made me aware of how vulnerable American citizens are to having their emails and phone calls investigated by government agencies.
This is a spy novel and some of the spying and terrorist activity involves hacking into computer systems. Action in the novel reads like today's newspaper with one country trying to gather information about another country or a major company. That was highlighted in the novel in the relationship between China and the U.S.
I really enjoyed this techno spy thriller. It has well crafted characters and a compelling plot. Quinn has done his research to create a plausible novel. I recommend it to those who enjoy first rate espionage adventure.
I received a complimentary digital copy of this book through Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours for the purpose of an independent and honest review.
Read
May 3, 2016INTENSE That's the best word that describes my experience in reading The Good Traitor by Ryan Quinn. Thankfully, I'm allowed to express more fully how fantastic this novel is.
Ryan Quinn knows his stuff. He's either an experienced cyber techie spy agent, or he's done his research (I suspect the latter ... I hope). The varied settings, the dynamic characters, the exciting scenes weave a complex plot. In other words, the detail and variety of characters kept me both glued and amazed at how complex the world has become - and dangerous. Given I was born in a remote rural community that had no phones or electricity, I'm in the generation that struggles to keep abreast of modern technology. As a result, some of the more advanced techno jargon was beyond me. However, instead of losing me in the mystery, it added to the suspense.
I liked that many of the characters were occasionally portrayed in their human skin with attachment of failures, fears - a full range of emotions from the darkest to the lovable. This was no romance novel, though. The punch of The Good Traitor was focused on the world of spying and collecting secrets. The tension is inflamed as the reader discovers the deadly risk if the secrets are exposed, and what political governments are prepared to do to safeguard their nefarious actions. Murder, horrific and callous; there's no escape. Only Kera's courage and intelligence training and skill can be relied upon to sort through the maze of lies and twisted logic. The reader soon realizes there is no way Kera can survive and escape. Unless ....
The Good Traitor is one of those novels a reader can reread several times and get deeper into the plot's twists and become a loyal companion of Kera.
I received a copy of The Good Traitor in exchange for posting an honest review. Thank you Ryan Quinn and Partners in Crime virtual book tours for this opportunity to celebrate this novel's launch.
Ryan Quinn knows his stuff. He's either an experienced cyber techie spy agent, or he's done his research (I suspect the latter ... I hope). The varied settings, the dynamic characters, the exciting scenes weave a complex plot. In other words, the detail and variety of characters kept me both glued and amazed at how complex the world has become - and dangerous. Given I was born in a remote rural community that had no phones or electricity, I'm in the generation that struggles to keep abreast of modern technology. As a result, some of the more advanced techno jargon was beyond me. However, instead of losing me in the mystery, it added to the suspense.
I liked that many of the characters were occasionally portrayed in their human skin with attachment of failures, fears - a full range of emotions from the darkest to the lovable. This was no romance novel, though. The punch of The Good Traitor was focused on the world of spying and collecting secrets. The tension is inflamed as the reader discovers the deadly risk if the secrets are exposed, and what political governments are prepared to do to safeguard their nefarious actions. Murder, horrific and callous; there's no escape. Only Kera's courage and intelligence training and skill can be relied upon to sort through the maze of lies and twisted logic. The reader soon realizes there is no way Kera can survive and escape. Unless ....
The Good Traitor is one of those novels a reader can reread several times and get deeper into the plot's twists and become a loyal companion of Kera.
I received a copy of The Good Traitor in exchange for posting an honest review. Thank you Ryan Quinn and Partners in Crime virtual book tours for this opportunity to celebrate this novel's launch.
June 21, 2016
Quinn's "The Good Traitor" is an absolutely adrenaline charged espionage adventure with a complex but altogether believable plot, suspense that ratchets chapter by chapter and characters who bring you along on an amazing, rollercoaster ride. The book addresses philosophical issues regarding internet use, specifically whether governments should be allowed to monitor their citizens' activities. I'm not a computer guru by any means but the novel appears to be satisfactorily researched. CIA agents, as a matter of conscience, and after all other avenues of intervention fail, release the classified information that the CIA has been illegally monitoring US citizens, to Gnos.is, an emerging name in the news industry. Gnos.is however is not a typical news organization, but one who secretly uses a massive computer system, hidden in a remote mountain in Montana and maintained by a small group of computer geeks, to collect, sort and verify all available digital information to create news stories. Within a short time period, multiple incidents involving deaths of Americans become a cause of growing concern. Kera, one of the CIA whistleblowers (the "good traitor") who disappeared after being charged with treason, is contacted and hired by the owner of Gnos.is to determine whether the deaths could be related to the deceased having indirectly contributed to their database. (The US ambassador to China dies in a private jet crash, and three other deaths involving elevator malfunctions occur in New York, San Francisco and Paris). Can Kera defeat China's insidious plans without inciting an unnecessary breakdown of relations, between East and West, and maintain her personal freedom? I thoroughly enjoyed "The Good Traitor" and appreciated the opportunity provided by Netgalley and the publisher to read this ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.
April 15, 2016
A very enjoyable cyberespionage novel involving the Chinese, the various US spy agencies, and a private computer network called Gnos.is that gathers all available digital data, as well as information uploaded to its servers intentionally, and determines what is true and publishes the story. Around the same as the US ambassador to China dies in the crash of a small plane owned by a Chinese businessman and two other individuals die in freak elevator accidents, Gnos.is publishes a story about a secret US program (TERMITE) spying on foreign journalists, which gets the US government up in arms about the leak. Add into the mix, Kera Mersal, former CIA asset who has been branded a traitor for leaking information about another clandestine US spy program geared towards US citizens. Nothing is at it seems as the founder of Gnos.is and his right-hand man try to figure out how Gnos.is discovered TERMITE, who is killing their sources, and why; the various US spy agencies are trying to figure out how Gnos.is knew what it knew, who was leaking the information, and how best to contain the problem; and Kera tries to unsort the whole mess herself while avoiding capture. This was a well written story with lots of twists, turns, and intrigues. The author takes past events and known capabilities, including US spying on friends and enemies and Chinese efforts at cyberespionage, and creates a plausible plot that expands these known capabilities. The characters are well developed and interesting. This book is well worth the read. Interested in checking out the author's earlier work.
I received a copy of the ebook from Net Galley in exchange for a review.
I received a copy of the ebook from Net Galley in exchange for a review.
September 11, 2016
It sounded like an interesting plot, but the book is rather boring. Except for the plane and the elevator crashes there is no action almost up to the second half of the book, when it takes up some speed. Throughout the book, the spy agencies and the news site guys rack their brains on the "vaster -- and more deadly -- geopolitical conspiracy" behind the assassinations while playing their little games in meeting rooms. They (and you) don't learn much until the very last few pages, which hold a rather banal explanation.
Spoiler:
Spoiler:
April 6, 2016
Carrying on from the cyber-espionage of "End of Secrets" this book fires off in the same manner - and it delivers!
Kera Mersal has been disgraced. She is in hiding. She is not done! She wants to prove her innocence and needs a way to do this.
Gnos.is is still causing havoc and when it publishes information about a top secret CIA operation panic ensues. This then ties in with the assassination of a US Ambassador in China. All eyes then focus on that investigations.... and another scapegoat is found in the Ambassador's assistant.
Fast paced intrigue ensues as we follow that trail, how Kera gets involved and starts to uncover ties across numerous murders, and something even deeper pointing at China.
This is an excellent follow on book to the first, carrying on the main characters in a a great way and looking to build even further the adventures of Kera. Lots of interesting twists and quite a good grasp of cyber crime.
I look forward to the next book !
I got this through Netgalley from the publisher for an honest review and opinion.
Kera Mersal has been disgraced. She is in hiding. She is not done! She wants to prove her innocence and needs a way to do this.
Gnos.is is still causing havoc and when it publishes information about a top secret CIA operation panic ensues. This then ties in with the assassination of a US Ambassador in China. All eyes then focus on that investigations.... and another scapegoat is found in the Ambassador's assistant.
Fast paced intrigue ensues as we follow that trail, how Kera gets involved and starts to uncover ties across numerous murders, and something even deeper pointing at China.
This is an excellent follow on book to the first, carrying on the main characters in a a great way and looking to build even further the adventures of Kera. Lots of interesting twists and quite a good grasp of cyber crime.
I look forward to the next book !
I got this through Netgalley from the publisher for an honest review and opinion.
April 21, 2016
While this book carries on after the author's previous spy novel, I read it as a stand alone.
Seemingly unrelated murders set off events of international proportions that draw the reader eagerly into this fast paced yet plausible techno thriller adventure.
One of the main elements, as much as the human characters, of this book is a private computer network called Gno.is Similar to the TV series Person of Interest, this system takes information from a multitude of sources and uses a form of A.I. to determine what is news. Twists, turns and complications on every page as former C.I.A. Operative Kera Mersal both tries to clear her name and avoid capture while discovering how the information is being manipulated and leaked. Branded a traitor by the C.I.A. Kera, an engaging protagonist the reader cares about deeply, has enemies on all sides.
Written in clear, straight forward language, the book is well researched. In most cases it is impossible to distinguish fantasy from future technology.
I was provided with a copy of the book in exchange for my review.
Seemingly unrelated murders set off events of international proportions that draw the reader eagerly into this fast paced yet plausible techno thriller adventure.
One of the main elements, as much as the human characters, of this book is a private computer network called Gno.is Similar to the TV series Person of Interest, this system takes information from a multitude of sources and uses a form of A.I. to determine what is news. Twists, turns and complications on every page as former C.I.A. Operative Kera Mersal both tries to clear her name and avoid capture while discovering how the information is being manipulated and leaked. Branded a traitor by the C.I.A. Kera, an engaging protagonist the reader cares about deeply, has enemies on all sides.
Written in clear, straight forward language, the book is well researched. In most cases it is impossible to distinguish fantasy from future technology.
I was provided with a copy of the book in exchange for my review.
December 14, 2016
I LOVED End of Secrets. I only give 5-star reviews to really awesome books that make a lasting impression on me, and End of Secrets was one of the few. I was so excited to see another Ryan Quinn book released, but for some reason, I just couldn't get into this one like I got into EoS.
It just wasn't quite as vivid. I loved EoS because there was so much intrigue and action, and I felt like I was right there in the thick of it and, as I said in my review for it, walking right there alongside Kera the whole time.
I felt slightly detached from this one, a casual onlooker, and I think it had a lot to do with the switch in locations from chapter to chapter without much transition. It was a little choppy, not quite as fluid and smooth.
Don't get me wrong - I did enjoy the book and would certainly recommend it. It's definitely more than a 3-star book, but I just can't quite stretch it to 4. I'm usually not a fan of the international spy genre, but Ryan Quinn makes me enjoy it for the duration of his novels.
It just wasn't quite as vivid. I loved EoS because there was so much intrigue and action, and I felt like I was right there in the thick of it and, as I said in my review for it, walking right there alongside Kera the whole time.
I felt slightly detached from this one, a casual onlooker, and I think it had a lot to do with the switch in locations from chapter to chapter without much transition. It was a little choppy, not quite as fluid and smooth.
Don't get me wrong - I did enjoy the book and would certainly recommend it. It's definitely more than a 3-star book, but I just can't quite stretch it to 4. I'm usually not a fan of the international spy genre, but Ryan Quinn makes me enjoy it for the duration of his novels.
June 11, 2016
I won a copy of "The Good Traitor" through the Goodreads giveaway program. This novel moved along at a much better pace than the author's previous "End of Secrets". The technological aspect of the story was presented in a way that made it understandable, even if the reader did not possess a vast amount of techno-knowledge. Michael Crichton is the only other author I've read who had the ability to engage the reader in a techno-thriller in a way they could follow the story, yet not feel it had been dumbed-down for them. I disliked "End of Secrets", but was impressed enough by this book I wold read this author again. It was more plot- than character-driven and an enjoyable read.
May 6, 2016
I thought this was a good book. It was a little too real life for me but that is not to say the author did not do a good job. Rather he did in making this seem like something that could happen. I thought the book was steady in pace and was not lacking for content. You can tell the author does his research in writing. I have to agree with another reader and say that this book was intense. You can feel a sense of danger for the characters as you are reading this. This is a second book in a series but you can read it as a stand alone. If you enjoy techno-thriller mysteries then this is the book for you.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews