Brute Force

Rachel Peng #4

by K.B. Spangler

Two years ago, OACET Agent Rachel Peng helped a serial murderer escape from police custody. This morning, he appeared in her backyard, wearing the face of a dead friend from her days in the Army. Within minutes of his arrival, Rachel learns that the head of OACET’s wife has been kidnapped . . . along with Rachel’s niece. Rachel can’t deny that Marshall Wyatt has helped her and the other members of the Office of Adaptive and Complementary Technologies before, but that was on his terms. This time, he says he’s here to do what she can’t—and as OACET’s liaison to the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, the list of what Rachel can’t be caught doing is long. If she wants to rescue her niece, she might have to let Wyatt do what he does best. But if she does get caught, Rachel and her fellow Agents might lose everything. ____________________________________ Reviews for the Rachel Peng “after spending the length of the novel with her, I'm eager to pick up the next one to see what's next for Rachel Peng” (io9) “If I have any regrets about Rachel Peng, it's that we're unlikely to ever see her front and center on a multiplex screen, cracking wise before she shoots somebody's kneecaps off. And we should. Rachel Peng is a bad-ass for the digital age.” (New York Times bestselling author, Seanan McGuire)

Genres: Science Fiction, Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Police

349 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 27, 2016

About the author

K.B. Spangler lives in North Carolina with her husband and two completely awful dogs. They live in the decaying house of a dead poet. She is the author and artist of the webcomic, "A Girl and Her Fed," and author of novels and short stories. All projects include themes of privacy, politics, technology, civil liberties, the human experience, and how the lines between these blur like the dickens.

If you enjoy mysteries, you want to read the RACHEL PENG books.

If you enjoy fantasy adventures, thrillers, and necromancers with ADHD, you want to read the HOPE BLACKWELL books.

If you enjoy sexy romances with sexy people who solve unsexy crimes, you want to read the JOSH GLASSMAN books.

And if you enjoy coming-of-age stories with intergalactic intelligences, you want to read STONESKIN.

Reviews

[Tony Hisgett · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story opens with Hope and Avery being kidnapped and I hoped that this would mean we were going to see Rachel raising some hell as she ‘fights’ to get them back and make the perpetrators suffer.

The problem is, that’s not the way the author writes her books. Up until this book I have enjoyed the stories and getting to know Rachel, even though I don’t particularly like her style of writing. Unfortunately, I really didn’t like the way this story was constructed. It’s probably just me, as everybody else seems to like the pages and pages of nothing happening and the endless introspection.

The story did improve towards the end, but the ending was unsatisfying. I know in real life the villains don’t always get punished, but this is fiction and I’d like to finish one of these books and think that the instigators of the crimes would get what they deserve.

[Terri]

DNF at just 5%.

I guess I have hit my limit with this author's clumsy backfilling of past events; the third or fourth instance in just a few pages would've made me through the book against a wall if it hadn't been an ebook. This many books into a series, I was hoping for improvement in this aspect of writing craft. But nope.

[Jean Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read. Once again, we follow the life of Rachael Peng, special agent of OACET and liaison to the Washington D.C. Police. This time, however, it's gotten rather personal, as the wife of her boss and her honorary niece are kidnapped. This one is a little thicker with layers and metaphors, but still quite readable & enjoyable. The same for multiple references to incidents in the previous books in Spangler's universe...but again, it will still be easy enough to follow along for new readers. Like a holiday feast (one timed for a holiday release, lol), this is one of those books where you're going to keep coming back for seconds, and thirds, and then later on for the tasty leftovers.

I'm going to reread it again as a treat for myself once I get some more work done. I know there are layers I missed in the first read-through, things which are going to pop up and stand out on a second read...and then I'm going to binge-read all five books over the final holidays of the year. (Sorry, Joss Glassman, but your novel, THE RUSSIANS CAME KNOCKING, is more of a fluffy dessert item, absolutely delicious but not necessarily a part of this delicious main meal.)

I highly recommend Spangler's universe, starting with DIGITAL DIVIDE, then MAKER SPACE, followed by STATE MACHINE, and BRUTE FORCE is no exception.

(*Warning, if you read GREEK KEY between STATE MACHINE and BRUTE FORCE, or perhaps follow Spangler's webcomic A Girl And Her Fed, you will see that some of the decorative "greens" on the plate of this feast are in fact edible...or rather, decorative "blues"? Not saying why, though; you'll have to read her webcomic and so forth to find out for yourselves!)

[Niall Teasdale · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one just edges into a four. Close thing, but I think the enormous amount of angst was outweighed by the generally quite good plot and execution.

Various things in Rachel's past come back to bite her in this one, which is the cause for much introspection and a fair bit of angst. I know people who would hate this book just because certain people don't appear to get the desserts they should have been served, but I'm less inclined to believe that bad people always get what they deserve and that gets a pass. I still don't get why things ended exactly the way they did; one element just made little sense to me, but there you go. Maybe an end to be tied up in the future.

Anyway, a fairly good detective/spy/sci-fi/adventure with a bit of slice-of-life thrown in for good measure. I'd have liked to see Hope kick more butt, and possibly some psychopathic koala action, but you can't have everything, can you?

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this series. and I'm hoping to see the rest of it hopefully sometime this year. We've been promised the other three books but I have no idea what the timeline for them is.

I keep meaning to go and read the comic this is linked to but I seem to keep not reading it. it stands up pretty well on it's own. And since there are other books that are linked mre or less to these ones I will probably end up reading them. i'm under the impression that the first Hope Blackwell book links right into the third Rachel Peng book so I should probably start there. Though I'm thinking of grabbing the josh Glassman books instead because I liked his character better than Hope's so I'm more inclined to read about him rather than her. but that's just a personal thing. or maybe it's just that we're seeing things in this series from Rachel's POV and maybe she's not the biggest fan of her boss' wife.

[Henry Lazarus · Rating 4 out of 5]

K.B. Spangler has a nice mystery series about OACET Agent Rachel Peng. The agency consists of people who had a quantum-organic computer placed in their brain to connect them top all the computer streams around them. Alas only three hundred and fifty of the five hundred victims survived the first few years. Rachel lost her eyes from staring at the sun, but the chip lets her see emotions, and through walls. The fourth tale Brute Force (paper from A Girl and Her Fed Books) starts with a kidnaping of an agent and her daughter for political reasons. In this exciting tale, Rachel and her friends have to not only locate the victims, but also tread carefully to keep their agency from negative press. I really like the series and hope for new tales soon.Review printed by Philadelphia Weekly Press

[Emilious Tarr · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like these books. For sure, this is not The Great Gatsby, but it is a good, easy read. It helps to be a fan, or at least familiar with NMs. Spangler's webcomic, A Girl and Her Fed, but the stories, work by themselves too. Its amusing to watch other reviewers try to talk around plot devices, or lament the lack of tie ins between the two, but this series is set in a time period that has not been covered by the comic, and for one, I think that adds to the enjoyment.

[Carly Johnstone · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love these books

I don't have criticism too offer. I just enjoy reading a longer form of a story I'm still following after several years. It's a good comic and a good series to kill some time with, that has the added benefit of making you think about this crazy world we're imperfectly adapting alongside. Not such a bad way to spend a few hours, if you ask me;)

[Shane Andrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent witty book in a great series

I love this author and all of their works- they write deep and intelligent stories about veru real people in a universe that hits close to home, even when the cast includes pixie Benjmin Franklin's ghost.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intense kidnapping drama

This was the tensest (so far) of the series. Hope and Avery are kidnapped, and Glazer shows back up to “help” Rachel solve it. Lots of musing on militias and sovereign citizens, too.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Big finish. Not sure if I will reread this series. I'm not a fan of layered despair and existential dread that was the main flavors... but I did like the cool cyborg tricks and talents that were balanced with drawbacks and limitations.

I will have to check out Spangler's new series.

[jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've really been enjoying escaping into this world, and am so sad that I finished all the available books (finished Greek Key recently too =/).

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

K.B. Spangler has a way of really pulling you into a character's head and fleshing out the world around them. Great book.

[Mischa · Rating 5 out of 5]

These books are always interesting. :)

[Allison Henle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book unsatisfying - too much about politics, not enough about solving murders. Also, the whole kidnapping and abuse of two very vulnerable characters, did not thrill me.

[Cass · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5

[Katja · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid, enjoyable read.

[Elyse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not my favorite of the series; felt a little more disjointed and a little less kick-ass from Rachel Peng. But still a fun read overall.

Next!

[Scott Shjefte · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read Kindle book using Alexa audio asset. Libby library book. Following procedures makes it tough to get the answers needed

[Alexandra Almond]

I do like the morally gray exploring bits (the bad guys don't always get what they deserve and that's... okay, sometimes?) but I'm losing momentum on the series as a whole.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lost a star for me because the banter didn't quite measure up to the series standard--but otherwise I think the best Rachel Peng since the first one. The author hasn't given over the ruminations about living in a sort of collective or hive mind, but she's not dwelling on the topic so much as before....which keeps the story moving. The storyline is logical (enough) and Rachel's brilliance seems natural in the context of the clues and data she's given. Here her talent for accumulating physical injuries really gets out of hand, though--would someone please put her in a straitjacket for her own protection ?!?

Looking forward to future episodes.

[Shayla Gibson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book opens with one of the very few realistic anesthetic scenes I've ever seen in an action story. None of that trope-crap instant anesthesia from random muscle injection or (good lord the horror) ether inhalation. I cannot overestimate how happy it makes me to see this done well!

I've long enjoyed KB Spangler's webcomic (A Girl and Her Fed) so these books based on characters from the comic seemed like a shoe-in for enjoyment. And they are! Rachel Peng is not a major character in the webcomic, so it was nice get to meet new characters, though my true loyalty will always lie with Hope and Speedy. Yeah, Speedy, not Sparky. If you read the comic, you'll know who the really dangerous ones are. If you haven't read the comic, go do so! What're you waiting for? It's easily available online!

After reading this series (including Brute Force, as a pre-release proofreader, which was a blast! I know authors don't usually read reviews, but if you happen by, thank you so much for letting me do that!) I think my next dream book is a team-up between Rachel and Hope, because the ensuing chaos would be amazing.

Oh, right, what are the books about? Very briefly, these books are set in the fall-out of a secret government-funded program which created cyborgs for use in spying and infiltration missions. "Not the clankity-clank pneumatic gun-arm variety of cyborg, but the type that was otherwise completely human except for the tiny chip in their brain which allowed them to take control of any networked machine. (If she had been given the option, Rachel probably would have chosen the gun arm, or the rocket legs, or any other heavy artillery to augment her own natural stopping power instead of the implant. But those were the stuff of science fiction; she had no idea how a piece of technology as complex as her implant could have been invented before the scientists perfected flamethrower fingers. Different priorities, she supposed. Still. Flamethrower fingers.)"

[Eileen Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some parts of Brute Force are funnier if you’re familiar with the rest of Spangler’s work. It’s probably an inevitable part of being the fourth installment in a series that is itself set in the five year gap between two narrative parts of a webcomic. But the thing that first struck me was a mention of gardening – any mention of yardwork becomes tragicomic when you’ve read about Spangler’s misadventures in rebuilding the Randall Jarrell house.

Spangler manages to stay topical and current in a sea of wildly varied emergent concerns. Every one of the Rachel Peng novels so far has tackled a facet of that, in addition to the difficulties of living as part of a hive mind and being a cyborg in general. One of the interesting issues with the hive mind - particularly a hive mind centered in DC - is that it manages to encompass a variety of political beliefs. The books are about politics, but don't particularly proselytize any one political view - except maybe the view that you probably shouldn't trust most politicians as far as you can throw them.

The pacing of this book starts with a bang and then just keeps rolling; one of my favorite things in suspense novels is when everything just keeps happening such that sleep becomes wildly elusive, and Brute Force delivers on that. Things just keep rolling in such a way that hints are dropped and missed just because there's too much else to do. I'll have to reread and see what I can pick up on a second pass - and Spangler's works take rereading well, so this is no hardship - because when I got to the end I wasn't expecting the reveal. It left me surprised and delighted, but now I want to hunt through for what I missed in terms of clues while I was distracted by militias and functionally psychic cyborgs.

[ShingetsuMoon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has become one of my favorite series and another entry into the series. OACET is once again caught up in trouble and this time it's a lot more personal as two people close to the agency have been kidnapped along with other innocents in a powerplay by a militia. One that wants to talk to OACET.

There are plenty of metaphors and parallels with real world events to be found if you look for them. Once again the book isn't afraid to dive headfirst into issues of government corruption, privacy, political power and holding those in power responsible for their actions. Even if those actions seem to be for the better good.

OACET has fended off a lot in their existence but and their standing is both more and less secure then ever. Public opinion may be high but those who wish to manipulate them haven't gone away, they've just gotten smarter. Sort of. This novel shows off the twists, turns, and blurred lines that come along with that reality along with a returning character who comes back to haunt Rachel and show that the consequences from decisions made in the past never really go away.

This was as expected a great political thriller and good science fiction that helps expand the characters, the organization, and the tangled web of politics and personal drama that OACET continually has to wade through.

[Naomi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book, hope the next one comes out soon!
This is the fourth book in the Rachel Peng series, and the most recent. This book opens with the Kidnapping of Rachel’s Boss’ wife. Usually this would be fine, since Hope Blackwell has been training in martial arts since she was 5, but they also kidnapped the two year old Avery to keep Hope in line. Rachel gets called in, both as an honorary aunt to Avery as both her parents are also cyborgs (called Agents) but also to back up the diplomacy crew with her specialty in perception scans. The sovereign citizen militia behind the kidnapping says hope came of her own free will and all they want is to work with the Agents to fix the government, but none of the puzzle pieces for how they act quite fit together. In the midst of this an old enemy comes back claiming to be on their side, and Rachel has to confess to a secret she has managed to hold for two years. One that could have serious ramifications for all of the Agents.

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series is the rare automatic-purchase from me. The mystery/detective part is always pretty engrossing to me, and I so appreciate a world where you're not just always breathing in an assumption of the inferiority of anything that doesn't follow the progressive ideals of the Left.

[bogo_lode · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this book, love this series, love the story universe.

Can't wait for more.

[Kevin Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a fan of the web comic I am really enjoying the books as they add an alternate point of view of events. This book with the serial killer working with the hero adds a great bit of tension as well.

[Wetdryvac · Rating 5 out of 5]

The afterword on this one, hinting at changes made: Damn, those changes worked well indeed. Bloody loved this one.

[Mike W. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent book in KB Spangler's "A Girl and Her Fed" world.