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When X-hacker Charlie Riven is framed for a crime she didn't commit, she accepts help from an unlikely source--sexy Treasury Agent Elaine Harper.

Charlotte "Charlie" Riven is a former hacker working for Whitestone, a multibillion-dollar hedge fund. When someone modifies one of her programs to divert millions of dollars...somewhere...Charlie is first in line to take the fall for it. But something doesn't compute--she's being followed, her lines are tapped, and Treasury Agent Elaine Harper is investigating her--all for a simple theft?

It's not about the money--it's all about the biochemical agents still located on Plum Island, a megalomaniac with dreams of genetic superiority, and a race to stop the drop, patch the hole, and catch the mole--before it's way too late, for everyone.

241 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2009

62 people want to read

About the author

J.D. Glass

52 books89 followers
JD Glass is a well-known author and musician. She's from New York City, and has a strong following for both her writing and her music.

JD Glass is the author of American Library Association (Stonewall) and Lambda Literary Award (Literature) finalist Punk Like Me, Punk And Zen, Lambda Literary Award and Ben Franklin Award finalist Red Light, GCLS finalist American Goth, and the critically acclaimed X; selection editor (and contributor) of GCLS Award winning anthology Outsiders, and listed on the Advocate's Top 100 (2011) for CORE, Vol.1 Iss.1. JD is also contributor to the 50 Gay and Lesbian Books You Must Read, and is a GCLS Finalist for Nocturnes (an erotic anthology). Her latest works include Punk And Zen Pt. 1: The ReMix, Interludes, and First Blood.

Called by some the voice of a generation and the erotic philospher by others, JD works in often familiar-seeming worlds, with people we know, people like ourselves, people we’d like to meet, and provides powerful stories that allow the reader to rejoice and wonder, stumble and fall, then rejoice victoriously again at the amazing experience of being human.

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5 stars
17 (26%)
4 stars
16 (24%)
3 stars
21 (32%)
2 stars
10 (15%)
1 star
1 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
Profile Image for Ted.
560 reviews89 followers
October 10, 2017
Can't say I particularly liked the ending, but it wasn't enough in my mind to knock off an entire star for it. This is a 2nd edition release. The original was in '09. As I got to the end of this I thought, there is no way there isn't a sequel at least. Well I looked and it doesn't appear there's a follow up. Maybe there is now that they re released this? IDK. The book blurb on the '09 paperback version differs greatly to the blurb in '17.

Anyway. This is a cyber iSpy and is a very cerebral but entertaining read. Anna and Charlie gotta bring down the bad guys. And by cerebral, I *mean* seriously cerebral. There were a few paragraphs I'm like hold on, highlight word, definition... lol. Anyway it was a very good book. And I'm super bummed that I can't seem to find the follow up to this. I was convinced there would be one. I mean how do you end it like that? Ugh.
Profile Image for T.
308 reviews83 followers
November 8, 2012
Conspiracy theories, the most elite hackers of Generation X, secret CIA agents, Eugenics, and a very complex relationship between two super-intelligent women. I loved this story. It is brilliant and well developed.

There are many secrets that the reader is encouraged to try to figure out throughout this book. Even screenshots of hand written secret agent notes that might as well have said "this message will self destruct in 10 seconds", were included. You get to try to figure out who the players are, who they work for; and best of all, figuring out who charli is. The tenuous relationship between charli and anna, and the way it was described was poetic. Note that their sexual relationship was hot, but had many 'fade to black' moments and not graphically described (though the author guides your imagination superbly to draw your own pictures). All in all, this was a great story that could easily have been developed into a series. The conspiracy theories, the mystery of what the government is/was working on, the back-story of the truth behind 'Generation X' and super-humans, and the ever present conundrum of trying to forge a relationship with another complex human being, are going to make this book very memorable.

One thing that slowed me down was the writing style. The author is the queen of complex/compound/run-on sentences, that tend to be nested in a confusing fashion. The further along i got in the book (compelled back due to the intriguing story), the more i realized that the writing style complemented the complexity of the story itself. It is cryptic and confusing and has you going back over a sentence to figure it out; just like you'll find yourself going back in the story to look up details. This is not sloppy or poor writing skills, this is creative writing. It would get covered in red ink by a proper english teacher, but applauded by a creative writing teacher. So, you may not be able to bare it if you find yourself in the 'proper' category. I suggest reading the sample to see for yourself.

The other thing that convinced me to drop it to 4 stars despite loving this book, was the ending. It's not a horrible ending, but suffice it to say, this book needs a sequel. There are so many questions left, and... things left unresolved, that have me a bit irked. I'm discouraged to see that it has been several years since it was written and there's no sequel yet, but i'd definitely read it if it came along. I may also read some of the author's other books, though only if they don't have the same labor-some writing style. That style fit for this book, but i doubt i could tolerate it in a pure romance.
83 reviews15 followers
June 27, 2013
This novel probably isn't for everyone, and not just because of the lesbian erotic portions. It is a delicate and intricately woven piece, told from limited internal third person - the little voice riding in the back of several characters' heads. The characters are directly woven into the POV - the nuances and neuroses are freely viewed by the reader through the context of the page. As a result, some changes in POV are very distinct whereas others may feel more subtle. In all cases, it's never immediately announced who the reader has jumped into. It requires astute observation (and frequently re-reading the last few paragraphs) to catch on to some of the jumps.

The downsides to this book are that while it is an intriguing and engaging story, it didn't really emotionally grab me in the way a number of books do - and I attribute that to the protagonists POV segments. There's something too mechanical, too distant that prevented the book from feeling fully engaged. There's also the aspect that the book builds itself up towards a sequel that looks like it may never arrive.

It's good, I liked it, and I would read it again, and the erotic segments are particularly interesting for their cerebral quality, but it's not a book I feel immediately compelled to read again.
Profile Image for Alex.
329 reviews19 followers
February 15, 2018
I’m not even sure how to rate this book and I have so many feelings I’m tempted to write the review in Spanish so it’s really accurate. At the beginning, when I read the description, I thought it would be interesting. The plot seemed promising. But then I started reading and it was tedious to say the least.

I’m pretty sure under all that endless inner monologues of ALL THE F?$&!IN CHARACTERS, that lasted about 85-90% of the book there was a decent and even interesting plot, that’s why I tortured myself finishing it, but It really wasn’t worth it with that ending and no sequel.
Profile Image for Dide.
1,489 reviews54 followers
August 1, 2019
3.5 star rating
Very Hollywood tech themed so for me a captivating read. That said i wish it favored more real hack méthodologies and terminologies.
Another downside was the manner at which it is written...especially coming across the terminal printouts etc. it somehow didn't read humanely more robotic to me.
Profile Image for A.W..
203 reviews4 followers
August 6, 2017
Charlotte "Charlie" Riven is a former hacker that is working for a multi-billion dollar company called Whitestone.  Whitestone is a multi-billion dollar hedge fund and fingers are pointed in Charlie's direction when there is millions of dollars being redirected elsewhere.

Elaine Harper is a Treasury agent and is assigned to work undercover at the company Charlie works for.

There was too much technical jargon that didn't interest me, however, I was interested in the relationship between Charli and Elaine and wished there was more scenes with them together.

It was hard to get into the book but I did find that the last quarter of the book was a much more exciting read.

Out of all of the books I've read by J.D. Glass, this has to be my least favourite.

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Profile Image for Kessi.
96 reviews2 followers
October 13, 2016
Got a bit bored with it after a while and skipped pages. The technical stuff was OK but the relationship was confusing. A lot was played out in the characters' head and I was not always sure who was who then.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews

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