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Jess Montgomery Thriller #2
The Patriarch Code: A Jess Montgomery Thriller
Intelligence analyst Jess Montgomery thought her life was finally going the right direction.
With a good job at a DC think tank, her niece safely returned to the family after a traumatic kidnapping. and the glow of the newly married life, Jess thought everything was good.
But ransomware attacks are popping up all over the nation, with millions of dollars being demanded in return, the exposure of top-secret government technology, energy and lives on the line.
Jess Montgomery gets the call to work on the case. She doesn’t realize getting involved has put a target on her back. The hackers will stop at nothing to achieve their global goals, even if it means eliminating anyone who is in their way, including her...
Jess is drawn into a web of lies, betrayal and deceit before she realizes it. Can she escape and find the hackers before it's too late?
If you like books by Mark Dawson, Lee Child or L. T. Ryan, you are going to love the Jess Montgomery Thrillers!
With a good job at a DC think tank, her niece safely returned to the family after a traumatic kidnapping. and the glow of the newly married life, Jess thought everything was good.
But ransomware attacks are popping up all over the nation, with millions of dollars being demanded in return, the exposure of top-secret government technology, energy and lives on the line.
Jess Montgomery gets the call to work on the case. She doesn’t realize getting involved has put a target on her back. The hackers will stop at nothing to achieve their global goals, even if it means eliminating anyone who is in their way, including her...
Jess is drawn into a web of lies, betrayal and deceit before she realizes it. Can she escape and find the hackers before it's too late?
If you like books by Mark Dawson, Lee Child or L. T. Ryan, you are going to love the Jess Montgomery Thrillers!
304 pages, Paperback
First published September 3, 2021
263 people are currently reading
155 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
September 8, 2021
How can a person who works in intelligence not suspect that her laptop has been compromised? She suspected her phone pretty quickly and yet not the laptop.
April 24, 2022
Good read
The second in a series, my first to read. I am satisfied to read it as a standalone. Snagged me in the beginning and did not let go of me even though the ending was somewhat predictable!
The second in a series, my first to read. I am satisfied to read it as a standalone. Snagged me in the beginning and did not let go of me even though the ending was somewhat predictable!
October 18, 2021
I received an electronic copy of this novel, the second in the Jess Montgomery Thriller series, at a discount by invitation of the author. Thank you for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this novel of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. Jess Montgomery is a protagonist I will follow. I was able to purchase book #3 at a discount at the tail end of Book #2.
I am happy to recommend K J Kalis to friends and family. Her books are fast-paced, set in Tucson, AZ, and the mystery is deeply buried in the world we are living in now. Jess is an excellent analyst, the remaining protagonists are well defined, and Milton is a partner to warm your heart. This is a series to follow.
pub date Sept 3, 2021
Reviewed on October 18, 2021, at Goodreads, AmazonSmile, Barnes&Noble, and BookBub. Not available for review on Kobo or GooglePlay.
I am happy to recommend K J Kalis to friends and family. Her books are fast-paced, set in Tucson, AZ, and the mystery is deeply buried in the world we are living in now. Jess is an excellent analyst, the remaining protagonists are well defined, and Milton is a partner to warm your heart. This is a series to follow.
pub date Sept 3, 2021
Reviewed on October 18, 2021, at Goodreads, AmazonSmile, Barnes&Noble, and BookBub. Not available for review on Kobo or GooglePlay.
September 24, 2021
This is book two of the Jess Montgomery Thrillers series and sees Jess now newly married to Jamieson, who is a local police detective in Tucson, Arizona and enjoying her work with the NAII as an intelligence analyst trying to stop and identify threats to their country. Her niece and brother Chase seem to be over the whole kidnapping and blackmail incident, in which he lost his wife, whilst Jess still has some nightmares about killing the man responsible for it all, as he tried to throw her off a roof. Something is up with her husband and it is being to annoy her. When they first started dating ad then got married, they used to spend all their free time together and make small adventures out of the weekends, going somewhere and exploring, having a good time. For the last six months it seems like Jamieson has never been around. He says he is going on lots of last minute training courses around the country, set up by his chief, to use up the remainder of their budget for such things. But even when he is home, which is not often, he always works late and can’t even spend time with her alone, preferring to go off for a drink with his mates! When Jess empties hi latest carry on suitcase, to sort out the laundry, she finds a few disturbing things, that make her wonder what Jamieson is truly up to.
It worries her enough to call up Charlie, her boss at NAII, to ask if he can check out Jamieson and do a thorough background check into him, to see if it uncovers anything. Everything should have been good now the effects of past events were finally settling down and she was married to someone she thought of as a good man, with a recent promotion for her as well, now leaving her with her own separate team to work under her at her work, most of which she does from home. She has recently been put onto a case of a ransomware attack on one company, which produces specific arms for the government and has lots of military and top secret projects going on. Now there has been another attack on an oil and gas pipeline, with both attacks demanding millions of dollars from the company before they will release their files. Jess has been put onto these cases and is usually the one who can spot a link between different attacks, which often leads to finding who is responsible. Now, her head isn’t quite in the game and a home break-in leaves her more off kilter and unsure if she can even trust Jamieson, who doesn’t even bother to respond when she calls him about it! She is being spied upon and her involvement in trying to solve these ransomware attacks, has put a target on her back and leaves her wondering who she can trust. The hackers are well organised and Jess has to involve a hacker contact of her own to check for similarities in the ransomware coding, leaving them to discover a infamous hacker known as ‘Patriarch’, who was behind a previous attack on banks a decade ago, has resurfaced and is behind all of this.
The hackers are following the orders of a foreign national, not even knowing or caring what the end goal is and whether it will damage their own country. All they see is the dollar signs and as long as they get paid, that is all they care about. Jess is about to find out about a web of lies leading to a betrayal very close to home that will devastate her. She has a lead on the hackers and will do all in her power to stop them before they can cause irreparable damage to the infrastructure of her country and the loss of top secret plans to top bidders leaving their secrets in the hands of the enemy. Lots of threats to those with influence in the Senate about a new cyber bill also brings the levels these hackers will go to, to achieve their ends, well past what most could deal with. Another hard case for Jess to work on, made even harder by all the personal stuff she is going through with her husband, who has a whole other agenda in mind! Blackmail, deceit and the faceless ransomware attacks, must all be overcome, if Jess is to come out stronger on the other side. A cracking read with some shocking secrets revealed and danger for all involved. I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
It worries her enough to call up Charlie, her boss at NAII, to ask if he can check out Jamieson and do a thorough background check into him, to see if it uncovers anything. Everything should have been good now the effects of past events were finally settling down and she was married to someone she thought of as a good man, with a recent promotion for her as well, now leaving her with her own separate team to work under her at her work, most of which she does from home. She has recently been put onto a case of a ransomware attack on one company, which produces specific arms for the government and has lots of military and top secret projects going on. Now there has been another attack on an oil and gas pipeline, with both attacks demanding millions of dollars from the company before they will release their files. Jess has been put onto these cases and is usually the one who can spot a link between different attacks, which often leads to finding who is responsible. Now, her head isn’t quite in the game and a home break-in leaves her more off kilter and unsure if she can even trust Jamieson, who doesn’t even bother to respond when she calls him about it! She is being spied upon and her involvement in trying to solve these ransomware attacks, has put a target on her back and leaves her wondering who she can trust. The hackers are well organised and Jess has to involve a hacker contact of her own to check for similarities in the ransomware coding, leaving them to discover a infamous hacker known as ‘Patriarch’, who was behind a previous attack on banks a decade ago, has resurfaced and is behind all of this.
The hackers are following the orders of a foreign national, not even knowing or caring what the end goal is and whether it will damage their own country. All they see is the dollar signs and as long as they get paid, that is all they care about. Jess is about to find out about a web of lies leading to a betrayal very close to home that will devastate her. She has a lead on the hackers and will do all in her power to stop them before they can cause irreparable damage to the infrastructure of her country and the loss of top secret plans to top bidders leaving their secrets in the hands of the enemy. Lots of threats to those with influence in the Senate about a new cyber bill also brings the levels these hackers will go to, to achieve their ends, well past what most could deal with. Another hard case for Jess to work on, made even harder by all the personal stuff she is going through with her husband, who has a whole other agenda in mind! Blackmail, deceit and the faceless ransomware attacks, must all be overcome, if Jess is to come out stronger on the other side. A cracking read with some shocking secrets revealed and danger for all involved. I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
April 25, 2022
English is not my mother tongue, so excuse me for the way I will give you my opinion.
(Many spoilers follow, so be warned!)
I wish the author knew was she decided to write about. This book, being a technothriller, needs a deeper knowledge of the theme subject, namely ransomware. With ransomware, the perpetrator gets somehow access (interesting in itself) to your computer and encrypts some types of files on it (typically document files - txt, doc, jpg, xls, various movie formats, etc.) He then sends you a message with instructions how to get their content back. The encryption is done in a way preventing anybody from decrypting them without knowing the key used to encrypt them. This key is different (personalized) for the victims. The payment is done in a cryptocurrency, which prevents anybody from learning who gets paid. No way, period! After getting the ransom, the hacker may (or may not) decrypt the files. So at the end of the book (when Branson gets deservedly f...ed) it is impossible to expect that the encrypted files are magically restored by some bot because no one knows which encrypting key applies to which victim (IP addresses, login details, etc).
On the technical side, Jess asks Gemma to 'pull up the code for one of the ransomware attacks and compare it to the website for The Latitude Foundation', Gemma asks for a moment, then declares the verdict - it is the same guy. Please, the code for the website (webpage is a better term here) is written in a different language than the code for the ransomware. Not to mention that there is no code for the ransomware, because encryption is done remotely and that the hacker leaves only the movie with the message demanding the ransom - no code in it). Even if there was, that ransomware code would be in some executable form, meaning the individual programming style would be heavily masked by the compiler, etc. I am not saying it is impossible to analyze, but definitely not in minutes. More likely weeks if at all. Should I ask why the great Patriarch signed whatever code he decided to sign? And was so naive as to open a mail with a malware embedded, which he unknowingly activated by clicking on a link from an intelligence agent (Jess sent him that bait openly), which destroyed his server system. It is like being checkmated on the 3rd move!
And how come Jamison knows Bransom by name, etc.? And why he bought the property in Montana from Branson (establishing an incriminating documented connection between both of them), who obtained it from a Chinese company - the real cuplrit? And actually what was Jess's real contribution to the case? Because it was Gemma who discovered the hacker's identity, and Georgina discovered the Chinese connection. So Jess discovered what? Nothing at all. And do I really need to know so much about Milton - tens of pages are dedicated to his emotions, needs, and frustrations.
This should not be the Jess series, but Milton's series!
(Many spoilers follow, so be warned!)
I wish the author knew was she decided to write about. This book, being a technothriller, needs a deeper knowledge of the theme subject, namely ransomware. With ransomware, the perpetrator gets somehow access (interesting in itself) to your computer and encrypts some types of files on it (typically document files - txt, doc, jpg, xls, various movie formats, etc.) He then sends you a message with instructions how to get their content back. The encryption is done in a way preventing anybody from decrypting them without knowing the key used to encrypt them. This key is different (personalized) for the victims. The payment is done in a cryptocurrency, which prevents anybody from learning who gets paid. No way, period! After getting the ransom, the hacker may (or may not) decrypt the files. So at the end of the book (when Branson gets deservedly f...ed) it is impossible to expect that the encrypted files are magically restored by some bot because no one knows which encrypting key applies to which victim (IP addresses, login details, etc).
On the technical side, Jess asks Gemma to 'pull up the code for one of the ransomware attacks and compare it to the website for The Latitude Foundation', Gemma asks for a moment, then declares the verdict - it is the same guy. Please, the code for the website (webpage is a better term here) is written in a different language than the code for the ransomware. Not to mention that there is no code for the ransomware, because encryption is done remotely and that the hacker leaves only the movie with the message demanding the ransom - no code in it). Even if there was, that ransomware code would be in some executable form, meaning the individual programming style would be heavily masked by the compiler, etc. I am not saying it is impossible to analyze, but definitely not in minutes. More likely weeks if at all. Should I ask why the great Patriarch signed whatever code he decided to sign? And was so naive as to open a mail with a malware embedded, which he unknowingly activated by clicking on a link from an intelligence agent (Jess sent him that bait openly), which destroyed his server system. It is like being checkmated on the 3rd move!
And how come Jamison knows Bransom by name, etc.? And why he bought the property in Montana from Branson (establishing an incriminating documented connection between both of them), who obtained it from a Chinese company - the real cuplrit? And actually what was Jess's real contribution to the case? Because it was Gemma who discovered the hacker's identity, and Georgina discovered the Chinese connection. So Jess discovered what? Nothing at all. And do I really need to know so much about Milton - tens of pages are dedicated to his emotions, needs, and frustrations.
This should not be the Jess series, but Milton's series!
September 16, 2021
A thriller that could be ripped from the news headlines…
Jess Montgomery is back in this second-in-series thriller that will undoubtedly hold your attention from the first word to the last. Don’t worry if you haven’t read the first book – you will be able to keep up with the story just fine. Jess is an intelligence analyst with the North American Intelligence Institute. She finds herself tasked with investigating some ransomware attacks on businesses which are very important to the federal government but the more she digs, the more questions she has. This is a well-written, edge-of-your-seat thriller with a very relatable main character. Jess’ dog, Milton, is a great “best supporting actor” as this exciting tale unfolds and finds Jess and Milton running for their lives from a mysterious group of well-funded hackers who will stop at nothing to achieve their goal. Jess is unsure where to turn for help because when things heat up it seems that even her own husband has much to hide. This is a pulse-pounding adventure that kept me frantically flipping pages until the very end of the story. I highly recommend it to all armchair thrill-seekers. I hope the next story comes out soon. ❤️
I did receive an advance copy of this book via Booksprout, but I chose to purchase a finalized copy for my personal collection. My voluntary review reflects my honest and unbiased opinion.
Jess Montgomery is back in this second-in-series thriller that will undoubtedly hold your attention from the first word to the last. Don’t worry if you haven’t read the first book – you will be able to keep up with the story just fine. Jess is an intelligence analyst with the North American Intelligence Institute. She finds herself tasked with investigating some ransomware attacks on businesses which are very important to the federal government but the more she digs, the more questions she has. This is a well-written, edge-of-your-seat thriller with a very relatable main character. Jess’ dog, Milton, is a great “best supporting actor” as this exciting tale unfolds and finds Jess and Milton running for their lives from a mysterious group of well-funded hackers who will stop at nothing to achieve their goal. Jess is unsure where to turn for help because when things heat up it seems that even her own husband has much to hide. This is a pulse-pounding adventure that kept me frantically flipping pages until the very end of the story. I highly recommend it to all armchair thrill-seekers. I hope the next story comes out soon. ❤️
I did receive an advance copy of this book via Booksprout, but I chose to purchase a finalized copy for my personal collection. My voluntary review reflects my honest and unbiased opinion.
September 23, 2021
What a story!!! How can one continue to believe in people when there's no space to continue to believe in the love of her life? Too many secrets, too many lies that just kept on growing deeper and putting a wedge between a couple. How could their life together be so strained and different from the beginning of their relationship? How had they changed so much without realizing it? A great mystery thriller story that gets you hooked and you just want to reach the end. Hopefully, there will be a more positive ending for Jess in the next book. The Patriarch Code is a must if you enjoy mystery thrillers stories! Very, very entertaining!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
March 3, 2023
Great series
This is the 2nd book in the Jess Montgomery series. It is as exciting and fast paced as the first. Jesse's suspicions about her husband's strange behavior lead to her landing in the middle of a cyber crimes investigation. As companies are struck with ransomwear, she struggles to find connections, and discovers more lies from her husband. As the facts unfurl, Jess feels she is in danger.Little does she know that her life is on the line.
I would highly recommend this book to readers that love thrillers with strong heroines, danger, and good old conspiracies.
This is the 2nd book in the Jess Montgomery series. It is as exciting and fast paced as the first. Jesse's suspicions about her husband's strange behavior lead to her landing in the middle of a cyber crimes investigation. As companies are struck with ransomwear, she struggles to find connections, and discovers more lies from her husband. As the facts unfurl, Jess feels she is in danger.Little does she know that her life is on the line.
I would highly recommend this book to readers that love thrillers with strong heroines, danger, and good old conspiracies.
April 28, 2022
Heart stopping
A thoroughly heart stopping story of an intelligence analyst who is tasked with tracking down and stopping a maniacal group of individuals who, using ransomware, try to threaten U. S. Senators in an attempt to disrupt the passing of vital legislation. At the same time they used hired killers to dispose of business opposition personnel to obtain funding to continue their vicious and illegal purposes.
A thoroughly heart stopping story of an intelligence analyst who is tasked with tracking down and stopping a maniacal group of individuals who, using ransomware, try to threaten U. S. Senators in an attempt to disrupt the passing of vital legislation. At the same time they used hired killers to dispose of business opposition personnel to obtain funding to continue their vicious and illegal purposes.
September 5, 2021
Could be reality
Yep, this story could be or maybe already is a reality. Fact is we hear about such incidents on a weekly basis. Truly would hate see the real statistics. Hacks are happening more and more and this book just brings it to the forefront in the form of fiction. But is it really? Good read. Enjoying this series.
Yep, this story could be or maybe already is a reality. Fact is we hear about such incidents on a weekly basis. Truly would hate see the real statistics. Hacks are happening more and more and this book just brings it to the forefront in the form of fiction. But is it really? Good read. Enjoying this series.
May 2, 2022
this book was spellbinding
This is a great book. It was so riveting I couldn’t put it down. What people will do for money, I’m happy they lost it all . I would recommend this book to all that wants to read action and keeps you wondering what next is coming. Thanks for a fantastic book.
This is a great book. It was so riveting I couldn’t put it down. What people will do for money, I’m happy they lost it all . I would recommend this book to all that wants to read action and keeps you wondering what next is coming. Thanks for a fantastic book.
September 15, 2022
great Series
Jess’s husband is traveling a lot and something isn’t right…. Oh oh when an intelligence agent starts to look into someone’s business…. Interesting and terrifying to see how cybercrimes and ransoms are being perpetrated. Love the characters and the fast pace. Looking forward to the next in the series as well as other books by this author.
Jess’s husband is traveling a lot and something isn’t right…. Oh oh when an intelligence agent starts to look into someone’s business…. Interesting and terrifying to see how cybercrimes and ransoms are being perpetrated. Love the characters and the fast pace. Looking forward to the next in the series as well as other books by this author.
January 13, 2023
An enjoyable thriller
I felt slightly mixed reactions to this; for me there wasn’t enough Jess and her work, and the story about her husband I found to be far fetched and unnecessary. The core plot seemed underdeveloped as a result. Read as a standalone this would probably be more enjoyable than those of us who have previously followed the adventures of Ms Montgomery.
I felt slightly mixed reactions to this; for me there wasn’t enough Jess and her work, and the story about her husband I found to be far fetched and unnecessary. The core plot seemed underdeveloped as a result. Read as a standalone this would probably be more enjoyable than those of us who have previously followed the adventures of Ms Montgomery.
June 18, 2022
wow, talk about fast paced and a ton of tension in this story!
Jess, the main character is a wonderful blend of tough and sensitive
The bad guys are a surprise as is the ending. Very good read!
Jess, the main character is a wonderful blend of tough and sensitive
The bad guys are a surprise as is the ending. Very good read!
July 22, 2022
Jess Montgomery series
This is a 5 star rating and I think it is better than the first book in the series. Start with book #1 and keep reading, you won’t be disappointed. KJ Kalis spins a good tale.
This is a 5 star rating and I think it is better than the first book in the series. Start with book #1 and keep reading, you won’t be disappointed. KJ Kalis spins a good tale.
October 4, 2022
Interesting series
Jess can really pick men. Well not really. But she does have a good work ethic and gets the job done even if she creates havoc to her own life. I might as well read book 3.
I am enjoying this author's work.
Jess can really pick men. Well not really. But she does have a good work ethic and gets the job done even if she creates havoc to her own life. I might as well read book 3.
I am enjoying this author's work.
December 30, 2022
Loved it !
I thought this story was SO real life ! It kept me so engrossed,you would think that I was actually there !Everything was believe able …I was sorry that Georgina was killed,along with her poor dogs- didn’t see that coming…BUT Milton survived ! A must read book !
I thought this story was SO real life ! It kept me so engrossed,you would think that I was actually there !Everything was believe able …I was sorry that Georgina was killed,along with her poor dogs- didn’t see that coming…BUT Milton survived ! A must read book !
December 9, 2021
Join forces with Jess as she tries to figure out who is behind the ransomware. You will be surprised at who is one of the participants.
Thriller with lots of action.
Thriller with lots of action.
April 23, 2022
Gripping
Grabs the reader from the first page. Wheels within wheels that tease the imagination while remaining credible. Satisfying escapism. Recommended!
Grabs the reader from the first page. Wheels within wheels that tease the imagination while remaining credible. Satisfying escapism. Recommended!
June 19, 2022
Great read!
Never knowing what's around the corner kept me reading to find out if (well, no spoilers here). Read for yourself...you won't be sorry!
Never knowing what's around the corner kept me reading to find out if (well, no spoilers here). Read for yourself...you won't be sorry!
November 6, 2022
I read this book in one day- and enjoyed it (even if I did make some "critical comments"). Certainly comes under the heading of "unputdownable"!
April 12, 2025
Very good
Her books are very good. Have almost read all of them. once you start very hard to put down. Enjoy
Her books are very good. Have almost read all of them. once you start very hard to put down. Enjoy
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews