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Friendly Fire: A Nik Byron Investigation
In the tradition of the best legal and political thrillers, Friendly Fire is an explosive tale of greed, revenge, treason, and murder.
When Geoffrey Tate, one of the world’s richest individuals and the CEO of Yukon, the country’s preeminent artificial intelligence company, is shot and killed by his young trophy wife, it’s going to grab headlines. And seasoned Newshound reporter Nik Byron intends to be the one generating them. But Nik’s investigation quickly leads him down a treacherous path he didn’t foresee.
The sensational trial that follows Tate’s death threatens to derail Bullwhip—the military’s next generation of AI-inspired war machines—and scramble the fortunes of political heavyweights and Pentagon brass alike. His journalistic instincts aroused, Nik embarks on an uncertain hunt for the truth that takes him deep into the murky worlds of Washington lobbyists, the military-industrial complex, and the Saudi intelligence apparatus.
Undermined by a vindictive boss and a jealous rival reporter, Nik turns to trusted Newshound colleagues, Mia Landry and Patrick “Mo” Morgan—as well as a Pentagon whistleblower—to land his story and unravel the mystery surrounding Tate’s death. But in doing so Nik risks alienating Samantha Whyte, the chief investigator for the Northern Virginia County Sheriff’s Department and his lover. Worse still, the story puts him in the sights of a contract killer.
When Geoffrey Tate, one of the world’s richest individuals and the CEO of Yukon, the country’s preeminent artificial intelligence company, is shot and killed by his young trophy wife, it’s going to grab headlines. And seasoned Newshound reporter Nik Byron intends to be the one generating them. But Nik’s investigation quickly leads him down a treacherous path he didn’t foresee.
The sensational trial that follows Tate’s death threatens to derail Bullwhip—the military’s next generation of AI-inspired war machines—and scramble the fortunes of political heavyweights and Pentagon brass alike. His journalistic instincts aroused, Nik embarks on an uncertain hunt for the truth that takes him deep into the murky worlds of Washington lobbyists, the military-industrial complex, and the Saudi intelligence apparatus.
Undermined by a vindictive boss and a jealous rival reporter, Nik turns to trusted Newshound colleagues, Mia Landry and Patrick “Mo” Morgan—as well as a Pentagon whistleblower—to land his story and unravel the mystery surrounding Tate’s death. But in doing so Nik risks alienating Samantha Whyte, the chief investigator for the Northern Virginia County Sheriff’s Department and his lover. Worse still, the story puts him in the sights of a contract killer.
336 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 7, 2023
11 people are currently reading
2482 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
August 31, 2022
The author has obviously dedicated much time and effort into research. The organizations, the in-fighting, and the cover-ups provide an intricate maze into which the characters must work their magic. I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher and voluntarily provided an honest review.
August 28, 2022
This was a cool read, clearly taking advantage of the author’s insights as a successful journalist and insider covering government and military in Washington. In this second installment of the Nik Byron series (note it’s not necessary to have read the first, and the book does a good job of bringing the reader up to speed), Nik is covering what is seemingly the story of his career. The novel opens with the bizarre death of Geoffrey Tate, the world’s richest man and CEO of Yukon, a disruptive AI company that is building the Pentagon’s next generation of AI-driven war machines. When Nik finds out he was shot and killed by significantly younger trophy wife in a home invasion gone wrong, his investigative senses are immediately piqued and he starts to dig. What follows is a somewhat generic-y storyline of government cover-ups, conspiracy and meddling nation-states, but written in engaging prose and with mostly well-developed and likable characters. I enjoyed the detail associated with the journalistic process (though it was somewhat concerning how readily lippy police can be with reporters!) and it was clear the author knew exactly what he was talking about. I was able to quickly smash this one out in a couple days – a solid, enjoyable page-turner. Again, while I found the plot a bit too familiar, the strength is in the writing and character development. I give this 4/5 stars. The book is due out in March 2023. Many thanks to Girl Friday Books and NetGalley for the ARC.
January 3, 2023
A fast-paced political thriller with compelling characters. loved the DC setting, having lived there for 10 years, the investigative journalism, and Nic's character. The plot was well-developed and complex enough to keep me turning the pages non-stop. I'm definitely going to read the first book in the series now.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.
March 7, 2023
A bizarre death leads a reporter to a twisted tale of military contracts, artificial intelligence weaponry and the corruption swirling through Washington DC.
Nik Byron is a dogged reporter who has been sidelined by a spiteful boss to a podcast series. When Geoff Tate, CEO of the world’s largest AI company, is mistaken as an intruder and shot to death by his young wife,the media goes wild. Nik and his crew had done done research on Tate and Bullwhip, his company’s huge contract with the government, a few months earlier but had shelved the work. Nik can’t resist going back to the research and starts creating podcasts on Tate, his quirky marriage, and Bullwhip. This is DC, where intrigue, back room deals, lobbyists, foreign agents and the ever present jaded media outlets clash and conspire. Was Tate’s death an accident….or murder? Will Bullwhip live up to expectations, and if so who will profit?
In Friendly Fire, author Mark Parlowsky demonstrates that he knows the world of DC - it’s reporters, lobbyists snd government agencies - extremely well The characters are likeable, and the book was an enjoyable read. The plot doesn’t break much in the way of new ground, but the familiarity of the author with the city and the powerful circles that dwell there made it worth the read. Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reader’s copy!
Nik Byron is a dogged reporter who has been sidelined by a spiteful boss to a podcast series. When Geoff Tate, CEO of the world’s largest AI company, is mistaken as an intruder and shot to death by his young wife,the media goes wild. Nik and his crew had done done research on Tate and Bullwhip, his company’s huge contract with the government, a few months earlier but had shelved the work. Nik can’t resist going back to the research and starts creating podcasts on Tate, his quirky marriage, and Bullwhip. This is DC, where intrigue, back room deals, lobbyists, foreign agents and the ever present jaded media outlets clash and conspire. Was Tate’s death an accident….or murder? Will Bullwhip live up to expectations, and if so who will profit?
In Friendly Fire, author Mark Parlowsky demonstrates that he knows the world of DC - it’s reporters, lobbyists snd government agencies - extremely well The characters are likeable, and the book was an enjoyable read. The plot doesn’t break much in the way of new ground, but the familiarity of the author with the city and the powerful circles that dwell there made it worth the read. Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reader’s copy!
March 7, 2023
A bizarre death leads a reporter to a twisted tale of military contracts, artificial intelligence weaponry and the corruption swirling through Washington DC.
Nik Byron is a dogged reporter who has been sidelined by a spiteful boss to a podcast series. When Geoff Tate, CEO of the world’s largest AI company, is mistaken as an intruder and shot to death by his young wife,the media goes wild. Nik and his crew had done done research on Tate and Bullwhip, his company’s huge contract with the government, a few months earlier but had shelved the work. Nik can’t resist going back to the research and starts creating podcasts on Tate, his quirky marriage, and Bullwhip. This is DC, where intrigue, back room deals, lobbyists, foreign agents and the ever present jaded media outlets clash and conspire. Was Tate’s death an accident….or murder? Will Bullwhip live up to expectations, and if so who will profit?
In Friendly Fire, author Mark Parlowsky demonstrates that he knows the world of DC - it’s reporters, lobbyists snd government agencies - extremely well The characters are likeable, and the book was an enjoyable read. The plot doesn’t break much in the way of new ground, but the familiarity of the author with the city and the powerful circles that dwell there made it worth the read. Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reader’s copy!
Nik Byron is a dogged reporter who has been sidelined by a spiteful boss to a podcast series. When Geoff Tate, CEO of the world’s largest AI company, is mistaken as an intruder and shot to death by his young wife,the media goes wild. Nik and his crew had done done research on Tate and Bullwhip, his company’s huge contract with the government, a few months earlier but had shelved the work. Nik can’t resist going back to the research and starts creating podcasts on Tate, his quirky marriage, and Bullwhip. This is DC, where intrigue, back room deals, lobbyists, foreign agents and the ever present jaded media outlets clash and conspire. Was Tate’s death an accident….or murder? Will Bullwhip live up to expectations, and if so who will profit?
In Friendly Fire, author Mark Parlowsky demonstrates that he knows the world of DC - it’s reporters, lobbyists snd government agencies - extremely well The characters are likeable, and the book was an enjoyable read. The plot doesn’t break much in the way of new ground, but the familiarity of the author with the city and the powerful circles that dwell there made it worth the read. Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reader’s copy!
August 11, 2023
Another captivating DC political thriller featuring the dogged investigative journalist Nik Byron.
This one opens with the death of the extremely wealthy CEO of an AI company with government contracts. The manner of his death is that his young wife shot him but this is where the mystery begins. She says it was self-defense but with so much money at stake, who knows? Nik knows right away this story will be huge and jumps into the investigation. What he doesn't know is that there is greed and revenge at its core with treason and murder right around the corner.
This is the second book of the Nik Byron Investigations series but I found it does well as a standalone. The author's experience as a journalist and knowledge of the behind the scenes workings in DC is evident. My short synopsis above only scratches the surface of what all this book contains. The writing is top notch and the characters come alive within the pages. You can't help but to root for Nik with the need to know where his investigation will lead and what trouble awaits him. It's a fun and entertaining story that i couldn't put down and finished in a day. If you enjoy political intrigue from a journalists viewpoint with a mystery and murder to solve, I highly recommend this one.
Thank you to the author, Girl Friday Books and Saichek Publicity for the gifted copy for me to read, review and enjoy.
This one opens with the death of the extremely wealthy CEO of an AI company with government contracts. The manner of his death is that his young wife shot him but this is where the mystery begins. She says it was self-defense but with so much money at stake, who knows? Nik knows right away this story will be huge and jumps into the investigation. What he doesn't know is that there is greed and revenge at its core with treason and murder right around the corner.
This is the second book of the Nik Byron Investigations series but I found it does well as a standalone. The author's experience as a journalist and knowledge of the behind the scenes workings in DC is evident. My short synopsis above only scratches the surface of what all this book contains. The writing is top notch and the characters come alive within the pages. You can't help but to root for Nik with the need to know where his investigation will lead and what trouble awaits him. It's a fun and entertaining story that i couldn't put down and finished in a day. If you enjoy political intrigue from a journalists viewpoint with a mystery and murder to solve, I highly recommend this one.
Thank you to the author, Girl Friday Books and Saichek Publicity for the gifted copy for me to read, review and enjoy.
December 11, 2023
This is a fast- paced political thriller that kept me guessing from beginning to end. Nik Byron works for the Newshound agency in Washington D. C. After the murder of the CEO of Yukon by his young trophy wife, Nik starts an investigation that delves into Yukon’s development of AI for military purposes and discovers a web of corruption and deceit. His investigation soon puts his own life in danger, but he persists. This book is both believable and scary for what the future might be. It was a great read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. My wife did receive this book as a Goodreads giveaway, and I am glad she did. The opinions of my review are my own.
May 8, 2023
The district attorney holds a news conference at 3:30 am, less than a dozen hours after a killing. The crime scene investigation wouldn't even be complete yet and the prosecutor wouldn't even know about it yet. And a news conference in the middle of the night?
A few chapters in and I'm don with this idiocy.
A few chapters in and I'm don with this idiocy.
April 8, 2023
A very good mystery
I was pleasantly surprised after the twists & turns of this book . It really kept me interested &was hard to put down. A murder mystery with political espionage all rolled into one amazing book. Well done !
I was pleasantly surprised after the twists & turns of this book . It really kept me interested &was hard to put down. A murder mystery with political espionage all rolled into one amazing book. Well done !
April 22, 2023
A better-than average murder mystery involving secret weapons, artificial intelligence, corrupt government and Pentagon officials and some dedicated investigators who refuse to abandon their investigation. Very readable.
March 7, 2023
Very slow pace.
July 24, 2023
Corrupt government and small news agencies.
August 11, 2023
Ok
A little hard to follow at times and a little far fetched. Didn't keep me interested. Won't be following this author
A little hard to follow at times and a little far fetched. Didn't keep me interested. Won't be following this author
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews