A retired female CIA operative falls in love with the inventor of a computer program to solve Y2K problems. When her lover is hurt by the same terrorist that ended her career, Kate returns to the field to stop a madman about to cripple the world's information systems as the clock ticks down to 2000.
Born in Cuba and raised in Central America, R.J. Pineiro spent several years in the midst of civil wars before migrating to the United States in the late 1970s, first to Florida to attended Florida Air Academy in Melbourne. There, RJ earned a pilot's license and high school diploma in 1979, before heading to Louisiana for college.
R.J. earned a degree in electrical engineering from Louisiana State University in 1983 and joined the high-tech industry in Austin Texas, working in computer chip design, test, and manufacturing.
In the late 1980s R.J. began studying to become a novelist. Reading everything from classical literature to contemporary novels, R.J.'s love of storytelling became uncontrollable. Using an aging personal computer, R.J. decided to launch a writing career.
R.J.'s first published work, SIEGE OF LIGHTNING, a novel about a sabotaged space shuttle, was released by Berkley/Putnam in May of 1993. A second novel, ULTIMATUM, about a second Gulf War scenario, was released the following year, 1994, by Forge Books, which went on to publish R.J.'s next 12 novels over the following 13 years.
In 2015, R.J. teamed up with TV News military analyst Colonel David Hunt to kick off the "Hunter Stark Book Series." The first book in the series, WITHOUT MERCY, about ISIS gaining acquiring nuclear weapons, was released on 3.7.17. The second book, WITHOUT FEAR, about the war in Afghanistan, was released on 8.7.18
In 2017, R.J. also teamed up with New York Times bestselling author Joe Weber. The result is ASHES OF VICTORY, a novel of global terrorism and international conflict released by Ignition Books on 9.3.18
In 2018, R.J. penned a nineteenth novel, AVENUE OF REGRETS, a mystery revolving around sex trafficking and domestic abuse released on 11.16.18
R.J. is married to L.M. Pineiro, an artist and jewelry designer. They have one son, Cameron & Daughter-in-Law Sarah, and two crazy dogs, Coco and Zea.
On this date (12/31) in 1999, the world wasnt sure what as going to happen in 24 hours. Were the computers going to crash, ask the time went from 1999 to 2000? Would Banks be able to give money? Grocery stores ring up your food? Power Plants provide energy? Airplanes, Trains, and Cars safe travel.
Yes, it was the time of Y2K. A time when humanity would charge into the new millennium!!!
As such, this book was written about that very fear - sort of. The story isnt about the actually issue, but how a computer company was set to help offset and correct the issue. But their algorithms had the potential to be used for terror. Suddenly, there is a tug of war between the CIA and a despot warlord who wants revenge on the world.
Back in 2019, I decided that in 2020, I was going to read both "01-01-00" and "Y2K" as bookends for the year. When I finished "01-01-00" on 1/1/2020, I hadnt a clue what 2020 was going to be like. That everything we prepped for in 1999 would sort of be played out in 2020. Shortages of toilet paper and protective wear. Civil Arrest and a failling government. A outbreak of a deadly virus. (And we hadnt plan on Murder Hornets, Carol Baskin, and the 2020 election cycle). But now I have finished both books, as I planned to do.
Excellent technothriller from an IT insider's point of view. Pineiro's writing keeps you in the middle of the conspiracy at all times.
I was impressed that a technology professional could write such an accessible, apocalyptic and believable novel without getting bogged down in geek speak. Great read!
Good techno thriller... at least at the time. The strengths of the book are in the technical details on Y2K compliance issues,the information on security techniques and the action scenes involving the Donaldson.
It was a pretty good thriller, kept me reading. There was some graphic violence though, that I didn't really care for. I would probably read more by this author.