Author: Drew Murray

Publisher: Oceanview

ISBN: 978608093885

Perfections and diligence plus always being on target are the primary attributes of Special FBI Agent Will Parker. Nightmares plague his dreams as one coding error and judgement error would cost a young teen her life. Not working fast enough to stop what someone started, and this kidnapper won, and the torturing picture of this young girl would forever be embedded within his mind forever.

This simple coding mistake cost Kate her life and turned his energies and career into joining the Cyber Division of the FBI hoping to redeem himself and also hunt down a dangerous killer who stole something that would change the dynamics of gaming forever. Castor Net was his company and the program in question was called the Fukushima Unicorn because it literally disappeared. But, where? His company was on the verge of acquiring a quantum computer technology a giant leap forward from a small company in Fukushima, Japan. During a tsunami a nuclear disaster, it disappeared, and the hunt is on.

This urban legend is radioactive, and the hunt will lead him and his team to Comicon where the person who had the program was about to sell it off to the highest bidder. Calling him to investigate the murder of Roger Caplan at Comic Con, where this man is somehow linked to the theft of the quantum computer. But, not everyone on  his team is on his side and things get tense as he tries to find the computer and before the final bid is made.

Working with Decker proves difficult as they both have different methods of evaluation and dealing with different situations. Burke, the director often curbs both, but Parker is tough, self-assured, and often goes off on his own.

Kate Mason paid the ultimate price and he was not going to let that happen again. His team was hardnosed and he is joined by Detective Dana Lopez, Thomas Decker and several others that are brought in but my favorite is Bradley the computer genius who manages to get the information on the download and often handles the impossible.

Since the bidders are not aware that Roger has been killed the bidding continues with a Chinese hacker, Russian criminals sent by the Kremlin and identifying a corporate executive hoping to avoid detection and scandal and one bidder that has remained hidden and not seen.

Roger Caplan is the victim and he is into Collectibles so to speak which is what they are called at Comic Con. Vendors sell these collectible items associated with a certain fandom or genre. Keith Miller is the crime tech and this team must adjust to each one’s protocol and the first step is to somehow assess the murder scene and learn more about what Caplan was doing before he died. The investigation takes on many turns and surprises as Will wants to run it in his own way and working with Dana and her team leads him down many paths, but he is determined to find his own.

Video feeds tell some of the story but not all. The main suspect is someone called Dragonits who they think got his hand on the Fukshima Unicorn. When looked at the video feed they realize that Roger had the it and disappeared from his hotel room with it hiding it under his coat.

Will explains his processes and how if you collect enough data, feed it to artificial intelligence software, running on quantum processor, and it would know what you’re going to do before you do. Imagine what you could learn with this technology. Many companies want this te4chnology and there could be many connections between whoever was rooting around tint heir network on wheels and Caplan’s murder. Martin Hicks seems to be in the thick of things as he attended the Comic Con but questioning him at first did not yield much.

Then the game changes as they try and uncover Roger’s last moments and track them down on the video feeds but things change when they learn that another young girl this one Roger’s daughter has been taken by a dangerous kidnapper who wants to quantum technology and will kill unless it’s turned over. Not wanting to lose it again Will and the team must decide on their priorities: Technology of the life of this young girl?

Roger Caplan is at the center of this mystery and when his murder is discovered it reminds Will of the radioactivity that correlated with the 2011 Fukushima-Daichi nuclear accident were found in this man’s hotel room. But the Dark Net is at the center of this novel and mystery as the four bidders will stop at nothing, short of murder again to get what he wants.

Martin Hicks appears to be just a man who is called the Pyntel guy and smart but eyeballing him and following him might lead him to want a lawyer. Just listening to his answers when Dana and Will interrogate or question him seems suspect when you hear his responses. But there are more like a man named Farber who seems linked in some way and another named Gordon Webb who is arrested for suspicion of death of Caplan. Amanda Caplan was the young girl whose life is in question and finding Unicorn was not about her life or her. Bruce Sterling was the man who killed

Kate Mason and the man who worked to help save her and did not along with Will was his friend Jack who took his life. Guilt is reigns and Will is determined to take down anyone that has anything to do with the theft and at the same time save Amanda before the final bids are placed and it is too late.

When all of the pieces come together and Will has an idea where Amanda might be with he help of Bradley and other techs he can rely on, the ending is heart stopping, the chase scenes will take him, Dana and the team in many directions and the injuries faced just might end some careers.

But will Will prevail at the end? Will he save this young girl or fail once more? Will the quantum computer be his or will the thief that has to win the race and get away once more? An ending that will shock readers as author Drew Murray draws a fine line between morals, ethics and ownership of Unicorn. Who really owns it? Where will it wind up and what will the owner accomplish in the future if the thief is stopped and just who is the fourth bidder you will not believe? Is justice done or is there more to come for Will as the final fate of the Unicorn is revealed? What will be next as Will has to mend his heart, soul and decide if he will remain the Broken Genius forever once again.