DarkMarket by Misha Glenny

The Blurb On The Back:

Who’s got your money?

We share our personal details, our thoughts and movements with a faceless screen, with no real idea what lies behind it.

Who’s got your identity?

DarkMarket exposes the shocking truth about what lurks behind our computers: an underground crime network that invades our privacy and threatens our security on a daily basis.

Who’s got your life?

Glenny tracks down the key players – including the criminals, national and international security experts, the police, crack addicts, the Saudi Royal Family, and most importantly, the victims – to reveal the true scale of this new global threat.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Misha Glenny’s book is a fascinating explanation of the events that led to the take-down of the infamous DarkMarket site, where hackers and criminals met to sell illegally skimmed credit card information and associated paraphernalia. It’s a really interesting read that kept me engrossed from beginning to end but the nature of the subject matter means that this isn’t a definitive account and (of necessity) there are a lot of unknowns that can’t be known. However if you’ve got a passing interest in underground technology culture and cyber crime, I think it’s worth checking out.

Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the free copy of this book.

Deadline by Mira Grant

The Blurb On The Back:

Nothing stays buried for long …

Shaun Mason is a man without a mission. Not even running the news organisation he built with his sister has the same urgency as it used to. Playing with dead things just doesn’t seem as fun when you’ve lost as much as he has.

But when a researcher from the Centre for Disease Control fakes her own death and appears on his doorstep with a ravenous pack of zombies in tow, Shaun’s relieved to find a new purpose in life. Because she brings news: the monster who attacked them may be destroyed, but the conspiracy is far from dead.

Now, Shaun hits the road to find what truth can be found at the end of a shotgun.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Mira Grant’s sequel to FEED develops the overall conspiracy story arc and widens the scope of the action while giving Shaun a more central role. I did find the prose to be repetitive at times, particularly with regards to the zombie protection procedures, which went on too long and went into too much detail for me. That said, there’s a real jaw-dropping ending, which promises much for book 3 and which I will definitely be checking out.