The Future of Crime Fiction? Technothrillers.
Thrillers about everyday occurrences and real-life situations are often the scariest, most satisfying ones to read. There’s something decidedly creepy about being able to imagine yourself in whatever situation is unfolding in a book. That’s one of the things that makes techno thrillers so unputdownable. Technology is part of our everyday life. Whether you’re an avid Twitter user or not, the internet is woven into the fabric of contemporary society. Technothrillers, even the ones set in dystopias, or the ones that center not-yet-invented forms of tech, explore the ways that technology, for good or ill, changes us. These five thrillers, though all very different, take a hard look at the internet, cybercrime, and the sometimes blurry lines between the computer screen and real life. If you’re looking for fast-paced, thought-provoking, and decidedly unsettling reading, these books are sure to satisfy.
If you're in the mood for a book about technology and social media that will absolutely creep you out, don't wait on this one. Mae Holland is thrilled when she lands a job at The Circle, the world's most powerful, influential, up-and-coming technology corporation. When she arrives at the company's California campus, she's immediately awed by the sleek open-plan offices, friendly dorms, catered meals, and endless parties. But as Mae throws herself into her work, the outside world begins to fade, and she soon realizes that there's something sinister going on at The Circle. Darkly satirical, this is a chilling story about ambition, privacy, greed, and history.
Related: 14 Technothrillers To Keep You Up Past Your Bedtime
In this haunting, suspenseful debut, A.E. Osworth sheds light on the darkest, most shadowy corners of the internet. We Are Watching Eliza Bright is the story of what happens to a female gamer who dares to speak out about the sexual harassment, sexism, and misogyny she's faced in the industry. After she's fired from her job as a video game coder, Eliza's life is broadcast all over the internet. Doxed, stalked, and threatened by enraged men, she eventually finds safety with an underground feminist collective known as the Sixsterhood. But not even the Sixsterhood can protect her forever. Deeply upsetting and impossible to put down, this is a searing thriller about the real-life violence the internet incites.
Related: From MFA Thesis To Full-Fledged Technothriller: Sitting Down With A.E. Osworth
In The Enemy Within, the US is under siege from a technological attack. An unknown enemy has sabotaged the most vital government systems, from communications to the military. The country is left in shambles—major cities destroyed and civil war simmering just under the surface. High-ranking officials work with advanced computer systems in a race against time to discover and subdue the enemy. In this terrifying dystopian landscape, two men are locked in battle: General Amir Taleh, an Iranian fighter determined to see the attack successful, and Colonel Peter Thorn, a former Delta Force officer trying desperately to stop it. Full of nonstop action and technological thrills, this will keep you turning pages from beginning to end.
The Last Second is a high-stakes, fast-paced ride through space-age technology and its potentially disastrous consequences. France's space agency, Galactus, has just launched a communications satellite that carries a deadly, secret weapon: a nuclear-activated electromagnetic pulse. Galactus's second-in-command, Dr. Nevaeh Patel, is convinced that by releasing this electromagnetic pulse on the world, she'll be carrying out the instructions of the Numen, aliens she believes saved her life during her stint on the International Space Station. She's willing to wreak havoc on the world to achieve her goals, and it's up to two special agents from the US to stop her before it's too late.
Cleverly blurring the lines between virtual reality and actual reality, 88 Names is a fresh take on the techno thriller genre. John Chu has an unusual but lucrative job as a video game guide. For a price, he sets up a comprehensive gaming package, providing his clients with top-notch characters, weapons, and equipment. He then guides them through the worlds of popular online role-playing games. When someone named Mr. Jones offers him a huge sum of money for a tour through the realm of virtual-reality gaming, Chu is thrilled. That is until he starts to suspect that Mr. Jones is actually the dictator of North Korea, and his interest in virtual reality is anything but recreational. Soon, Chu's safe virtual world spills over into the real world, and the real world is looking more unsafe by the minute. In order to stay alive in real life, he has to rely on every trick he's ever learned to survive video games.
Harrigan, a hard-drinking private detective living as off-Grid as possible, is about to be evicted from his apartment when a stranger shows up asking for his help in finding Anna, an escort who he claims he's desperately in love with. Turns out that through Harrigan's new client, Anna has come into possession of a program/entity called Mirror, Mirror, which has the capacity to merge The Grid and reality, bending both to the whims of the program's user.
Soon Harrigan finds himself up against the last surviving organized crime gangs in Los Angeles, Zodiac's mercenaries, and a mysterious group called The First Church Multiverse, all of whom are hot on the trail of Mirror, Mirror—if the comet rapidly approaching Earth doesn't kill them all first.
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