Bookshelf

The Blue Nowhere by Jeffrey Deaver

I was recently given this enthralling novel about the world of computer hacking with a criminal undertone and found it a gripping read. If computers, or crime thrillers for that matter, float your boat then I cannot recomend this highly enough.

The story follows the twisting tale of an elite hacker, turned murderer who uses the internet as the means of securing his victims. Using the information he has gathered on his target to “Socially Engineer” them into trusting him, he murders them when they let him get close.

Wyatt Gillette, a white hat (goodie) hacker is released from his maximum security prison cell in order to help the cops track down the elusive killer. The story unfolds in a fast paced blur of cyberpunk jargon and good old fashioned police hunches as the unlikely team play their game of cat and mouse.

Granted, I did have a couple of minor gripes with the book, such as elite cops who become instantly inept when they’re in the near vicinity of the criminal they want to arrest. I find stories where the cop suddenly makes a rookie mistake, letting the baddie slip through their clutches… solely so the book can run on another few chapters, very frustrating and an instant turn off.

However, although this kind of thing happens a couple of times in The Blue Nowhere, the writing is so gripping that I didn’t really mind the story being perpetuated. Indeed, the two main characters in the story are strong enough that I have my fingers crossed Deaver will bring them back for another outing.

Over all, a Foxy 8 out of ten for this book.

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Journal

Bryan Adams concert

Now here’s the thing. When I told certain people I was going to the Bryan Adams concert I was met with ridicule. You know the sort – stiffled laughter that folk put on when they want to dis’ something but they aren’t sure why they’re dis’ing it.

So, along with 20,000 other people on Saturday night, I really enjoyed myself at the Bryan Adams concert in Liverpool on Saturday regardless of those who mock. And I’m not in the least bit ashamed… nor do I feel that my “street cred” (whatever that is) has taken any knocks due to it being the second Bryan Adams concert that I’ve attended.

What I don’t get is wankers who take the piss out of what music other people listen to. It’s so pathetic that I really struggle to grasp what the deal is with that. There are people out there who are into darn sight weirder shit than Bryan Adams, and when they say “I’m into weird shit like DeathMonkey FuckBomb” (name made up at random for shock value) people tend to go “Cool…” as if they’ve heard of the DMFB crew and dig all they stand for.

What is it with that?

For fucks sake take it back to the students union!

I taketh no piss from folk regarding their taste in music, yet I know folk who listen to rap because they are wannabe gangsta’s. I know folk who are into dark metal, and think it makes them “hard”, when to be honest they couldn’t be further from the image of the genre.

One of the coolest people I have the pleasure of knowing is good old Ade. And although Ade has a wide and deep taste in music, I have never known him to take the piss out of whatever I listen to, simply because he has different tastes.

So, by that token, I’m going to make the radical claim that you can still be cool and let people enjoy their own taste in music. It’s okay – really… no, honest it is okay… you can still be a gangsta… you can still head bang with the best of ’em… it really is that simple… go on, try it… live and let live.

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