Author: Hallie Ephron
Published: 2012
Publisher: Harper Collins Publishers (www.harpercollins.com)
Pages: 276 (288 including an excerpt from Hallie Ephron's previous book, Never Tell a Lie)
ISBN 9780062103727
Source: a copy was provided by TLC book tours in exchange for an honest review. This in no way influenced my opinion nor this review.
Reformed hacker Diana Highsmith hasn't left her house in over a year...not since she watched the man she loved fall to his death in the Swiss mountains. Now a grief-stricken recluse, she runs a thriving Internet security company from her home -- meeting with clients in OtherWorld, an online virtual reality platform where she lives as her avatar, Nadia. The only two people Diana has seen live in the past twelve months are her sister, Ashley, and her UPS delivery guy.
But when Ashley vanishes, Diana is forced to do the unthinkable: to brave both the outside and her own personal demons to find her missing sister. As one shaky step leads to another, Diana finds that the trail she is following is fraught with peril for her and her sister both -- as she uncovers a frightening web of deceit and betrayal that stretches from the virtual world into real life.
My Review:
The research behind Come and Find Me is meticulous and I'd love to have the opportunity to chat with Hallie Ephron about it. In Come and Find Me, Diana is a reformed hacker who now works to help her customers debug their systems, arm them against hacker attacks, and puts in place walls to protect them. But those aren't the only walls Diana knows. In her life, she has placed virtual and real walls around her. Over a year previous, she witnessed her boyfriend and business partner plunge to his death off a mountain, and since then, her anxiety attacks have forbidden interaction with the world outside her walls. Barricaded inside her home, secure with a system that alerts her of intruders, locks and codes in place to prevent intrusion, Diana lives secluded in her family home. Her anxiety and apprehension is fathomable to the reader as she checks all systems before answering the door, peering through blinds after acknowledging her advanced security set up. Just to meet the UPS delivery guy at the door is a feat unto itself.
But when her sister, Ashley, disappears, Diana finds she must be stronger than even the walls she has put in place. She must step beyond the safety she knows and navigate the real world to find answers that lead her to Ashley.
For such an intelligent woman, I was surprised at Diana's choice of companionship in her business and personal life. But then, they say love is blind. It is only when Diana uses her extensive skills in the virtual world, that she uncovers more than she bargained for. Answers that to the reader were somewhat predictable, become blatantly apparent to her as she finds herself trying to dube fellow whizzes.
Come and Find Me is a quick read that captures the imagination. making you wonder if DNA can be manipulated, if one's identity can be a powerful tool in the hands of another, if the virtual world is something to be afraid of. This novel reminds me of a movie starring Sandra Bullock, The Net, wherein computers are used to manipulate the very basic things that are our daily lives. Come and Find Me isn't about identity theft so much as it is about vulnerabilities.
Come and Find Me is a mystery of virtual suspense, that fulfilled in me the desire for an exciting read while raising questions perhaps we should all be asking about the security of our personal information in the hands of so-called professionals.
Rated 4/5. (some language)
The research behind Come and Find Me is meticulous and I'd love to have the opportunity to chat with Hallie Ephron about it. In Come and Find Me, Diana is a reformed hacker who now works to help her customers debug their systems, arm them against hacker attacks, and puts in place walls to protect them. But those aren't the only walls Diana knows. In her life, she has placed virtual and real walls around her. Over a year previous, she witnessed her boyfriend and business partner plunge to his death off a mountain, and since then, her anxiety attacks have forbidden interaction with the world outside her walls. Barricaded inside her home, secure with a system that alerts her of intruders, locks and codes in place to prevent intrusion, Diana lives secluded in her family home. Her anxiety and apprehension is fathomable to the reader as she checks all systems before answering the door, peering through blinds after acknowledging her advanced security set up. Just to meet the UPS delivery guy at the door is a feat unto itself.
But when her sister, Ashley, disappears, Diana finds she must be stronger than even the walls she has put in place. She must step beyond the safety she knows and navigate the real world to find answers that lead her to Ashley.
For such an intelligent woman, I was surprised at Diana's choice of companionship in her business and personal life. But then, they say love is blind. It is only when Diana uses her extensive skills in the virtual world, that she uncovers more than she bargained for. Answers that to the reader were somewhat predictable, become blatantly apparent to her as she finds herself trying to dube fellow whizzes.
Come and Find Me is a quick read that captures the imagination. making you wonder if DNA can be manipulated, if one's identity can be a powerful tool in the hands of another, if the virtual world is something to be afraid of. This novel reminds me of a movie starring Sandra Bullock, The Net, wherein computers are used to manipulate the very basic things that are our daily lives. Come and Find Me isn't about identity theft so much as it is about vulnerabilities.
Come and Find Me is a mystery of virtual suspense, that fulfilled in me the desire for an exciting read while raising questions perhaps we should all be asking about the security of our personal information in the hands of so-called professionals.
Rated 4/5. (some language)
Meet the Author:
An award-winning mystery reviewer, Hallie Ephron is the author of Never Tell a Lie (a Mary Higgins Clark Award finalist that was also made into the Lifetime Movie Network film And Baby Will Fall) and the Edgar - and Anthony Award - nominated Writing and Selling Your Mystery. Ephron lives near Boston.http://hallieephron.com
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hallie-Ephron/144681462260841
I remember really enjoying The Net when it came out years ago - it definitely made me think about the ease with which people can manipulate info online!
ReplyDeleteThis book sound very intriguing, a story that would keep me up late turning page after page to find out how things turn out. Glad to see you enjoyed it!
Thanks for being on the tour.
Thanks Heather! This definitely was a page-turner!
ReplyDeleteI loved The Net! I don't think I'd want to know how close to reality Come and Find Me could actually be!
ReplyDeleteThanks Shirley! Very nice review.
ReplyDeleteTrish
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