Savage Road is a well-planned and well-executed conspiracy thriller with copious amounts of shocking and game-changing twists at every plot turn. A worthy successor to Deep State, Savage Road will keep you hooked onto the book with the riveting plot, exciting espionage, unpredictable game-changing twists, intriguing characters with shadowy agendas, and a protagonist who’s equally as smart as she is badass!
Savage Road is the story of modern day warfare. A war not fought among clearly stated nations with nuclear weapons and other conventional weapons, but among shadowy entities with a greater weapon; computer code. Coding and programming play vital roles in this narrative, as the antagonist wrecks havoc on American lives through smartly written and dangerously executed computer code, made possible due to shocking and scary vulnerabilities in public utilities.
Hayley Chill is now working as a full time staffer at White House, secretly managing the Russian mole she turned as an asset against the Russians, the President of the United States. As the string of computer exploits bring about deaths and destructions with no clear attribution but lots of heated debates pointing fingers to Russia, it’s up to Hayley Chill and her fellow Deeper State operative, April Wu, to find the hacker and put an end to his shenanigans before the next unthinkable act occurs. The copious amounts of unpredictable and excellently jaw-dropping twists and turns are second to none.
While the narrative isn’t exactly action packed, the author still showcases Hayley Chill’s readiness towards violence in a showcase of after effects of Chill’s brutal antics. There is one badass hand to hand combat sequence where Chill takes on a Cuban operative, only armed with a fist full of keys utilized in fashion that will make the action fans and fanatics giddy.
Hayley Chill continues to shine as a strong, independent character whose emotional vulnerabilities and demons are explored, especially when she has a personal and unresolved trauma from her past in this storyline. Her cool under fire, and calm demeanor are ever present, but so is the rage bubbling underneath her calm façade. It’s a fascinating perspective that is a treat for the readers. Her banter with April Wu, her Deeper State somewhat reluctant peer, is a great one, with lots of witty exchanges and some profound emotional growth in the relationship between the two characters. I would definitely love to see more of April Wu in the future.
Savage Road is an unpredictable, fast-paced, character and plot driven thriller with lots of computer science and computer engineering tidbits that have been researched thoroughly enough to make a computer science undergrad like me relate to the programming aspects and the vulnerabilities of the systems. The what if scenarios brought to life in the events of the book are hauntingly eerie to imagine, and reaffirm the need to have people like Hayley Chill watching out for us. Hayley Chill is here to stay for good. A must-read thriller, with a hopeful positive aftermath of COVID to lift our spirits up.
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