Split Second

This novel is a thriller, complete with black ops and spies. It's set in the near future, with only a few technological improvements beyond what already exists. Then the author throws in a sci-fi invention or discovery and imagines what impact it would have. In my opinion, the story has some flaws but overall I enjoyed the author's research. Don't miss his explanation at the end of the book of what was fact and what was fiction. I also enjoyed when characters made references to other works of science fiction - although I find it hard to believe that a special ops soldier would have much familiarity with sci-fi.

<< spoilers below >>

I can't discuss the flaws without giving away some parts of the story, however, I'm still not going to reveal much in this first section.

in chapter 2, it is very difficult to believe that the characters would be so docile. Their ridiculously submissive response is almost enough to make me drop the book. With barely an objection, they yield themselves to military-type men who have no insignia and offer no credentials. They don't run, call 911, scream for help, lock themselves in the bathroom, or throw anything at the intruders.

Later in the story, this same docile woman somehow transforms into a person capable of carjacking an innocent civilian with a sub-machine-gun. We're told that a wireless flash drive can be used as a backup device without being connected to power. Throughout the book we are expected to believe that stolen cell phones won't be secured with some type of pin.

<< now for a BIG SPOILER >>

At the end of the story, I think we may have avoided another ‘Adolf Hitler' - only to be stuck with something almost as bad - a super powerful, black ops organization that is accountable to no one.

It's obvious that Mr. Richards did his research regarding some very complex concepts when writing this novel. (And I appreciated the notes at the back of the book explaining his thought processes!) This was indeed a “page-turner” and the characters were not just 2-D representations, but seemed like very real characters, acting in a very realistic manner, in some quite stressful situations. Kudos! Being a kind of “science nerd” I mostly read science fiction novels and wasn't too sure about this book (called a “techno-thriller” by some) especially regarding how the so-called “earth-shattering” idea would be expressed (logically and scientifically), but it all fit together very reasonably, and I could not find anything that was unbelievable. Just the right amount of science and science-based extrapolation with a very real sense of teetering on the precipice of how this all will affect human-kind. I very much enjoyed the numerous “thought-experiments” that were peppered though-out to help explain the more esoteric concepts. I am definitely going to look at other books by this author!