Dark Tomorrow (Lisa Tanchik Book 2)
Reece Hirsch
Thomas & Mercer
May 12, 2020
Dark Tomorrow by Reece Hirsch brings to the forefront cyber warfare. This book brings back FBI Agent Lisa Tanchik whose skillset handles cyber threats. The story explores the deep inside workings of the Dark Web, cyber vulnerabilities, and diverse but flawed characters.
“As a writer I wanted to show the different ways technology can be used against people from hacking into medical devices to cars to applications. The modern world can be pretty scary. Although technology brings a lot of good, it also brings evil people closer to us. I put in this quote, ‘In long-term relationships, as in hacking, all vulnerabilities were discovered and exploited sooner or later.’ In this book the enemy used America’s vulnerabilities against them.”
Cyber is a new type of warfare. Traditional warfare can see an invasion or a weapon coming. With cyber, there is a devastating impact but it is hard to know who is behind it. This book shows what a comprehensive attack can do instead of the small skirmishes that have been happening.
The plot has a cat and mouse game between FBI Agent Tanchik and her nemesis, Russian hacker NatalyaX. This Russian sleeper agent shares many of the same qualities as Tanchik, which makes for a compelling story. The Russian hacker has been tracked by the FBI Agent for years, but the break happens after an employee of CyberCom, a federal government agency concerned with cyber security, had a fatal epileptic attack after opening an attachment that exposed him to harsh strobe lights. They then hack someone’s pacemaker, killing them instantly. But worse, are the blackouts occurring all over America. She and the unit search for clues, finding out the Russian hacker plans on infiltrating the water supply. Tanchik knows she must nullify this threat before it deals a death blow to America. Unfortunately, besides battling NatalyaX, Lisa must also fight her constant depression and drinking problems.
The author noted, “The two adversaries are a lot alike regarding skills. But NatalyaX would kill people in the name of her cause. I put in this quote to show how the Russians want to make everything equivalent, ‘Sometimes in war you have to strike preemptively. I think your people call it ‘defending forward.’ That’s what your bosses did when they hit Iran’s nuclear centrifuges. When things escalated in Syria, they took similar measures against Russia.’ Lisa replied that what was done was at another level, and that America stands for something.”
What is interesting is that while people read the story, they get a chilling realism of what is happening. During the middle of the COVID-19 virus there is the commonality of having a loss of control where there was no transportation, food shortages, loss of heating, and people dying.
This novel is eerily realistic to what is happening today. In many ways the gripping plot will cause readers to stop and think about many issues including the need to be careful with their own privacy.
