Trojan

Wow! This read was not at all what I expected it to be. I tend to shy away from books and movies/shows that involve too much political talk, as I more often than not become somewhat bored and/or confused. However, this read was more than some story about the White House and President, it was a thrilling and chilling ride that I finished within two sittings. The characters are developed well, but what really soars is the plot. There is never a dull moment in this thriller. The first order of events happens quickly and I became hooked. There were times when I gasped, closed my eyes, and held my breath. From the moment when an important figure is assassinated, to the travesties that cities endure, to the impending major threats, my mind is still blown away. But what makes this such a suspenseful and unforgettable read is how realistic it seems. To take such a topic as the defense systems in the U.S. is compromised and therefore the country is left vulnerable is something that not many want to picture or even think about. I did have a bit of a problem when acronyms were used or technical procedures were discussed. This is mainly because I am not too tech savvy and if I’m not exposed to acronym a few times, then I tend to not remember its meaning. However, it really didn’t deter from my enjoyment of this read, and I’m happy that I picked it up! As a warning: There are explicit scenes of violence, murder, and destruction. I would this read to those who enjoy thrillers and who have a strong stomach for some disturbing scenes.

As the Senior Manager of White House Defense Armament Systems, Victor Walker has been tasked with tending the very life support system of U.S. defenses. When a high-profile assassination is followed quickly by the complete meltdown of all critical defense systems, Victor must race against the clock to find and fix the problem before something unspeakable happens. As if that wasn’t enough pressure, he begins to suspect that the threat is much closer to home than anyone thought and now the Trojan linked to the assassination is targeting Victor’s family. It’s an earth-shaking thing to suddenly realize you can’t trust the people you once thought beyond suspicion. *** t’s clear an expert wrote this novel, but a layperson may well struggle with the terminology, The sentence structure was awkwardly convoluted at times and I found myself rereading a number of passages in an attempt to untangle them. That being said, the premise and plot of this novel was interesting. Mr. Wallace really did put his extensive career in information technology and government/military work to good use. His characters evolve in complexity as the story progresses and Victor is the type of flawed hero that readers can root for. Many people will relate to his struggle to find a balance between work and home life, the burden of certain secrets—especially those with shame and guilt attached—and the toll responsibility can take on a person. Bottom line: “Trojan” has good, solid bones underneath the slightly rough surface. Lovers of political intrigue, cyberterorrism, and modern murder mysteries will enjoy this. An IT background would likely help with the terminology here, so do keep that in mind.

I found this book extremely interesting, even though it's not the usual genre that I read. It was very current with real world scenarios which gave it a sort of urgency You could imagine, as horrible as it would be, something like this happening, so you want to keep reading to see what happens and hope that it will all work out somehow in the end. You would hope there would be someone like Victor around in that sort of situation. I really didn't expect the wide breadth of action that this story had. I thought it was going to revolve mostly around the computer systems going down and trying to get them back online. But, when the first set of explosions go off, it's clear there's going to be so much more to the story. It's very obvious that the author has a lot of knowledge of the government, the NSA, and the like for all of the details put in. He also obviously knows a lot about hand-to-hand fighting as there were many references to different strikes, leg sweeps, specific holds and the like during fight scenes. It's clear that a lot of time was spent working on those scenes to make sure the reader has a great image in mind of the entire action sequence, instead of just saying something like, "then they tussled around on the ground for a while." The content about the computer programming could have gotten confusing, but the author did a good job of explaining everything so you could follow along if you don't have a background in that type of thing. And, it was done in a natural way. Actually, all the dialogue seemed very natural. As did the emotions and reactions of the characters. Victor and Helen are the stuff of great love stories, so it was nice to see their emotions addressed and often. There are a lot of things happening to them the whole way through and it made the story more believable that Helen wasn't always blindly following along with Victor. Her reactions were very real, as were his. He wasn't some all-powerful hero, never phased by the events. He was a normal guy with a somewhat not-normal job who was simply trying to do whatever he could to clear his name and protect his country and family, and that would naturally come with moments of doubt and fear and sadness and anxiety. He's not James Bond, and it made the story much more enjoyable to feel like the protagonist was a regular guy facing a massively irregular problem. Really great first outing for the author. He obviously knows his stuff and is an authority on a lot of what he wrote about. He was able to create a story that was full of details and complicated programming and security issues that the reader can easily follow along with and stay invested in.

What would you do if you found yourself blamed for leaving your country defenceless against foreign enemies? Would you run, or would you fight to get to the truth? And probably most importantly, who can you trust, when it seems that the whole of the US government is against you? These are questions that Victor Walker must figure out when he is framed with the sabotage of America's online defence systems. It is imperative that Victor finds out who is responsible as it isn't his own life that is at risk, but also the lives of his family. What I really loved about Wallace's protagonist, was that he didn't develop super spy powers as soon as he was in danger. He still had fears, and weaknesses, which made him so much more 'real' and relatable. Plus I definitely became invested in his fate; I felt like I was with him throughout his predicament, right there for the ride. If you like thriller, then this utterly compelling and convincing novel should be added to your bookshelf immediately. It is so well-written, well-paced and definitely one that will give Tom Clancey a run for his money.

Prepare to be blown away by a cracking espionage thriller, full of action, intrigue, tragedy and tension. 'Trojan' by David L Wallace was a novel that not only makes you think, but it keeps you on the edge of your seat whilst doing so. You barely get a chance to breathe before you are sucked into the plot and dragged along at breakneck speed to an utterly thrilling conclusion. Victor loves his country and his life service has been about protecting it. But, someone wants him out of the way for good. There is a Trojan in the White House and they are determined to see Victor blamed for the heinous actions they put in place. On the run for crimes he didn't commit, Victor must find the party responsible, before the unthinkable happens. A corker of a debut novel, so easy to read in a single sitting, and even easier to enjoy. I'm looking forward to what else David L Wallace can produce in the future

David L. Wallace may not be a well-known author, but he certainly deserves to be. His debut novel 'Trojan' is probably one of the best political thriller novels I have ever read. There is action by the bucket load, with assassins, ninjas and a mole determined to bring down US defences. Victor Walker is on the first line of defence against terrorists,but when he is accused of being one, he faces the almost impossible task of clearing his name, whilst the entire US government hunts him down. The scene setting was brilliant, making the novel a real immersive experience; and the plot was to twisting and turning, with a completely unpredictable conclusion. An awesome read I will be recommending.

Had to keep reading this book, I couldn't put it down. Terrific!!!