What connects us?
The world in turmoil. America teetering after the last presidential election. COVID-19 and racial issues permeate the news.
A rumor emerges: the final straw? A rumor about a technology that can covertly take down the Internet, permanently. The Internet: our lifeline to connectedness.
A young lawyer (ex-Army intelligence officer), and his beautiful friend (quantum scientist), track down the source of the rumor (the whistleblower) only to find the rumor to be true, the dangerous technology to be real.
Foreign agents also know this, resulting in a chase as to who will control the Internet, and thus the world.
Kirkus Reviews:
“A threat to national security spurs an intuitive, quick-thinking Seattle couple into action to save the world.
Holt’s fourth novel seems ripped from contemporary headlines: It is set nearly a year after a shocking presidential election unmoors America. As racial unrest, political opportunism, and the infectious Covid-19 virus aggressively spread fear and panic across the country, in the eyes of 6-foot-4 ex–Army intelligence officer–turned–lawyer and blogger Pete, “civil society is tipping toward a permanent chasm.” Adding to this overwhelming state of affairs is the rumor that a Luddite-minded group called NuLud has engineered a subatomic particle with the potential to block electrons and permanently disable the global internet. On a desperate hunt for answers, Pete joins forces with his attractive Jamaican friend, downstairs neighbor, and secret love, Sophie, who happens to be a university quantum physicist. Together, the intrepid millennials embark on an international mission to first find the scientist who leaked the rumor and then join the race against Russian Federal Security counteroperatives to thwart the global catastrophe of a cyberterrorism weapon. Written as chronological blog posts that often address readers directly, the novel delivers a deliberate initial setup that belies the rousing chapters that whisk readers through a rapid succession of locations like South America and France. Romantically, the duo’s physical attraction is mutual and undeniable, and Sophie, whose real name is Lani, introduces a religious and emotional element into the budding relationship. Pete reliably and charmingly narrates the action from his perspective as a science-loving nerd hot on the trail of a big conspiracy who is hoping to get the girl of his dreams along the way. Holt has created an endearing character in Pete and adds brief perspectives on race, national security, and technological omnipresence to a thriller that is as introspective, thought-provoking, and socially conscious as it is suspenseful, particularly in the book’s final third. Employing a smooth mixture of action and intrigue with a large dose of self-aggrandizing good humor, the author will capture readers’ attention with two winning heroes.”
Midwest Book Review:
“An exquisite psychological dance between characters.
Many threads run through the life of Pete, carrying him to new places as he falls in love with a beautiful woman, Sophie, a quantum scientist who helps him root out the threat surrounding the Internet-busting discovery of a new subatomic particle.
Pete has several careers to his name, from expertise in Army Intelligence to legal and scientific backgrounds. These make him uniquely qualified to embark on a world-hopping effort to locate the source of this new threat to the Internet. But he meets his match in the lovely Sophie, who introduces a spiritual component into his life that he's long rejected even as she keeps his affections at a professional distance.
Threads isn't really just a singular story, but draws together the threads of two disparate lives who join together for a purpose that changes them both through a process of discovery. The real story is in the efforts of Sophie and Pete to form a lasting connection and bond that supports the individuality they have each long cultivated. It explores love and mistrust with a dash of humor. The discussion about race is particularly well laid-out.
Narrated from Pete's perspective, his self-deprecating humor over being a "dork" without strong relational skills and little spiritual inclinations creates a powerful story.
Highly recommended for readers who want the psychological and romance component of their thriller stories as strong or stronger than the action.”