Michael Byrnes (4)

This is the first book I have read by this author but it won't be the last. It is so well written that I had problems tearing myself away at times from the book. Agent Roman and the rest of the FBI team were great. Each one pulled their weight. The whole angle of cyber bounties on some of the worst criminals was refreshing. It has been a while since I have read a book that was not just the standard cat and mouse game. There was a brief moment that I actually thought that the mastermind show more behind the site might actually get the upper hand on Roman and his team. Yet, this was as I said very brief as Roman and the rest were smart. Although, I must say that I did not feel bad for any of the people who were killed off. They did deserve what came to them. I would call this book a techno-cyber thriller. I have read a few books in this genre. I have to say that this is a must check out genre. Mr. Byrnes has got a new fan in me. show less

Bounty features a timely premise and cinematic writing style that juggles multiple characters and locations. The premise, though rather far-fetched, pushes the current social-networking craze to a dark extreme. Website bounty4justice.com takes the world by storm when it begins offering massive bounties for anyone who can provide video proof that he has executed one of the criminals that's been convicted by votes cast by the website users. And bountyforjustice.com displays an uncanny knack show more for ferreting out those who have evaded the traditional justice system, such as financial fraud perpetrators who have hired high-powered lawyers to get them acquitted of crimes. As the number of targeted criminals and gory killings rise, a team of FBI agents draws upon all available resources to identify the mastermind behind this seemingly untraceable website and decipher the underlying motive.

Though the short chapters and thought-provoking subject matter make for a fast, entertaining read, the constant shifting between points of view and locations interferes with the reader's connection to plucky FBI agent Roman Novak, the man most driven to stop the vigilante madness. Author Michael Byrnes draws heavily on his knowledge of the Internet and cybercrime to lend some believability to the plot, and he raises interesting questions about how the Internet should balance the competing objectives of security and privacy in our post-Snowden era. In the end, though, we are left with as many questions as answers, along with the feeling that this is the first installment in a series. show less

Bounty places the question well in readers' mind - what would we do if we could simply assign a value to someone's life? Could it happen? Or does it already, and we're just not really that aware of what goes on in the darker reaches of the network?

It's definitely a page turner, and while it can be a little thick with the technical speak at times, was easily a great read. It dragged on a little at times, as some sections felt like they were fluffed up and others skipped through quickly (I had show more to backtrack a few times to see if I had missed something). The ending was a little... less than I expected during the read. While the characters seem to play less a role in the story than the plot, it was a refreshing read, and the design of the book itself was innovative - random texts, emails, terminals, chats, etc are inserted at chapter and section breaks, giving the story more of a polished feel.

With more and more of the general population learning about darknets, Bounty is a timely book - but I'm left wondering if this book will stand the test of time in 20-30 years, or if it'll be like reading an old 50s sci-fi, where the terms are out of date and situations seem laughable. Or maybe this is the book that people will look back and realize that it was spot-on, maybe even reading a dog-eared copy while browsing sites just like bounty4justice and wondering if they could be a vigilante themselves. show less

Cyber-crime holds a place in our current news, so the theme of Bounty is timely. Some one, some how, is using the Internet to put a bounty on the heads of criminals nominated and convicted by the masses. If the legal system does not deal with them vigilantes will. Who has the expertise to create and successfully hide the infrastructure required to pull off public assassinations? Does the FBI and the NSA have the technical ability to take them on and win? Michael Byrnes novel is well written, show more engaging, and believable. The ending may take you by surprise, but it is perfectly plausible given the story and that makes all the difference between enjoying a book and feeling let down by a contrived conclusion. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will look for novels by Byrnes in the future. show less