Chrysalis

Jeremy Logan is an enigmalogist...an investigator of unexplained things. His latest mission is a high-tech company known as Chrysalis. Jeremy will be asked to help with a situation that is out of his normal realm, but one that he still finds fascinating. It's imperative that he succeed. If he doesn’t, the results could have a devastating effect on the world as we know it. No pressure here whatsoever:) Now we go to Alaska with Randall Pike and Wing Kaupei. The two are at the base of a glacier in Alaska taking important samples. As Randall is discussing the results while they’re getting ready to leave, Wing suddenly attacks him with an ax and drives him into a gorge to his death. Now we skip ahead eight months later...at a board show more meeting in New York City for Chrysalis Film Studios, producer Russell Spearman is discussing the use of the latest technology they’re using on an upcoming superhero movie when he suddenly collapses on the glass table and impales himself on one of the large shards of glass from the table, killing him instantly. Two seemingly random but violent incidents, but enough to alarm the multibillion-dollar tech company, Chrysalis. They call in Jeremy Logan for his perspective on the events and to hopefully prevent further deaths and damage to their stocks and their reputation. A warning is received at Chrysalis saying "The next will drop day after tomorrow"...and it does, literally, as board member Piers Bridger’s plane falls from the sky after he experiences a health issue while flying. It has now become apparent that whoever murdered Spearman and Bridger, as well as other board members in different ways is someone with ties inside and setting all this up. This seems to be so different not only for Lincoln Child but for the Jeremy Logan series. Some of the technology was a bit difficult to grasp but the killer's intentions were crystal clear. Lincoln Child does a beautiful job of holding this sometimes-complex story together. It was remarkably believable and completely possible and that was perhaps the scariest part of the entire book. show less

When amazing technology and greed mix it can get bloody. Child pulls us into a page-turner plot that involves his view of what a Meta Universe can mean: virtual realty to the extreme. It's a paradise. Our main character, Jeremy Logan, an enigmalogist and "sensitive," literally goes inside high tech as a drastic measure to save thousands of lives.
QUOTES:

"Suddenly, on impulse, he grasped the device over his ear and plucked it off. Instantly the plaza, the smells, the indescribable feeling of immersion, vanished and he was once again seated before the green screen, his vision returned to normal. He stared down at the device between his fingertips and thought he caught a glimpse of three tiny fibers retracting into its casing. He blinked show more and they were gone."

"A pacemaker could fail. Or if you really want to be paranoid, imagine some terrorist with the right connections, pushing out a firmware patch to a particular model — firmware that would make it intentionally malfunction, cause ventricular fibrillation — and kill everyone implanted with one."

One takeaway from this book: We embrace technology, but understand little of how it works. Those who do understand it and try to control it have a great deal of power over our lives. show less

The Jeremy Logan character is one of my favorites and he is well rounded and well established into this 6th book in the series. I like Child's writing style and his plots and this one is no exception. The plot is complex and takes several twists and turns as the story develops helping to hold reader interest. The one thing missing from this book: Logan's investigations usually have somce kind of supernatural or extra-natural element and that is missing from this one (unless you consider runaway VR technology to be that - no spoiler here. But runaway VR technology is not a surprising development and doesn't qualify as supernatural). Still the plot is very well done and well developed with the usual supporting characters to add interest. show more It is a good read and well worth a look for fans of Jeremy Logan. show less

Chrysalis is a cutting edge technology conglomerate with a top-secret new virtual reality device ready to introduce to the world. When early adopters start dying off, security heads from within Chrysalis bring in Jeremy Logan to help them figure out if an inside-job hacker is responsible. Jeremy is a famed enigmalogist, but can he help solve this mystery where the lines between reality and fantasy are blurred?

I am always interested in the potential future of high-tech developments, so I found this book quite entertaining. At times the technical intricacies of the virtual reality devices went over my head, but the gist of the concept was easy to grasp. The book moved at a fast pace, with lots of action. There wasn't a ton of character show more development, but I didn't really expect it in a thriller like this, so I was ok with that. Overall, this was an enjoyable read. show less

Chrysalis by Lincoln Child is a very highly recommended techno thriller and the sixth novel featuring enigmalogist, Jeremy Logan.

Jeremy Logan is an enigmalogist, or, as he explains it, he is an investigator of unexplained things or solves problems nobody has encountered before. Jeremy has been called by Chrysalis, the global multi-billion dollar tech company, to investigate a threat to the update rollout of a major update of its product. They make optical devices that use virtual reality on a wide scale. It appears, after an anonymous message is sent, that the death of a board member was not an accident and can be attributed to their newest version of the Omega product. This is quickly followed by the death of two more board show more members.

Logan arrives at the facility of Chrysalis and meets with the legal counsel and various executives, which culminates with his receiving complete authority to investigate and ask questions of anyone in the facility. The fear is that someone has program the Omega to kill its users. Logan must use all his intelligence and skills to figure out what is happening and who is killing board members while threatening to kill more.

As expected, Chrysalis is expertly written, with a well researched and intricate plot. Child brings to life the high tech world behind the creation of the Omega VR device and their medical implants. The tension and intrigue is palpable as Logan's investigation evolves and he scrutinizes all areas of the tech company. Expect a lot of tech-talk in this one as that is the focus of the story and the direction of the future.

At this point, fans of the series know Logan and his previous cases, but Chrysalis can be read as a standalone novel. Logan is introduced along with a host of other characters as the investigation unfolds. Long time readers of the series will enjoy this latest addition. 4.5 rounded up
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Knopf Doubleday via NetGalley.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2022/07/chrysalis.html show less

So, I usually enjoy Lincoln Child although I have dipped in and out on his titles. I was excited to read this because I'd heard some glowing reviews. I tapped out at 30% which felit like a fair shake. Maybe it was a right book, wrong time situation, so I've tagged it to try again later. I just couldn't get into the plot or the characters. If you're a Child fan or you're drawn to it, by all means, go for it. I look forward to reading others' reactions and look forward to those being what spurs me to pick it back up and try again someday.

Chrysalis advertises itself as a thriller, but it is more SciFi. The beginning of the book does not make sense, however, by the middle of the book everything is tied together. The characters do have superpowers but that is because of Science Fiction. In 1971 there was a movie made much like this book entitled The Andromeda Strain wherein humans had to be made small enough to travel in a person's body. Much like that someone had to be made smaller in this book, as well. Four stars were awarded to this book. Even though it is a SciFi book, there are some thrilling scenes.