BKDIGGER.RVW   960713
 
"Digger", Kenneth Goddard, 1991, 0-553-28982-9, U$4.95/C$5.95
%A   Kenneth Goddard
%C   666 Fifth Ave., New York, NY   10103
%D   1991
%G   0-553-28982-9
%I   Bantam Books
%O   U$4.95/C$5.95 212-765-6500 http://www.bdd.com
%P   433
%T   "Digger"
 
This is a nice conspiracy thriller, with CIA plots gone horribly wrong,
political office games that leave real bodies lying around, and cops falsely
accused of everything from murder to jaywalking.  The plot twists are a little
convoluted for my taste (as a whodunnit, the book doesn't even pretend to play
fair), but it's a good read nonetheless.
 
What gets it into this series, of course, is the use of technology.  The use of
computers is fairly central to the plot, though it isn't absolutely necessary. 
Computers are used as a means of communications, and could have been replaced
by something else.
 
Refreshingly, the author seems to actually know how to use a computer.  The
uses are realistic, and the references make sense.  The material isn't
detailed, but it isn't jarringly out of place, either.  The security loopholes
of garage door openers, mag stripe cards, and other common items are reasonably
realistic, although they do occasionally go a bit too far.
 
Ironically, it is probably the two points that the author most wants to use for
the story that are the weakest.  The computer "network" that is set up is
supposed to prevent people from tracing calls or otherwise finding one
individual.  In fact, the communications would rely on direct calls, and so
would be as easy to trace as any other phone calls.  In addition, the use of a
"chat" function is supposed to hide the identity of the caller, and allow a
masquerade to go undetected.  As with "For the Sake of Elena" (cf.
BKSELENA.RVW), at least one of the characters would be skilled enough in
chatting to spot the substitution.
 
copyright Robert M. Slade, 1996   BKDIGGER.RVW   960713

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