BKSTMHVN.RVW   20000630

"Storming Heaven", Kyle Mills, 1998, 0-06-101251-3
%A   Kyle Mills
%C   10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY  10022-5299
%D   1998
%G   0-06-101251-3
%I   HarperCollins/Basic Books
%O   800-242-7737 fax: 212-207-7433 information@harpercollins.com
%P   499 p.
%T   "Storming Heaven"

Mills can stand with the front ranks of thriller authors.  His
plotting is nicely developed, and realistic.  (You've got to admire
his bravery in taking on a very thinly disguised Scientology.)  The
characters are sympathetic, and quirky enough to be interesting.

What gets him into this series is a very nice use of
telecommunications and security.  First off, we have a great idea for
eavesdropping, a long distance company that taps into all the calls
made on its cards.  The use of voice over IP allows you to route all
calls into your processing centre, although the use of an 800 number
would probably have worked just as well.  (On the other hand, the use
of voice over IP also allows you to justify, and hide, masses of voice
processing equipment.)  Offering special rates to law enforcement
agencies, government offices, and legislators selects a fairly
influential group to blackmail or keep track of.

Then we have identity theft and manipulation.  The details of this
section are not as prolific as those in the long distance plot, but,
assuming the personnel placement suggested in the book, it is all too
plausible.  Fairly realistically, the standard attacks on the bank
accounts of the protagonist, and the production of a criminal record,
are not serious threats, but are used as annoyances to add to the
other assaults being used.  It is also nice to see the use of social
engineering, which is simpler and generally just as effective, instead
of some impossible dominance over all computer systems.

The good guys use social engineering to good effect as well, although
I suspect that the steps taken were really surplus to requirements. 
Still the penetration of the bad guys' systems is accomplished in a
practical manner.

There is even a nice use of private phone exchanges, and a good way to
get around the security there.

copyright Robert M. Slade, 2000   BKSTMHVN.RVW   20000630