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There's something intriguing about a book that shamelessly ranges so far afield from
our everyday lives and describes the intricate machinations of a plot that involves the
IRS, the FBI, a high-tech software firm in Austin, Texas, a couple of good-looking kids
from California, and a Cuban freedom fighter with a cadre of professional killers at his
beck and call. To call such a thing a conspiracy would be like calling Fidel Castro just
another wacky, cigar-smoking, bearded dude.
We don't believe a word of stories like this, of course, but that doesn't make them any
less entertaining. R. J. Pineiro's CONSPIRACY.COM, the author's ninth novel, is just such
a book. In it, Pineiro combines his intimate knowledge of computer systems with a native
curiosity for what makes the good guys and the bad guys tick to come up with something
just a bit out of the ordinary.
The plot is ironic and timely given the current situation with the FBI and their, ahem,
housekeeping problems: Agent Karen Frost, sick of watching her partners (both professional
and personal) being blown away by ruthless criminals, is dead set on kicking some good
old-fashioned tail. Revenge, after all, is a dish best served cold. Aside from a couple
too many plays-on-words on her icy demeanor, Frost is a cool character who keeps the plot
moving along and isn't too much of a stiff to take one for the team (a scene where she get
hits twice with silenced rifle fire is especially chilling).
Even as Frost is getting knocked around Austin, Michael and Victoria Ryan, newly minted
Stanford degrees in hand, get enticed into accepting jobs in the ultra-hip Texas capital.
Let the games begin.
Michael, who works for SoftCorp, a company that is secretly hoarding some of the best
computer talent in the country, has developed sophisticated software for interfacing
virtual reality programs with the needs of the everyday business world. Little does he
know that the one client his firm handles --- a little organization we pay homage (and
occasionally a whole lot more) to every April 15 --- is getting ripped off by a bunch of
very crafty hooligans who despise American imperialism and envision a Cuba unfettered by
Castro's kindheartedness.
All of this works, though Pineiro is careful not to transcend any cyberthriller
stereotypes. The stock characters make their obligatory appearances --- ridiculously
wealthy, oversexed boss with a knockout smile and a series of knockout blondes on his arm;
the tough-as-nails FBI agent with a vendetta; the crooked politician; the sadistic
Hispanic assassin who, even on paper, looks and sounds a whole lot like Benicio del Toro
--- and the only question of any importance isn't what will happen, but rather how.
Still, the story's pacing and the tech toys' sexiness are more than enough to carry the
day. The virtual reality scenes are done with a flair and restraint that has been absent
from this genre since Eric Harry pulled it off in SOCIETY OF THE MIND five years ago.
Apparently, we've come far enough past the "gee whiz" stage of VR development
that the technology can be integrated fairly seamlessly into the storyline.
The writing and editing, though a bit sketchy in places --- "The FBI director found
himself staring at the very face of death;" "He had seen enough death and
destruction in his life to last him twenty lifetimes" --- is serviceable. It's the
story here that should get all the credit, and Pineiro has a knack for striking the right
chords.
If the information on the inside of Pineiro's latest book is correct, he has plans to
publish two more books in the next two years. Given what he has accomplished in
CONSPIRACY.COM, cyberthriller fans have something to look forward to.
--- Reviewed by Patrick Smith
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