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Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Blog Tour: The Enigma Stolen


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TechnoThriller
Date Published:
April 2015 (Paperback and eBook)
Jun 12 2018 (Audio Formats on Audible and iTunes)
Publisher: ICABOD Press

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A brilliant mathematician and spoiled rich girl, Gretchen, is focused on harnessing Big Data and computing power to control the world stock markets not only to optimize her family’s wealth but also to control the future.

As a descendent of the Nazi Werewolf Clan, is Gretchen being maneuvered into leveraging unlimited computer power along with the ethical nihilism to manipulate lives, or just stretching her genius?

Is Gretchen working alone or is she adding additional computing sources from the Dark Net?

The R-Group, a high-level information gathering and security team, composed of Quip, Otto, Jacob, and Petra along with Julie and Juan’s fledgling group of Cyber Assassin Technology Services teams are trying to isolate the source of the massive computing power required.

Could these cyber schemers be as good at analyzing the information as the R-Group themselves? 

Are people unwittingly feeding an ever-growing tsunami of information into increasingly sophisticated computer systems? This begs the question: who controls whom? 

Breakfield and Burkey shared their 5th book, The Enigma Stolen, from their award-winning series focused on the relevant world of Big Data and analytics. This one will make you ask who are the winners when humans are herded to a machine's targeted end point?



What Readers are Saying

Kirkus “The covert Werewolf Clan, with ties to Nazis, may be responsible and has been using a computer program to accurately predict stock futures. But it has an even more ambitious plan to link supercomputers around the world and potentially manipulate the future.”

“Wow this series gets better and better with every book I feel. Stakes are high in this one. More people are using the technology to hire assassins to go after high profile people.”

“Yes, I am hooked. I love the way the plot twists and turns throughout the book. As one completes, another arises.”


Excerpt

Petra then questioned, “How were all these events correlated? Is this another one of those Big Data exercises that takes mountains of data, shifts through them, and then carefully maps the correlation of peanut butter to jet engines?”

A sullen Quip studied Petra for a moment, then clarified, “Just for the record, we have never mapped peanut butter to jet engines using the Big Data techniques that ICABOD and I have assembled.

“What we saw was a Mr. Clay Dough, in Tennessee, correctly placing stock futures and making a killing. We found a Mr. Mauro Rosati, in Argentina, correctly placing oil and currency futures reliably for months. We even had ICABOD rescue me and EZ from the clutches of the U.S. airport security goons. These, along with the recent example of the cyber assassination of a political foe in Poland. All of these events could not have been surmised without some heavy computer muscle somewhere in the background.”

Otto sensed the annoyance in Quip’s voice and interjected, “Do you believe these are raw examples of computing power harnessed to predict the future? Quip, while that has some validity based on what you and ICABOD have correlated, it is only four examples.”

Quip, now returning to a more analytical state of mind, nodded then added, “I agree that only four examples doesn’t make the case. I find it more interesting to offer a hypothesis to see if other data examples can be obtained that would confirm or deny the statement being made.”
Wolfgang nodded in agreement and placated, “Please forgive us if we voice some skepticism based on the data set. However, I actually tend to agree with this hypothesis, Quip. Further, I want to investigate the money trail with these incidents too. There appears to be more going on here than meets the eye. Tracing the money trail could help us further correlate the events to people or organizations.”

Otto thought a moment and then tested, “Can all of our intelligence gathering be done in our regular coat remote, or do we need more feet on the street to meet?”

They all turned to look at Otto, who nervously eyed them all and apologized, “Sorry, it just came out that way.”

Quip smiled and remarked, “So while he is on his knees, can someone please pass the cheese?”

Otto, now a little embarrassed, attempted to restore order to the meeting and commented, “Alright, no more rhymes. Now I am warning.”

Jacob interjected, “So, is it like this every morning?”


Insight:
Trust Big Data or Jest?
With new waves of technology, it is common for folks to voice skepticism. In The Enigma Stolen the idea that data will rule over human choice comes into question.
We also wanted to show how the team reacts to the possibilities of a relationship between unrelated incidents. On a broader scale most people can be herded to the direction of a marketing campaign, compulsive purchase, or even eating a certain type of food with very little effort.
Taking a leap with Big Data and the analytics which go along with it, takes us to a level we might not be prepared for. How do you see Big Data impacting your choices? (By the way did you use free will to get here or did Big Data Computing steer you this way? Just asking…)



About the Authors

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Breakfield – A renowned technology solutions architect with 25+ years of experience in security, hybrid data/telecom environments, unified communications, enjoys leveraging his professional skills in creating these contemporary TechnoThriller stories. He likes studying World War II history, travel, and cultural exchanges everywhere he can. Charles’ love of wine tastings, cooking, and Harley riding has found ways into The Enigma Series. He is convinced that being a part of his father’s military career in various outposts, has positively contributed to his many characters and the various character perspectives he brings into the series. He has accepted the challenge to try to teach Burkey humor and has added this to the stories in an unexpected manner.

Burkey – A renowned customer experience, business architect optimizes customer solutions on their technology foundation. She has been a featured speaker, subject matter expert, interviewer, instructor, and author of technology documents, as well as co-author of The Enigma Series. It was revealed a few years ago that writing fiction is a lot more fun than white papers or documentation and Rox took it to heart. As a child she helped to lead the other kids with exciting new adventures built on make believe characters. As a Girl Scout until high school she also contributed to the community in the Head Start program. Rox enjoys family, learning, listening to people, any kind of travel, outdoors, sewing, cooking, and imagining the possibilities.

Breakfield & Burkey – Combine their professional expertise, knowledge of the world from both business and personal travels, many characters whom have crossed their paths are a part of the series character universe. They find it interesting to use the aspects of technology people are actually incorporating into their daily lives and make it one aspect a primary theme for each story. Breakfield & Burkey claim this is a perfect way to create stories that pit the cyber good guys versus the cyber bad guys. The books in this award-winning series can be thoroughly enjoyed alone or in sequence.

You can invite them to talk about their stories in private or public book readings. Burkey also enjoys interviewing authors through the Indie Beacon/iHeart Radio programs with dates of interviews showing inside the calendar page of their website www.EnigmaSeries.com. Followers can see them at various book fairs, book Stores, Comic Book events, libraries and other fun venues.


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