A medical advance is weaponized to kill people, instead of provide helpful doses of medications. Jeremy Logan, often called a ghost-breaker or supernatural detective, is called in to investigate threats to Chrysalis, a billion dollar tech company. He is given complete access to the staff and their work to uncover who is undermining the organization. Book six in the Jeremy Logan series can be read as a standalone novel. The tightly woven story is well-wrapped within a lot of IT and medical jargon that does not interfere with the page-turning plot.

This was not one of my favorite Jeremy Logan books. Why? Maybe because this technology seems not that far away. But still an excellent thriller and I definitely have friends to recommend this book to!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

Published by Doubleday on July 12, 2022

Chrysalis is a mega-corporation. Two of its divisions are key to the plot. One makes drugs and medical devices. The other produces smart technology. The company makes a wireless device that consists of an earbud and a small screen that the user wears like glasses on the bridge of the nose, giving users a personal assistant and access to whatever data they need. The next phase of the product’s development will add an immersive virtual reality experience. The VR gadgets have been sent to a thousand lucky customers in the first round of the product rollout.

The novel begins with two researchers in Alaska searching for samples in a Neanderthal mass grave. One researcher murders the other to conceal an important find.

The main story begins several months later. Chrysalis has received an untraceable email that forecasts a death. Two more deaths occur, each victim a director of the company who attended a demonstration of the new VR device. This leads to a final email advising Chrysalis that the customers who received the new VR device will be killed if Chrysalis doesn’t pay a billion dollars. The email warns that recalling the device or notifying customers will trigger the mass killing. Another couple of deaths occur to solidify the threat.

Instead of contacting the FBI like any sensible corporate counsel would advise, Chrysalis’ counsel decides to hire Jeremy Logan, the internationally known ghostbuster. Why anyone thinks his unique talents are suited to corporate espionage is beyond me. Still, it wouldn’t be a Jeremy Logan novel without Jeremy Logan, so the reader needs to let that pass.

The novel’s twin mysteries are (1) how (and if) Chrysalis technology is behind the deaths that the extortionists have caused, and (2) who at Chrysalis is involved in the extortion. The answers are revealed more by luck and coincidence than the efforts of Logan, who spends most of his time following Chrysalis employees and asking questions that glue the plot elements together.

When it comes time to save the day by entering the VR world, Logan does the work instead of someone with IT knowledge because, he says, “I know as much as anybody.” Logan took one brief VR tour so he knows as much as the people who developed the technology? Well, he has as much hubris as anybody, but it makes zero sense that he would take on the task of virtually running around the insides of server architecture. Why isn’t the tech guru who guides Logan doing the work instead of Logan? And why is it left to Logan to save the day by pushing a button at the end of the novel? Only because it's a Jeremey Logan novel. Logan needs to do so something, and after making no serious contribution to the plot, he has to justify his starring role. I can’t imagine any reader buying into this story.

Chrysalis is interesting, but it develops little suspense. Obligatory machine gunning near the story’s end fails to rectify that problem. The conspiracy is too ridiculous to take seriously, a common failing of modern thrillers. Logan’s journey through fiber optic lines is just silly. Characters are devoid of personality, apart from bad guys being bad and everyone but Logan being afraid to take necessary action.

On the bright side, Lincoln Child keeps the story moving and creates a credible corporate atmosphere. Readers who enjoy tech thrillers and don’t care whether the plot is plausible might find something of value in Chrysalis. Readers who are looking for a credible, meatier story should look elsewhere.

RECOMMENDED WITH RESERVATIONS

A new Jeremy Logan installment that strays from the supernatural to virtual technology. An interesting concept, that could easily be our reality in future years. Child does a good job building the world of Chrysalis and developing the characters. There are times in the story where Child delves into the technology and while I liked the detail it slowed down the pace. As a whole, an entertaining mystery, especially recommend to Lincoln Child fans.

ARC was provided by Doubleday Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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 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.
The review will be published on Barnes & Noble, Google Books, and Amazon.

Jeremy Logan is back to solve the unsolvable. People connected to the tech company, Chrysalis, are dying, and Jeremy is called in to find out why. Like Child's other titles, readers are sucked into the story right away. He does a wonderful job of pulling readers in and setting the scene. We are introduced to the tech company and a list of characters who are unique and interesting. I found myself questioning each of their motives and even their honesty.

As Jeremy explores possible suspects and motives, he dives into the company's virtual reality system and questions if it could be the true method of death. Be warned, there is a lot of tech in this book. While it is very interesting, for those of us who are not fully engaged by these things, it does bog down the progression of the story a bit. Kudos to Child for once again doing his research.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. It's interesting and relatively fasted paced. Fans of Child's solo books and those coauthored with Preston are sure to like this addition to the Jeremy Logan series.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC and the opportunity to read and review Chrysalis by Lincoln Child.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for gifting me an advanced copy.

I really enjoy the Jeremy Logan series. It's a lot of fun. This one wasn't quite as good as the others I've read in the series. I think I just wasn't as invested in the technology that made up the premise of the novel, nor did I connect with any of the characters all that much. That said, the story was entertaining, action-packed, and a fast read, so this one got three and a half stars rounded up.

Recommended for fans of technothrillers or Pendergast/Lincoln and Child.

Lincoln Child’s Jeremy Logan series continues with another problem to solve before the world could be destroyed via virtual reality. The scary thing about Child’s books is that these events could really happen in the future.

To me what makes this a number 1 novel is the author’s ability to all the technical aspects of AI technology understandable to anyone without talking down to those who actually create software.
Amazing and intriguing. Surprising and intricate plot.
Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this arc

Jeremy Logan, famed enigmalogist, is hired by the tech giant Chrysalis whose new virtual reality device is about to go live. As the clock ticks down to the global launch, Logan quickly sees there is a very dangerous anomaly in the new technology that could be weaponized. Although I am a fan of Lincoln Child's solo work, this book didn't hit the mark for me. The basic story was good and populated with interesting characters and an amazing company compound that had everything in it, but the extensive tech descriptions bogged down the narrative. Virtual reality has never appealed to me which didn't help improve my reading experience. It was an intriguing concept but ultimately disappointing for me.

Jeremy Logan is back in Chrysalis, the sixth book in the long-running series featuring the intriguing enigmalogist, that began back in 2007 with the novel, Deep Storm. This time, Logan is called to the Chrysalis Advanced Research Center, a high-tech campus hidden away in a remote corner of the Berkshires. Something is very wrong at the facility, which produces a high-tech virtual reality device known as Omega, which has all but become ubiquitous with millions around the world relying on the futuristic gadget.
But things are not all they seem Chrysalis. People associated with the company are dying, and even though there appears to be no common denominator between the tragedies, Logan is suspicious. Because Chrysalis is in the midst of launching the next generation of virtual-reality devices. Could there be a connection between the deaths and the fancy new VR interfaces?
In his new novel, Chrysalis, Lincoln Child deviates from the supernatural roots of the Jeremy Logan series and veers squarely into the dangers of the modern high-tech world, where everyone is linked to everyone else. Could one bad actor manipulate these global connections for their own nefarious purposes?
I have enjoyed the other five books in the series, and this new installment is a welcome addition. My only slight disappointment was that I felt it strayed a little from Logan’s supernatural roots. That said, the novel barreled along at a fast pace and held my interest throughout. Logan is an interesting character who reminds me a little of a less serious Robert Langdon. I hope we will see Logan again in the near future, continuing his supernatural journey.
In the meantime, if you haven’t read the other books in the Jeremy Logan series, consider giving them a go before you arrive at Chrysalis. If you have devoured them already, you will enjoy spending some more time with the famed enigmalogist and getting to know him just a little better.
All in all, a solid entry in the series which I hope will continue for many more books.

I have enjoyed the previous Jeremy Logan thrillers by Lincoln Child. Chrysalis was different than the earlier novels, and I must say, not my favorite of the series.

This new book in the Jeremy Logan series is great. Child’s ability to take technology past the current cutting edge and then show how terribly wrong things could go is fabulous. Great characters and fast moving story.

Another great Jeremy Logan book by Lincoln Child. While I really enjoyed this book, it was far more "technical" than some of his others. I found myself lost at a lot of the terminology and what was going on. Can't wait for the next Jeremy Logan adventure. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

The sixth book in the Jeremy Logan series involved a new puzzling situation to solve. Chrysalis is a cutting edge technology firm creating new virtual reality platforms that will change the way we live. Jeremy is called in when a board member mysteriously dies and the company attorney receives a threatening email. The virtual reality department is about to roll out their newest iteration of the VR unit. The email she receives is a ransom note of sorts demanding billions of dollars be paid before the roll out or 1000 customers will die when it goes live. two more board members die under suspicious circumstances proving that this is a credible threat. Jeremy and the executives at Chrysalis must find who and how to stop this. This is a edge-of-your-seat thriller!
The writing is excellent, well organized, well researched and technical to a point but not so much that the non-computer savvy can't understand. That said the non computer familiar might get bogged down and stop reading but the storyline carries through.
I enjoyed this book and alway have enjoyed the writer's work.

Chrysalis by Lincoln Child The premise of this book is intriguing and thought-provoking. Jeremy Logan is a unique character. The public's addiction to technology and what the future holds are both conceivable. The technical descriptions, although fascinating at times, detracted from the primary story. There was just a overload of information.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

Truly good Tech novel. Logan is a great character. There was tons of great tech in this book, you just know it has to be some truth

I am a huge fan of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child books, and this one had some great drama leading up until the end. They are probably the best writers of techno-thrillers since Michael Crichton. This book had a great story, without the usual "supernatural" vibe they usually start with. Alot of great suspense and writing up until close to the very end and then bam!...the whole story is over very abruptly. it really shocked me how fast the whole narrative was over and i was disappointed with that. Otherwise a great novel!

The general premise of this book was very interesting and thought provoking. There were times though when I just couldn't follow the technology aspects which made me feel like I was missing an important part of the story. I also couldn't really get into the location. In previous novels the settings were incredible and I really felt like I was there. I had trouble imagining this location so I couldn't figure out where things were happening.
It wasn't my favorite of his stories but it was still entertaining.

great book about technology and how it might kill you. I really enjoyed reading this author and being in this world. Its been a long time since I had read him. It reminded me of his other books. Loved the mystery and trying to solve it .