Cover Image: Going Zero

Going Zero

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A new thriller - check! A librarian protagonist - super duper check! This book has everything going for it before you even start reading. Then... you open the book and it is everything you expected. The technology, mirroring new leaps in the field is powerful, the characters are well-crafted, intelligent individuals. The pacing is spot-on. The author, a screenwriter, may have crafted this with the intention of it eventually being made into a movie, which is fine because I loved this book and would eagerly watch the movie. Pick this one up, I think you are going to like it!

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This most unusual new technothriller centers on the beta test of a game-changing new spyware development named FUSION - purported to be able to track anyone, anywhere.

Ten individuals are randomly selected for its Beta Test, to begin at noon on May 1st. Participants can take any (legal) steps they choose to evade Fusion Central's Capture Team. Anyone still free on May 31st at noon will win three million dollars tax free.

Unassuming Boston librarian Kaitlyn Day is more than she seems. Fusion Central expect that Kaitlyn will be the first Zero captured but she surprises them - again and again.

This brilliant thriller is a thought provoking read, absolutely not to be missed!

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Going Zero by Anthony McCarten is an exciting, fast paced mystery with a setting that is much like the technical issues we really are facing.

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I am usually not a big fan of thrillers involving technology but Going Zero grabbed and held my attention. Interesting plot with a few unexpected twists. And who wouldn’t love a story with a librarian characters that defies all expectations.

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Going Zero starts with a great hook: could you go off grid for 30 days to win $3 million dollars. But with a catch: what if the most sophisticated technology company in the world joined forces with the US government to find you?

This is right in the middle of our cultural moment. Dreams of going off grid, winning millions of dollars and sticking it to the big tech companies we both love and hate.

I was able to get an advance copy via NetGalley and when I dipped in to see what it was like ended up finishing it in a couple of nights. It turned out to be highly entertaining and fast paced. Great reading for Spring Break or reading around the pool during the fast approaching summer (heck, it will be nearly 80 degrees today in Ohio).

The technology involved is futuristic but all too believable. There are enough plot twists to keep the suspense up and the chapters are short enough that it is a quick read. I wasn't thrilled with the ending but it made sense within the context and personalities of the story.

I could certainly see this being made into a movie or TV series. It has the feel of a well written screenplay flushed out into a novel. A tight, suspenseful, fast paced thriller with a dark undertone hinting at our potential dystopian future.

Publisher:

TWO HOURS TO VANISH.

ONE CHANCE TO ESCAPE.

ZERO ALTERNATIVES.

Ten Americans have been carefully selected to Beta test a ground-breaking piece of spyware. FUSION can track anyone on earth. But does it work?

For one contestant, an unassuming Boston librarian named Kaitlyn Day, the stakes are far higher than money, and her reasons for entering the test more personal than anyone imagines. When the timer hits zero, there will only be one winner…

KIRKUS

This is a curious type of thriller, with sparse violence and no outright villains. The excitement is in the chase, which builds steadily. Is Zero 10 going to screw up their proof-of-concept software? The complications build, and the reader had better pay attention. Eventually, the government is looking for Kaitlyn's friend Samantha Crewe instead, and both women have an emotional attachment to the missing Warren, who is Samantha’s husband. Meanwhile, is there a real cyberattack to deal with, perhaps the biggest data breach in history? The find-anyone-anywhere premise of the story will become increasingly relevant as the 21st century progresses. Good luck to American society.

This well-written yarn proves that you don't have to have a blood bath to have an engaging thriller.

Publishers Weekly

McCarten taps into the current fascination—and revulsion—with modern advances in facial recognition, AI, and location data, though chase story fans may like more chase and less techno navel-gazing. This is an edgy, compulsively readable thriller.

BookTrib

The novel is arresting, thought-provoking and eerily visionary given a spate of recent news items reporting on sophisticated tracking systems as well as domestic spying on citizenry. Suddenly the imaginary world of science fiction or James Bond styled gadgetry has become a horrifying reality.

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OK here’s something neat - Anthony McCarten’s new novel, Going Zero, has already been snatched up for the small screen - and it only releases today!

What’s it about you ask? Fusion, a tech giant, has created a sophisticated piece of spyware - with the blessing of the CIA. They want to test it out on real folks, and ten Americans have taken up the challenge. They have thirty days to hide and not be found. And the carrot? $3 million dollars if you make it to thirty days.

Oh boy, this was a scary one to read. Why? McCarten’s imagining of the levels of scrutiny, the information available in our tech laden world, the backing of the government, and more is probably not that far from the truth.

The narrative switches between Fusion and the ten ‘Zeroes’. The antagonist is so well drawn - a billionaire megalomaniac, with no scruples, that you’ll just love to hate. And I have to say I was somewhat reminded of an actual figure from our newspaper headlines.

The zeros are a mixed bunch, with each having strategies planned to avoid being captured for the month of beta testing. I had been mentally thinking of ways to go off grid and hide as I read. McCarten’s ideas were brilliant. But, one by one, the Zeros are being found. But not all of them… and that’s our protagonist, Kaitlyn Day. She’s a librarian with her own plan of evading Cy Butcher’s capture teams. And she has her own reasons for wanting to beat him. Again, another unexpected twist in a already fresh story from McCarten.

Going Zero is a non-stop, stay up late read that I couldn’t put down. Fans of Harlan Coben and Linwood Barclay would really enjoy Going Zero.

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There are strong Michael Crichton overtones to Going Zero by acclaimed New Zealand writer and filmmaker Anthony McCarten.

The story starts off simply with an intriguing premise. Set slightly in the future, ten people in America have been carefully selected to Beta test a ground-breaking piece of spyware. Pioneered by controversial tech-wizard Cy Baxter, FUSION can supposedly track anyone wherever they are on earth. Each participant is given two hours to ‘Go Zero’ – to go off-grid and disappear – and then thirty days to elude the highly sophisticated Capture Teams sent to find them. Any ‘Zero’ that beats FUSION will receive $3million in cash. If Cy’s system prevails, he wins a $90 billion-dollar contract with the CIA to develop FUSION and revolutionize surveillance into the future.

Included among the contestants is Kaitlyn Day, who has her own reasons for entering and winning the challenge. For her the stakes are far higher than money, and she has developed a clever strategy for winning. As the clock counts down to zero and secrets are revealed, Kaitlyn and Baxter become caught up in a deadly battle of wits.

Going Zero is a superior piece of entertainment. The story flows at a very good pace, and McCarten’s clever use of engaging vignettes of the various participants to kick the story off makes it interesting, and smoothly introduces the reader to the rules of the contest and the effectiveness of FUSION.

At around the book’s mid-way point I was beginning to wonder when the more serious thriller elements would kick in and how McCarten would keep the story going, when he introduced a terrific twist that moved the book to a new level and upped the suspense. From that point on it becomes a twisty, clever race to the finish line.

Like Crichton, McCarten is very adept at skilfully weaving in technical detail and making it interesting, as well as raising a raft of thought provoking issues around Government control, surveillance, social media and the like. Some of the characters are a little shallow, but more than serviceable, and there is a real depth to Kaitlyn and genuine emotion around her dilemma.

In all, is a terrific thriller that entertains and educates and will undoubtedly make a great movie at some time in the near future!

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The CIA partners with a cybersecurity firm called Fusion in order to have access to their pioneering software. In order to beta test it, Fusion offers 10 contestants $3 million if they can remain untraceable for 30 days. The only one who really gives Fusion a run for their money is librarian Kaitlyn Day, but for Kaitlyn, this isn’t about the money. For her, the stakes are so much higher.
I was so intrigued by this story that I read it all in one sitting!

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I raced through this book. Great premise, excellent character development and (scarily!) believable plot. Highly recommend for anyone who enjoys a smart thriller without a lot of gore.

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Lots of twists and turns to keep you on the edge and reading.

Two hours to vanish and survive without being found for thirty days. If you can do that you win three million dollars. You are being hunted by FUSION and Cy Baxter wants to win at any cost.

Kaitlyn, an unassuming librarian takes on the challenge. Will she be found?

Makes you think about the use of technology and how far should we go in everyday citizens being tracked. Should the government or one company have access to any and all technology information.

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Oh wow! I really enjoyed this book, the story kept you on the edge and suspenseful to see which player would get to the end and win. I of course was very much for the Librarian. She was super smart and of course to begin with you were not sure if she would last a day but boy did that change and zoom she was off and avoiding the people after her. I highly enjoyed it and don't want to tell you too much but I very much recommend you make time to read this super great book. I will definitely be watching and hoping he writes another book soon. Thank you for letting me spend some quality time reading.

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In a joint experiment between the CIA and the tech world, ten people are selected to “go zero”: stay off the grid for 30 days without being detected. If they go the entire time period without being captured, they win a life-changing amount of money. To put it very simply (even though nothing about this book is simple), this project has the end goal of helping the experts figure out how to stop bad guys and help good guys.

We live in world where our every move could be detected. Purchases from credit cards can be tracked, our internet searches reflect our lifestyle and preferences, our phone logs can transcribe every conversation, we could be caught on CCTV…the list is endless. Is it possible to stay completely off the grid? Or to look at it another way, is it possible to stop bad people from doing bad things before they happen?

I enjoyed Going Zero's timely message, seeing as how we all use technology and constantly question how our actions can be tracked by the choices we make. Ultimately the book goes in a different direction than what’s the original synopsis, so I can’t say a lot without spoilers. But I wish we got to spend a little bit more time with some of the other players, as I originally thought this would be almost like a reality competition-type of story. Still, I liked that it was fast-paced and made me think.

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