[Note: This is a complex read. Not always fast paced]
When fear is used as a weapon, the panic paralyses the target like a spider web which immobilizes the preys in the last seconds of their existences. Thenceforth, eliminating a life becomes something elementary.
Rio de Janeiro had already experienced the climate of terror at the end of 2010, with cars and buses being constantly torched overnight. Now, a similar climate settles in the city, but this time the targets have names and surnames. Hundreds of thousands of people are progressively threatened by terrorists who seem to know all the details of their lives. Some of them are cowardly murdered, in a demonstration that anyone can die.
Matheus Erming is the Computer Forensics specialist responsible for examining the computers used by the victims and for finding out how details of their daily routines, kinship and friendship relations were taken by the perpetrators of the attacks. The investigations are the starting point of a persecution not only cybernetic, which touches the lower levels of the organized crime and chases for the roots of chaos in the city. During this search, the security of Matheus' family is also put at risk. When this happens, he knows he has only one choice: to go further, at any cost.
We use the internet every single day. We chat with our friends or loved ones, we surf the internet, we play games, we even meet new people. Close your eyes and imagine this: you're speaking with your best friend over email because neither of you feel like talking on the phone. Suddenly, you both receive a message stating that your mutual friend would die later that night. How would you react? Ignore it? Get spooked? Call your friend to make sure they are okay? Call the police? What if I told you that the threat was real, and you were REALLY going to die, and that you didn't head the warning? Target gets you into the mind of a serial killer who threatens to kill anyone who crosses his path. Though the exceptional forensic computer analysis, Matheus is on his case, the killer will stop at nothing until he gets what he wants.....all of you dead. Come join this spectacular thriller as it takes you into the world of technology and beyond, and leaves you at a standstill.
A Wealth of Information.
This was a long read for me. Not saying it is bad. I loved the book as a whole.
This book is a police procedural, where the protagonist; Matheus Erming is a Computer Forensics specialist. Therefore it is an eventuality that the book contain a lot of technical or computer or IT information. I got to say there was a lot of these information. Almost made me give up but the mystery and suspense wouldn't let me. However, Marcel did a great job of making it as simple as possible.
That being said I have a feeling not all mystery, suspense even thriller readers would read this. The Next Target i think is for a particular brand of readers.
The Next Target is not a simple day to day mystery/thriller/suspense read. It is complex. A web that is beautifully woven. It was an experience seeing the mystery unravel. Didn't disappoint me in that context at all. Surprised me, yes. Worth reading, definitely.
Oh, there was a handful of grammar mistakes.
For readers looking for a complex mystery.
Terrorists in Rio de Janeiro target citizens for a series of cyberattacks and assassinations in Trigueiro’s debut thriller.
A few people in Brazil receiving “death warnings” via email or social networking becomes decidedly grimmer when motorcycle gunmen kill the ones named in the messages. When the story hits the media, anyone getting such a warning calls the cops, who suspect that the so-called terrorists are using spyware to steal people’s info. The Federal Police put Matheus Erming, head of computer forensics, on the case, and he quickly sees a similarity between the spyware and a hack used by local gangs to steal bank passwords. But someone might be thinking Matheus is getting too close to the truth: His mother, Gloria, and older brother, João Paulo, think they’re being followed. Sure enough, they both later vanish, and Matheus becomes desperate to find the culprits and save his family. Trigueiro’s novel, originally published in Portuguese, is a meticulously paced story that keeps its protagonist firmly planted in his own professional field. Most scenes feature Matheus in front of a computer or discussing ways to track down the “crackers” to lead police to whomever isspearheading the breaches and murders. The story does, however, have flashes of action, also with Matheus, a biker whose choice of ride makes the inevitable confrontation with the biker killers for hire predictable but undeniably entertaining. Trigueiro’s strength lies in developing character relationships, starting with Matheus and his obvious affinity for partner Luana. Nuanced traits help bring supporting characters to life, including João Paulo, whose blindness from a robber’s gunshot years ago is a source of guilt for Matheus, and young Guilherme, burdened by a death warning and his hapless father, a struggling alcoholic. The ending, while providing readers with a character(s) to blame, is a bit muddled, since it’s not wholly clear why the plan was even initiated. Nevertheless, there’s an impressive twist—not the mastermind’s identity but the fact that a seemingly innocent person will have no choice but to accept some responsibility for the diabolical goings-on.
Slow and occasionally jumbled but ultimately rewarding.
Now readers who downloaded previous editions (1st, 2nd or 3rd) of The Next Target on Amazon can freely download 4th edition. If that's your case, just go to Manage Your Kindle, on Amazon website, and re-download it!
