Trojan Horse (Jeff Aiken Series)

Like so many of this terrific book's early reviewers, I have known Mark for many years. (Mark is a celebrity of significant note within the Computer industry.) But I only knew that Mark could write world-class code. I had no idea that he could also write world class novels. And being artful at one certainly doesn't suggest any strong talent for the other. So being very picky, I worried when Mark sent an early copy of his first novel, "Zero Day". I wanted to like it and worried that I might not. So I'll just say that I wasn't the least bit worried, I was delighted, when he sent an early copy of novel #2.

If you haven't yet read "Zero Day" you don't really need to, but I loved that Mark told this second story through the eyes of the two protagonists whom he introduced and developed throughout his first work of fiction. So by all means, click the purchase button above, but if you haven't already read "Zero Day", why not begin at the beginning?

Today, everyone understands that modern "connected" life requires some concern for online privacy and security. If you know very little about the details of how bad things happen to people online, you'll find Mark's stories compelling from that standpoint: They explain this clearly and intelligibly, wrapped around exciting narratives that bring those details to life. And if, on the other hand, you know your way around computer security, you'll find Mark's stories not only compelling but also technically perfect.

I am so glad that Mark decided to share his imagination and storytelling talent with the world. Once you have read Mark's novels I'll bet you find yourself recommending them to others as well. I certainly have.

Disclaimer: Mark is a former colleague of mine at Microsoft. He gave me an autographed hardcopy of Trojan Horse a few weeks ago (enabling me to cancel my pre-order here on Amazon).

I am a huge fan of 'noob' fiction authors and will generally give them one chance. With Mark's first book, the prequel to Trojan Horse, called Zero Day I was won over. While Zero Day started a little slow and had a few plot issues, it was a seriously good first novel. Part of that was the technical depth and resulting plausibility that comes from the fact that Mark truly is one of the software wizards of our time. But he's also a solid writer.

Trojan Horse demonstrates that Mark has been paying attention to his writing mentors and the feedback he's gotten. It is, from a writing perspective, a really, really solid work. If you didn't know this was only his second novel you'd be surprised after reading it.

From a story perspective, I'll just say this: I started reading it at about 4pm and couldn't put it down until I finished it at about 2:30am the next day. It is exciting, intriguing, and technically compelling. Plus it actually has a plot that is carefully crafted from start to finish.

If you are in the "industry" and are not already scared enough about cyber-warfare Trojan Horse will push you over the edge. If you are just a fan of tech-thrillers you'll likely very much enjoy this book...and then you'll go make sure you have solid anti-virus software installed on your notebook computer and you are using strong passwords....

As much as I liked the "Zero Day" - "Trojan Horse" turned out to be a great disappointment. So much that I quit reading in the middle of the novel (never happened to me before). I get it - Mark is not a professional writer, and so I am inclined to forgive him numerous awkward sentences, the same quixotic expressions used over and over again and so on. But using the same improbable scenario of a captive (a geek) who manages untie him/herself to break loose from captors (professional foreign intelligence agents) - not once but TWICE - is more than a shortcut - it's dangerously close to be an insult to the reader's intelligence. At least the type of reader Mr Russinovich better not to antagonize...

Mark Russinovich is a great storyteller.

If you've heard him speak at a technical conference, you know that this Microsoft technical fellow is whip-smart. His presentation on how to root out malware is like an episode of CSI:Sysinternals--fascinating and compelling even if you're not a security geek.

So it shouldn't be surprising that Russinovich's new novel, Trojan Horse, is an absolute page-turner that's solidly grounded in modern computer technology.

This is the second novel from Russinovich, who published Zero Day two years ago. His characters from that novel make a return appearance here. Jeff Aiken is a brilliant computer security expert, a PhD and amateur rugby player who comes in to clean up security messes in big corporations and secret government agencies worldwide; he's assisted by his girlfriend and partner in digital crime solving, Daryl Haugen. She's also a PhD, a former NSA spook, and an expert at cracking into computer code.

The story starts off in sparsely populated Central Washington, where foreign attackers have succeeded in taking down the power grid for 14 minutes with a piece of custom-built malware. That kicks off a series of small tragedies, including a delicate bit of brain surgery that goes wrong when the computer running the operating room keeps rebooting.

From there the story begins rolling and picks up speed as it caroms around the world, to London and Geneva and Prague and Ankara. Bureaucrats from the U.N. keep getting in the way of British and American intelligence agencies. The Iranians are behind everything, or maybe it's the Chinese. Or maybe it's someone else completely.

There are kidnappings and shootings and one hilarious and hair-raising chase scene involving three cars and an ultralight plane through a desolate stretch of Turkey that ends in ... well, I won't spoil it.

The plot holds together admirably, with Stuxnet playing a key role in the breakneck sequence of events. There's a certain predictability to the plot, as with any thriller, but there are also some artful misdirections and one twist that I guarantee you won't see coming.

Normally I cringe at the silly technical errors in novels that try to describe computer technology. But Russinovich's mastery of code (malicious and otherwise) keeps things from running off the rails. Interestingly, an Android Trojan leads to the downfall of one of the bad guys, but the most dangerous vector, the carrier of the Trojan Horse that gives the novel its name, is a mythical program called OfficeWorks--a thinly disguised pseudonym for Microsoft Word.

I read the first half of this novel on a flight to Eastern Europe, and when I got off the plane in Berlin I found myself eyeing my fellow passengers suspiciously. Was one of them secretly a double agent? A triple agent, even? It took hours to shake the paranoia.

Russinovich's writing has matured in this second effort, and his characters have genuine staying power. His work reminds me of Dick Francis, who wrote some superb thrillers about the world of horse racing from which he had retired. Both authors write about what they know, and they bring small details to the story that help it ring true.

It's a shame that summer's almost over, because this is ideal beach reading--a thriller that tackles a couple of big issues and will get you thinking (and worrying) about the fragility of the world's power grid and information infrastructure. But it's also perfect for a long plane ride or a rainy weekend.

Highly recommended.

Ed Bott - Contributing Editor, ZDNet

Mark Russinovich is a great storyteller.

If you've heard him speak at a technical conference, you know that this Microsoft technical fellow is whip-smart. His presentation on how to root out malware is like an episode of CSI:Sysinternals--fascinating and compelling even if you're not a security geek.

So it shouldn't be surprising that Russinovich's new novel, Trojan Horse, is an absolute page-turner that's solidly grounded in modern computer technology.

This is the second novel from Russinovich, who published Zero Day two years ago. His characters from that novel make a return appearance here. Jeff Aiken is a brilliant computer security expert, a PhD and amateur rugby player who comes in to clean up security messes in big corporations and secret government agencies worldwide; he's assisted by his girlfriend and partner in digital crime solving, Daryl Haugen. She's also a PhD, a former NSA spook, and an expert at cracking into computer code.

The story starts off in sparsely populated Central Washington, where foreign attackers have succeeded in taking down the power grid for 14 minutes with a piece of custom-built malware. That kicks off a series of small tragedies, including a delicate bit of brain surgery that goes wrong when the computer running the operating room keeps rebooting.

From there the story begins rolling and picks up speed as it caroms around the world, to London and Geneva and Prague and Ankara. Bureaucrats from the U.N. keep getting in the way of British and American intelligence agencies. The Iranians are behind everything, or maybe it's the Chinese. Or maybe it's someone else completely.

There are kidnappings and shootings and one hilarious and hair-raising chase scene involving three cars and an ultralight plane through a desolate stretch of Turkey that ends in ... well, I won't spoil it.

The plot holds together admirably, with Stuxnet playing a key role in the breakneck sequence of events. There's a certain predictability to the plot, as with any thriller, but there are also some artful misdirections and one twist that I guarantee you won't see coming.

Normally I cringe at the silly technical errors in novels that try to describe computer technology. But Russinovich's mastery of code (malicious and otherwise) keeps things from running off the rails. Interestingly, an Android Trojan leads to the downfall of one of the bad guys, but the most dangerous vector, the carrier of the Trojan Horse that gives the novel its name, is a mythical program called OfficeWorks--a thinly disguised pseudonym for Microsoft Word.

I read the first half of this novel on a flight to Eastern Europe, and when I got off the plane in Berlin I found myself eyeing my fellow passengers suspiciously. Was one of them secretly a double agent? A triple agent, even? It took hours to shake the paranoia.

Russinovich's writing has matured in this second effort, and his characters have genuine staying power. His work reminds me of Dick Francis, who wrote some superb thrillers about the world of horse racing from which he had retired. Both authors write about what they know, and they bring small details to the story that help it ring true.

It's a shame that summer's almost over, because this is ideal beach reading--a thriller that tackles a couple of big issues and will get you thinking (and worrying) about the fragility of the world's power grid and information infrastructure. But it's also perfect for a long plane ride or a rainy weekend.

Highly recommended.

Ed Bott - Contributing Editor, ZDNet

I have just finished reading the excellent Trojan Horse by Mark Russinovich. This book is outstanding and highly recommended. Having read many of the thrillers written by authors like Vince Flynn, Brad Thor and others, I rate Russinovich's work right up there with them. If you want the enjoyment of a fast-paced, gripping, timely, page turning thriller then Trojan Horse is spot on.

Even more compelling is the narrative and subject area - cyberterrorism. Russinovich is in a unique position to speak on this subject - he is a brilliant computer scientist, a Microsoft Fellow and has extensive experience with the technologies that so much of our world now depend on. He even spent some time with the amazing Windows experts at NuMega. This has provide him with an inside perspective on what is happening and the challenges we face. Mark explains the technical aspects of cyber hacking at a high level, enough to educate but not too much to take away from the story line.

The reports this week about hackers inside of the NY Times web site and the attack on Twitter speak to just how timely this subject is.

I have already picked up and started readying Mark's first book - Zero Day! Looking forward to his next book as well.

As I said in the headline - read this book for fun or read it to get a better understanding of the issue of cyberterrorism. Just do yourself a favor and read it!

Bob

@rvobrien

I have just finished reading the excellent Trojan Horse by Mark Russinovich. This book is outstanding and highly recommended. Having read many of the thrillers written by authors like Vince Flynn, Brad Thor and others, I rate Russinovich's work right up there with them. If you want the enjoyment of a fast-paced, gripping, timely, page turning thriller then Trojan Horse is spot on.

Even more compelling is the narrative and subject area - cyberterrorism. Russinovich is in a unique position to speak on this subject - he is a brilliant computer scientist, a Microsoft Fellow and has extensive experience with the technologies that so much of our world now depend on. He even spent some time with the amazing Windows experts at NuMega. This has provide him with an inside perspective on what is happening and the challenges we face. Mark explains the technical aspects of cyber hacking at a high level, enough to educate but not too much to take away from the story line.

The reports this week about hackers inside of the NY Times web site and the attack on Twitter speak to just how timely this subject is.

I have already picked up and started readying Mark's first book - Zero Day! Looking forward to his next book as well.

As I said in the headline - read this book for fun or read it to get a better understanding of the issue of cyberterrorism. Just do yourself a favor and read it!

Bob

@rvobrien

Picking up right where Zero Day left off, Jeff Aiken saves the day. In a very controversial yet realistic scenario, Aiken finds himself in the middle of an international scandal defending his country against the union of China and Iran. This scenario, in conjunction with current events reported around the world, seems more like a premonition than a work of fiction. As with Zero day, I urge any InfoSec community members to read this book.

This book is so tight in plot, so complex in plot, very strong in dialogue, that I could have read the book straight through. It is remarkable that the author is a world authority on the inner workings of the Microsoft operating system. I heard him being interviewed by Steve Gibson (Spinrite fame) and Leo Laport (The Tech Guy) and it was interesting to listen to Mark describe how he works in two worlds, Microsoft and being an author of books like this. (I have read his Zero Day also).

In case anyone thinks that what Mark is talking about in the beginning of this novel about malware in the electric grid of the U.S. is far-fetched there are current articles about this subject in Power Magazine. This magazine specializes in power, nuclear, wind, solar plants around the world.

Trojan Horse is a great novel.

Coauthoring four technical books with Mark, I always knew he had what it took to create a compelling novel. His first, Zero Day, left me wanting to hear more of the life of cyber-hunters Jeff and Daryl. Trojan Horse, the sequel, is a globe spanning thriller that kept me engaged from start to finish. Both are scary real - and technically accurrate - must reads for anyone who wants to get an inside view of the potential damage that can be inflicted in the world of cyberterrorism while enjoying a wild ride of a story.