Transhuman (Zack Wilder Thriller: Fulcrum 4) by NJ Croft-review

Transhuman (Zack Wilder Thriller: The Fulcrum 4) by NJ Croft-review

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au /

Don’t own a Kindle? Download the FREE Amazon Kindle App for your mobile device or pc

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date May 27, 2024

Transhumanism: The quest to transcend human limitations through cutting-edge technologies.

Who wants to live forever?

FBI Special Agent Zack Wilder, a man with a dark past and a dangerous secret, is about to find out.

When an attempted assassination and forced medical leave coincide with a request to help find his ex-wife’s missing sister, Zack heads to San Francisco. He soon discovers Chloe is not the only person missing—numerous homeless people have taken part in drug trials and never been seen again.

The trail leads to the Athanasia Foundation, a powerful group of scientists and wealthy elites obsessed with cheating death and unconcerned about the collateral damage. Zack must navigate a labyrinth of unscrupulous experiments that span the globe and threaten the very fabric of humanity: genetic modification, cryogenics, consciousness uploading…
The more he digs, the darker the secrets he unveils, and the more bodies he uncovers.

Now someone is getting desperate. Zack has no interest in living forever but it’s a race against time to see who dies first—and he’s determined it won’t be him.

•••••

REVIEW:TRANSHUMAN is the fourth instalment in NJ Croft’s contemporary, adult ZACK WILDER THRILLER: THE FULCRUM suspense, sci-fi thriller focusing on thirty-four year old, former US Army Ranger turned FBI Special Agent Zack Wilder.

NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise including graphic violence and death, there may be triggers for more sensitive readers.

SOME BACKGROUND: The Fulcrum is a ‘clandestine’ organization that has remained hidden from society for hundreds of years, an organization that hopes to maintain order in a world precariously balancing between chaos and harmony.

WHAT IS TRANSHUMAN?: According to the Oxford dictionary the belief or theory that the human race can evolve beyond its current physical and mental limitations, especially by means of science and technology.

Told from several omniscient third person perspectives including FBI Agent Zack Wilder TRANSHUMAN follows in the wake of Zack Wilder’s leave of absence from the FBI. Always a bit of a rogue agent, Zack finds himself suspended, for the lack of a better term, but when his ex-wife calls saying her younger sister has gone missing, Zack knows his time off will be spent hunting for the people involved. Zack’s investigation begins to spiral when our hero discovers several missing homeless people may have unwittingly become part of a group whose lives have been forfeited in the name of immortality, and Zack may be the next victim on the list. Always acting on his own, without the permission of the those in charge, Zack focuses on the reality of what is happening, and why danger is present at every turn. Not only has Zack disobeyed the his superiors at the FBI but the Fulcrum Organization is none too pleased with our story line hero.

The secondary and supporting characters are interesting and charismatic. We are reintroduced to Zack’s ex-wife Sarah, and his former FBI Partner Special Agent Kelsey Taylor; Zack’s handler at Fulcrum Lazarus, Fulcrum agent Kienan Reynolds, as well as Zack’s brother Senator Peter MacNally. The requisite evil has many faces.

TRANSHUMAN is a story of power, money and control; of life and death; of immortality and sustainability; of betrayal and vengeance; of cryogenics, cybernetics, science and more. The premise is detailed, complex and intriguing; the characters are determined, desperate, dangerous and powerful.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews
The Fulcrum
Water
Deepfake

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

Haven’t read the series? 

Book one THE FULCRUM is FREE:

Amazon.com Amazon.ca Amazon.uk Amazon.au /

Book two WATER is ONLY 99¢ or £0.99 

Amazon.com Amazon.ca Amazon.uk Amazon.au /

Book three DEEPFAKE is only 99¢ or £0.99 

Amazon.com Amazon.ca Amazon.uk Amazon.au /

Share

Deepfake: Zack Wilder (The Fulcrum 3) by NJ Croft-a review

The Fulcrum / Deepfake: Zack Wilder Thriller (The Fulcrum 1 & 3) by NJ Croft-a review

 

DEEPFAKE
Zack Wilder 3
by NJ Croft
Release Date: April 4, 2022
Genre:adult, contemporary, suspense thriller

ebook ONLY 99¢ or £0.99 Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au /

Don’t own a Kindle? Download the FREE Amazon Kindle App for your mobile device or pc

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date April 4, 2022.

Seeing is believing.

That’s always been the case. Until now.

When FBI Special Agent Zack Wilder is shown a video of his brother, a US Senator, having sex with a congressman, he’s shocked. But the most shocking thing of all: it never happened. The video is a deepfake, but unlike any that have come before; it’s flawless, impossible to distinguish from the real thing.

The line between truth and lies isn’t blurring—it’s being erased.

Zack is an expert on deception. After all, his whole life is based on secrets and lies. Now he must delve into the deadly world of deepfakes and disinformation to discover who is behind the video of his brother, and why. And it soon becomes clear that the video is only a small piece in a vast conspiracy to destabilize the American government and force the world into devastating conflicts.

Time is running out. Can Zack find a way to distinguish truth from lies before the world is plunged into a nuclear catastrophe?

••••••

REVIEW: DEEPFAKE is the third instalment in NJ Croft’s contemporary, adult ZACK WILDER suspense thriller focusing on thirty four year old, former US Army Ranger turn FBI Special Agent Zack Wilder. DEEPFAKE can be read as a stand alone but for backstory and cohesion, I recommend reading the series in order as there is a continuing premise throughout. Some of the events of DEEPFAKE are as of a direct result of the events in book two WATER.

What is DEEPFAKE? Deepfake is a form of artificial intelligence that has the capability to create fake images and videos by inserting the likeness of one individual into another video or digital image aka counterfeit / simulated videos.

Told from third person perspective DEEPFAKE follows in the wake of a potential political disaster in which a series of videos have surfaced skewering several high prominent political players and their families. Contacted by Senator Peter MacNally, Zack Wilder quickly suspects that the videos are fake, known as ‘deepfakes’ that are targeting the political elite. With the help of his partner FBI Agent Kelsey Taylor, and IT hacker Maddie Reese, Zack goes on the hunt for the truth, only to be pulled into a world he knows nothing about. As a number of deepfake victims comes to the forefront, a potential for nuclear war threatens the lives of everyone on Earth when videos surface about an imminent attack. Searching for information, Zack finds himself falling for a woman whose IT business is one of the leading companies in software development, a woman whose own secrets are dangerous and deep.

DEEPFAKE is an intense, complex and intriguing story of betrayal and vengeance, obsession and determination, power and control, murder and destruction-somewhat rooted in speculative fiction. The fast paced premise is intense, tragic, suspenseful and haunting; the characters are energetic, dramatic and forceful.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

Book two WATER is ONLY 99¢ or £0.99 :

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au /

______

THE FULCRUM
(Zack Wilder 1)
by NJ Croft
Release Date: September 20, 2021
Genre: adult, contemporary, suspense, thriller

ebook ONLY 99¢ or £0.99 Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date September 20, 2021.

Is free will just an illusion?

It’s a question FBI Special Agent Zack Wilder has battled with most of his life. And when he’s visited by an old army buddy, Zack must decide how far he is willing to go to maintain the illusion. Because his friend is the only survivor of a suspicious plane crash that killed Zack’s former unit, and now someone is trying to finish the job.

As Zack investigates the crash—and struggles to keep the lone survivor alive—he uncovers evidence that the victims were all unknowing participants in an unauthorized and sinister experiment perpetrated by a clandestine organization, the Fulcrum.

Then he’s ordered to back off.

Now he has a choice. He can follow orders, or he can attempt to save the world from a future where any free will is totally obliterated—and face the consequences

••••••

REVIEW: THE FULCRUM is the first instalment in NJ Croft’s contemporary, adult ZACK WILDER suspense series focusing on thirty-four year old, former US Army Ranger turned FBI Special Agent Zack Wilder.

SOME BACKGROUND: The Fulcrum is a ‘clandestine’ organization that has remained hidden from society for hundreds of years, an organization that hopes to maintain order in a world precariously balancing between chaos and harmony.

Told from third person perspective THE FULCRUM follows an off-books investigation in the ‘plane accident’ that took out all but 2 members of a government dark ops team of former soldiers and Marines. A call to Zack Wilder from a former military buddy, the lone survivor of the crash, pulled Zack into a science-fiction nightmare, a nightmare wherein our hero knows more than anyone can imagine. With the unwelcome help of his FBI partner Anna Monroe, Zack goes on the hunt for the truth, only to discover he recognizes the game players, from his time spent with the organization known as the Fulcrum.

FBI Special Agent Zack Wilder’s past is mired in buried secrets of which very few people are aware. Having spent half of his life in training, Zack finds his time with the FBI a little less indicative of his true talents, talents intended for something much bigger and more powerful. As Zack begins to unravel the who, what, and why, our hero begins to uncover a deadly experiment, a experiment hoping to create the ultimate soldier.

THE FULCRUM is a story of power and control; secrets and lies, betrayal and revenge, family and loss. The premise is intriguing and compelling with a little bit of science fiction thrown into the mix; the characters are charismatic, energetic and purposeful.

Own a copy

Reviewed by Sandy

Share

DISEASE X by N.J. Croft-a review

DISEASE X by N.J. Croft-a review

 

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Chapters Indigo / Google Play

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date January 6, 2020

A plane carrying a Russian biochemist crashes in the Alaskan wilderness with no survivors.

A dying billionaire launches a final fight against death amid whispers of a now defunct military bioweapon: Project Snowcap.

The world’s leading CRISPR virologist, Doctor Elijah Vance, hovers on the edge of a breakthrough that will alter humanity at its most fundamental level.

And in a remote village in Mexico, an unknown disease is spreading.

Following the death of his missionary parents to an ebola outbreak when he was a young child, Eli has dedicated his life to finding a cure for all viruses. Drafted onto the WHO Fast Response Team sent to lock down a possible outbreak in Mexico, he realizes that this is the big one they’ve been waiting for. Disease X: the unknown pathogen with the potential to destroy mankind.

It’s a battle of man against virus. And we’re losing. As the deaths mount and civilization breaks down, the team must race against the clock to connect the clues and uncover patient zero. But Eli is unprepared for the shocking secrets he exposes when the truth is finally revealed.

•••••••••

REVIEW: DISEASE X by NJ. (Nina) Croft is a contemporary, adult, sci-fi, medical thriller focusing on an unknown virus that wipes out most of the world’s population.

Told from third person perspective DISEASE X follows virologist Dr. Elijah Vance as he is sent to Mexico, by the WHO (World Health Organization), as part of a rapid response team to stem the outbreak of a virus that has been red-flagged by the US government. As the deaths mount, with no cure or vaccine in sight, Eli finds himself on the periphery of a global disaster that is about to wipe out ninety-nine percent of the world’s population. Believing Mexico is ground zero, Eli and his team, including Captain Riley Hawkins, the woman with whom Eli will fall in love, risk their own lives and safety to uncover the truth-no matter where it leads.

The timing of the release of DISEASE X coincides with the Coronavirus outbreak of 2020. Be it a natural disaster; a man made biological weapon; or a combination of both DISEASE X, a name given to an undiscovered disease with the potential to destroy Earth’s population, becomes a rapidly, transmitted virus with no known origin or cure. Following the path of infection and contamination, Eli and his team, must push beyond their capabilities in an effort to stop a disease with the potential for a one-hundred percent fatality rate. From conspiracy theories and native legends, to Russian interference, DISEASE X can be traced back thousands of years, but add global flight and mass transportation, the spread of DISEASE X cannot be contained.

DISEASE X is a story of sci-fi but a story of what ifs? What if a virus of unknown origins wipes out most of the world’s population? How do you survive, and if you survive, how will you keep on living? Nina Croft pulls the readers into a strong , astonishing, complex and intriguing story of death and survival.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

 

Share