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

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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

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