The NSA are at the forefront of combating organised crime. They have built a top-secret, code-breaking machine called TRANSLTR that can break any code, even the most complex codes imaginable are broken within an hour. Communication between criminals is not secure any longer.

TRANSLTR is the biggest weapon in the intelligence communication, and a former NSA worker, Ensei Tankado, has just made the machine obsolete.

He has created a code called Digital Fortress. It claims to be uncrackable. He has uploaded the program to the Web, and he is offering it to the highest bidder.

NSA Deputy Director of Operations, Commander Strathmore, in an attempt to crack the code, allows the Digital Fortress file into TRANSLTR. When the book opens TRANSLTR's run time is already at just over fifteen hours.

Ensei Tankado, the architect of Digital Fortress, dies in Seville, Spain, seemingly of a heart attack. Strathmore contacts Susan's fiance David Becker, and asks him to travel to Seville and recover Tankado's personal effects, especially a ring that is believed to have the decryption key to Digital Fortress.
Strathmore argues that the recovery of the ring needs to be done under the radar, and that an NSA operative would draw too much attention.

While David runs around Seville in search of the ring, which has been transferred from one person to another throughout the day, he is being pursued by Huliot, a hired assassin who has murdered everyone that David has spoken to.

Meanwhile back at NSA headquarters, Susan and Strathmore deal with security threats, murders, and the mysterious North Dakota.

The truth about Digital Fortress is almost as shocking as the identity of North Dakota. The truth of why David was sent to Seville is just as shocking as the identity of the person who hired Huliot.

That the book was an easy read. It flowed smoothly even though chapters were told from various POV's.

Parts of the book felt a little rushed. It could have been another 50 pages long or so, without it feeling too long.

Daniel Gerhard Brown is an American author of thriller novels, most notably the Robert Langdon stories.

His novels are treasure hunts set in a 24-hour period and feature the recurring themes of cryptography, keys, symbols, codes, and conspiracy theories.

It's a clever story. There is enough to keep most readers interested, whether you are a "spy" fan, a romance fan, or enjoy reading a great conspiracy.

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Created Feb 28, 2018 at 4:13pm • Submit your own review...