Net Impact by Donald J. Bingle

Dick Thornby is not Hollywood’s idea of a spy. In his rough and tumble job there are no tailored Italian suits, no bimbos eager to please, and no massive underground fortresses built by evil overlords seeking world domination – just an endless series of sinister threats to the safety and security of the billions of mundane citizens of the planet. Sure, Dick’s tough and he knows a few tricks to help him get out of a tight spot, even if his boss accuses him of over-reliance on an abundance of explosives, but he’s also got a mortgage, a wife upset by his frequent absences on “business” trips, and an increasingly alienated teen-age son who spends way too much time playing in gaming worlds on the computer.

When a young computer expert back at the Philadelphia headquarters for The Subsidiary, an international espionage agency created in the aftermath of 9/11, discovers that bad guys are involved in a vast conspiracy, Dick is forced to partner with the espionage neophyte to battle evil on multiple fronts, leading to a final confrontation that incorporates real-world conspiracy theories and cutting-edge technology.

In the end, Dick can save his partner, save his marriage, save his son, or save the world, but he can’t do it all.

Narration and voices by Bruce Pilkenton.

NET IMPACT is available from Amazon and Audible.

 *****

“… a bit of The DaVinci Code with some James Bond and a modern virtual reality spin.” says Game Knight Reviews.

“Net Impact was a great read and has completely changed my perspective on spy thrillers.” says Geekcentricity.com.

“True Lies and Mission Impossible meets Ready Player One … There’s death, mayhem, humor, technology, gaming, and intrigue all rolled up into one satisfying read.” says author Kelly Swails.

“Superlative Spy Thriller” says author B.R. Robb.

“Realistic Spy Thriller for the Modern Age” says author Paul Genesse.

*****

Best known as the world’s top-ranked player of classic role-playing games for fifteen years, Donald J. Bingle is an oft-published author in the science fiction, fantasy, horror, thriller, steampunk, romance, and comedy genres, with two previous published thrillers (Forced Conversion; GREENSWORD) and more than forty published stories, primarily in DAW themed anthologies and tie-in anthologies, including stories in The Crimson Pact (Vols. 1, 2, and 5), Time Traveled Tales, Steampunk’d, Imaginary Friends, Fellowship Fantastic, Zombie Raccoons and Killer Bunnies, Time Twisters, Front Lines, Slipstreams, Gamer Fantastic, Transformers Legends, Search for Magic (Dragonlance), If I Were An Evil Overlord, Blue Kingdoms: Mages & Magic, Civil War Fantastic, Future Americas, All Hell Breaking Loose, The Dimension Next Door, Sol’s Children, Historical Hauntings, and Fantasy Gone Wrong. A number of his stories have been collected in his Writer on Demand™ Series, including: Tales of Gamers and Gaming; Tales of Humorous Horror; Tales Out of Time; Grim, Fair e-Tales; Tales from an Altered Past Powered by Romance, Horror, and Steam; and Not-So-Heroic Fantasy. His story “Gentlemanly Horrors of Mine Alone” was the ninth story in Mike Stackpole’s Chain Story Project. His award-winning short memoir “Father’s Day” is also available as a standalone tale or as part of a 3-pack of stories about fathers. Donald J. Bingle is a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, International Thriller Writers, Horror Writers Association, International Association of Media Tie-In Writers, GenCon Writers Symposium, Origins Game Fair Library, and the St. Charles Writers Group.

Donald J. Bingle
Writer on Demand TM
www.donaldjbingle.com