Lethal Code by Thomas Waite

America’s worst nightmare has come true: a “cyber–Pearl Harbor” attack by unknown terrorists has crippled the nation’s power grid—and brought the land of the free to its knees. As widespread panic and violence ravage the country, its ruthless captors issue their ultimatums…and vow an apocalyptic reckoning.

A defenseless nation scrambles to fight an invisible invasion. Chief among America’s last line of defense is Lana Elkins, head of a major cyber-security company—and former top NSA operative—who returns to her roots to spearhead the Agency’s frantic efforts to combat the enemy’s onslaught on its own terms. While she and her superiors take action to infiltrate a terrorist hotbed overseas, much closer to home ruthless jihadists with a nuclear bomb hijack a busload of schoolchildren—including Lana’s daughter—and race toward a rendezvous with Armageddon in America’s greatest city.

With Lethal Code, Thomas Waite raises the international techno-thriller to dangerously exciting levels—introducing a valiant new action heroine, and initiating a series that brings a harrowing new edge of realism to sensational speculative fiction.

LETHAL CODE is available from Amazon.

 *****

“Taut, tense, and provocative, this frighteningly knowing cyber-thriller will keep you turning pages—not only to devour the fast-paced fiction, but to worry about how much is terrifyingly true.” —Hank Phillippi Ryan, Agatha, Anthony, and Mary Higgins Clark award-winning author of Truth Be Told

“Lethal Code is not just an outstanding, harrowing thriller about a massive cyber attack against the United States, it is based on the very real cyber threats we face today and should serve as a wake-up call to all Americans. As the president and CEO of a cyber security firm, I can tell you that Waite has done his homework.” —Corey Thomas, President and CEO of Rapid7

“Lethal Code is a compelling and well researched thriller about a major cyber attack against America. Waite’s characters bring to life the very real cyber vulnerabilities we face every day and demonstrate that America’s cyber insecurity is a serious national security issue.” —Melissa Hathaway, former cyber advisor to Presidents George W. Bush and Barack H. Obama, now President of Hathaway Global Strategies

“No matter what you do or where you live, a massive cyber attack against the United States will impact your life. That’s what Waite demonstrates so convincingly in Lethal Code. He shows us the effect a hit to the country’s solar plexus would have with a tale that will leave you gasping for days, whether you’re a business person or a private citizen concerned about our nation’s defense vulnerabilities.” —David DeWalt, Chairman and CEO of the network security company FireEye

 *****

Thomas Waite is the best-selling author of cyber-thrillers. His debut novel, TERMINAL VALUE, was critically praised (one critic wrote “I believe with time he will become the John Grisham of the murderous technology novels.”) and reached #1 at Amazon. His latest novel, LETHAL CODE, tells the shocking and frighteningly possible story of a massive, anonymous cyber-attack on the United States by an unknown enemy—and the unforgettable men, women, and children who fight back against the invisible invasion.

Tom was born in the seaside town of Ipswich, Massachusetts, once home to the authors John Updike (who was a patient of his Dad, which enabled Tom to build a nice collection of signed first edition novels), Adele Robertson, John Norton, and the poet Anne Bradstreet. Perhaps it was the history of the town, but from an early age Tom developed a love of writing and left Ipswich to earn his degree in English Literature at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. There he focused on creative writing and was selected by the English Department to participate in an international study program at the University of Oxford.

After college Tom lived in New York City and Boston and published non-fiction in such publications as THE NEW YORK TIMES and the HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW. He embarked on a career in technology culminating in his starting, building, and selling a technology strategy consulting firm. Tom then turned his attention to combining his work experience and his life-long dream and began writing cyber-thrillers.

In addition to writing fiction, Tom is the board director of, and an advisor to, technology companies in the cyber security, media, data analytics, cloud computing, mobile, social intelligence, and information technology businesses. He now lives in Boston.