International The Exploit with Daniel Scanlan

The Big Thrill Discusses THE EXPLOIT with Daniel Scanlan

When a deadly enemy reappears with a lethal new plan, it’s up to FBI Special Agent Ericka Blackwood to stop him—but not before she overcomes the failures of her past.

Following her harrowing encounter with predatory cybercriminal Dantalion, and her decision to pursue vengeance over duty, Ericka Blackwood hit rock bottom. Her only path to redemption is through the relentless pursuit of her elusive old enemy.

But Ericka is not the only one seeking Dantalion, whose tastes for chaos and carnage have drawn him into the world of international terrorism. When an attempt to destroy a Pakistani jail alerts intelligence services that Dantalion has emerged from hiding, Ericka and her old FBI team are hot on the criminal mastermind’s trail.

Daniel Scanlan

Which is exactly what he wants…

Daniel Scanlan recently spent some time with The Big Thrill discussing his latest international thriller, THE EXPLOIT.

Can you pinpoint a moment or incident that sparked the idea for this book?

When reading a periodical on how the current generation of hackers are using AI and GPS spoofing to carry out their work.

A novel is such a major undertaking; there’s the writing of it, of course, then you’re spending months and months revising, polishing, and then promoting it. How did you know this was the book you wanted to spend the next couple of years on?

Because so very little of what goes on in the world of digital crime makes it into the mainstream news except as cursory headlines. I wanted to tell a story that incorporates how it happens and how investigators get the job done.

Were there any particular books, movies, or songs that were knocking around in your head while you were writing this one?

Several movie themes written by Hans Zimmer like The Watchful Guardian and The Da Vinci Code.

When you first created your protagonist for this book, did you see an empty space in crime lit that you wanted to fill? What can you share about the inspiration for that character?

Ericka’s abilities and drive are based on the real investigators I have been privileged to work with. The empty space I saw was the real effect this kind of career has on police.

In addition to a great read, what do you hope readers will take away from this story?

Than an unseen cyberspace battle is going on across the web, all day, every day.

What can you share about what you’re working on next?

The sequel to THE EXPLOIT, working title, The Adversary and a legal thriller, a prequel to The Hacker, based on the O’Brien character. Ericka will be featured as a minor character late in the story.

DANIEL SCANLAN is a Canadian former prosecutor of twenty-seven years experience, including extensive work on cybercrime, digital evidence, and smuggling cases. He wrote the non-fiction Digital Evidence in Criminal Law and was a contributing author to The Lawyer’s Guide to the Forensic Sciences, winner of the Walter Owen Book Prize. His first novel was The Hacker. He lives on Vancouver Island and enjoys ocean kayaking and hiking. When not outdoors, he is reading and will read almost anything, except books about lawyers. Follow Daniel on @DanielMScanlan.

To learn more about the author and his work, please visit his website.

THE EXPLOIT with Daniel Scanlan