Foolproof [Hardcover]

Brenda Grant and Daniel Henderson worked together at CGI's corporate security offices in the World Trade Center; they barely escaped dying in the terrorist attacks of 911. Using the money they inherited, they have built DB Security. Companies hire them to ensure their internet systems are foolproof, i.e., no one can hack into them. Secretly, they monitor cyberspace and alert authorities of potential terrorist activity.

Allen Cooper of the National Security Analysis Agency (NSAA) hires DB Security to determine if a vote tallying program is foolproof. The creator of the program, Sarah Swettenham, a computer engineer, is thrown beneath a bus. Bombs begin exploding at DB Security offices located throughout the world. Brenda and Daniel's lives are jeopardized upon learning a terrorist organization wishes to sabotage America's upcoming presidential election. Who is the evil man who controls this organization and what does he hope to gain?

"Foolproof" is a provocative political thriller that is seamlessly written by three bestselling mystery authors, Barbara D'Amato, Jeanne M. Dams and Mark Zubro. The plot moves quickly and fluidly with a single writing style. One author's contribution was indistinguishable from another. They labored together with one mindset and that was to terrorize the reader with the possibility that voting polls are not foolproof. Our elections can be rigged!

The novel's main characters, Brenda Grant and Daniel Henderson, are well developed and likeable. Both are very strong, mentally and physically. They have extensive training to detect terrorist activity via the internet and to physically defend themselves against terrorists who target them. For example, Daniel must wear many disguises and engage in hand-to-hand combat as he literally fights his way from Cairo to Istanbul. He is homosexual but his actions are anything but effeminate; he compares himself to James Bond but I thought of him more as a computer toting Rambo. He is forced to kill many terrorists.

Brenda provides most of the romance in "Foolproof." She lost her fiancé when the World Trade Center collapsed. Ever since then, she's been afraid to commit herself. Now, she has met the handsome, debonair Allen Cooper who has given her company millions of dollars worth of business. Afraid of falling in love with him, she must investigate whether he is "foolproof." Could the modern day Romeo be too good to be true?

This political thriller kept me up late at night. Each chapter was a countdown to the election. I was eager to learn who would become the next president of the United States. While reading the last few chapters, I felt the tension and stress of watching the returns of an actual election. The outcome was rather shocking. Millions of viewers witnessed a debacle that would guarantee this election became the most infamous in our country's history.

"Foolproof" is excellent literature and highly recommended. Chiefly a political thriller, it has strong elements of action adventure, mystery and romance. After my careful review and analysis of "Foolproof," I find it quite foolproof.


Joseph B. Hoyos

The only real addition I have to the other reviews is the impact the first chapter had on me. Frankly I was in tears. I highly recommend this book to all readers.

This thriller about how to steal a presidential election using electronic voting machines and altered software grabs you right at the beginning and won't let you go. The attitudes and actions of politicians and reporters are familiar to all of us who have watched election results in recent years and have wondered what was really going on behind the scenes.

The characters are believable and engaging, and the writing is especially impressive when you consider that three authors with very different writing styles (who all live in different cities!) worked together to create this novel. I'd really like to know more about how they did it.

Masterful, seamless, and very, very plausible.

Sarah Wisseman, author of the Lisa Donahue archaeological mysteries

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 6 reviews  4.2 out of 5 stars