Denver Acey’s LDS Spy Thriller Delivers

It is now fact.  We live in an age of technological advances where our world could change with literally the click of a button or a single keystroke. Hackers infiltrate our personal and business lives. Denver Acey’s books “The Quantum Breach” and its sequel “The Quantum Deception” utilizes our fear and ignorance of this high-tech world in his taut well-paced new thriller.

Hollywood may have more fantasy, flare and dramatic special effects, but Acey’s two ‘Quantum’ novels, published by Cedar Fort, Inc., derive their dramatic tension from their realism. They’re thought-provoking enough to make us all shudder at the realization of how our lives could be compromised in a heartbeat.

Each of the novels contains more than enough drama to satisfy the reader with kidnapping plots, terrorists, and twisted bad guys with evil bosses.  There are lies and spies,  traitors and tyrants, and shootouts between cops and robbers—all with a dash of romance.

LDS Author Merges Faith and Technology

Within the scope of his LDS background, Denver Acey has shown that even fictional Utah Mormons can ‘hack it’ by getting deeply involved in the real world of national and corporate espionage and still remain true to their faith.

Of course, if the main character has been converted to the Faith, after having lived a previous life on the shady side and now uses his talents only for good, it leaves lots of room for story development and possibilities.

Acey’s first book, ‘The Quantum Breach’, with Tanner Zane, a.k.a. good guy and hero, is based on his real-life experience in the highly secretive world of supercomputers and highly classified technology in government and corporate business.  And in these two books, though written with a fictional setting, he shows us just how vulnerable to ‘cyber thieves’ and terrorists we are.

We often hear about it when we turn on the evening news these days.  ‘Hacking’ into our personal lives is not only a reality but a very real possibility.

Each of us must face the reality and likelihood that we may at some point be affected as individuals and business people with the threat of identity theft, fraud, loss of our security, loss of our savings, and our way of life.  Unfortunately, the ‘bad guys’ are all too real.

Secret Combinations and Technology Today

The main character in the first of the two novels, Tanner Zane, is a hacker.  Although converted to Mormonism, he is drawn back into the ugly world of greed, espionage, government corruption and the high stakes arena of cutting edge technology when he is kidnapped and forced to use his skills and knowledge once again for evil.

While developed for good purposes, the advanced technology of a quantum supercomputer is coveted and sought after by a nefarious and high-ranking military leader in China’s conflicted government and socially changing economy.

Hired thugs need Tanner’s expertise to pull off the heist of the century, by compromising the integrity and security developed to protect the newly created and highly classified technology.

Through the use of his knowledge in real technology, Acey entwines real concepts with a creative plot that enables even the most technologically un–savvy among us as readers, to grasp some of the concepts involved and stay with the story to its conclusion.

There is enough play between the various sides, factions, characters, and scene changes within the plots of each book to not only keep it interesting, but which Acey, as a newly published author, uses with growing skill to move the story lines through a real-time world.

Yet, the flow allows readers to see both stories’ progression and development in a realistic way, instead of the fantastically dramatized way that Hollywood might portray it.

Real Super Heroes vs. Fantasy Super Heroes

Tanner Zane’s character develops throughout the first book to become not only a likable individual that readers can relate to, but a real hero.

Acey does not turn him into a comic book superhero who saves the world by using superhuman powers, but he does show that a ‘real’hero can use his talents and skill set in a variety of ways to become just that; a hero who saves the world, by using his brain,skills and talents he has developed.

As a new and separate story, in and of itself, the second book of the series, ‘The Quantum Deception,” builds upon both the ‘good guy’ and the ‘bad guy’ connections from the first novel, while introducing new ones.

Which, shows us that like real people, characters can grow and change, yet remain the same likable characters the reader has come to know and identify with; and we can still despise and hate the ‘bad guys’!

Acey’s two stories are written in such a way that they would be of interest to not only adults, but also to young adult readers as well. Maybe more so with their tech–savvy abilities, knowledge and usage of  today’s electronic gadgets.  We all need heroes in our lives—especially young people.

Even though Tanner Zane’s been given a new identity, including name and job in the second novel, as a reasonable progression and result from the conclusion of the first novel’s scenario, the second story rings with a truth that many a person has come to know: our past may still come back to haunt us in spite of our having changed our wicked ways.

We might once again have to face our demons.  But, Zane learned through his growth and the positive changes made in the first novel, as well as having developed enough inner strength to combat them when they do show their ugly faces!

Acey has used this enigma of life and woven it successfully into his plot.  The ‘new’ Tanner, who is now using his skills as a ‘government good guy,’ must figure out a way to come out on top.

He has, however, far more to lose if he fails.

You are Not You Anymore or Are You?

These two novels give us as readers interesting insight, and should bring up for every one of us these questions: Just how secure is my personal information?  How much personal information do I reveal through social media, on the internet, or throw away unthinkingly, that would allow others who would use it for unscrupulous means to gain quick and easy access?

We should be asking ourselves: How and what can I do to protect myself and my family members?  Should I be so trusting?  What would I do if my identity were stolen?

“Quantum Breach” and “Quantum Deception” are both good reading, and bring an interesting perspective to the action novel genre,  and do so,without getting so technical that it loses the audience.

Acey’s second book is paced even better than the first. He uses more dialogue between characters to not only show story progression, but which places Tanner Zane in a position where he must interact with others to solve the mystery and avert disaster; whereas in the first novel, readers had to follow and watch how Tanner resolved things mostly from his own internal perspective.

A character that is an ‘Honest Mormon Hacker.’  Who’d  have thought?  Now that’s an interesting bit of intrigue—or would that be oxymormon? Either way it seems to work for Dennis Acey’s ‘Quantum’ novels.