Arnold returns home with the pizza he ordered and hears his friend yell, "run!" Arnold runs, but he hears gunshots. Arnold hides in the alley and manages to escape, but his friend has been killed. Arnold can't believe his life has come to this. He knows who the killers are, and he knows why. And now he's caused the death of his best (and only) friend. How can he save himself and also mange to avenge the death of his friend?
Arnold is a nerd. But he has become quite successful at predicting the outcomes of sporting events using technology. His only problem is -- well -- he's a virgin. And he wants more than ever to be able to interact with women. After trying the speed dating thing, he decides to go to Las Vegas and hire an escort to teach him how to please a woman.
This all goes very well. Arnold is happy with his escort. They shop for new clothes for him and eat at fancy restaurants. But as soon as Arnold has a few too many drinks, his tongue starts wagging and he begins to talk about his very secret computer program than can analyze virtually any situation and predict outcomes.
Things turn very bad, very quickly and you'll have to read Deadly Odds to find out what messes Arnold gets into, and how he manages to get out of them.
There is a lot of high tech jargon, but it isn't really difficult to understand. My biggest issue is the repetition. You only need to tell me once about the Deepnet. It was described at least twice, using almost the same exact words. A lot of the technological and secrecy aspects were repeated so much that I felt like it was being pounded into my head. I get that his basement is secret. I get that he has all his programs offsite. There were just many little things that were referred to over and over that didn't add anything to the suspense.
The tension builds slowly and nicely. Wyler pulls you into this dilemma without you realizing it. Arnold is very clever and it is interesting to watch his mind work and figure out solutions. The lawyer was my favorite character. He's a good guy and a straight shooter. He added a lot to the story. Deadly Odds also seems like a realistic depiction of what could happen. I have no idea about most of this stuff, but I believed it.
Other than the repetition, Deadly Odds is well written, keeps your interest, and offers a unique premise. I would have to recommend this to only the oldest teens. There is a lot of sex. Not explicit, but still, the subject matter is mature enough to cause my hesitation. Otherwise, if you like a pretty realistic techno-thriller, Deadly Odds is a good one.
Published by Astor + Blue, October 21, 2014
eARC obtained from the publisher
280 pages
You can purchase Deadly Odds at these links:
· Amazon: http://amzn.to/1xh54PS
· B&N: http://bit.ly/1sZrIy1
· Astor+Blue: http://bit.ly/1uspcim
As an additional note: This is the 250th book I've read on my Kindle. Just thought that was interesting...
Rating: 3.5/5
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