Michael Jecks's Blog

REVIEW: Crtl+ Alt + Chaos, How Teenage Hackers Hijack the Internet,

by Joe Tidy

Hardback published by Elliott & Thompson, £16.99 – also ebook and audio.

ISBN: 978 1783 9687 3

I first heard about this book when I heard Joe Tidy being interviewed on a podcast, the always fascinating “Darknet Diaries”, which documents many aspects of hacking, of penetration testing, and generally stories of legal and often thoroughly illegal computer crimes. Highly recommended listening, if you haven’t already. 

With this book, Joe Tidy takes us through many of the more appalling hacking events of the last few years. No, he doesn’t go into the horrible crimes of Russian intelligence or the North Korean scams and ransomwares, nor the Chinese data thefts. This book is based much more on the threat from our own teenagers. Bored, clever youngsters, who are interested in playing with computers, and who all too often discover older hackers who then groom and exploit them. 

After all, as so many of the hackers say, what’s the worst that can happen to youngsters who’re under the age of criminal responsibility?

Well, in some cases, the sudden destruction of their parents’ front door as police break in. The confiscation of computers and data. A criminal record for life. Possibly worse, depending on the criminal gangs involved. Some have decided to take umbrage at those who they perceive as being unreliable, or treacherous. Families have suddenly been inundated with deliveries of pizzas, or burgers, or other foods, and then been abused when they deny ordering them. They have received items they never asked for, they get their social media hacked, as well as the accounts of families and friends. More recently, all too often there have been instances of deliberate attempts at “swatting” – putting in fake calls to local police claiming to be under house invasion, saying that the owner has just shot all the members of his family, for example, so that the local SWAT teams are sent, bristling with weapons, in the hope that they might kill the victim of the attacks.

All committed by youngsters – often from the US, UK and Australia. 

Joe Tidy is an experienced reporter with a track record of accuracy and reliable work with this aspect of crime. He has spent many years since 2014 when the Lizard Squad hackers broke into the Sony Playstation network on Christmas Day and wrecked the celebration for tens of millions of people. Since interviewing one of the conspirators in that attack, he has become more and more obsessed (I took that from his bio: “began his decade-long obsession”) with these young hackers. 

The problem is, of course, that they are pretty much safe. They know that they are clever (although they always tend to get discovered), and they know that their age protects them too.  His conclusion is not cheerful. As he says, youngsters will always invade new spaces alone on their computers, and they’ll always be ahead of those seeking to protect the internet and users. And those who spend many more hours at a screen than meeting others, those who spend time, perhaps, in social media sites where their own views are reflected and echoed, will sometimes develop unhealthy and dangerous interests. 

So, not a particularly cheerful conclusion, but something that everyone should be aware of. I can thoroughly recommend this book. Fascinating and brilliantly written by a journalist at the top of his game.

Highly recommended.

Murdering The Messenger (2023) by Michael Jecks

Landscape Of Murder (2024) by Michael Jecks

One Last Dance Before I Die (2023) by Michael Jecks

One Last Dance Before I Die (2023) by Michael Jecks

Published by Profile Books

ISBN: 9781800811881.

I am surely not the only person who has become fascinated by Russian and Ukrainian history in the last twelve months. Over the years I have read quite a lot about the history of the USSR and Russian imperialism during the 20th century, and I’ve followed Putin’s rise through books such as Anna Politkovskaya’s collected reports, and books such as “The KGB’s Poison Factory”, “Age of Assassins”, “Putin’s Killers”, “Russians Among Us”, “Active Measures” and others. However I have never had much of a feel for Russian history prior to Lenin – and this book has filled in a lot of the blanks for me. 

Rodric Braithwaite is one man who understands the two countries very well. He was British ambassador to Moscow during the years 1988 to 1992, after which he became foreign policy adviser to John Major. Since then he has written several books: ACROSS THE MOSCOW RIVER, MOSCOW 1941, AFGHANTSY, and the grimly titled ARMAGEDDON AND PARANOIA. 

This latest book I found fascinating. It is more or less a gallop through the entire history of Russia, taking in all of the key events. It does mean that a lot of the history is glossed over, but as a general introduction to Russian history and how Russians think I think it is superb.

At the beginning Rodric has an Author’s Note, in which he has presents a problem which I had not appreciated. He says: “In writing about Russian history, you are faced with the immediate problem: what do you call the country you are writing about? It has been known as Russ, Muskovy, Russia, the Russian empire, the Soviet union, the union of Soviet Socialist, republics, the Russian republic. Not only Russians live in this country: at various times, its inhabitants have included Ukrainians, Poles, Tartars, people from the Baltic, the Caucasus, central Asia, and many other places. Each name has political and historical overtones about which there is passionate disagreement, among scholars, politicians, journalists, and ordinary people.”

And here lies the main problem with Russian history. What do we mean when we say Russia? Vladimir Putin has chosen his own version. In his view, probably because he’s thinking of his own legacy, Russia always existed as a mega state, a vast country, containing brotherly neighbours who are still members of a great Russian empire. He considers Ukraine as an integral part of Russia. Yet Kyiv existed long before Moscow. There are humorous tweets with historical dates showing Kyiv on the left, and Moscow on the right. Kyiv had churches, elegant buildings, and a society when Moscow still remained a forest with no buildings, the tweets say. 

In reality it would seem that Kyiv was created by Vikings, (or Varangians), who settled the north east of what is now Russia in the 8th century.  These incomers called themselves the “Rus”. This name is said to be an old Norse word for “the men who row.” They set up a trading post and settled, rather as the Vikings under Rollo settled and took over Normandy. At about the same time, small groups of Slavic people moved into the same area. These people had been a thorn in the flesh of the Byzantine empire and, according to one Russian chronicle, they were so unruly and unable to manage their own affairs that they invited the Varangians to help them keep the peace – which sounds to me as if perhaps an invading force of Vikings got their propaganda carefully curated! 

Here Rodric notes: “Whatever the truth, the Slavs increasingly began to call themselves Rus, the Varangians began to adopt the language of the Slavs and it is from those times that Russians date their history. But these diverse peoples did not become one tribe, as Catherine the Great was later to claim. Their ethnic diversity lay at the origin of that differentiation between Russians, Ukrainians and Belarussians which marked their affairs right up to the twenty-first century.”

And now the claim that they belong to one tribe is being used to justify genocide.

Obviously over the centuries different Russian leaders have fought with neighbours and gradually extended their territory. Initially the enemies were the other great powers of Europe: the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Swedish empire. At last, after the Second World War, the USSR held Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, Hungary, and all the other Warsaw Pact nations in an iron fist.

For a quick overview of the history of Russia, I very much doubt that Rodric Braithwaite’s book can be beaten. It is concise, obviously written with a great deal of understanding and knowledge, and is not a difficult read, although certain periods are confusing, mainly because of the violence and disruption. I don’t blame Rodric for that!

With the bibliography (he calls it “A Very Few Books” with no trace of irony!) and the notes there are lots of pointers which will help students looking for additional information. I found the timeline particularly useful to try to keep a hold of the dates. But it is not a hard read, Rodric is a coherent writer, informed and enthusiastic, making this story entertaining. Dry history, this is not!

So, if you are looking for an accessible history of Russia, I’d recommend this. It may well spark a fascination with that country and culture.

Highly Recommended.

ISBN e-book: 978180436,088, £3.99

ISBN Hardback: 978180436089 £14.99

NOTE: Apologies for typos. I am dictating this because I have just had an operation on a nerve in my arm and I’m not supposed to be typing! 

It is always good to discover a new writer. I was sent this title by the editor to ask if I would give it a quick look-over for a review. Well, I love books, so usually that’s not an issue – but just now I’m a bit reluctant, because I have several tottering piles of books to review now, as well as one book to finish writing and another to edit. However, this story appealed to me so I said yes. And thank goodness I did!

This book follows the career of Jonas Flynt: thief, gambler and killer; and takes place during the hideous winter of 1716, when the Thames froze over, and bodies could be found lying frozen in the gutters. At the same time there were ructions from the latest Scottish battles  for the British throne ( I think after the battle of Sheriffmuir ) and several ringleaders were being held while their fate was discussed – hang, draw and quarter them, or maybe just behead the nobles involved? What a period! What fun for a crime writer!

The story begins when Jonas Flynt meets justice of Geoffrey Dumont, a judge, whom Jonas has met at a gambling den. Dumont is found dead at the base of St Paul’s Cathedral, and a young, male sex worker, Sam Yates, has been taken into custody for the murder. He denies all the charges, claiming he had received a message to meet the judge at the time of death.

The blurb continues: “As Simon endures the horrors of Newgate prison, Flynt must do everything in his power to uncover the truth and save an innocent life, before the bodies begin to pile up.” 

Right well. It’s the sort of blurb you will read on many crime stories – but don’t worry about that. This is clearly not the first book in the series. I believe there was a book before this called AN HONOURABLE THIEF, which introduces Jonas Flynt. I haven’t read that one sadly. But, and it’s a big “but”, I will have to. Why? Because this story was brilliant! I thoroughly enjoyed it from page one to the very last page. My my only real criticism of this story is that Judge Geoffrey Dumont died far too soon. He was a brilliant creation, a fascinating character with humour and wit and great understanding of human nature. I loved the interplay between him and Flynt ( and other characters ). He was a delight, and I really wish the author had kept him going for a little longer, or, perhaps, killed off someone else instead!

The book actually begins in the gambling den with Flynt and Dumont. Flynt is watching another man, the very unpleasant Lord Fairgreave, on behalf of the spymaster Charters. But when he follows his target out of the gambling den, he discovers his lordship trying to waylay the judge to recover his gambling losses. The judge, however, is a less easy target than might be suspected. Jonas helps save him from the ambush, which gives him a certain amount of difficulty. Now his lordship will recognise Jonas, making the task of following him more than a little problematic. Charters will not be happy. 

Flynt and the judge are quick to strike up a friendship as a result, and Flynt enjoys the man’s company – which is why, when he hears the judge has been murdered, he wants to do all he can to investigate and learn the truth. Especially since the supposed murderer is friend to his occasional lover, the prostitute Belle. 

This book takes us into the seedy, criminal underworld of London in the 1700s. We are introduced to Jonathan Wild, a real character noted for his thief-taking activities, and less known at the time for acting as a receiver of stolen goods, protection racketeer, gangleader, and nefarious character generally, and a number of other dodgy Londoners. However, this book goes further. It really brings to life the misery and grim, harsh reality of life on London’s streets for those with no money. It shows life for the poor, under-privileged and desperate.

It is rare for me to find a new writer with a unique voice, historically accurate, writing a well-plotted and -crafted crime story, as well as creating believable characters, and giving a great insight into how people used to live. This book achieves all of those in bucketloads.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was frankly superb and would be loved by anyone who really likes historical crime, especially the 1700s, but not exclusively. The plot rattles along at a great speed, introducing fascinating characters, using a lot of terms and language from the period. 

This book is not just “highly recommended”, it is essential reading! Congratulations to Douglas Skelton for the brilliant characters he’s created here. I cannot wait to get a copy of the previous Flynt stories.

He’s won a new fan in me!

Published by Orion from 23rd February

ISBN: 978 1409 1903 0 1 hardback price £16.99

Note: this is the cover of the proof copy. The actual novel will have the title on the front!

Many thanks to Orion books for sending this through for review by Shots e-zine

Chris Lloyd is a new author to me. I didn’t see his first book in this series, called “The Unwanted Dead”, which was the first novel in his Occupation series. That book received rave reviews from the major newspapers as well as other historical and crime writers. The Historical Writers Association awarded the book their highest prize, the Gold Crown, saying “A tense and gripping mystery which hums with menace and dark humour as well as immersing the reader in the life of occupied Paris.”

Having read this book, I can see why his first received such high accolades.

The story is set during the German occupation of Paris in September, October and November of 1940. Chris Lloyd has researched this period extensively, and the reader feels utterly convinced by the scenes, the period and the atmosphere of the time. Lloyd has created, in Eddie Giral, a believable and compassionate character. We see the minor trials of life for a Frenchman in Paris under occupation: rationed food means little to eat, prices are rising due to German profiteering, and the daily queues for basics are energy-sapping. Added to that, his life is a constant battle: trying to combat crime in the city, while simultaneously trying to avoid helping his German overlords. While not submitting to them, he is still viewed as a collaborator by Parisians and disdained by the law-abiding as much as by the thieves and villains he must deal with. This all creates a suspenseful tension, and the reader gains a sense of the impossibility of his situation, rather like Leo Demidov in CHILD 44. 

This situation creates an environment of threat and danger, which is ever-present in his life. The plot is very well realised:an old associate of Eddie Giral’s owns a nightclub, which has been closed by the Germans because he had jazz musicians playing their decadent nonsense. One day the cleaner discovers a murdered man, seated in a chair in the office with his lips sewn shut. 

The violence shown is shocking to Eddie, and he and his colleagues are determined to learn who could have committed the crime, but more concerning is the discovery that this man should be in prison. He had been incarcerated after his own activities, and soon Eddie learns that other criminals have been released from prison. 

This first murder leads Eddie on the trail of drug gangs petty thieves and collaborators at the height of German occupation, but a subplot takes us into darker territory, when Eddie is asked to find out what happened to a friend’s son, a man who had been fighting in one of the French colonial regiments, and who has disappeared since the German invasion. It leads Eddie to a hideous secret.

The plotting is frankly superb, with the guilty person brought in fairly early in the story, but only so that Eddie can be blackmailed into assisting the criminals. For the rest of the story, I thought the outline was straightforward enough – and then there was a great twist I didn’t see coming at all. As a cynical reviewer and crime writer myself, I love it when I can be surprised like that!

I have to say that this book is superb, a masterful follow-up to his first title, and I look forward to getting a copy of that, too.

Published by Arcturus Crime Classics

ISBN: 978 1 84858 455 6

Arcturus Crime Classics have the worthy ambition to republish some of the brilliant writers from the 1920s and 1930s, the “golden age” of crime writing. The trouble is, of course, many people will not have heard of Anthony Berkeley and other people from his period. Agatha Christie, Dorothy L Sayers, GK Chesterton and others rather squeezed out all the rest. So first a short introduction to him.

I have mentioned Anthony Berkeley before, when I was talking about Francis Iles. Anthony Berkeley was one of the pseudonyms of Anthony Berkeley Cox, ABC, as was Francis Iles. He was a very successful writer in the 1920s and 30s, and became one of the founder members of the detection club, along with Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Baroness, Orczy and others.

In TRIAL AND ERROR. The author provides the reader with a rather fascinating situation. You can forget any conventions of a crime or mystery thriller. At no time is the reader confused about the identity of the murderer. In fact, the murderer is given on almost the first page. Almost. Reading from chapter 1, we find: 

“When Mr Lawrence Todhunter learned from his doctor that he was suffering from an aortic aneurysm, and must not expect to live for more than a few months, his first feeling had been one of incredulity.

“ ‘Well, how old are you?’ asked the doctor, seeing his unbelief.

“ ‘51’, said Mr Todhunter, buttoning his shirt again over his bony chest

“ M‘Exactly. And you’ve never been very fit.”

“ ‘Of late years,’ agreed Mr Todhunter solemnly, ‘No, certainly not.’

“ The doctor swung his stethoscope. ‘Well, what can you expect? Your blood pressure’s been too high for years. If you hand’t followed my directions so carefully, you’d have been dead long ago.’ The doctor, an old friend, spoke with what seemed to Mr Todhunter unseemly callousness.”

Having had this rather shocking diagnosis, Mr Todhunter was left with the question of what to do with his remaining months. He started to think about what he should do to leave the world a better place. Over the course of a few pages Berkeley leads us through Todhunter’s thought processes. From marvellous achievements, which were unlikely to be attained, to more prosaic ambitions. At the time there was a certain fascist leader in Germany, whose removal would be of benefit to the world, Mr Todhunter believed. But he was persuaded that a political assassination could be a little troublesome for him. However, there were obviously unpleasant people closer to home as well – perhaps he could remove one of them?

And here begins the story, Mr Todhunter decided that he should remove an unpleasant person who did nothing for the greater good of society. This would, he felt, be a suitable memorial to his life. His resolution is confirmed and then thwarted with his first victim in a delicious turn of events, and he puts off his plans until suddenly he meets another vile person whose removal would add to the sum total of human happiness. He is committed and goes ahead with care to ensure that he leaves no clues for the police. And it was a great success.

However, if a man decides and goes through with a murder, what then should he do when another man was arrested for that crime? Worse, at the trial he is convicted and sentenced to death – how can Mr Todhunter rescue the fellow? 

This is the core of the entire story. And it is superb, because Mr Todhunter now has to prove his own guilt to the satisfaction of a doubtful police force which is content to have arrested and convicted, the person whom they believe committed the crime. When Mr Todhunter claims to have performed the act himself, they are utterly unbelieving. All of which leaves Mr Todhunter feeling quite bemused.

This is a delightful book. It is well written, it is blackly, humorous and, at the core of it, it is quite a strong indictment of the style of policing in his period.

Absolutely superb book brilliantly republished and highly recommended.

Published by head of Zeus for £20 hardback from February 2nd. Available for pre-order now. Available on Kindle now.

ISBN: 978 1804 5089 3

Over the years, there have been many writers who have specialised and really enjoyed writing locked room mysteries – Francis Iles and Agatha Christie spring to mind immediately. What does “locked room” mean? Put simply, a locked room mystery is one of those in which the victim is discovered inside a locked room – clever, huh? 

When I say locked, I mean the windows are locked and the door is locked from the inside. There is apparently no way that a criminal could’ve got inside that room to stab or shoot or throttle the victim without being locked inside with the body, and thus be still there when the body was finally discovered. 

Various authors have enjoyed creating their own locked room mysteries. I have even done so myself on occasion. For Tom Mead, who is best known for very successful short stories published in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, Lighthouse and The Best Crime Stories of the Year, to move to a novel involving a locked room mystery seems to have been the perfect  vehicle for his skills. His writing is deliciously clear and precise, with all the atmosphere of smoke-filled pubs and clubs.

“Death and the conjurer is set in 1936 in London. A celebrity psychiatrist is discovered dead in his locked study. There seems to be no way a killer could have escaped without being seen. There are no clues, no witnesses, and no evidence of the murder weapon. Stumped by this confounding scene, inspector Flint, the Scotland Yard detective on the case, calls in a retired stage magician turned part-time, sleuth, Joseph Spector. Spector has a knack for explaining the inexplicable, but even he finds that there is more to this mystery than meets the eye.”

This book was, put simply, a joy to read.

It has all the period feel of a book from the golden age of crime writing in the 1920s and 30s. It’s written in a delightfully straightforward but elegant manner. Tom Mead has a very light touch with his use of language and description which suit this perfectly. I particularly liked his creation of the conjurer Joseph Spector, he is a brilliant invention who should go far within number of different titles to come. However, it’s not only Spector that delights in this story Mead has created a brilliantly imagined cast of characters.

Using a psychiatrist as the victim works perfectly. His clients are, naturally, flawed individuals; each has motives and dark secrets. Each of them appears to have a reason to dislike the psychiatrist himself, but further, there’s a second mystery: this subplot involves the sudden disappearance of a very valuable painting on the same night as the murder, and there is suspicion that the two incidents are linked.

All in all this is a deeply satisfying crime story written by a brilliantly inventive and imaginative new voice on the crime circuit. It is a voice I will be following in future with any subsequent books in this series. A glorious, convoluted plot, fabulous writing, and a sumptuous cover design make this a joy to read.

Highly recommended for those who enjoy period pieces and the golden age of crime mystery. You really couldn’t ask for better.