The Enigma Factor

The Enigma Series, Book 1

By: Charles V Breakfield, Roxanne E Burkey

Narrated by: Steven Jay Cohen

Length: 12 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

Rogue cyber-criminals want Jacob Michaels, a brilliant young programmer, to join them. He just doesn't know it yet. Jacob has the brains, expertise, and programming methods to get them what they want without discovery. With his best friend, Buzz, and a distractingly beautiful encryptionist in tow, Jacob enters the world of the Dark Internet here in the 21st century where the computer is the weapon of choice! With the cyber criminals engaged in international hacking, it's easy to have your identity slip through your fingers. No one, including Jacob, believes it when he learns he has been targeted. Jacob finds the space between cyber good and cyber evil difficult to navigate as well as highly deadly.

Jacob has settled into a quiet routine of a techno geek after his mother dies. The plans he made are disrupted when he discovers his life is in danger. He sets off on a mission that takes him into new technology views and exposes to him the inner-workings of unknown global technologists. Jacob learns that safeguards for technology are always evolving and being exploited. His challenge becomes how to keep ahead of the criminals and identify who to trust.

Book one of The Enigma Series brings relevant technology elements of programming, encryption, crypto-currency, identity theft, and hacking to highlight the professional excellence of Jacob, more so perhaps due to his sheltered upbringing. Explore the horrific damage cyber criminals can inflict as the award-winning authors, Breakfield and Burkey, weave a complex tale of danger, intrigue, and international cyber combat in their debut thriller, The Enigma Factor.

©2013 Enigma Series, LLC (P)2017 Enigma Series, LLC

Takes a long time to travel a short distance

Could use way more editing, remove the technical talk and there is not a great deal of story left.

Fun read!

I found this book to be a fun read. A technology, hacking, and crime novel does best if it can keep the attention of both types of people. Those with and without the tech knowledge and I think this book did pretty well at that. I was always eager to know what was going to happen next. There was a budding romance which may continue in the series but it is not too sappy. There is some pretty graphic sexual moments which were not expected, but not bad, just seemed kinda out of place. overall I enjoyed it and look forward to the next book. I was given a free copy of this book and have left this unbiased review voluntarily.

Slow but well written. Lots of setup for a sequel.

The novel was very well paced and well written. Sex scenes were somewhat more descriptive than you would expect in this kind of book. A lot of exposition and explanation or digital currency and cyber warfare.

When the book ended I was somewhat surprised. I thought it had just finished the setup to get to the main story, but apparently that's where the sequel will come in. Overall it was a good read, and the narrator did an excellent job.

A great cyber thriller...

This novel illustrates how vulnerable our society is to cyber attacks and cyber warfare by turning factual information into a thrilling piece of fiction. The authors did an amazing job of storyline and character development and I could see this book becoming a major motion picture.

The narrator did an excellent job in his portrayals of all characters, regardless of gender, race, etc... I feel like he brought the characters to life which helped bring me into the story.

I definitely recommend this novel to everyone looking for an exciting twist on thriller type novels.

*This audiobook was provided to me at no cost in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Truly exciting tecno-centric suspense/thriller

This was a wonderfully researched and written tech-centric thriller, rounded out with a steamy bit of romance. You won't need a degree in computer programming to understand and enjoy book one of The Enigma Factor. I have only the most casual, passing interest in computer networking and security protocols, yet still I became thoroughly engrossed in main character Jacob's projects and adventures. I followed Jacob into the world of white-hat hacking, where he soon flirts with crossing that ambiguous line between "doing good" and "doing bad as a means to a good end." He uncovers a secret about his past after joining an underground group of mysterious individuals who all possess extraordinary talents. But can he really trust who these people say they are? What is their true motive? Why must he abandon his old life to join this elite group? I highly recommend this title, especially the audiobook read by Steven Jay Cohen. He gives each character a truly unique voice that only enhances a novel that's already fabulous from beginning to end. Well done! I do agree with other reviewers that this could easily be translated into an exciting TV mini-series or serial show.

I was provided a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for my unbiased review. Many thanks for this opportunity!

Jacob is in for the ride of his life.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this book, specifically for the beginning and middle. The authors start off well, building up the characters and going into some of the technology and basics of code that are being utilized, but by the end of the book the plot seems forced and the technological side of things has taken a back seat. Jacob is an interesting character and has a good counterpart in Buzz, and while the book can be fast paced at times there is a lack of details once Jacob has joined forces with the R Group that makes the book fall a little flat. The writing talent of Breakfield and Burkey is certainly there but feels like their attention waivers towards the ends. I am hopeful that this next book in the series will be consistent all the way through.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

The new battleground is technological warfare.

Any additional comments?

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

Awesome

First I have to say I love the whole concept of this book and series. The whole dark hat and white hat hacker stuff is just right up with what I love.
I couldn't have asked for a better book to everything in it.
Jacob is a young man who is brought up learning technology skills and knows so much about computers because of his mother. His mother taught him different languages. And everything is going great in his life. But when his mother dies by a hit and run. Everything changes for Jacob, things he thought he knew no longer apply. Thinking he has no family besides his mother. But when with his job his does codes and helps stops hackers from breaching companies. Jacob also helps to code things for companies and when his friend Buzz uses his code and adds something to it. That's when some things change.
He mysteriously gets an invite to go to Vegas and learn more tech stuff, he learns and meets more then he could have asked for.
His life as he knows it becomes erased and people he thought he knew are not the same. All working for a higher company to stop attacks. Goes so much further then the US.. China and Russia. Don't want to give away anything else. Just read the book or listen to it.

A Great Find!

The Enigma Factor was a wonderful listen. Fast paced tech drama. Part of the pleasure when reading about cyber crime is how fast the players move. There is lots of tension considering much of it take place online.

Narrator Steven Jay Cohen was a perfect choice for this one. He reads well, with just-right pacing, and good variation in characters. I I'll be listening to more of the series. Whether you love or hate computers you will be caught up in the plot.

This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review. You can read my full review at Mystery Suspense Reviews.

Sexy and Intriguing.

Loved it. I have to confess, I read across multiple genres. Enigma is a series that caters to several. Sort of like a Bond film. There is a ton of international intrigue, lots of extravagant plotting, and some gratuitous sexy-times. (No worries for those who don't like the sex... it is easily skipped with a few presses of the 10-sec ffw button). I'm a big fan of the narrator, but this wasn't his greatest performance (only because of Petra's voice. it was still pretty awesome., which is why I gave it a 4). Otherwise, a story I read further in the series got some much-needed background info, and just topped my must-read list for the month. Well done!

A Timely Novel of International Cyber Intrigue

Great read! Entertaining techno thriller that does a good job with the technology bits. It has a story line with a lot of twists and turns that may appear unrelated but ties together in the end. It is a great beginning to a new series
Worth your time and attention. Enjoy your reading.
I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.
Note: When selecting books to read or listen to for reviews I try and select authors and stories that interest me. Sometimes I am fortunate and other times not so fortunate. Either way, I try to review the books with integrity