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Authors: Ian Sutherland
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to good use. Partly, I did it in the vain hope that it might begin to make up for the last two months. But most of all I did it to prove how much I —”
“— enough .” Mel held up her hand to silence him and hastily stood, her chair toppling backwards. It clattered to the floor, causing other diners to glance in their direction. With tears falling she stated with complete finality, “I don’t want to ’ear any more of your lies, Brody. Maybe. And I’m not sure about this. But maybe somewhere in there,” she indicated his body, top to toe, “is a good person trying to get out. But you are a manipulating cheat and a compulsive liar, Brody Taylor. You ’ave the morals of an alley cat. I ’ave never been so betrayed.”
Mel turned and bolted out of the restaurant.
Numbly, Brody watched her leave, knowing all was lost.
Only hours later did Brody recall that he’d left the USB stick behind, lying on the restaurant table, ready for anyone to stumble across.
THE END
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Social Engineer is a prequel to Invasion of Privacy , but was actually written after its successor. My objective was to introduce the world to Brody Taylor, the elite hacker protagonist of Invasion of Privacy, in a short, accessible, standalone adventure. It’s often hard for readers invest their time and money and take a chance on an unknown debut author and so I hope that this novella has intrigued you enough to want to take that chance now, by choosing to read Invasion of Privacy. And its future sequels.
Although, I have self-published Social Engineer, there is still a team of people around me who have made the result incredibly professional. I’d like to thank my editor, Bryony Sutherland (no relation!) for improving the manuscript immensely and Peter O’Connor of bespokebookcovers.com who designed the fantastic cover. Then there’s my wife, Cheryl, and daughters, Laura and Raquel, who fill my life completely, (and also double up fantastic proof readers). Thank you all.
Now read the beginning of the next Deep Web Thriller by Ian Sutherland, the first full-length novel featuring Brody Taylor.
Invasion of Privacy
Brody is an elite computer hacker who specialises in targeting the weakest link in all computer systems: the people who use them. But when he inadvertently stumbles across a serial killer’s online hunting ground while trying to hack a highly-secure illegal website, he becomes caught up in a desperate race against time to uncover the killer’s identity.
Jenny, a DI in the Met Police, is baffled by the brutal rape and murder of a young woman lured to a bogus music audition in a corporate office meeting room. Why her? Why here? And how did the killer discover the intimate and personal details necessary to construct such a convincing trap?
As computer hacker and police detective embark on an uncomfortable collaboration, another unsuspecting victim is lured to her death . . .
CHAPTER 1
Anna Parker wished she’d paid attention to the doubts buried deep in her mind. That they’d put two fingers in each cheek and whistled. Cried foul. Screamed. Anything to have made her listen to sense. To have helped her see through the charade. For she now knew that’s all it was — an elaborate sham that had lured her to this abrupt ending.
“What will you play?” the man named William Webber had asked ten minutes before, when the three-day old illusion was still in full swing and Anna was completely oblivious.
“Elgar’s Concerto in E-Minor ,” she replied. Her voice cracked as she spoke, her nervousness sneaking past her lips, betraying the confident image she hoped to portray. She inhaled deeply, knowing from other auditions that this would help calm her nerves.
“Please begin when you are ready,” Webber said.
She sat on a lonely chair in the centre of the meeting room, her cello propped on its endpin, the neck resting reassuringly on her shoulder. Anna looked around. Desks lined the edges in a
“— enough .” Mel held up her hand to silence him and hastily stood, her chair toppling backwards. It clattered to the floor, causing other diners to glance in their direction. With tears falling she stated with complete finality, “I don’t want to ’ear any more of your lies, Brody. Maybe. And I’m not sure about this. But maybe somewhere in there,” she indicated his body, top to toe, “is a good person trying to get out. But you are a manipulating cheat and a compulsive liar, Brody Taylor. You ’ave the morals of an alley cat. I ’ave never been so betrayed.”
Mel turned and bolted out of the restaurant.
Numbly, Brody watched her leave, knowing all was lost.
Only hours later did Brody recall that he’d left the USB stick behind, lying on the restaurant table, ready for anyone to stumble across.
THE END
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Social Engineer is a prequel to Invasion of Privacy , but was actually written after its successor. My objective was to introduce the world to Brody Taylor, the elite hacker protagonist of Invasion of Privacy, in a short, accessible, standalone adventure. It’s often hard for readers invest their time and money and take a chance on an unknown debut author and so I hope that this novella has intrigued you enough to want to take that chance now, by choosing to read Invasion of Privacy. And its future sequels.
Although, I have self-published Social Engineer, there is still a team of people around me who have made the result incredibly professional. I’d like to thank my editor, Bryony Sutherland (no relation!) for improving the manuscript immensely and Peter O’Connor of bespokebookcovers.com who designed the fantastic cover. Then there’s my wife, Cheryl, and daughters, Laura and Raquel, who fill my life completely, (and also double up fantastic proof readers). Thank you all.
Now read the beginning of the next Deep Web Thriller by Ian Sutherland, the first full-length novel featuring Brody Taylor.
Invasion of Privacy
Brody is an elite computer hacker who specialises in targeting the weakest link in all computer systems: the people who use them. But when he inadvertently stumbles across a serial killer’s online hunting ground while trying to hack a highly-secure illegal website, he becomes caught up in a desperate race against time to uncover the killer’s identity.
Jenny, a DI in the Met Police, is baffled by the brutal rape and murder of a young woman lured to a bogus music audition in a corporate office meeting room. Why her? Why here? And how did the killer discover the intimate and personal details necessary to construct such a convincing trap?
As computer hacker and police detective embark on an uncomfortable collaboration, another unsuspecting victim is lured to her death . . .
CHAPTER 1
Anna Parker wished she’d paid attention to the doubts buried deep in her mind. That they’d put two fingers in each cheek and whistled. Cried foul. Screamed. Anything to have made her listen to sense. To have helped her see through the charade. For she now knew that’s all it was — an elaborate sham that had lured her to this abrupt ending.
“What will you play?” the man named William Webber had asked ten minutes before, when the three-day old illusion was still in full swing and Anna was completely oblivious.
“Elgar’s Concerto in E-Minor ,” she replied. Her voice cracked as she spoke, her nervousness sneaking past her lips, betraying the confident image she hoped to portray. She inhaled deeply, knowing from other auditions that this would help calm her nerves.
“Please begin when you are ready,” Webber said.
She sat on a lonely chair in the centre of the meeting room, her cello propped on its endpin, the neck resting reassuringly on her shoulder. Anna looked around. Desks lined the edges in a
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