Trojan Horse

A Jeff Aiken Novel, Book 2

By: Mark Russinovich, Kevin Mitnick - foreword

Narrated by: Johnny Heller

It's two years after the Zero Day attacks, and cyber-security analyst Jeff Aiken is reaping the rewards for crippling Al-Qaida's assault on the computer infrastructure of the Western world. His company is flourishing, and his relationship with former government agent Daryl Haugen has intensified since she became a part of his team.

But the West is under its greatest threat yet. A revolutionary, invisible trojan that alters data without leaving a trace—more sophisticated than any virus seen before—has been identified, roiling international politics. Jeff and Daryl are summoned to root it out and discover its source. As the trojan penetrates Western intelligence, and the terrifying truth about its creator is revealed, Jeff and Daryl find themselves in a desperate race to reverse it as the fate of both East and West hangs in the balance.

A thrilling suspense story and a sober warning from one of the world's leading experts on cyber-security, Trojan Horse exposes the already widespread use of international cyber-espionage as a powerful and dangerous weapon, and the lengths to which one man will go to stop it.

©2012 Mark Russinovich (P)2012 Macmillan Audio

mark is at his best

Love the insight from an insider. The action also keeps the story fresh and moving along quite well.

Very good book entertaining and interesting

Portrait of the cyberwar landscape awesome, unbelievable in certain parts, overall very good book.

A fun romp and cautionary peek into cyber security

A well written and researched journey into the world of network security. Narrated well with a touch of foreign culture to boot. Worth a listen.

Snatched From Today's Headlines?

Excellent narration of a story we could envision popping up any day -- as though it would become public knowledge if it did.

Excellent technical descriptions woven among international events. The story is believable enough we look past the implausibility of the two protagonists even surviving let alone saving the day.

What was I thinking...

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

NO! Not sure why I went to hear the second book.

Would you ever listen to anything by Mark Russinovich and Kevin Mitnick (foreword) again?

The only thing I like about this book was the additional interview by Mark Russinovich and Kevin Mitnick.

Was Trojan Horse worth the listening time?

No. I was not sure at what point a kidnapping took place, who were the main characters. When did the security analyst become a world class spy?

5 STARS: Russinovich Is Tranformative

Somewhere in the middle of “hunt For Red October it clicked. “Yoa!” I thought, “This is a new something… a genre… if not a new species, well at least a new breed.” So I read the next 16 (or was that 18?) Clancys… Until somewhere in “Shadow Warriors”, or perhaps “Search and Destroy” he lost his power to fly the class he created (and never recovered them in his own attempts at cyber-fiction).

“Trojan Horse” goes “CLICK!” Mark Russinovich has accomplished where Neil Stephenson and the aging Clancy failed. Issac Asimov argued that if science did not drive the plot, it was not "science" fiction, but fiction in drag. Clancy at his best did the same thing with his techno-fiction where a sort of electro/mechanical engineering drove the plot. Russinovich’s transformational technology-driver has done to Clancy’s breed what the internet has done to newspapers… This is a disruptive book.

While “Zero Day”, the first in this Jeff Aiken/Daryl Hagen series, was engrossing –Russnovich was experimenting with his powers. I enjoyed it, and recommend that you read or listen to it before starting this book since it explains the allusions to that story peppered through “Trojan Horse”. But while each of these books are VERY commercial and crammed-full with action (cinematic is the word that comes to mind), Russinovich is sucking on the cyber-pipe full-on here in “Trojan Horse”.

BTW, this is NOT a Jeff Aiken book. While it’s a partnership, Daryl Hagen is now the stronger member of this pair. I hope someone at Audible will fix that in the series description.

Johnny Heller does a fine, if not masterful, job of presenting this work even if his characters are incompletely nuanced. Still, I won’t do anything to pull all five stars away from “Trojan Horse”. It’s as masterful as “DaVinci” code in its story telling clout yet "cyber"-fiction in the Asimov sense.

This is a cross-over novel that every adventure/mystery lover can enjoy and the best adventure book I’ve listened to in years.

Great Book

As a security professional and a professor of computer science this book covers all the topics I teach and gives real life scenarios to the topics of class and has been recommended to all my students. it is the James Bond of computers

Enjoyed it!!!

If you could sum up Trojan Horse in three words, what would they be?

Captivating, intriguing, creative.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

No, thoughtful.

What does Johnny Heller bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He brought inference.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No I didn't.

Any additional comments?

This book was very well worth my time.

Once you start, you can't stop

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

Without a doubt, one of the most captivating books i have listened to recently. Mark's obvious knowledge of the filed and the detailed description of certain aspects made it so much more enjoyable.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Of course, the timing of the events was just perfect and always made you to go further and further.

Which character – as performed by Johnny Heller – was your favorite?

Jeff Aiken

Excellent!!! I was attracted by Kevin's books!

Excellent!!! I was attracted by Kevin's books! I was on edge from start to finish!