Under the Cloud

by B.R. Erlank

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

GENRE:   Thriller

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

BLURB:

 

They call themselves The Settlement Bureau. A faceless, soulless organization coercing individuals with threats to expose their improprieties and vulnerabilities. Inhumanely persistent, they’ve secretly driven hundreds of victims into bankruptcy, despair – and several even to suicide.

But when this organization tries to blackmail IT expert Terry Reynolds, they make a serious mistake. Terry is down on his luck. He is penniless, divorced and in a dead-end job. Yet, the abuse of his personal information stirs Terry out of his lethargy and he fights back. He embarks on a digital game of cat-and-mouse with the cold, calculating minds behind The Settlement Bureau – and in doing so, uncovers a sprawling criminal conspiracy.

Under The Cloud is a chillingly plausible new thriller by B.R. Erlank. With a plot ripped straight from the headlines, advance readers warn, “this book delivers a roller coaster ride right up to the final pages.”

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 EXCERPT:

Danny Gunderson woke to the muffled sound of gunfire and helicopters. He squinted at his watch and saw that it was only 6 a.m. Then he remembered that it was Saturday, rolled over, and tried to go back to sleep. Finally, after ten minutes of tossing and turning, Danny got up and went to the bathroom. Afterward, he leaned against the doorpost to look at his roommate, Timothy, who sat at a small desk playing Rainbow Six Siege on his laptop. The sound of violence continued to seep out from the roommate’s headphones.

 

Timothy was the same age as Danny – seventeen – and the same height at 5’ 8”. But that was where all similarities between the two ended. Danny had the physique and looks of a stereotypical California surfer – blonde hair down to his shoulders, blue eyes, a smile to melt a glacier, and an aquiline nose in a perfectly symmetrical face. Timothy was hunched over in his striped pajamas, and with his glasses and unruly black hair, he looked like an awkward teen version of Harry Potter. Danny moved toward the desk and slowly leaned his head into Timothy’s field of vision. He gave a small wave and smiled.

 

Timothy removed the headphones and glanced at Danny, then fixed his gaze onto the computer screen.

 

Danny said, “Morning, Tim. Since what time have you been up?”

 

“I got up at four to help my friend Mykyta.”

 

“Mykyta – the Russian hacker?”

 

“He is not Russian,” Timothy said in a monotone, “he’s Romanian. And he is not a hacker anymore. He now works for a cybersecurity company.”

 

“Ah-ha, a hacker turned cybersecurity specialist in Romania. That sounds fishy.”

 

“No, it doesn’t. Mykyta told me he doesn’t work on phishing attacks anymore.”

 

“How did you get out of the controlled network and onto the internet this time? You know you’re not supposed…”

 

“It was easy,” Timothy interrupted. “I used coach Jamey’s account. He’s very predictable. I cracked his password in eight minutes and twenty seconds.”

                                                                           REVIEW

This was one amazing story. A slow burn thriller that brings so much excitement and intrigue. I felt this story was well thought out and well written. The characters take you on one exciting and thrilling story you don't want to miss. This is a new author for me and I for one really loved the work and look forward to reading more. 

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Boris Erlank grew up in Southern Africa. He has lived and worked in places as diverse as Luanda, Cape Town, Singapore and San Francisco. Boris recently gave up his job as Global Privacy Manager with a Fortune 100 company to focus on writing full-time.

He has an extensive background in IT, data privacy and cybersecurity, and has drawn on that experience to craft his latest novel, Under the Cloud. His previous novel, Catch You Later, is a murder mystery set in Cape Town.

Boris lives with his family and two dogs in the foothills of Mount Diablo, east of San Francisco. He likes to cycle and hike. “Those solitary pursuits give me time to dream up the characters and plots for my novels,” he says. Boris also enjoys choir singing, travel, and listening to audiobooks.

 

 

Amazon link: https://amzn.to/3nH9JNa

Website: www.brerlank.wordpress.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100082184847881

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/boris-erlank/

The book will be $0.99 from November 15 - November 22.

 

 

 

B.R. Erlank will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Enter to win a $25 Amazon/Bn GC - a Rafflecopter giveaway