BOUNTY

By Michael Byrnes

At the beginning of this fantastic book, an infamous Wall Street “shark” is put to death in his high rise office by a sniper’s bullet. Folks that were definitely not upset by this called it ‘the kill shot heard round the world.’ Now, a rogue website for vigilante assassins—bounty4justice.com—pops up, where outraged citizens can bid up bounties on corporate crooks and corrupt, privileged individuals.

When the number of targets becomes more intense, amateur bounty hunters and professional hit men vie against each other to exterminate the people who have been destined for death in order to claim the cash reward. Of course, the competitors have to send ‘proof of death’ videos to prove their kills and post said videos on the internet.

The FBI, led by Roman Novak and Rosemary Michaels, along with other law enforcement agencies, are placed on the case as this once little site turns global. The law is desperately trying to find a way to out think and out play an antagonist with seemingly millions of dollars at their disposal, and cease the ability for murders to be helped along with just a keystroke. Finally, a hacker extraordinaire leads Novak and Michaels into the underworld, a haven for criminals who are against the rules of law; a place where Bounty4Justice’s mastermind is hiding.

This book was definitely one of the best I have ever read. Think, Mob justice meets the internet. A rogue website for assassins? This story is consistently exciting and frighteningly real, as the world is today with the internet running the country. This is most definitely a plot that paints a mental picture of our technological achievements creating a civilization gone mad, and where free will and the law are irreparably damaged.

The author has done a superb job of showing that American justice’s future may not be run by the bravest, but by the most brutal.