When a Blue Whale tagged with a web-cam as part of a television nature program broadcasts a brutal murder at sea, an FBI agent with a fear of water finds herself in a deadly race to reach the animal before an unknown killer can destroy the digital evidence it carries. For Special Agent Tara Shores, the many possible suspects each present obstacles as unique and perilous as the sea itself. Is the murderer one of the web viewers vying for the controversial reality show’s million-dollar prizes? The extremist environmental group threatening violence unless the whale is liberated from its high-tech tracking device? The wealthy Hollywood power-couple who own the show? Or the troubled, young inventor of the whale-cam? And just who was the beautiful woman slaughtered live on the web?
Navigating an ocean of manipulation and deceit, the detective’s best hope for a solid piece of evidence is the original murder video, still attached to the back of the 100-ton creature which roams the Pacific tethered to its electronic leash. But when the tag’s GPS locator mysteriously fails, it seems that finding the beast will prove impossible.
As the Special Agent dives deeper into the case, what she initially dismisses as a publicity stunt for the glitzy reality series soon sweeps her out to sea in a riptide of greed, sex, and high-tech crime.
People who are fans of the following would enjoy WIRED KINGDOM:
• MEG & THE LOCH by Steve Alten
• THE PENDERGAST SERIES by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
• SCAVENGER & CREEPERS by David Morrell
Reviews
“A whale of a tale by first-time author Rick Chesler involving modern-day pirates, media moguls, and a sexy federal agent -- all chasing a cetacean-mounted camcorder and the crucial piece of evidence needed to resolve a murder.”
-- Steve Alten, NY Times bestselling author
of GRIM REAPER and MEG
“WIRED KINGDOM is a fast-paced thriller that is one third deep-sea adventure, one third FBI sleuthing and one third awesome. A superb debut novel and killer concept.”
-- Jeremy Robinson, author of PULSE and INSTINCT.