The Last Hack: A Jack Parlabane Thriller

By Christopher Brookmyre

—The Last Hack is vintage Brookmyre—equal parts adrenaline and empathy, a plot that opens out like a Japanese flower dropped in hot water, and characters so real you want to reach through the page and save them."—Diana Gabaldon

Published in the UK as Want You Gone

There are no women on the Internet. It is one of the cardinal rules of hacking, and not since Lisbeth Salander famously violated it in Stieg Larsson's Millenium series has the maxim been so compellingly broken as in The Last Hack, the new Jack Parlabane thriller from one of the smartest minds in crime fiction, Christopher Brookmyre.

Sam Morpeth has had to grow up way too fast. Left to fend for a younger sister with learning difficulties when their mother goes to prison, she is forced to watch her dreams of university evaporate. But Sam learns what it is to be truly powerless when a stranger begins to blackmail her online. Meanwhile, reporter Jack Parlabane seems to have finally gotten his career back on track with a job at a flashy online news start-up, but his success has left him indebted to a volatile source on the wrong side of the law. Now that debt is being called in, and it could cost him everything. Thrown together by a common enemy, Sam and Jack are about to discover they have more in common than they realize—and might be each other's only hope.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press
• Release date: Jul 4, 2017
• ISBN: 9780802189073

Reviews for The Last Hack

[booklover915 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Sam Morpeth is a nineteen-year old woman with a secret identity. Casual observers see a shy and self-effacing individual who is devoted to her special needs sister, Lilly. With their mum in prison and their father deceased, Sam has little money and no support system. While she studies in a sixth-form college, the bills still have to be paid. In addition, Sam is a victim of bullying, and has no weapons with which to fight back. Or does she? Much to our shock, we discover that this timid individual has a hidden persona that gives her tremendous power. Eventually, she joins forces with a man seeking to reinvent himself, disgraced journalist Jack Parlabane. Jack is eager to get back in the game as a reporter who delivers high profile, cutting-edge stories. Unfortunately, when Sam strong-arms Jack into helping her out of a tight spot, he discovers that, in doing so, he risks damaging his already shaky professional reputation. Moreover, if things go terribly wrong, he stands to lose much more than his good name and credibility.

Christopher Brookmyre's "The Last Hack" is a convoluted novel that involves a shadowy genius who, it is hinted, has developed a top-secret product that will be a game-changer; a ruthless entrepreneur who plans to cash in on it; a female hacker who is scrambling to extricate herself from an untenable situation; and Jack Parlabane, a resourceful and clever man who is close to destroying what may be his last chance at achieving respectability.

"The Last Hack" has some intriguing and touching passages. We feel for Sam, a decent person who loves Lilly tremendously. Sam dutifully visits their incarcerated mother, and keeps soldiering on, even when her prospects appear bleak. Unfortunately, the plot of this overly long work of fiction is almost impossible to follow. Unless you are an expert at hacking, corporate skullduggery, and the vagaries of the stock market, you may find yourself struggling to get a handle on the proceedings. Suffice it to say that Jack is once again involved in scams that involve, among other activities, breaking and entering and theft. When the multiple story lines are finally sorted out, some readers may be satisfied with the resolution. Others, however, will find that it takes far too long to get from point A to point B, and that the journey, although occasionally exciting and suspenseful, is ultimately too drawn-out, improbable, and convoluted to be genuinely rewarding.

Comment Comment Permalink

[maneekuhi · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the third Christopher Brookmyre novel I've read in the Jack Parlabane series. I rated Dead Girl Walking a 5 and Black Widow a 4. LH is not close to the other two; 3 1/2 is generous.Jack is a free lance journalist with a tarnished star, tarnished because he goes over the line to research his stories. He breaks into homes, offices, whatever to research his writing. And he gets caught, just about all the time. So, nobody in the industry wants anything to do with him. But Jack always seems to get a gig, perhaps with not the most respected journals, and what does he do? Break in, get caught, get fired, write a great story, and the cycle begins all over again. Interestingly, Brookmyre writes more about the other characters in his novels in total than he does about Jack. And they have always been very interesting characters. And the plots are very good. So, what's the problem with LH?Too much hacking. If you're 18, or even 28, you might really get a big charge over the very detailed hacking stuff. But do people under 30 read books anymore, I dunno. The first 2/3rds of this story are hack, hack, hack then the plot gets a bit more interesting as the pursuit focuses on characters and not computer information. Then it slides again into hacking, with an ending that ties up all the loose ends, and I mean ALL the loose ends into one happy package, and the good guys win out again.Way too much hacking. My guess is that 50-100 pages of hacking and acronyms could've been hacked (PUN) and nothing would have been lost. Yes, sometimes less is more. Author Brookmyre seems to have fallen in love with this hacking stuff. One of the earlier books relied heavily on a hacker to break the big mystery. I hope he has gotten over it and will think a bit more about what his readers might be wanting....Jack has a partner of sorts in this one, a young woman who knows everything about hacking and shares it all with the reader. So some chapters are narrated first person by Samantha and others are third person descriptors of what Jack is up to. Didn't care for that structure either. Maybe 3 1/2 is too generous. Want something different and truly great? Check out the author's "Dead Girl Walking" about a rock band headed by a young woman. Excellent.One last comment. The cover has a rather interesting endorsement. Just this one blurb -"Pure literary dynamite." - Lorenzo Carcaterra (Now I think that's very funny....)

[ahs7wolfy · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Jack Parlabane's star is back on the rise. With the Black Widow case still fresh in the mind he has been invited for an interview with a leading edge magazine who want to expand their repertoire with more in depth investigative reporting and while this didn't go quite as well as expected Jack still has a chance to prove himself. So it's a good job that he might have an inside track into a cyber crime story that's hitting the headlines. Someone has hacked the website of a major bank and while they haven't stolen anything, their actions are certainly having an effect on the share price. Sam Morpeth has a secret. By day she's just an unremarkable student who has just had to give up her further education plans to look after her younger sister who suffers from down's syndrome when their mother is locked up in prison. She's quiet, shy and often finds herself on the wrong end of the bullies from school. Give her online access though and she is transformed into somebody totally different hiding behind the alias "Buzzkill". Her secret and involvement in recent events is threatened with exposure and if she doesn't do what someone wants then she might very well find herself locked up with her mother (that's if she's lucky) and where would that leave her sister? This blackmailer wants her to steal a prototype device along with any plans for it and leave it so there's no chance for it to be re-engineered. While Sam could handle the online part of the job she'll need someone to do the physical so it's a good job she knows someone who owes her a favour that is not averse to a little breaking and entering to get what he needs.This is the 8th book in the series and although it's a stand-alone story there are a few references to Jack's past and follows the more recent entries into Brookmyre's more serious books though some of the snappy dialogue still manages to raise a smile. The action is fast-paced and thrilling but that's not done at the expense of character building. The secondary lead of Sam is well developed and her duality is quite believable. It's also quite an eye-opener for the social engineering aspects of the hacker activities and how easy it could be for someone to gain access to sensitive information in a few simple steps. This is another quality entry into what's mostly been an excellent series.

[debkrenzer · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow, at first my eyes were going fuzzy on me with all the computer talk in this book. However, the author did dumb it down enough for me to where I mostly understood what was going on, not how but the what.This book was crazy once I got through the first couple of chapters. Hackers who just like to go into corporate websites just because they can. And then, there are the criminals who want to get in to steal things or for other criminal activities. When one hacker is being blackmailed to steal a new product from a computer company, that's when things really take off. And boy did they take off. The action had me holding my breath while my heart sped up.I definitely enjoyed this book and would like to thank Grove Atlantic and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

[runner56_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I read and review a lot of traditional UK and USA based crime and it is always a pleasure to read something that is just that little bit different. Chris Brookmyre brings a real freshness and punch to this highly entertaining cybercrime novel "Want You Gone" Samantha Morpeth is the heroine of the moment. She has inherited the responsibility of caring for her younger sister Lilly (who suffers from down's syndrome), as her mother is unfortunately serving a prison sentence. Life is tough, she works in a lowly paid job, worries that the local social services will soon visit, and socializes on the web as alter ego "Buzzkill". Jack Parlabane is an out of work reporter hoping to scoop the big job opportunity with an innovative company called Broadwave. What appears to be a simple data breach at an electronics giant Synergis results in Sam and Jack forming an uneasy alliance and investigating the controversy surrounding a new product soon to be launched to global acclaim. This is an edge of the seat thriller that I consumed in two sittings. I enjoyed the dialogue between Sam and Jack and the downright audacity that so called hackers use to introduce themselves, gain trust and ultimately infiltrate and destroy a business. It is a story that is frightening in both its possibilities and scope and demands the reader to keep pace with the breathtaking action. I particularly loved the character of Sam, the struggle and obstacles that she encountered on a daily basis, and hoped that the author would seem fit to grant her some reprieve and reward in the closing chapters. Many thanks to the good people of netgalley for sending me a gratis copy of this first rate thriller in exchange for an honest review.

[twink_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Last Hack is the 8th book in Christopher Brookmyre's Jack Parlabane series. This was the first time I've read a book by this author.Nineteen year old Sam Morpeth's mother is in jail, leaving her as the sole caregiver for her challenged sister. With that, her university plans are out the window. To look at her, you'd never know that Sam is a hacker - a really good hacker. After all - "There are no women on the Internet." But, after her group causes chaos by hacking into a prominent institution, it turns out that someone has discovered who 'Buzzkill' really is. That someone has decided to blackmail Sam - 'do as I say or I'll reveal who you are - and then where would your sister be.' What does the blackmailer want? The impossible - to steal a prototype from a seemingly impenetrable company.Sam knows she can't pull it off on her own - so she reveals her real life persona to Parlabane who has used her hacker skills in his investigative journalism. She 'convinces' Jack that he needs to work with her......or....Sam was a great lead character - I liked the duality of her persona - online and offline. Brookmyre has taken the time to flesh this character out and make her believable. As mentioned, this is my first introduction to Jack Parlabane. He's sketchy, driven, resourceful, talented and although he's not necessarily likeable, I really liked him as a lead."The phrase 'veteran reporter' has already been used, which he is not delighted about, but he is sufficiently familiar with the terms 'disgraced reporter' and 'former reporter' to make his peace with it."The interactions between the two worked well and the underlying secondary plotline brought a personal note to the novel.I'm not much of a 'techie', so some of what they were up to went over my head. (Although I did pick up some security tips along the way!) Brookmyre never bogs down the plot or pace with too much technical detail. That plot is fairly involved and fast moving. We are presented with many choices along the way as to who is the blackmailer and my guess changed many times. What is scary is that Brookmyre's imaginings are probably not that far removed from reality.I have a weakness for 'heist' movies and The Last Hack is at it's heart, a quintessential heist novel. And a darn good one. I can see this one as a movie as well.

[B espy · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Great and insightful first person narratives. Disappointed again at the lack of clever rants that made his early Parlabane novels so stimulating.

[irregularreader · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is the eighth book by Brookmyre featuring reporter Jack Parlabane. Expect a spoiler or two for the previous books in this review. On the other hand, if, like me, you’ve never read the previous books, then rest assured that this book can be read as a standalone.______________________________________________________________________________Sam Morpeth is unstoppable. Really, she’s pretty much a superhero (or supervillain), able to go where she wants and do what she wants. Unfortunately, that super-powered persona only exists online. In real life, she is simply a 19 year old whose mother is in jail on drug charges, and who struggles to keep food on the table for herself and her little sister Lilly, who has Downs Syndrome.But someone has connected to two halves of Sam’s life. Someone with a devious agenda, and proof of Sam’s past hacks. Blackmailed into performing an act of industrial espionage, Sam in turn forcibly recruits journalist Jack Parlabane, recently returned to the UK, to help her with the heist. As the two come to an uneasy truce, they delve into the underside of the internet in a desperate attempt to discover who is behind the sinister plot.As I said above, this book can be read as part of its series or as a standalone novel. I was conscious of missing out on a few references here and there, but all in all not much went over my head. Perhaps it helps that the book is less about Jack Parlabane and more about the hacker Samantha Morpeth.What is really striking about the book is the breathtaking contrast between Sam navigating her real life, and Sam, as her hacker alias Buzzkill, navigating the web. Sam in real life is meek, seeking more than anything to disappear into the background. Her life is horrible, stuck in an impossible position of needing to care for her little sister while her mother is in prison, and being denied at every turn the ability to do so. But online, Sam, as Buzzkill, can use her intelligence, imagination, and anonymity to effect real change in the world around her.The story itself is fast-paced and technologically terrifying. I found myself getting legitimately paranoid even time I experienced any lag time on any of my electronics. While certainly a work of fiction, the book serves to remind us of how vulnerable we are now that we are all inevitably connected via the internet.So, if you’re looking for an intelligent technological thriller (with a woman of color as the protagonist, yay!), then this book is a good fit for you!An advance copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[pgchuis · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.A hacker contact of Jack's, Buzzkill, embarrasses a major bank by taking over and rewriting part of its website. However, Buzzkill is then threatened with exposure by a fellow hacker if she does not steal the prototype of a new medical device. Buzzkill knows she cannot do this alone and in turn blackmails Jack into helping her.Overall I though this story was excellent. The plot made sense (once I was past the slightly bewildering first few chapters) and was helpfully clarified by one of the characters every time I thought I might be getting lost. There was a good blend of dialogue, action and computer wizardry. I enjoyed all the descriptions of hacking methods and overriding security cameras etc (although I didn't really understand the finer details). I also enjoyed the less high tech disguises and ploys Jack and Samantha used to avoid being discovered.Jack and Samantha were engaging characters, although I struggled with the complete disconnect between Samantha's online personality (and the courage and decisiveness she showed in her dealings with Jack) on the one hand and the bullied, defeated person she became around her mother, social services and the other girls from school on the other. It also seemed to me unlikely that Samantha would seek to meet up with Stonefish in view of what had been revealed about her modus operandi up until that point. I have only read the Jack Parlabane novel immediately preceding this one and there were references here to Jack's more distant past, but these did not really prevent this working as a stand alone story.Highly recommended.