Hooked
Free Book Review

Free Book Review: Hooked

Nat Idle is one lucky journalist as he narrowly escapes with his life during the bombing of the Internet cafe where he's just been reading and lounging. Stranger yet is the fact that the only reason he is alive is because a woman, looking much too much like his dead girlfriend, dropped a note on his table warning him to leave the cafe a few seconds before the explosion.

Over the next 72 hours Nat conducts a wild goose chase across the country to find out if his ex, Annie, is still alive and if so, if she is connected in any way to the cafe explosion. Accompanied by Erin, a waitress who also managed to walk out of the cafe in tact, he follows vague lead after vague lead desperately hoping to see Annie again. They are pursued by the police and eventually named the top two suspects in the bombing.

The question of who Nat can trust is foremost on his mind and he scrutinizes everyone he comes into contact with at least once. Added to the bizarre events, like finding a tech lab named after Annie's childhood dog, is his downward spiral into a state of illness that not even his rational, medical background can help him explain.

When things finally become clear, the question really is can Nat handle the truth or will he let it ruin his life forever?

Free Book Review: Hooked Opinion

Move over DaVinci Code! Matt Richtel's Hooked is the best of the next generation fiction thriller. In a society where technology rules, this story is convincingly, alaramingly possible.

I can't even begin to describe the rising panic I was feeling while reading and uncovering the truth behind the addiction Nat was feeling to his computer. As a true computer nut (and a bit of a hypochondriac) I was "hooked" from the word go largely due to the fact that every time I sign online I feel an instant thrill to have received a new email, writing on my facebook wall, or comments on my mypsace pics. The idea that a computer technology company could create a physical addiction to a computer is not that far-fetched considering we are halfway there without their help already.

Matt's writing style is reminiscent of Dan Brown, fast-paced and continually adding another layer to a thick plot. I was thrown a curve ball at least once every 20 pages and had to modify my assumptions about what was really going on at base level. For the reader who loves constant surprises, constant action, and constant questioning of their own theories, this book really hits the spot.

The most alluring aspect of the novel is that it's so current. There is an absurd amount of mystery-thriller fiction available but Hooked touches a nerve because it is so cutting edge. In a few years from now, we could be reading Nat Idle's news story in a health journal and sighing with relief that we weren't the victims of the computer mogul's capitalistic dream.

Now back to work, Mother Google is calling my name...

Free Book Review: Hooked Discussion Questions

1. Is our society today "addicted" to technology? Is it unhealthy?
2. How well do you ever really know the person you love?
3. How hard was it for Nat to find a person to trust in his crazy life? If was able to trust someone, did he do so fully or still with reservation?

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