Red Team Blues - BookRaptor

writh reviewed Red Team Blues by Cory Doctorow (Martin Hench, #1)

Move over heart-throbe protagonists, an elderly accountant has arrived

5 stars

Seriously. Martin Hench is a fantastic character. There is nothing about him or his journey through this novel that I would change.

As always, Doctorow has gotten all of the details right. As an infosec professional, I appreciate that level of research and commitment to verisimilitude. This is a fast paced thriller about... financial and tech crime... I know that sounds weird, and it is even weirder that the main character is essentially an accountant, but it works so well.

I also love that he's old. He's been around the block a time or 7. He knows his shit. He's the last of a dying breed. The computing revolutionaries from MIT. He was at the cutting edge of forensic computing and accounting. But those days are long in his past. Now he's dealing with cryptocurrency. The blockchain. All that other gross crap that tech-bros have come up with. But he's …

Seriously. Martin Hench is a fantastic character. There is nothing about him or his journey through this novel that I would change.

As always, Doctorow has gotten all of the details right. As an infosec professional, I appreciate that level of research and commitment to verisimilitude. This is a fast paced thriller about... financial and tech crime... I know that sounds weird, and it is even weirder that the main character is essentially an accountant, but it works so well.

I also love that he's old. He's been around the block a time or 7. He knows his shit. He's the last of a dying breed. The computing revolutionaries from MIT. He was at the cutting edge of forensic computing and accounting. But those days are long in his past. Now he's dealing with cryptocurrency. The blockchain. All that other gross crap that tech-bros have come up with. But he's able to cut through the bullshit and use his smarts and his knowledge of tactics to beat them at their own game. It is seriously an awesome story.

There are so many deep characters in this book. A lot of them would be worthy of their own novels. None of the side characters or relationships seem fake or two dimensional.

Overall, if you like mysteries or thrillers, are into tech, or just love good character driven books, this is for you.

Jorge Sanz reviewed Red Team Blues by Cory Doctorow (Martin Hench, #1)

Para nerds

4 stars

La novela no pasa el test de Bechdel porque va de un señor mayor en su súper autocaravana haciendo de detective friki. Muchas referencias tecnológicas de todo tipo que creo que sólo harán gracia a los que estamos en el sector y eso sin entrar en la parte sobre criptomonedas.

Si lees el blog del autor la novela entera son referencias a sus temas favoritos.

Braden Solt reviewed Red Team Blues by Cory Doctorow (Martin Hench, #1)

A Truly Modern Whodunnit

5 stars

Martin Hench is forensic accountant who plays by his own rules and lives out of his own recreational vehicle. I found this book to be an easy and thrilling read. Looking forward to seeing what happens next!

Tim reviewed Red Team Blues by Cory Doctorow (Martin Hench, #1)

Go Team

5 stars

I really liked this. Imagine a 67 year old main character! With an old rock star tour bus. Who's an accountant. Lots of money, blocks, chains and keys floating around. And retirement.

Buttered Jorts reads Books reviewed Red Team Blues by Cory Doctorow (Martin Hench, #1)

Now I’ve got the “book finished blues”

5 stars

Absolutely phenomenal. Could not put it down, devoured in a whirlwind, and entirely-too-impatient for the rest of the series. Compelling storytelling, memorable characters, and a gripping plot.

If you only read one book this year and it isn’t Red Team Blues, you should really make it two.

SynACK reviewed Red Team Blues by Cory Doctorow (Martin Hench, #1)

Well worth your time!

5 stars

I finished @pluralistic’s #RedTeamBlues this evening, and I would highly - highly - recommend it! It’s a short read, just a tad over 200 pages but it’s quite engrossing. I probably could have finished it last night, but I forced myself to sleep instead.

I really like Doctorow’s writing style, and I always learn some new words (and not just technological ones) when I read his books. One of my favorite hallmarks of his fiction is the use of what I would term “non-standard” protagonists - in this case a 67-year-old confirmed bachelor facing retirement. Definitely not someone I would have expected to be enmeshed with a cast of Very Ruthless People ™️ and crypto-bros. That alone makes the stories so much more relatable and entertaining to me and easier to identify with. And as always, the more technical elements of the plot are thoroughly well-researched and expertly woven together …

I finished @pluralistic’s #RedTeamBlues this evening, and I would highly - highly - recommend it! It’s a short read, just a tad over 200 pages but it’s quite engrossing. I probably could have finished it last night, but I forced myself to sleep instead.

I really like Doctorow’s writing style, and I always learn some new words (and not just technological ones) when I read his books. One of my favorite hallmarks of his fiction is the use of what I would term “non-standard” protagonists - in this case a 67-year-old confirmed bachelor facing retirement. Definitely not someone I would have expected to be enmeshed with a cast of Very Ruthless People ™️ and crypto-bros. That alone makes the stories so much more relatable and entertaining to me and easier to identify with. And as always, the more technical elements of the plot are thoroughly well-researched and expertly woven together like an episode of #MrRobot, but explained in an accessible and easy-to-follow manner.

If you’re looking for a short(ish) techno-thriller to read with a page-turning plot, this book should be right up your alley. That ain’t no lie, cutie pie.