The Bottom Line: Grid Zero exposes the terrifying fragility of our world within a brilliant cyber-disaster novel.
Grid Zero begins as America’s East Coast reels from a catastrophic power outage, plunging millions into sweltering darkness in the aftermath of two back-to-back hurricanes. Among a town of 31,000 people, Sean Riggs, a former software engineer with a history of whistleblowing, and social media manager Danielle Duval, hunt for dwindling supplies in a local supermarket. It’s a chance meeting that sparks romance amongst chaos.
As the social order teeters on the brink of complete collapse, the two must navigate the growing desperation of those around them, as well as Sean’s suspicion that the blackout could be more than just a natural disaster. Kudos to author Andrew Diamond for not turning Danielle into merely a disaster love interest trope. Instead, Danielle becomes a fellow protagonist whose empathy, wit and resilience are crucial to solving the mystery.
At the core of the story is Sean’s troubled history with the energy industry. Prior to the blackout, while working at Empire Energy, he came across a line of suspicious code embedded in what appeared to be test files. At first glance, it didn’t raise alarms, but upon closer inspection, it’s clear that the code contained encrypted values.
“Code like this has no place in a system as important as the electric grid,” he tells Danielle. It’s an allegation that won’t be easy to prove. As a disgruntled ex-employee, he’s technically unauthorized to investigate the issue, and is likely to be seen as a suspect.
Diamond has given Sean an unlikely potential ally in federal cybersecurity expert Anya Lakhani, although the two have never met. Anya is the first government worker to understand the true nature of the malware. She recognizes the code’s non-standard location and behavior, its potential to trigger systemic failure, and the indications of insider access. Soon, she asks Sean’s former manager, Ray, about Sean. His answer: “He’s a whiny little prick.”
Can Sean find a way to work with Anya to prevent an even more cataclysmic event? Or will he be framed, running from the law while he watches communities across the nation go dark?
Diamond, whose previous books include staff favorites Impala, Gate 76 and 32 Minutes, has cooked up an immersive gem with a completely new cast of characters. The investigation is captivating, but the details of a civilization in crisis make the entire experience superb. The store manager who refuses to give away spoiled food to hungry people due to liability fears. The way Danielle envisions telling her friends about how she dated the terrorist who had hacked the electric company. Or the way Anya’s boss calls her out for wearing jeans at work, refusing to admit that she’s run out of clean pantsuits – not because she’s embarrassed, but because he’s a jerk.
The culmination is a brilliant cyber-disaster thriller – within an intimate love story coded into the chaos.
