Interrupt

Refusing to accept blame when he is held responsible for forty thousand Silicon Valley telephones going dead, AT&T employee Andy Faulkner finds himself facing a murder charge and the kidnapping of his deaf son, Wayne. Reprint.

A gripping, skillful, technically literate, untrendy roller-coaster of a story centered on that most taken-for-granted technology of all: the U.S. telephone system.... Dwiggins is scarily convincing about both the vulnerability of the phone system and the extent to which our society depends on it. The technical stuff is all very solid, but no one should be scared off by that-Dwiggins works the expertise in effortlessly, is never pedantic, and delivers a story about real human beings... a plausible, original, and at times very tense tale-you may want to take your phone off the hook to finish it. -- Mystery Guide

Meet Interrupt: computer criminal, telecommunications expert, terrorist, murderer, and electrical engineer... The hero, Andy Faulkner, is also an engineer. Brilliant, earnest, and emotionally conflicted, Faulkner may be the most entertaining acrophobe since Jimmy Stewart in Vertigo.... a fast-moving thriller. -- IEEE Spectrum

Riveting.... There have been other mysteries with Silicon Valley settings, but the area has too often been a weak backdrop to the action. Dwiggins uses high-tech turf like a native; it weaves in and out, enhancing the plot in both major and minor ways.... Like the best techno-thrillers, INTERRUPT provides a feel of insider language without over- or under-explaining. Like the best psychological mysteries, the author shows how "good" traits like clear-thinking and tenacity can, with crossed lines and over-worked circuits, fuel a vendetta. -- San Jose Mercury News

This superior techno-thriller combines today's software and telephonic engineering with a suspenseful chase.... Recommended. -- Library Journal