Booklist Review

Daniel Champlain is hot on the trail of terror suspects in his job for the National Security Agency when he runs across a familiar name in a porn chat room linked with cyberterrorist Bella Quintera and her father. Bella now has a teaching job in the frozen Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and Daniel suspects that her father is working with the Cyber Soldiers, who hack into computers to show their flaws, but now may be playing a treasonous game. Daniel heads north and discovers that Bella is being threatened by a mysterious nemesis called Lokus. Meanwhile, Bella has created an Artificial Intelligence that she believes will redeem her credibility with the academic community, and tries to shield her creation from Daniel, who she knows will take it for national-security purposes. As they compete to unravel the puzzle, Daniel and Bella discover that they are still attracted to one another. Nance presents an engaging romance filled with dark undertones as it unlocks the secrets of the elaborate world of virtual reality gamers. --Patty Engelmann Copyright 2005 Booklist