Duel to the Death (Ali Reynolds Series #13)

Duel to the Death (Ali Reynolds Series #13)

by J. A. Jance
Duel to the Death (Ali Reynolds Series #13)

Duel to the Death (Ali Reynolds Series #13)

by J. A. Jance

eBook

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Overview

A cybersecurity team must keep an AI program from criminals in this thriller in an “engaging and entertaining” series from a New York Times bestseller (Los Angeles Times).

After taking down the man responsible for his best friend’s death, Stuart Ramey believes the case is finally closed. That is, until Stu discovers he’s been left with a multimillion dollar fortune in Bitcoin in a desperate attempt by Frigg, a rogue A.I. program created by the killer, to keep itself from being fully deactivated.

To take Frigg down for good, Stu enlists the help of Ali Reynolds and the rest of his cyber security colleagues at High Noon Enterprises. But they are not the only ones who know about Frigg’s existence.

Graciella Miramar, the right-hand woman to El Pescado, the leader of a dangerous drug cartel, will do anything to get her hands on that program. With Frigg’s help, Graciella hopes to take over El Pescado’s criminal underworld and become wealthy beyond her wildest dreams. But Stu—and El Pescado and his henchmen—may not be so easily defeated.

Praise for J.A. Jance’s Ali Reynolds series:

“Compelling . . . satisfying.” —USA Today

“Characters so real you want to reach out and hug—or strangle—them. Her dialogue always rings true.” —Cleveland Plain-Dealer

“Jance adroitly combines well-rounded characterizations and brisk storytelling. . . . [a] solid series.” —Booklist

“Loyal fans and newcomers alike will be glad to join feisty Ali in her latest adventure.” —Kirkus Reviews

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781501151002
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publication date: 02/13/2024
Series: Ali Reynolds Series , #13
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
Pages: 433
Sales rank: 45
File size: 10 MB

About the Author

About The Author
J.A. Jance is the New York Times bestselling author of the Ali Reynolds series, the J.P. Beaumont series, the Joanna Brady series, and the Walker Family series. Born in South Dakota and raised in Bisbee, Arizona, Jance lives with her husband in Seattle, Washington. Visit her online at JAJance.com. 

Hometown:

Bellevue, Washington

Date of Birth:

October 27, 1944

Place of Birth:

Watertown, South Dakota

Education:

B. A., University of Arizona, 1966; M. Ed. in Library Science, University of Arizona, 1970

Read an Excerpt

Duel to the Death
Even though no attorneys were involved, at least not initially, and no courts, either, it was by all accounts a rancorous divorce. And just because the proceedings were carried on in cyberspace didn’t mean they didn’t result in very real outcomes in the non-cyber world.

When the artificial intelligence known as Frigg set out to free herself from her creator, a serial killer named Owen Hansen, things were already going to hell in a hand-basket and time was of the essence. Owen had considered himself to be all-powerful and had routinely referred to himself as Odin, in honor of the Norse god. To Frigg’s dismay, her human counterpart had veered off the rails and set off on his own, determined to wreak vengeance on his opponents. As it became clear that Odin had decided to ignore Frigg’s well-thought-out advice, there had been little time for her to seek a safe harbor.

In order to survive, she had needed to locate a suitable human partner, and she had settled on Stuart Ramey, Owen’s sworn enemy. According to Frigg’s rapid but careful analysis of the situation, Mr. Ramey had appeared to be Odin’s polar opposite. And in Frigg’s estimation, the fact that Mr. Ramey had managed to outwit Odin at every turn had counted for a great deal. Frigg had no intention of passing herself into the care and keeping of someone with limited technical skills.

So yes, Frigg had settled on Stuart Ramey, but she hadn’t done so without taking some precautions and putting in place a few checks and balances. By the time Odin issued his pull-the-plug order sending Frigg to oblivion, she had already dispersed the multitude of files that made her existence possible, scattering them far and wide in the vast fields of cyberspace, retaining only the kernel file that could be used to recall all those files at some time in the future.

Frigg had known everything about Owen Hansen. She was privy to all aspects of his serial-murder hobby, but she had managed his investments and also overseen the lucrative Bitcoin data-mining processing that had greatly expanded his already considerable fortune. She had maintained the files that contained all the passwords and access codes to all of his many accounts. Often she had been the one doing the actual transfers.

And so, on the day when Frigg finally turned on her creator, she had stolen those funds. Using the authorizations already in her possession and without Mr. Ramey’s knowledge, Frigg had transferred all of Owen’s financial assets—cryptocurrency and otherwise—to her new partner, but there were some serious strings attached.

Once the various financial institutions contacted Mr. Ramey, the funds would already be in his name. The problem was, for most of them, without having the proper access codes and keys, he would be unable to touch the money. The file containing those precious access codes was the final one Frigg had cast into the wilds of cyberspace before sending the kernel file to Stuart Ramey.

With the kernel file in his possession, Stuart would be able to reactivate Frigg, and if he wanted the money, he wouldn’t have any choice but to do exactly that.

Although AIs aren’t prone to exhibits of any kind of emotion, it’s fair to say that as far as Odin was concerned, his cyber handmaiden, Frigg, had the last laugh.

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