Veteran Civil Engineer, J. Luke Bennecke uses his background and desire for a lack of traffic congestion in the world to create a thriller focused on what can happen when cyberterrorism takes over the road ways. In Civil Terror: Gridlock he introduces Jake Bendel, who was part of a select group of people who created a nationwide self-driving car system. After an attack he finds himself teamed with an FBI agent and on the hunt for a cyberterrorist.

Civil Terror: Gridlock is a story that does try to make a positive statement, while also engaging the reader in a thriller style plot. Jake Bendel wakes up in a strange place and learns that he has been the victim of an attack that has thrown his entire life upside down. After learning he has been blamed for a number of cyberterrorist attacks that were connected to the self-driving system that he helped to create. He must trust the FBI agent, Jose Cavanaugh, in the mission to find the actual criminals, clear Bendel’s name, and protect his daughter. As a reader you not only see the good guys in action, but Bennecke also shares what the criminals are doing, specifically through the character of Viktor. There are twists, turns, and a number of through provoking questions brought about throughout the course of the novel.

Bennecke indulges in a bit of meta style writing within Civil Terror: Gridlock. Beyond introducing a character who is also a civil engineer he also has Jake discuss a book he wrote that is very similar in scope to the book you are reading. Throughout the book he is trying to discuss the positives connected to self-driving cars, while also creating a plot that those who enjoy films like Mission Impossible and The Bourne series would enjoy. Civil Terror: Gridlock is designed to be part of a larger Civil Terror series and you can find the first novel on sale now.

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