Product Description
ECHELON, Somebody's Listening is a factually-based thriller that tells details of recently revealed and formerly highly classified 21st Century eavesdropping methods. The story begins the day the Patriot Act is signed--the first day the CIA and FBI are allowed to sit side-by-side eavesdropping. It is the story of three segments of society--the CIA/FBI, municipal law enforcement and citizens ensnared by CIA/FBI eavesdropping--as they respond to a surprise act of terror at the Miami International Airport. It's a frantic chase that culminates in a stunning conclusion in Washington, D.C.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.5 based on 55 reviews)

Really? 5 stars?

While the tech and political in-fighting pieces are interesting, the writing is not. I'm sorry, this author is obviously a tech guy who wanted to branch out or show what is happening in the intelligence gathering world by creating a fictional tale, but wow. The writing is stilted, the dialoge is painful and the author doesn't have a grasp (yet?) of relating internal discussions. Just not an easy book to read as the writing keeps getting in the way.
Still, the story is good. The characters, for the most part are believable and the pace is decent.
I just can't say "run out and buy it".
October 01, 2008

A new Clancy!

This book reminds me of the first Tom Clancy book I ever read! I couldn't believe that all the details of what must have been highly classified material at one time were actually appearing in a novel. The vivid descriptions and intriguing characters add to the exciting plot in this rich novel. I couldn't put it down, once I started reading.

Jack O'Neill has certainly made his mark on the techno-thriller genre!
September 23, 2008

Interesting, but...

Echelon has a very interesting plot. I picked it up because I am interested about government eavesdropping: echelon, carnivore Magic Lantern, Rapid Start. However, there are too many unnecessary scenes and dialogues (such that in Chapter 14) that took away from what could have been a very good story; too many characters that I didn't care about; too many names to remember. I got to know Carolyn and Janet more than I would like and I thought they are behaving like little girls. Sarah's behavior, the wife of Michael Stone (the main character) just makes me mad. I wish she has more compassion and trust to her CIA husband. Again, this story has a very good and promising plot. But I think I would have enjoyed it better if it is written by David Baldacci or Joseph Finder, Michael Connelly, even David Morrell or Sue Grafton.
August 20, 2008

Sub par at best/snore fest

I bought this book because Amazon 'suggested' I would like it after looking up Daemon by Leinad Zeraus. As an aside, Daemon is a great/highly entertaining book. This however is not. I am half way through and am forcing myself to swallow the medicine to finish. I may not. The characters are two dimensional/cookie cutters that could be found left on the floors of a choose your own adventure chop shop. The plot had promise, but too many boring character background deviations have pulled away from what seemed interesting - the government's abilities, technologies, and abuses with eavesdropping of any kind. That is sadly a sidenote to a high school level writing exercise. I may be a bit harsh - if I had picked this up out of the blue, it would probably have gotten 3 stars. Since I came off of reading a much better book - and this seemed recommended by like minds, I was let down farther.
August 03, 2008

Decent fiction debut with fascinating glimpse into domestic intelligence.

The author obviously knows what he is talking about and presents a fascinating glimpse into some of the systems, scenarios, and processes for US domestic intelligence. Interesting plot and characters, but the real power comes from the "inside" technical knowledge. On par with Clancy's debut (Hunt for Red October), I hope the author keeps at it - his technical abilities are great; more story, character, and plot development and he could be as good as Clancy!
October 21, 2007

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