The Trusted
John M. Green
Bestselling techno-thriller from Australian author John M. Green.
How far would you go to save the planet? …Would you destroy it?
Imagine a global depression caused, not by greed or stupidity, but by a secret band of brilliant and radical environmentalists, 9S, using cyber-terror to slash the world’s population and smash its resource-hungry economy. Members of 9S have spent ten years secretly infiltrating industry and government, working themselves into the most trusted jobs in the world…sleepers ready to act.
When the first global catastrophe erupts, the finger points at Australian-born Dr Tori Swyft, a former 9S member recently forced out of the CIA. Can the dark 9S conspiracy be stopped before it’s too late?
They are the most trusted… until they betray their trust.
John M. Green focuses on radical environmentalists in THE TRUSTED because “saving our planet is what excites millions of us, yet inevitably a handful will be extremists. What’s frightening is that eco-terror on a grand scale isn’t seriously on the security radar. The traditional methods to detect networks like Al-Qaeda won’t work with this new breed of extremist. That’s because their evil genius is that they look like us, think like us and work with us… precisely to mislead us to think that they are us.”
With an echo from the infamous Cold War’s Cambridge Five, Soviet spies who reached the highest ranks of British intelligence, Green positions his fictional environmental terrorists as trusted insiders, driven by a new sinister mantra, “Why Occupy Wall Street when you can destroy it, from the inside?”
“What if the people we trust most are those we should trust least?” asks Green. Green’s thriller is a warning, as well as a gripping entertainment.
“… as good as John Grisham, Robert Ludlum, Lee Child or Jonathan Kellerman … knife-edge plot, sophisticated themes and empathetic characters put Green in the front rank of Australian thriller writers.” – The Australian
John M. Green
“…if you’re able to lose yourself in Green’s version of the near future you’re in for a terrific ride… eerily, worryingly possible (seriously it’s going to keep me awake tonight)… the speed at which things unfold make the whole novel exciting and the final fifty or so pages is pure white-knuckle reading… all the qualities needed to appeal to fans of a well-plotted ‘what if…’ thriller. And the last line is a doozy.”
Fair Dinkum Crime
“If you love action thrillers then pick this one up. I think we are going to be seeing a lot more of Tori Swyft and I for one don’t mind that at all!”
Rachael McDiarmid, Goodreads
“An ingenious, enlightening and thrilling read.”
Terri-lee Toni, Goodreads
“…In John M. Green’s brilliant and provocative new eco-thriller, The Trusted, those intent on our destruction are not Islamic terrorists but trusted insiders, those at the very top of government, business, science and academia… Green delivers a chilling prophesy of what could really happen if extremists turned technology against itself. The Trusted is a classic race against time thriller with a difference: its terrifying political edge makes it all too plausible.”
Weekend Bookworm ABC Radio 612
“…sharp and exhilarating writing and impeccable attention to detail makes the improbable possible, and the pace accelerates to a convincing conclusion. This page turner is a compulsory companion on a long flight or relaxing holiday.”
Haydn Savage, Angela Savage
“…a very big threat scenario, with a lot of action happening all at once. There’s also a big corporate feel… For something quite this ‘out there’, there is a sneaking sense of possibility, always a very good thing in a thriller of this kind… Fortunately The Trusted is probably fiction. At least you’d hope so.”
AustCrimeFiction
“The narrative is a constant guessing game. Who can be trusted? … With such a breakneck pace and charismatic lead character, it’s easy to see this being turned into a Hollywood blockbuster, maybe with Naomi Watts in the lead role. We can expect to hear a lot more from Sydney author Green, too… He poses a lot of ”what if” questions and is a talent worth watching.”
Sydney Morning Herald (The Age, Brisbane Times, WA Today, Canberra Times)
“…a very exciting book… a fascinating book in terms of its core premise which is a group of environmental activists willing to destroy the world to save it… What I particularly enjoyed is the thinking behind the premise and the pure logic of it…”
Breakfast with Ryk Goddard, ABC Radio 936
“… as good as John Grisham, Robert Ludlum, Lee Child or Jonathan Kellerman … knife-edge plot, sophisticated themes and empathetic characters put Green in the front rank of Australian thriller writers.”
The Australian
“…Green’s brilliant and provocative new eco-thriller… delivers a chilling prophesy of what could really happen if extremists turned technology against itself… its terrifying political edge makes it all too plausible.”
ABC Radio
“With such a breakneck pace and charismatic lead character, it’s easy to see this turned into a Hollywood blockbuster.”
The Sun-Herald & AGE
“A concept film producers are particularly fond of is ”jeopardy”. Just look at any plot aimed at your average popcorn and cola audience. The greater the degree of jeopardy, the better. Ian Fleming’s James Bond books, for example, are full of it – usually what is at stake is the survival of the planet. John M. Green’s scenario in The Trusted has this same theme. A secret cabal of eco-terrorists has been established to shut down an energy-depleted world. The members of the cabal excel in their particular field, whether it be in the oil industry, banking or politics. Their charter is to place themselves into a trusted position and then attack the organisation from within. One of these sleepers is a gorgeous Australian redhead, Tori Swyft, whose postgrad thesis was adopted by the nuclear-power industry. When the CIA claims her neutronics model, which has been applied to nuclear plants around the world, has an inbuilt self-destruct mechanism, Tori claims she is innocent.”
The Age
“Green’s novel is reminiscent of the novels of Michael Crichton – the master of ‘what if…’ fiction, submerged in fact. The characters are entertaining and varied, the twists are not obvious or telegraphed, and the finale is a pleasant surprise.”