He sends David, Susan’s friend to Spain to find Tankado and bring him back. He finds it irresistible not to search for the origin of the code. What he discovers is outrageous, the code is really unbreakable. NSA has always kept the TRANSLTR a secret and as now Tankado wanted to open the secret to the world, Strathmore decided to test the authenticity of Tankado’s code. Tankado threatens to release the code to general public and allow them invincibility in their communication process if the NSA doesn’t reveal the truth about the TRANSLTR to the public. He has seemingly accomplished the impossible, by making an unbreakable cipher. Set aside the whole afternoon and evening for it and have finger food on hand for supper-you may want to read this one straight through.The main plot of the story revolves around the fact that Ensei Tankado, an insane cryptographer has made a code. There are enough twists and turns to keep you guessing and a lot of high, gee-whiz-level information about encryption, code breaking, and the role they play in international politics. Yes, there are a few flaws in the plot if you look too closely, but the cleverness and the sheer fun of it all more than make up for them.

You'll find yourself better understanding the political battles over such real-life technologies as the Clipper Chip and PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) software even though the book looks at the issues through the eyes of fiction.Īlthough there's enough globehopping in this book for James Bond, the real battleground is cyberspace, because that's where the 'bomb' (or rather, the new encryption algorithm) will explode. Part of the fun is that the book takes the reader along into an understanding of encryption technologies.

In this case, the secret formula is a new means of encryption, capable of changing the balance of international power. more » uggle over secrets somewhat more intellectual than just where the secret formula is hidden-they have to gain understanding of what the secret formula actually is. It's an Internet user's spy novel where the good guys and bad guys str. Dan Brown has written a thriller for those of us who like our hardware with disc drives and who rate our heroes by big brainpower rather than big firepower.

In most thrillers, 'hardware' consists of big guns, airplanes, military vehicles, and weapons that make things explode.

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