Book Review: The Dyodyne Experiment by James Doulgeris and V. Michael Santoro

Recently, law enforcement agencies around the world have started using GPS tracking to locate criminals without their knowledge. Without a warrant, an officer could plant a device on a criminal's vehicle and tail them remotely to their hideouts. This technique has been used to track and arrest drug dealers across the country. Obviously, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is alarmed at this trend, citing it as an invasion of privacy.

If GPS tracking of criminals is already seen as a threat to our personal liberties, what do you think would happen if you could track a person by their genetic fingerprint? DNA is the building block of every living thing on earth and more unique than a fingerprint for human beings. What if we could hook an individual's DNA to a GPS system?

This issue lies at the heart of The Dyodyne Experiment by James Doulgeris and V. Michael Santoro. And as compelling as it is, I think that their book presents a situation that was far more disturbing than having my privacy invaded. Doulgeris and Santoro, veterans in the field of biotechnology, have written a compelling and exciting narrative in the style of Tom Clancy and Michael Crichton.

The Dyodyne Experiment has it all... science, politics both domestic and foreign, strong characters, and a killer plot. Literally.

Dyodyne Labs has been working on a government-supported project to use DNA to secretly track criminals and terrorists. When terrorists attack New York City, every resource at the disposal of Homeland Security, including the new Dyodyne DNA system, is used to find and eliminate the threats around the country.

Though I felt the first act of the book took a while to develop, I became fond of the main characters. And I wasn't prepared at all for the second or third acts. Doulgeris and Santoro manged to create a post-9/11 scenario that's downright scary. Scary because it's possible... maybe even probable. And I couldn't put it down.

Article Author: Fitz

Brian Fitzpatrick (aka "Fitz") is a software engineer and writer living in Colorado Springs, Colorado, with his wife, two daughters, two dogs, a cat, and two rats (new for Xmas 2010!) -- trying desperately to survive the chaos!

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