Title: The Unlikely Redemption of the Thief Sydney Bridgewater
Author: Mic Lowther
Publisher: BookBaby
ISBN: 978-0970441126
Pages: 200
Genre: Fiction/Thriller/Suspense
Review By: Susan Brown
Pacific Book Review
Fundamental to the idea of redemption is the act of taking responsibility for your actions. Often this includes apologizing, asking for forgiveness or making atonement for behavior. In this book, the protagonist, Sydney Bridgewater, comes to the realization that stealing millions from her employers is not the life she wants for herself anymore. So, she puts herself on a path to making restitution for her misdeeds — the siphoning off $21 million dollars from a variety of companies she worked for throughout the course of her 28-year career.
As a master computer analyst, stealing the money was as easy as creating a computer module that, once embedded in a company’s system, “skimmed a small, relatively insignificant dollar amount off of transactions.” The rest of the scheme involved routing the stolen funds to her personal bank accounts, creating advanced intrusion alarm computer programs that alerted her to hacking and designing security programs, OverWatch and DefCon2, as safety measures that she controlled.
Even with all of that in place, Sydney became alarmed that she would be found out; it was time to step out. But how? In steps attorney Quentin Underwood, aka Quentin the Quintessential, helped Sydney plan a way out that included restitution to the companies she stole from by way of an online treasure hunt. Well, that’s a fun addition to the story, but a sidebar to the overarching theme of Sydney’s redemption.
The actions Sydney planned for redemption takes the form of “doing something significant” for herself, for a friend, and for someone not a friend. Accomplishing this trifecta of personal goals begins with her becoming a Private Investigator and hanging up a shingle, albeit attached to a state-of-the-art office with an up-to-date computer system — designed by her. That opens the door to her helping people, which she does, quite often without taking payment. Check off goal number one.
Goal number two involves creating opportunities for a young sculptor to embrace his muse and assist an innovative fashion designer and launch her unique designs. Both of them assist with investigations, traveling the world with Sydney, resolving a host of crimes from art forgery to car thievery to money laundering, as well as high end jewel theft. In the process they become friends. And finally, goal number three. Well, it involves the hunt for an artifact, a money laundering scheme, a mixed bag of characters and some intriguing plot twists and turns that … sorry, can’t spoil the ending for you!
You’ll thank me, because this is very much a fun read, one of those engrossing sit-by-the-pool thrillers/mysteries with writing that draws you in from the first chapter until it lets you go in the last. The author Mic Lowther clearly has an enormous amount of computer expertise. He showcases it with sharp, detailed writing about hardware and software, coding, programming, data mining and a host of other computer protocols.
Of greater significance, though, in this high-tech narrative is Sydney’s inspiring transformation from embezzler to benefactress — a story of personal growth that’s a model of change that can encourage self-reflection in all of us.
The Unlikely Redemption of the Thief Sydney Bridgewater by Mic Lowther is a must-read for fans of the thriller and Suspense genre. Its combination of a gripping plot, well-developed characters, and a relentless pace makes it a standout book. Whether you’re looking for an edge-of-your-seat adventure or a thought-provoking read about human nature and morality, The Unlikely Redemption of the Thief Sydney Bridgewater delivers on all fronts.
