The Mockingbird Drive (An Alex Vane Media Thriller

AC Fuller just keeps getting better! This is the third full novel in his Alex Vane thrillers. You don't have to have read the other two to understand the events of this latest, though (although there are a few references that long-time fans will appreciate). This is by far his strongest novel and his attention to detail and understanding of modern media including social media make this novel feel like it could be a tale happening in real time.

Alex Vane isn't the typical flat character that you sometimes read in modern thrillers - there's a real thinking, breathing character with all his doubts and foibles on full display. He ain't superman or even a super-ladies-man by the time we meet him here. The character shows real growth, which is fun to read and easy to relate to.

Buy the book - you won't regret it!

An interesting plot, and well written. I would read other books by this author if they didn't involve the self-involved idiot, Alex Vane. I was amazed to find that this was the third in a series, because I can't imagine how he survived the first two!

Kindle Unlimited Notice Media Thriller...finally a subgenre understand the reason for. See binge reading in my future. This one pretty sure free day or perma free, the 1 probably same, 2 ARC 3 ARC. Yes the here's a free book, we really hope you like it, but at least review it please.

Series List: An Alex Vane Media Thriller
The Cutline Book 0 {0.5}) - The Anonymous Source 1 - The Inverted Pyramid 2 - The Mockingbird Drive 3
The Alex Vane Media Thrillers: Books 1-3

The start, definitely not the finish. {0.5}, 1 Just like all good series, goes deeper and more involved.
Post 911 the reporter wants to break in to TV news, and just might with the scoop of a lifetime, which his editor buries, his source turns up dead, and there is a media conspiracy that could cost him his life. Is help from a professor, an internet genius, a billionaire's sex widow, and a washed up sports reporter, enough to survive discovering a $500-million secret that could derail the largest media merger in history? What does it all have to do with 9-11? 2 has Alex living stably with a massage therapist and co-managing a website investigating the media, but once again a breaking story that was supposed to be about low level political Washington corruption leads to probably vaster conspiracy, one that could lead to and affect the upcoming 2004 presidential election. His business partner disappears, the only clue being the name of the hacker but the same one that was murdered in New York City. Everything could be connected, but to find out they have to untangle a web, which includes the death of his parents seven years earlier as well as figure out who is pulling the strings of the investigation and the election.

3 proves that Data never dies, just people, as the former top investigative reporter is now peddling celebrity gossip and clickbait articles while his wife and life moves on without him. When an old source is killed in a random mass shooting he finds he left Alex one last scoop, involving a 50 year old hard drive that could contain a secret worth killing for, and the name of the person who can help Alex access the data. How does he get a paranoid reclusive computer expert who believes the CIA is tracking her every move to help him, and how do they escape armed men that are hot on their trail.

This trilogy has 4; there is a 0/prequel.

All three in the Alex Vane trilogy are excellent thrillers, with well developed characters (even if the villain in the first two is a bit less than credible) showing their failings as well as virtues. This third is my favorite, though, for it's right up to date (set in Summer, 2017) and focuses on the monstrously invasive surveillance society that the US has become.

The news that over a million people are employed by government, directly and indirectly, to spy on the rest of us is appalling and hero Vane gets caught up in the tangle. He is lucky to escape with merely stress, torture and deprivation and this book tells how he fights back: with the Net, exposing some of the regime's malfeasance. This is real; it's happening now, all around us, and Fuller's account is accurate.

Whether shining the light of instant publicity on the dark deeds of the State will suffice, remains an open question. One of the book's most profound insights is (in Chapter 23) that even when they are exposed, most people seem not to care. This is very disturbing, but perhaps the problem is less a lack of concern, more a lack of ideas on what to do.

A possible shortfall in the story is that the CIA and its many associates (some of whom are perceptively shown as being hardly aware of the evil they are doing) is implied to be one of only a few "bad apples" in the apparatus of the State, which can as a whole be therefore seen as benevolent. That was not the view of Thomas Paine; he saw the whole lot of it as "evil." His prescription (tightly to limit what it can do) has been shown over two and a quarter centuries to be a failure, and few books show that more clearly than this one; but no alternative is proposed, other than publicity - which seems, as above, to be ineffective.

I wish Fuller had gone one step further, by exposing (like Paine) the evil nature of all government, and then proposed, through his fictional characters of course, a more effective way to end it. The obvious way is that everyone decline to work for it. Alex Vane is tempted to take the opposite step; Edward Snowden did it right, and when millions of much lower-level people follow his example, the monster will collapse for want of support. TinyURL.com/QuitGov expands the idea.

He hits his stride in this one — interesting, immersive, literate. Great character development and pulse-pounding pacing, especially during the denouement!

His first volume "The Anonymous Source" was good (3.6/5). His second "The Inverted Pyramid," though, was about a 2/5 or so and I abandoned it after a few chapters, ready to give up on him.

But I had already downloaded this, his third Vane book, so I opened it. And I'm glad I did - it's great. Great writing, great characters, compelling plot and development.

Just a great read by a great new writer.

Wow. This ride has definitely taken my breath away. I have read and reviewed the previous 3 Alex Vane books (1 novella and 2 novels) and I keep thinking I've read the best A.C Fuller could write and he keeps proving me wrong. If you have ever believed a news story before, you never will again after reading this book. If you ever believed that our government were always the good guys; you won't after reading this book. A.C. has written an amazing, thrilling story full of conspiracy and back-stabbing and the search for some resemblance of the truth. But what this book delivers more than anything is characters that you can't help but care about. By changing from third person in his previous books to first person in this one, A.C. delves more deeply into Alex's motivations, his love for Greta, his view of the world and his place in it. Emotions are also greatly stirred up in the reader; anger, concern, confusion, suspicion, sadness, joy, anticipation , and probably a few I've forgotten. It is the best yet; but only until the next one is published! I only have one complaint-where's Lance? Be sure you read The Mockingbird Drive; like everything else A.C. has written, it delivers and then some.

Another excellent Alex Vane adventure where the tired journalist again gets into investigative mode following the death of his once partner, James. He was killed in a shooting incident at the offices he had visited to get the information from an old obsolete computer drive. For this reader, James's death was a sad shock: he had been a prominent character in a previous book and his early, violent death showed the author's ruthlessness towards his protagonists. No one is safe.

Great story, very well written. It is not necessary to have read the other books in the series but I urge you to do so: they are all so good.
Highly recommended

I have read the other Alex Vane books and enjoyed them, however this one was over the top! I learned so much more about behind the scenes computer privacy breaches than I already knew about. I'll never say much in a rental car again!
Alex Vane has grown up and come into his own. He is a multi-layered personality, a real person. It is interesting to watch him wrestle with his problems.
I look forward to reading more of AC Fuller's books.

Book was well written and had plenty of action and suspense. Author did a great job of pulling you into plot. It's scary to think this could happen to anyone, anytime with the way things are now days. I want go into details of plot of book.
I highly recommend this book for thriller lovers.
I received a arc copy of book from author. This review is based on my honest opinion, and only my opinion.
You will have to see for yourself.

Just finished the Mockingbird Drive. Let me first say I am a fan of the author and his character Alex Vane. That’s not to say I always like Vane but the stories built around him are entertaining, realistic, and plausible. Vane has aged a bit and become a mogul with an internet news site . He is struggling with the separation from his wife. And he is struggling with his departure from the hardcore journalism he practiced in his early years with his move into the internet technology version of “yellow journalism” he now practices via his highly successful website. He is called to Vegas to meet a former associate only to find he has been murdered in a mass shooting. While there, he comes into possession of a secret hard drive from the ‘60s and ends up on a road trip with a paranoid and delusional anti-government individual – both of whom want to find out what is on the drive. The story involves shadowy “government agents” and internet/technology intrigue. The topics, subjects, technology and issues are timely. Fuller has done his research which makes the story all that more realistic and even plausible where nothing seems to be secret in a world with a 24 hour news cycle and the ever present specter of “social media”.

In Book 3, The Mockingbird Drive finds Alex ten years later in a surprising turn of events that we would never have guessed from the previous volumes. Not one for long intros, AC Fuller cuts to the chase and Alex is immediately in the midst of a mystery that involves deceived (and deceased) persons known and unknown, a character who steps out of the limelight just when we want to know more about her (Will she be back by the end of the book?), and a mysterious piece of tech content. Enjoy! This is the best of the Alex Vane series and builds on the characters we came to love (and hate) in Books 1 and 2.

Wow! This mystery kept my attention and introduced ideas that really stretched my imagination. However, with current day events the story was believable. Alex has a real aptitude for getting into trouble when he really does want to do the “right” thing. Also, he gets into real trouble when he shoots his mouth off when he was interrogated… not smart. Even so, the story ends well and I’ll read the sequel.

Talk about a thrill a minute. Alex awoke thinking his life was one way... Recently seperated and working to get his wife back... Little did he know his world would become a riddle. In one afternoon a close friend is murdered and he's suddenly caught up in a shadowy organizations plot to cover up everything. This is an adrenaline filled book.... If you're into conspiracy theories, spy novels, or covert anything you should check this out. It may make you look at the world slightly different. I look forward to seeing what's up next by this author!

I never expected this thriller to be so, well, thrilling! This is my first book by A.C. Fuller, and I could not put it down. I could not predict the plot, which I absolutely love. You just get hooked in to seeing where the pieces will fit. And I never turn down a tinge of romance in a book. This story is absolutely captivating, and I'm not sorry to have started later in a series. I look forward to trying other books in this vein. This is a voluntary review of an advance reader copy. Happy reading!

This is book three in the Alex Vane Media Mystery Series. This was a well written book with well developed characters. Quite a page turner with lots of suspense, drama and surprises. A hard drive full of secrets that keeps them on the run from the CIA and will keep you on the edge of your seat. A great story. I received an arc copy of this book and voluntarily chose to review it.

I really enjoyed this thriller book. It is written quite well, and in fact, some of the things that happen in this book might or have happened in real life. The characters are great, the story flows well and makes sense. I will be looking forward to another book by this author. I received ARC of this book. The review is my own opinion and done voluntarily.

I am voluntarily reviewing an ADVANCED READING COPY!
this was not something I thought I would enjoy but boy was I wrong!
This had me on the edge of my seat and kept me enthralled all the way through to the very last word!
I hope I get another opportunity to review this author!

Really liked this book. It was fast moving, exciting and believable. First time I’ve read a graphic description of water boarding and other torture, but it was interesting and I hope to never experience it myself! Good book.

After reading this, the 3rd book in the Alex Vane Media Thriller series, let me say... I immediately pre-ordered #4!!! So good! Really can't say enough good things about this series and it's Author. Thanks for the entertainment A.C. !

The Mockingbird Drive is the best Alex Vane novel to date. The book centers around the real life Mockingbird Project that was (and probably still is) run by the CIA. The purpose of this project was to create relationships with reporters from every major wire service, newspaper, news weekly and television network in the nation.

I really enjoyed the story. It is a fast paced thriller that parallels the current state of today’s media, technology and journalism. It will make you wonder about all the leaks that the media loves to talk about these days. Although, it is the third book in the series, it reads like a standalone novel.

The Mockingbird Drive
Tense, fast-paced 5 star read.

A. C. Fuller is one of my favorite authors, and this is one of his most gripping novels to date. He keeps the action moving with lightning speed, lots of drama, unexpected twists and turns, and plenty of suspense. Well crafted and well edited, this novel is the best book I’ve read this year. Thoroughly enjoyable.