Risk Factor

"The perfect substitute for that good-time trip to California you've decided not to take after all." —Kirkus Reviews

A new breed of brazen criminal forces Buddy Steel into unfamiliar territory. Will he outsmart the ingenious thieves before they get the best of him?

Buddy Steel, acting Sheriff of Freedom, California, is enjoying some well-deserved R&R at a friend's mountain hideaway when he's called home to investigate a home invasion—at his father's address. The break-in is just one in a series, perpetrated by ingeniously inventive burglars. To complicate matters, Buddy must also investigate a spate of cyber crimes targeting local businesses and individuals—an area well outside of his experience and comfort zone.

Already on the trail of the cybercriminals is LAPD Gang Enforcement's foremost computer geek, Detective Quinn Anthony. Buddy teams up with the unconventional—and much younger—brainiac to trace the convoluted trail of the hackers. From the adjunct of a vicious LA-based cartel to outside of US borders, Buddy and Quinn race to take down the hackers and recover the spoils. The closer they get, the more danger they face; and the more danger they face, the closer they become . . .

© 2025 Tantor Media (Audiobook): 9798331970604

Release date

Audiobook: November 25, 2025