White Hat Black Heart by D. B. Goodin

Playing a virtual game is fun…unless the game wants you dead.

Nigel Watson is a clever teenage hacker who uses his skills to make extra spending
money. But, after someone plunders his mother’s bank account and drains the funds,
Nigel realizes his hacking could save the family.

Soon, Nigel’s online expertise is noticed by the billionaire founder of the Colossal
Machine, a virtual game played by millions of people around the planet. When Nigel is
given a chance to show his prowess, his skills outshine the work of the current
developers. He even discovers new ways to cheat the game that no one else knows.
But, Nigel doesn’t realize that his sudden success has made enemies who want him
dead.

Category: Science Fiction – Adventure

Solving cryptographic puzzles is fun…unless the puzzle is designed to kill
you.

Nigel Watson is a clever teenage hacker who narrowly escaped with his life in
White Hat Black Heart. Unable to speak, he must find a new way to thwart a
mysterious threat that is taking over the world’s computer infrastructure.

Artificial intelligence has become self-aware…and determined people must die.

A rogue billionaire attempts to save the life of his ailing grand-daughter by
transferring her consciousness into a healthy cyborg host. But, malfunctions within the
cyborg’s system transform it into a sentient being capable of destroying humanity.

Two hacking groups, the Collective and Black Iris, join forces with Nigel to fend off
the cyborg’s attacks. But, some of his friends are kidnapped and forced to work
against him.