Rockadile

This book was a good read. It is a relatively fast-moving political thriller. There were times I couldn't put it down. The author certainly did his research in creating a world where an individual's rights to privacy are being severely abused for the "greater good". This book pulls together many seemingly ordinary scenarios where a person isn't aware of any privacy loss and demonstrates how they could be used against us. It is scary how close to reality this is in real life and the ramifications of them. I am looking forward to his next book.

Gary Sorkin, Pacific Book Review

Take the Fourth refers to the 4th Amendment to the United States Constitution. It�s the one which protects citizens against unreasonable searches and seizures, along with requiring a warrant to be judicially sanctioned and supported by probable cause. However, in today�s bar-coded computer-transaction cell-phone techno-society, each of us gives out more information on a daily basis than the government actually needs to profile and learn all about us through old fashioned invasive actions. In essence, as a bi-product of our willingness to carry an iPhone, Droid, BlackBerry, even just a cell phone for that matter, or when we surf the web from a computer in our home, we inadvertently and willingly relinquish many of our constitutional rights. Jeffrey Walton points out in Take the Fourth so many ways information is gathered and compiled; even I was astounded by the depth of this data trail. Walton uses his techno-savvy character, Jorja Carson, as she peels the onion of the technological layering of the government databases, to uncover a truth far more sinister than imaginable. From the network servers of the CIA in Langley Virginia, to the Oval Office of the White House, Jeffrey Walton�s plot is creatively original with its exposition. He provides a sophisticated layering of many clandestine technologies transcending to the depths of binary analysis while he interleaves incredible factual knowledge into his storyline of terrorism, governmental power, crime and secrets.

Writing in a style reminiscent of the late Michael Crichton, with governmental overtones similar to a Tom Clancy novel, along with research analogous to what Dan Brown puts into his work; Jeffrey Walton carries his storyline with excellent realism, unparallel character development, clever foreshadowing and expertly conceived plot machinations. Keeping to relatively short chapters, easily imagined into a movie�s storyboard sequence, his novel is fast paced, engulfing the reader into a visual track while revealing more and more background about our unknowing loss of personal privacy.

When a gang of terrorists shoot up a shopping mall, causing carnage and mayhem, the public becomes willing to step down a wrung of private personal rights to allow the government to protect them against further terrorist attacks. As flu and pandemic health concerns bring risks to the general public, people forgo their individual rights and allow for governmental inoculations, not truly knowing what in fact is within the serum they so willingly allow to be injected into their bodies. Are we sure the government isn�t performing the highly publicized terrorist act to sway public opinion to allow for metal detectors and searches at public places? Does the CDC allow for an outbreak of a disease to scare the population; thus in turn causing a frenzy of people wanting inoculations of what the government might secretly put into the serum? How else could they persuade people to willingly get injections? For the benefit and greater good of the masses, individual rights are systematically dwindled away. Some knowingly, and many others without our slightest knowledge. These are the messages within Jeffrey Walton�s writing.

As subliminal as a picture within a picture, as for example the �arrow within the FedEx logo,?(really ?look carefully and you�ll see it) Jeffrey Walton�s Take the Fourth will haunt you long after finishing the book. I certainly recommend this to all sophisticated readers of suspense, espionage and technology novels. I can see this book becoming a block buster movie as well as a series of adventures of his well developed characters. This is a "must read" for any freedom loving American.

Now that your computer has clicked on the web link for this review, the government knows of your interest in this genre of reading material, and may have moved you into a category for further observation. You now must be careful where you go, what you buy, what you type online and definitely what you say! By not paying attention to Take the Fourth, you may someday have to �Take the fifth.?/p>

Local Author's 'Take the Fourth' Takes on the Right to Privacy by Rachel Pilgren of the Phoenxiville Patch

In today�s digital age, most of us are aware by now that every time we visit the Internet we are sharing information. However, to what extent and how much may shock you.

Local author Jeffrey Walton, of Schuylkill Township, takes this invasion of privacy a step further in his new book, Take the Fourth.

�I learned over the years how much information is really out there for the taking,?said Walton, who when not writing works as a development manager for one the top technology providers for the financial industry. �The amount of mundane information that can turn into statistics is pretty amazing."

Walton explores this topic in his first novel, named in reference to the Fourth Amendment, which entitles us to our basic right to privacy. Walton takes his lead character on a fictional trip of �what if��what if information sharing got so out of control that every move we make was trackable and accounted for by those in charge?

According to Walton, even though people use the Internet freely, they really aren�t fully aware of the consequences.

�We are losing the Fourth Amendment because our information is shared so freely between financial institutions, web and government,?he said.

With laws such as the Patriot Act and the Electronic Communications Act, individuals are denied the right to privacy if the U.S. government has reason to believe you might be threat to the country�s safety. This allows the government the right to access e-mail accounts, phone records and even engage in wiretapping.

�They can track you anywhere you want. They know everything about you through the digital world,?said Walton.

According to Walton�s research, many businesses, both online and local, also monitor consumer activity and make money by selling this database to insurance companies.

Ever wonder why the ads on your search engine seem to display your favorite items from online stores or how your Smartphone suddenly know you need to lose a few pounds?

Walton says that your information is constantly being collected and sold to insurance agencies, marketing companies and financial institutions so they know how to sell their services to you, the consumer.

Walton cites bonuscards, like those offered at local grocery stores such as Giant, as an example.

�It�s easy for an insurance company to view your grocery tab and make assumptions about your purchases and you as a person," he said.

As a web developer and as someone who with firsthand experience dealing with consumer information, Walton began thinking about this practice in more detail.

�As a programmer, if I develop applications, I can find out any information about you, anything you have, your private information,?said Walton. �Information is passed back and forth relating to you as an individual, and with how much info is out there we are losing rights slowly and surely."

It was this idea that inspired Walton to begin writing�that combined with the day he realized he couldn�t find anything at the bookstore he wanted to read. So Walton took his love of fiction and his knowledge of the financial world, technology and information sharing and decided to try writing himself.

�I used to read a lot and there was nothing really interesting to me, so I thought I would try writing. I would write one chapter and then read it to my wife and she would tell me it was good, so I would write another one, and that�s how the book came to be,?said Walton.

Walton finished the book in November 2010 after three years, and self-published in February 2011. Since the book�s April launch, Walton has received quite a bit of local support for his first novel.

His first signing was at the Columbia Bar and Grille, where he has been a bartender for more than 30 years.

�I�ve been there behind the bar since 1983 and that�s where my first signing was,?said Walton, who added that they went above and beyond by displaying his book in the bar area.

April Zappaterrini, the wife of a good friend, worked with Walton to design the book cover, a human eye reflecting and image of the White House, and friends helped him edit the book before he self-published.

Walton also added that his local roots influenced certain aspects of his book. His lead character, Jorja Carson, as well as many other characters in the book, are named after streets of his hometown of Mont Clare.

Walton is currently working on a sequel that echoes the plot of "Take the Fourth."

�It�s a faster paced book. The first book laid the foundation, and this one deals more with social media,?he said.

"Take the Fourth" is available through Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com and Kindle, with a reprinting scheduled for August 2011.

Interviewed by: Gary Sorkin, Pacific Book Review

PBR: Today we are with Jeffrey Walton, author of the brand new novel Take the Fourth. Jeffrey, thank you for taking some time with us.

JW: No, thank you, it�s my pleasure. So since this my first ever interview for my first ever novel where shall we begin?

PBR: Let�s start with you. How did you begin your writing career?

JW: Well I�m a right brain person, logical, math inclined but it wasn�t until an English professor at Drexel University spurred my creative side by stating, �Throw out all the grammar rules and write how you want to write, you want to have a sentence with one word fine, you want to make your readers out of breath by eliminating commas, so be it.? After that my left brain started to come online and I never looked back.

PBR: Your book was incredible ?I really enjoyed it. What most impressed me was your accumulation of technical information regarding how the data systems of our society are all wired together. How did you learn so much which is beyond the public�s eye?

JW: My background is rooted in the digital world, primarily within the world of finance. It has been an eye opening experience to see firsthand, the information institutions, be it banks, insurance companies, or even the government, track, keep, and share on any given individual.

PBR: You have a strong message about our constitutional rights in your book. How do you separate fact from fiction regarding searching a home, even if it is from outside the premise? I mean, how much of what you wrote about is really going on?

JW: Is it fiction or did I just change the names to protect the identities? Anyway, to answer your question, the government has fully embraced technology, the power of searching for information within the mass of databases. Your data is constantly being scanned to find answers. They constantly narrow the search parameters, for example, all females, then all females ages thirty to forty, then all females in this range who drive a Honda, and so on and so forth until they find what is needed. The majority of the time you are eliminated based on the search criteria but they still search your information without your consent or knowledge. Now the real chances of violating your rights are if you are never omitted from the search parameters in the first place.

PBR: Knowledge is power. Is telling people about this your way to empower the public?

JW: Sort of, I want the people to be aware that even the most prosaic data can tell a story. All those shopper saver cards, credit card transactions, social networking sites, they are all linked to databases that can be mined for information in order to tell what you buy, where you go, what you do, who you see, they tell the story of you as an individual and that story is no longer just your story, it�s no longer private.

PBR: Have you been approached by Hollywood to make Take the Fourth into a movie?

JW: Catchy title, female lead character being played by a top Hollywood actress, suspense, government conspiracy, yes it would make for a great film but I haven�t been approached?.yet. My wife wants me to start the screen play so I might give that a whirl.

PBR: What plans do you have for future writing?

JW: I have already started my second novel, a sequel to Take the Fourth with underlying themes on social networks. Plus I have four or five good ideas that have sparked my interest based on other technologies and then there is that screen play I mentioned.

PBR: We certainly wish you the best of success with your new book and hope to be seeing more of your work. Thank you again for your time today.

JW: You will, for there are no vaccines for the writing bug that I�m aware. I certainly appreciate the time you have given me. Thank you once again.