1. PHISHED is a treasure hunt. In the book’s first scene, we see Roy Landis looking through boxes of discarded household goods. What does this tell us about him? Why is this trait important to the story? He meets Tina Sigmundsdottir in the same scene. She’s a treasure in her own right. Does Roy realize it?
  2. Roy’s first discovery is how Tina was tricked by a phishing exploit. Can you describe how it worked? In what way is “phishing” like “fishing”?
  3. Roy takes on a different persona when he visits Tina’s former employer, the men who want her arrested for embezzlement. How does Roy persuade them to hire him? What’s in it for them? Is he being dishonest? Is Roy Landis a businessman or a hacker?
  4. Roy discovers malicious code hidden in a commercial software product used by thousands of licensees around the world. He has no idea how much was stolen. How does the discovery of the malware change his motivations? How do the particular characteristic of the exploit change the story?
  5. Daniel Pintock, the federal government’s top white-hat troubleshooter, feels compelled to make a heartfelt request. Why does Daniel ask? Why does Roy refuse?  Does Roy betray their friendship by his response?
  6. Roy hacks DynoBooks, the company that sells the compromised system. To do so, he concocts two “human engineering” exploits. What is human engineering? How does it differ from “confidence tricks”?
  7. The book features Roy’s love affair with Wanda McCoy, a woman who is both “high tech” and “corporate”. Why couldn’t Wanda have appeared in a 20th Century story?
  8. Roy was two hundred miles away when Jim Nowitsky was murdered. In what way was he responsible? How did Roy’s role in the death affect him?
  9. Roy’s focus shifts from discovering the hackers and their methods to stealing the money back for himself. In what way was the government of a tiny Caribbean country complicit in Roy’s theft? Discuss the morality of Roy’s behavior: how “wrong” was it?
  10. Roy and his friend Arnie, a professor of economics, discuss what to do with a great fortune. In Roy’s position, what would you do with all that money?