When a cyberattack wipes out the files at Derrick Driver’s precinct, detectives scramble to recover anything they can.
Derrick sits at his desk with his coffee and his paper folders.
Elsy Davenport notices.
Introduced in Programmed to Win, the first novel in K.A. Brown’s Derrick Driver thriller series, Elsy is a detective in the Boston Police Department’s cybercrime division. She has a master’s degree in computer science from MIT, is working toward a doctorate in cybersecurity, and has attracted private-sector job offers. She stays with the department because the work gives her a sense of purpose.
When someone attacks the precinct’s computers, that purpose becomes very personal. In a political thriller driven by hidden agendas and dangerous technology, her cybersecurity expertise gives Derrick a crucial ally.
Elsy keeps digging after the immediate crisis has passed. Getting the systems running again doesn’t answer her questions about who attacked them or what they were trying to hide. Her investigation brings her closer to the mystery Derrick is pursuing—and draws dangerous attention.
That’s where their connection begins. Over time, it becomes something neither a badge nor a shared case can fully explain.
By The Cost of Killing, Elsy has built her own cybersecurity company, Cold Assassin Cyber Security. She has employees, demanding clients, and a reputation earned by being very good at what she does. She also has a sharp sense of humor and little patience for people who assume someone else must be the boss.
With Derrick, she can be affectionate, teasing, and remarkably direct.
She knows when something is weighing on him. She makes room for his pain, but she will also question what he plans to do with it. When he becomes fixed on a course of action, Elsy is willing to offer another way—and clever enough to make him seriously consider it.
Their affection has the familiarity of siblings. There are hugs, jokes, and moments when concern cuts straight through the banter. Derrick calls her his little sister. She loves him like a brother.
One small detail captures how much they’ve come to influence each other: Elsy, whose expertise lives in the digital world, begins keeping paper copies of important information. It’s a habit she picked up from a certain Boston detective.
Derrick has learned to trust her judgment. Elsy has learned a few things from his stubborn precautions. They worry about each other, challenge each other, and keep showing up.
What began with a hacked precinct grows into family.
Meet Elsy Davenport in Programmed to Win, and follow her growing bond with Derrick in The Cost of Killing.