News release
Ryan Hellerud, a Newhall resident for over 15 years, has released his debut thriller, “The Glitch,” a high-stakes espionage novel that asks: “What happens when a weapon built by the state chooses to fight back?”
Hellerud’s emotionally charged novel follows a teenage recruit turned elite operative who must dismantle the system that created him to reclaim his soul, said a news release from the publisher.
“Combining the pulse-pounding pace of modern spy fiction with emotional depth, the book explores what happens when a weapon built by the state chooses to fight back,” the release said. “At 17, Jake Palmer makes a single, life-altering decision. After defending his only friends by shattering the jaw of a powerful senator’s son, he is offered a brutal choice. He can face a prison sentence engineered by corrupt political forces, or he can disappear into a classified black operations program and become something else entirely. He chooses survival.”
For the next decade, Jake is reshaped into “Ghost,” a deniable asset engineered for precision and obedience, according to the release. His memories are curated, his emotions suppressed, and his body enhanced with experimental technology. He becomes the perfect operative: silent, efficient and unquestioning.
“Hellerud crafts a protagonist who must decide whether he is a product of programming or a man capable of choice,” the release said. “The novel speaks to fans of high-stakes espionage while grounding its narrative in themes of loyalty, sacrifice and moral awakening.”
The book is available online and in bookstores.
