As Jack Malcolm, owner of the Seattle computing firm Megasoft, is answering questions about his candidacy for President of the U.S., he is assassinated by a terrorist on national television. Just weeks later, Jonathan Goodman, an employee at Megasoft, witnesses a murder of another employee and watches the killer escape inside Building 9. But did anyone know he was there watching? Determined to uncover the mystery, Goodman and his new partner, business reporter Karen Grey, discover a major conspiracy.

That’s the story line of Ulterior Motive, and if you’re wondering if “Megasoft” sounds an awful lot like another company in Seattle, consider the author, Daniel Oran. He’s famous at Microsoft for being the creator of the start button and taskbar. Or maybe all resemblances between the fictional venue and the one in Seattle are strictly coincidental. You tell me.

– Richard Curtis