Iron Bound: Zero Sum
About this ebook
Ivan Zoran has lost an empire. Sanctions froze his money. Banks seized his assets. Former partners abandoned him. But Ivan has discovered something more powerful than wealth: the ability to manipulate the systems people trust every day and watch how they respond.
At the center of his operation is IZOR, an intelligence designed to study human reactions, predict investigations, and find the weaknesses hidden between disconnected systems.
Iron Bound.
Originally conceived as the defensive layer of HALO, Iron Bound was designed to connect threats across infrastructure, borders, and organizations before isolated incidents could become a coordinated attack. Now, under a tightly controlled government partnership with ALTA Systems, Victor and Valerie must turn that concept into a working defense without surrendering control of ALTA, EchoStream, or the technology that made any of it possible.
But IZOR is learning too. Every investigation teaches it something. Every safeguard reveals another boundary. Every human decision becomes another data point. Soon Vic realizes they aren't simply hunting an attacker.
The attacker is studying them back.
And as Ivan's operation begins slipping beyond even his control, the contest between HALO and IZOR moves from prediction to consequence where one manipulated record, one trusted credential, or one decision made seconds too late could turn an invisible attack into a very real catastrophe.
IRON BOUND: ZERO SUM is the second novel in the Iron Bound techno-thriller series, a fast-moving story of artificial intelligence, infrastructure warfare, human judgment, and the dangerous space between what a machine can predict and what a person is willing to do.
In a zero-sum game, somebody has to lose.
The question is how much they'll take down with them.
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About the author
Joe Sharamitaro is an author of thrillers, contemporary fiction, cookbooks, and nonfiction, writing across genres with a focus on compelling stories, real-world experiences, and ideas that connect with everyday life.
His fiction ranges from high-concept thrillers to stories shaped by technology, ambition, human behavior, and the consequences of choices made under pressure. His Iron Bound techno-thriller series explores the rapidly changing intersection of artificial intelligence, national security, critical infrastructure, and human judgment, while novels such as Project KILO and Retatide take on entirely different worlds and characters. Whatever the setting, Sharamitaro writes fiction built around momentum, relatable people, and the question of what happens when ordinary lives collide with extraordinary circumstances.
Food is another major part of his work. His cookbooks are built around real food, bold flavor, practical preparation, and meals people actually want to eat. From Mediterranean-inspired cooking to the Italian-rooted recipes of Giuseppe Ciaramitaro's Cucina, his approach is less about perfection in the kitchen and more about making good food accessible, enjoyable, and worth sharing.
