First published 2016
A family gathers for dinner at a South American restaurant during a brutal summer heat wave. Halfway through the meal, Carlos simply vanishes. A semi-retired inspector takes what appears to be a standard missing person case. He discovers that Carlos worked for a corporation with no clear function. The company's employees describe disturbing physical changes they witnessed in their vanished colleague. A forensic scientist examining evidence finds strange abnormalities in the cellular structure of Carlos's body. The inspector retraces Carlos's movements and conversations. His investigation pulls him away from the city and deep into the rainforest interior. There he confronts both terrifying and beautiful discoveries. The case transforms from routine police work into something that defies explanation. The inspector must navigate between the familiar world of facts and evidence and a reality that seems to shift beneath his feet.
Genres: science-fiction, adventure, mystery, thriller
Vibes: atmospheric, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: investigation, unreliable-narrator
Setting: South America, Rainforest
Period: Summer
261 pages · Hardcover · Atlantic Books