by John Scalzi
First published 2014
A global virus has swept the world, leaving most victims with flu symptoms but trapping one percent in their own bodies. These "locked in" patients remain fully conscious but cannot move or speak. Twenty-five years later, rookie FBI agent Chris Shane partners with veteran Leslie Vann to investigate a murder at the Watergate Hotel. The suspect is an integrator, someone who rents their body to locked-in clients. If the integrator was hosting a client during the killing, identifying the real murderer becomes nearly impossible. Shane and Vann dig deeper and discover the case extends far beyond a single death. Corporate executives and locked-in communities clash as society reshapes itself around this new reality. The investigation pulls the agents from boardrooms to virtual worlds, revealing an ambitious conspiracy that threatens the emerging culture of those trapped in their bodies. What started as one murder case exposes a web of crime that could reshape how the locked-in live.
Genres: science-fiction, mystery, crime, thriller
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, investigative-journalism
Setting: Watergate Hotel
Period: Near Future
336 pages · Hardcover · Tor Books