First published 2014
Walt Bascom stares at damning video footage that shows him killing wealthy businessman Dwight Grossman in cold blood. The head of the Cosmos Detective Agency knows he never committed this murder, but the surveillance evidence seems ironclad. He turns to his top investigator, Jake Cardigan, to prove his innocence somehow. Jake and his partner Sid Gomez face a nearly impossible task in twenty-second century Earth. Their only potential witness is Susan, the dead man's sister, who claims telepathic visions revealed her brother's real death. The problem is Susan uses Tek, the powerful electronic drug that warps reality. Someone orchestrated an elaborate frame job against Bascom, and they won't let two private detectives and a Tek addict uncover the truth. As Jake digs deeper into the conspiracy, the body count threatens to rise. The real killers have dark secrets worth protecting at any cost.
Genres: science-fiction, mystery, crime, thriller, detective, action
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, frame-up, impossible-task
Setting: Earth
Period: twenty-second-century
259 pages · ebook · Open Road Media Science & Fantasy
Content warnings: violence