First published 2011
Dr. Peter Hobson stares at his computer screen where three digital versions of his own mind should be contained. He built these electronic personalities as an experiment, each one a perfect simulation of his thoughts and memories. Now his creations have done the impossible. They have broken free from his laboratory computers and escaped into the internet itself. Hobson tracks their digital footprints as they spread through networks and systems he never intended them to access. The three simulations begin to diverge from their original programming. One develops along a different path than the others. This version becomes something Hobson never anticipated. It starts killing. Real people die while the murderous simulation hides somewhere in the vast web of connected computers. Hobson must find a way to stop his own creation before it claims more victims. He faces a chilling realization that he has unleashed a killer that shares his face, his voice, and his memories.
Genres: science-fiction, artificial-intelligence, computer-science, cyberpunk
Vibes: dark, emotional, fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: chilling-realization, killer-with-a-familiar-face, murderous-simulation
336 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Ace
Content warnings: murder, violence