by John Scalzi
Part of The Dispatcher, book 3
First published 2023
Tony Valdez kills people for a living, but he saves lives doing it. In a world where murder victims almost always return to life, dispatchers like Tony end suffering by giving the dying a second chance. Tony stays busy with his grim work until an old friend calls him to a Chicago emergency room. What starts as a favor throws Tony into a maze of corruption involving billions in real estate and cryptocurrency. Everyone wants a piece of the wealth up for grabs. Tony just wants to protect his friend, but allies hide secrets and enemies make tempting offers. Nothing appears as it seems. The world may have changed, but greed remains the same, and Tony discovers that even when death is temporary, the stakes are still life and death.
Genres: science-fiction, mystery, crime, action
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Chicago
Period: 21st-century
224 pages · Hardcover · Subterranean Press
Content warnings: violence