Laura Lam's Shattered Minds stars a female 'Dexter' with a drug problem and a conscience, in a terrifying near-future where technology rules our lives and haunts our dreams.
She can uncover the truth, if she defeats her demons
Ex-neuroscientist Carina struggles with a drug problem, her conscience, and urges to kill. She satisfies her cravings in dreams, fuelled by the addictive drug ‘Zeal’. Now she’s heading for self-destruction – until she has a vision of a dead girl.
Sudice Inc. damaged Carina when she worked on their sinister brain-mapping project, causing her violent compulsions. And this girl was a similar experiment. When Carina realizes the vision was planted by her old colleague Mark, desperate for help to expose the company, she knows he’s probably dead. Her only hope is to unmask her nemesis – or she’s next.
To unlock the secrets Mark hid in her mind, she’ll need a group of specialist hackers. Dax is one
of them, a doctor who can help Carina fight her addictions. If she holds on to her humanity, they
might even have a future together. But first she must destroy her adversary – before it changes us and our society, forever.
About the Author
Laura Lam was raised near San Francisco, California, by two former Haight-Ashbury hippies. Both of them encouraged her to finger-paint to her heart's desire, colour outside of the lines, and consider the library a second home. This led to an overabundance of daydreams. She relocated to Scotland to be with her husband, whom she met on the internet when he insulted her taste in books. She almost blocked him but is glad she didn't. At times she misses the sunshine.
Industry Reviews
Its vision of the future is seductively terrifying -- SFX on False Hearts An intriguing and fast-paced tale -- Heat on False Hearts That rarest of things - a fast-paced thriller with tons of heart and soul. Set in a chillingly believable future, it's bursting with original concepts and unforgettable characters. I defy anyone to put it down -- Sarah Lotz on False Hearts Just fantastic. Rarely have I torn through a book so quickly. Dark, smart, fast-paced and sexy -- Samantha Shannon on False Hearts The future landscape is vividly drawn {...} I was drawn into the world thoroughly and swept along at a fast pace. Laura Lam is skilled at giving depth and reality to her future world * Crime Review * Terrifyingly believable . . . This techno-thriller is fast-paced, thought-provoking ,and even - unexpectedly - romantic * Kirkus Reviews * This is a taut page-turner chock-full of thrills * Speculative Herald * A smart, highly-readable cyberpunk thriller . . . Lam is back in this world with confidence and explores Sudice's evil corporate agenda with great wit and relish . . . Lam creates her own damaged heroine who is tragic while still retaining her own agency . . . this is very hard to put down * SciFiNow * In Shattered Minds Laura Lam combines William Gibson's noirish cyberpunk vibe with Kim Stanley Robinson's social concern and world-building to produce a gripping, fast-paced hi-tech thriller peopled by flawed but believable characters . . . The novel works as a tense techno-thriller, as state-of-the-art extrapolative SF, and as a moving exploration of character in which even the bad guys are portrayed with sympathy * Guardian * I really enjoyed Shattered Minds . . . a noir cyberpunk thriller along the lines of Neuromancer -- Neal Asher I really enjoyed this visceral, streetwise look into a future of custom physiques and hackable minds. The book's dry, cyberpunk sensibilities are balanced by a rich and flawed anti-hero, and intriguing questions about the blurred lines between code and psyche. -- Adrian Walker, author of End of the World Running Club
