Review by Booklist Review
Pinter (A Stranger at the Door, 2021), who writes in multiple genres, imagines a world in which humanity is consumed by virtual reality. School, meetings, games, and more are contained in Earth+, while Earth- is the woeful physical world. Newly pregnant and deep in debt, Cassandra West and her husband, Harris, struggle to keep afloat. Cassie is a representative for a company that licenses rights in Earth+ for simulations of true crimes. People are obsessed with pretending to be serial killers or viewing the crimes as they happen. But Cassie's world goes up in flames, literally, when Harris announces that he's part of a cult that then commits mass suicide. Ten years later, Cassie is persona non grata, blamed for Harris' crime. When she sees that another dire event may be in the works, coordinating with the release of a simulation of the crime, Cassie must confront the sim's creator before more people die. Although there's a lot of exposition, it is necessary for readers to fully understand this dark vision of the future. Underlying commentary skewers true-crime enthusiasts who profit from other people's tragedies. Pinter's accessible speculative story will appeal to fans of Ernest Cline's enduring hit, Ready Player One (2011).
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
With this dark, gritty, and suspenseful sci-fi thriller, Pinter (Hide Away) launches readers headfirst into an immersive near-future world. Everyone lives 24/7 in a virtual reality called Earth+, where true crime simulations are all the rage, while people's physical bodies are abandoned on the planet Earth. Cassandra West is an agent for V.I.C.E., the foremost licensing agency for true crimes. It's her job to convince the families of real murder victims to sell their stories as entertainment for armchair detectives to investigate. Newly pregnant and struggling with debt, she celebrates a successful signing even as she's haunted by the accusation that she may be taking advantage of victims. Then her own husband dies, setting her on an impossible quest for justice that will stretch her mind and body to its limits. Cassandra's chillingly familiar struggles combine with the intricate dystopian world to make for a spellbinding story. Exploring devastating questions of parenthood, police brutality, and celebrity, Pinter provides a refreshing and exciting perspective on the rise of the true crime genre. Though the last act leaves a few too many questions unanswered, this satisfying page-turner is full of cutting critiques of the American government and justice system. Readers will be thrilled. Agent: Amy Tannenbaum, Jane Rotrosen Agency. (Feb.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
It's 2037, and people are abandoning the decaying planet for Earth+, a virtual world in which to spend one's time. Just barely eking out a living in the physical world, Cassie West and her husband, Harris, remain hopeful for the future, but their dreams are dashed when Harris is held accountable for thousands of deaths in an incident known as "the Blight." A decade later and still dealing with the fallout of the Blight, Cassie becomes a target in the real and the virtual worlds as she races to save the lives of thousands and uncover the truth. An insightful examination of true-crime entertainment, Pinter's novel also stands as a condemnation of gleaning excitement through other's misery. With a narrative flavor reminiscent of Ready Player One, it nevertheless lacks a similar descriptive charm, owing to prose that tells more than it shows. Stilted character dialogue further dampens the experience, making it a haphazard race toward the conclusion rather than a carefully laid-out journey. VERDICT Despite its weaknesses, this sci-fi thriller from Pinter (A Stranger at the Door) is recommended for fans of Ernest Cline and the crime thrillers of James Patterson and Lee Goldberg.--Andy Myers
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Criminal enterprise on a grand scale. By 2037, the Metaverse has grown up to become Earth+, the digital home to most human activity, while Earth--, the actual world, has been neglected and degraded. One of the primary enterprises of Earth+ is entertainment, and the biggest and most lucrative entertainment venue is Past Crimes, where subscribers can experience simulations of the world's most notorious crimes. There's an amusement park (simulated) called Murderland, and though murder predominates there, all manner of mayhem is included. Like streaming television, Past Crimes and its competitors are always seeking new material. Cassie West is an agent of VICE, one of Past Crimes' competitors; her job is to secure licenses from the families of crime victims, who will then populate new simulations. But, almost as soon as the book begins, Cassie's world falls apart: Her house burns down with her husband, Harris, inside, and that fire is just one of a number of suicidal conflagrations, collectively called the Blight, that are deemed to have been Harris' responsibility. Past Crimes swoops in, scoops up the license, and begins to build a new simulation. Cassie believes her husband is innocent of actually inspiring and organizing the Blight, and the plot recounts her efforts to prove this. Past Crimes itself turns out to be a criminal enterprise, and though much deception and violence ensues, Cassie is battered but unbowed. Pinter's setup offers great opportunities for satirical observations, the most obvious being the national appetite for true crime, and the satiric elements are among the highlights of the book. The extrapolation of the Metaverse into Earth+ is also deft, compelling, and horrifying. Unfortunately, the characterization is less accomplished, the dialogue often wooden, and the plot too reliant on coincidence and serendipity. Marvelous stagecraft, but not a great play. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
