Project Incarnate (Unabridged‪)‬

Billions of lives are at stake as a unique pair uncover ties linking a bizarre homicide to an undeclared multi-planetary conflict. In this first installment of The Connectorate Series, Hughes leads us through a thought-provoking, vastly evolved society where people in power are “fully connected” to a sentient quantum network. 

A veteran Unlawful Intent Investigator, Peter O'Neil, is assigned to investigate a homicide report. His typical work involves the mundane aspects of crime prevention in a culture where direct-to-brain interfacing provides a reliable snapshot of a person’s future criminal intent. But as Pete learns the circumstances of the crime, everything points to the use of a remote avatar — an event the network absolutely should have prevented. 

When his intelligence service partner finally arrives, new information points to the broader conflict. As the investigation progresses, Pete’s world turns upside down as he struggles to choose between his government’s human intelligence agency and the connectorate network he’s always trusted.