False Hearts: False Hearts Book 1
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- $10.99
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
One twin is imprisoned for a terrible crime. The other will do anything to set her free.
"A strong debut from someone who's clearly got what it takes" Peter F. Hamilton
"Seductively terrifying" SFX
One night Tila stumbles home, terrified and covered in blood. She's arrested for murder, the first by a civilian in decades. The San Francisco police suspect involvement with Zeal, a powerful drug, and offer her twin sister Taema a chilling deal. Taema must assume Tila's identity and gather information - then if she brings down the drug syndicate, the police may let her sister live. But Taema's investigation raises ghosts from the twins' past.
The sisters were raised by a cult, which banned modern medicine. But as conjoined twins, they needed surgery to divide their shared heart - and escaped. Taema discovers Tila was moulded by the cult and that it's linked to the city's underground. Once unable to keep secrets, the sisters will discover the true cost of lies.
PRAISE FOR FALSE HEARTS
"False Hearts is 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, author of The Three
"I thoroughly enjoyed it, from its explosive beginning right through to a very satisfying end ... I can happily say False Hearts has been the highlight of my year's reading so far" James Oswald, award-winning author of Natural Causes
"False Hearts has an ingenious premise, and Laura Lam executes it flawlessly. Gritty and wise, your own pulse will be racing as you get caught up in this exciting tale" Robert J. Sawyer, award-winning author of Hominids
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Lam (the Micah Grey series) sets this encompassing, fast-paced murder mystery in a cyberpunk, late 21st-century San Francisco. Conjoined twins Taema and Tila Collins live in the Mana Hearth's cult in Muir Woods. Under the ruthless thumb of Mana-ma, no technology is allowed and members are subjected to mind-altering Meditation. When the twins' shared heart fails, they escape to the city for separation and artificial hearts. Ten years later, Tila is charged with murdering Vuk, a gangster with the elusive Ratel crime syndicate. Taema goes undercover as Tila and discovers the underground drug Verve, which sucks users into a virtual reality nightmare of violence. Alternating first-person perspectives from each twin, Lam expertly explores themes of identity, totalitarian governments, cults, mind control, and familial love. However, readers who appreciate the accurate portrayal of San Francisco's diverse populace including the twins, who are Samoan and black will be dismayed that the cover obscures the protagonists' faces.
