Constance

Description

A breakthrough in human cloning becomes one woman's waking nightmare in a mind-bending thriller by the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Gibson Vaughn series. In the near future, advances in medicine and quantum computing make human cloning a reality. For the wealthy, cheating death is the ultimate luxury. To anti-cloning militants, it's an abomination against nature. For young Constance 'Con' D'Arcy, who was gifted her own clone by her late aunt, it's terrifying. After a routine monthly upload of her consciousness - stored for that inevitable transition - something goes wrong. When Con wakes up in the clinic, it's eighteen months later. Her recent memories are missing. Her original, she's told, is dead. If that's true, what does that make her? The secrets of Con's disorienting new life are buried deep. So are those of how and why she died. To uncover the truth, Con is retracing the last days she can recall, crossing paths with a detective who's just as curious. On the run, she needs someone she can trust. Because only one thing has become clear: Con is being marked for murder - all over again.

Matthew FitzSimmons is the author of the Wall Street Journal bestselling Gibson Vaughn series, which includes Origami Man, Debris Line, Cold Harbor, Poisonfeather, and The Short Drop. Born in Illinois and raised in London, he now lives in Washington, DC, where he taught English literature and theater at a private high school for more than a decade. For more information, visit him at www.matthewfitzsimmons.com.

Praise for Matthew Fitzsimmons Constance An Amazon Best Book of the Month: Science Fiction & Fantasy "Maybe what we need most as this bewildering summer winds down is a diverting story about an interesting futuristic topic that injects no new anxiety into our nervous brains...[Constance] shines in its interstitial moments...In between the sleuthing and the schemes for world domination and the eluding of people with guns, we are invited to grapple with genuinely thoughtful questions about the philosophical, legal and ethical implications of cloning and scientific innovation in general...The debates around cloning in Constance echo many of our contemporary preoccupations-skepticism of science, radical mistrust of those with opposing views, conspiracy theories." -Sarah Lyall, Critic, The New York Times "Full of technological surprises and ethical dilemmas, this inventive thriller hums with the electric excitement of the best 1950s science fiction." -Tom Nolan, Critic, The Wall Street Journal "In this timely thriller, tantalizing clues, complex motives, and shifting views of the truth flow around such issues as the relationship between money and power, the right to life, and the definition of self. FitzSimmons has upped his game with this one." -Publishers Weekly (starred review) "A super-brainy high-concept dystopian tale guaranteed to reward anyone who's in the mood." -Kirkus Reviews "A propulsive sci-fi thriller that questions the very nature of what makes us human." -POPSUGAR "What a book! Like all the best speculative fiction, FitzSimmons's compelling thriller Constance takes elements of real science and spins them up into a novel and terrifying premise." -Blake Crouch, New York Times bestselling author of Dark Matter and Recursion "Constance is a blistering, balletic read-silky-smooth world building that effortlessly grounds a wonderful, harrowing tale of mystery, suspense, identity, friendship, and redemption. This is, for all its twists, turns, and tricks, a novel that does what a novel should do: examine what makes us human after all. Genuinely one of the best books I have read in a long, long time." -Greg Rucka, New York Times bestselling author and creator of The Old Guard Origami Man "FitzSimmons brings Gibson Vaughn and an old enemy full circle in Origami Man-an intricately plotted, rapid-fire thriller guaranteed to hook you from page one. Easily the best Gibson Vaughn installment to date." -Steven Konkoly, Wall Street Journal bestselling author "Matthew FitzSimmons's rapid-fire novels are loaded with twisted plots, explosive action, and dialogue that crackles with wit and emotion. His bighearted characters keep me coming back, book after book. Grab this thriller with both hands because Origami Man is a total blast." -Nick Petrie, bestselling author of The Drifter Debris Line "Matthew FitzSimmons writes the kinds of thrillers I love to read: smart, character driven, and brimming with creative action sequences. If you're not yet a fan of FitzSimmons's Gibson Vaughn series, strap in, because you soon will be. Debris Line is tense, twisty, and always ten steps ahead. Don't miss it." -Chris Holm, Anthony Award-winning author of The Killing Kind "Matt FitzSimmons continues his amazing literary feat of creating an ensemble cast of troubled heroes and shooting them through page-turning thrillers with his latest, Debris Line, continuing the fast-paced adventures of Gibson Vaughn and his crew as they battle to stay alive and find some measure of justice in this unforgiving world. The Gibson Vaughn series is on its way to being a classic franchise of thriller fiction, with a unique voice and an unusual approach that keep the stories as appealing as they are entertaining. Highly recommended." -James Grady, author of Six Days of the Condor "Debris Line...doesn't waste a word or miss a twist. It's always smart, always entertaining, and populated top to bottom with fascinating and unforgettable characters." -Lou Berney, author of November Road Cold Harbor "In FitzSimmons's action-packed third Gibson Vaughn thriller...fans of deep, dark government conspiracies will keep turning the pages to see how it all turns out." -Publishers Weekly "Cold Harbor interweaves two classic American tropes: the solitary prisoner imprisoned for who knows what and the American loner determined to rectify the injustices perpetrated on him. It's a page-turner that keeps the reader wondering-and looking forward to Gibson Vaughn number four." -Criminal Element "There are so many layers and twists to Cold Harbor...FitzSimmons masterfully fits together the myriad pieces of Gibson Vaughn's past like a high-quality Springbok puzzle." -Crimespree Magazine Poisonfeather An Amazon Best Book of the Month: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Category "FitzSimmons's complicated hero leaps off the page with intensity and good intentions while a byzantine plot hums along, ensnaring characters into a tightening web of greed, betrayal, and violent death." -Publishers Weekly "[FitzSimmons] has knocked it out of the park, as they say. The characters' layers are being peeled back further and further, allowing readers to really root for the good guys! FitzSimmons has put together a great plot that doesn't let you rest for even a minute." -Suspense Magazine The Short Drop "FitzSimmons has come up with a doozy of a sociopath." -Washington Post "This live-wire debut begins with a promising lead in the long-ago disappearance of the vice president's daughter, then doubles down with tangled conspiracies, duplicitous politicians, and a disgraced hacker hankering for redemption...Hang on and enjoy the ride." -People "Writing with swift efficiency, FitzSimmons shows why the stakes are high, the heroes suitably tarnished, and the bad guys a pleasure to foil." -Kirkus Reviews "With a complex plot layered on top of unexpected emotional depth, The Short Drop is a wonderful surprise on every level...This is much more than a solid debut, it's proof that FitzSimmons has what it takes." -Amazon.com, An Amazon Best Book of December 2015 "Beyond exceptional. Matthew FitzSimmons is the real deal." -Andrew Peterson, author of the bestselling Nathan McBride series "The Short Drop is an adrenaline-fueled thriller that has it all: political intrigue, murder, and suspense. Matthew FitzSimmons weaves a clever plot and deftly leads the reader on a rapid ride to an explosive end." -Robert Dugoni, bestselling author of My Sister's Grave