This is one of the best things I've read in a long, long time. For Michael Chrichton and Dan Brown fans, this smart thriller had me wide awake at 1:30 AM with butterflies in my stomach, wondering what would happen next. That's unusual enough to be remarkable. I also loved the author's previous solo effort "Utopia" about terrorists who invade a fantastic theme park. In fact, the only thing I don't like about the parallel universe Mr. Child has created is that I can't go there!
"When it comes to merging innovative technology with a bizarre murder mystery, few writers do it better than Child. In Utopia (2002), supercomputers ran roller coasters in a high-tech theme park. Here, a state-of-the-art computer dating system, run by Eden, Incorporated--a Microsoft-size corporation--takes center stage. For a mere $25,000, a single person can find a life partner using Eden's flawless matching system. And it's guaranteed, though not one customer has ever requested a refund. When the match is 100 percent, the lucky pair is dubbed a "supercouple," and the subsequent marriage is the envy of all the world. But when one such supercouple is found dead by double-suicide, Eden quietly hires ex-FBI forensic psychologist Christopher Lash to investigate what led to such a tragic end. Lash can't resist the hefty fee, so he reluctantly puts his own private practice on hold, only to discover that his investigation of the supercouple has awakened ghosts from his own past. A second supercouple double-suicide puts Lash and Eden management in a panic. The unusual subject matter blended within the framework of a typical police procedural results in a fun, twisted psychological ride." Mary Frances Wilkens
"When it comes to merging innovative technology with a bizarre murder mystery, few writers do it better than Child. In Utopia (2002), supercomputers ran roller coasters in a high-tech theme park. Here, a state-of-the-art computer dating system, run by Eden, Incorporated--a Microsoft-size corporation--takes center stage. For a mere $25,000, a single person can find a life partner using Eden's flawless matching system. And it's guaranteed, though not one customer has ever requested a refund. When the match is 100 percent, the lucky pair is dubbed a "supercouple," and the subsequent marriage is the envy of all the world. But when one such supercouple is found dead by double-suicide, Eden quietly hires ex-FBI forensic psychologist Christopher Lash to investigate what led to such a tragic end. Lash can't resist the hefty fee, so he reluctantly puts his own private practice on hold, only to discover that his investigation of the supercouple has awakened ghosts from his own past. A second supercouple double-suicide puts Lash and Eden management in a panic. The unusual subject matter blended within the framework of a typical police procedural results in a fun, twisted psychological ride." Mary Frances Wilkens