Genesys X

In 2041 Los Angeles, the setting of Graf’s ambitious if flawed debut and series launch, biotechnology firms are racing to manufacture a cure for a virulent new strain of Alzheimer’s that’s attacking the young. Desperate researchers have grown more aggressive, taking reckless, unethical approaches in pursuit of unfathomable profits. Meanwhile, the police are struggling to contain a gang war erupting over control of the flooded market of a synthetic opioid 50 times stronger than heroin. Homicide detective Eddie Piedmont catches the case of the accidental overdose of a 27-year-old stripper who was believed to be blackmailing a scandal-plagued microbiologist. Piedmont, looking to prove himself and get out from underneath his ex-cop father’s legacy of corruption and addiction, winds up in the crosshairs of both internal affairs and a powerful street gang after responding to a call about a reckless driver escalates into him killing a member of the gang. The final act relies heavily on melodramatic catastrophes and coincidental revelations to tie together plot threads. Subtle undercurrents of Greek tragedy suggest Graf is capable of better next time. Agent: Sandy Lu, Book Wyrm Literary & L. Perkins Agency. (Nov.)