The Halter

Assassin’s Creed game developer McDevitt shines in his sci-fi noir debut, plausibly imagining a future in which many have become addicted to “surrogate realities” to the detriment and even death of their IRL bodies. Kennedy Stark was a regular PI until a client came to him about her Cleopatra-obsessed son, whose obsession with an SR program recreating ancient Egypt became a life-threatening addiction. Stark didn’t locate the boy in time to save him, an incident that inspired him to switch jobs to become a halter, a licensed professional who pulls people out of surrogate realities. Now he’s tapped for an assignment by a shadowy duo, Auntie and Friend, who ask him to locate software genius Delia Walsh, a senator’s daughter and SR pioneer, with whom Stark shares a past, for a lucrative fee. Stark accepts, on condition that his compensation will be a shot at a spot on the next shuttle to Mars, which is being colonized in response to catastrophic climate change on Earth. McDevitt’s Chandleresque protagonist finds the path to halting Delia’s immersion challenging and hazardous, creating a gripping and twisty mystery for readers. Fans of Nick Harkaway will be riveted. (Feb.)