Kira Peikoff
At a glance
When any biological matter can be used to create life, stolen celebrity DNA sells to the highest bidder–or the craziest stalker–in this propulsive thriller. With a vivid imagining of the future, Gattaca meets The Ones in Kira Peikoff’s Baby X.
In the near-future United States, where advanced technology can create egg or sperm from any person’s cells, celebrities face the alarming potential of meeting biological children they never conceived. Famous singer Trace Thorne is tired of being targeted by the Vault, a black market site devoted to stealing DNA. Sick of paying ransom money for his own cell matter, he hires bio-security guard Ember Ryan to ensure his biological safety.
Ember will do anything she can to protect her clients. She knows all the Vault’s tricks–discarded tissues, used straws, lipstick tubes–and has prevented countless DNA thefts. Working for Thorne, her focus becomes split when she begins to fall for him, but she knows she hasn’t let anything slip–love or not, his DNA is safe. But then she and Thorne are confronted by a pregnant woman, Quinn, who claims that Thorne is the father of her baby, and all bets are off.
Brilliantly plotted and terrifyingly prescient, Baby X is an unpredictable and relentless speculative thriller perfect for fans of Blake Crouch and John Marrs.
"Will leave readers breathless. This intelligently crafted tale navigates the intricacies of genetic privacy, fame, and familial bonds . . . A must-read for those intrigued by thought-provoking stories and unexpected turns."
- Booklist
"It’s hard to find a thriller with a unique plot these days – but Kira Peikoff pulls it off spectacularly. Propulsive, innovative, and futuristic, Baby X unveils a chilling glimpse of the possibilities that lie in wait for us all."
- Sarah Pekkanen, New York Times bestselling author of Gone Tonight
"Peikoff does a terrific job of world-building a complex but realistic future full of jaw-dropping twists. Baby X is great sci-fi and reads like a terrifying episode of Black Mirror."
- First Clue Reviews
Across the café, Quinn watched the happy couple. They hadn’t noticed her yet. But they would soon.
Quinn knew she should feel triumphant. Her persistence had paid off. All those hours spent refreshing Thorne’s social media feed, tracking his routines, angling for a way in. Sometimes she felt like a stalker, until she remembered why she wasn’t like all his other crazy fans. Her reason wasn’t in her head.
She had tried many times to message him. But her increasingly frantic notes kept vanishing into the oblivion of his inbox, which she imagined was in a constant state of overflow. It was futile to keep waiting for his ping that never came, and time was running out.
Thank God for his coffee habit. Twelve days ago, he’d tagged his favorite café in a post, thanking them for the artistic latte: instead of leaves or a heart, the baristas had crafted a special design for their most famous customer: a white foam guitar. The beachside spot in Laguna Beach was forty-five miles from her tiny apartment in the foothills of the Santa Ana mountains.
So Quinn had spent the last eleven mornings hauling herself into the car and driving in traffic through the narrow…
Domestic abuse, miscarriage, kidnapping.
