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Headspace
Thanks to a vaccine called headspace, violent crime is a thing of the past. Headspace doesn’t prevent violent thoughts, it prevents you from acting on them. There hasn’t been a murder in nearly 50 years.
Gone are the days when cops carried guns. Gone are the days when law enforcement was trained to deal with heinous crimes. In the year 2109, cops are nothing more than glorified therapists, trained to handle conflict with words rather than actions.
Headspace ensures no conflict will result in violence.
Until now…
Officer Marcus Hardy is the closest thing that Omaha Metro Crisis Management has to a homicide detective. When he’s called out to investigate the murder of a prominent neuroscientist, it quickly becomes clear that he and his department are ill-equipped to handle the situation.
The robot-phobic Hardy is partnered with a human-like android, a “shorty,” and they begin a race against time to find the killer before he can kill again.
Their investigation leads them to Mind Drop, a biotech company that specializes in preserving memories by uploading them to the cloud and making them accessible via an implanted memory prosthesis. The company’s motto is simple: People don’t have to forget.
When Mind Drop’s reclusive CEO refuses to cooperate, Hardy begins to suspect that the murder may be connected to something vastly more sinister than he had imagined, a secret that the company will do anything to protect.
In a future where a man-made vaccine limits free will, Hardy discovers that nothing can overcome human nature for long.
Gone are the days when cops carried guns. Gone are the days when law enforcement was trained to deal with heinous crimes. In the year 2109, cops are nothing more than glorified therapists, trained to handle conflict with words rather than actions.
Headspace ensures no conflict will result in violence.
Until now…
Officer Marcus Hardy is the closest thing that Omaha Metro Crisis Management has to a homicide detective. When he’s called out to investigate the murder of a prominent neuroscientist, it quickly becomes clear that he and his department are ill-equipped to handle the situation.
The robot-phobic Hardy is partnered with a human-like android, a “shorty,” and they begin a race against time to find the killer before he can kill again.
Their investigation leads them to Mind Drop, a biotech company that specializes in preserving memories by uploading them to the cloud and making them accessible via an implanted memory prosthesis. The company’s motto is simple: People don’t have to forget.
When Mind Drop’s reclusive CEO refuses to cooperate, Hardy begins to suspect that the murder may be connected to something vastly more sinister than he had imagined, a secret that the company will do anything to protect.
In a future where a man-made vaccine limits free will, Hardy discovers that nothing can overcome human nature for long.
- GenresScience FictionMystery
169 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 24, 2018
7 people are currently reading
542 people want to read
About the author
J.W. Bouchard
24 books174 followersJ.W. Bouchard writes horror, science fiction, mystery, and fantasy novels.
On his lifelong pursuit to become a famous author, he also fancies himself a modern day Indiana Jones, enjoying a life of high adventure, exploring ancient ruins, scuba diving to sunken temples, climbing mountains and surveying vast cave systems. He has traveled all over the world and is always looking to add more destinations to the list.
In the past, he has been a grocery bagger, waiter, hearing aid consultant, promotional products salesman, telemarketer, janitor, security guard, law enforcement officer, treatment facility supervisor, healthcare fraud investigator, business manager, and serial entrepreneur. He is a licensed real estate agent and a licensed private investigator.
When he isn’t coming up with ways to save the planet, he’s busy teaching his kids bad habits.
He lives in Iowa.
On his lifelong pursuit to become a famous author, he also fancies himself a modern day Indiana Jones, enjoying a life of high adventure, exploring ancient ruins, scuba diving to sunken temples, climbing mountains and surveying vast cave systems. He has traveled all over the world and is always looking to add more destinations to the list.
In the past, he has been a grocery bagger, waiter, hearing aid consultant, promotional products salesman, telemarketer, janitor, security guard, law enforcement officer, treatment facility supervisor, healthcare fraud investigator, business manager, and serial entrepreneur. He is a licensed real estate agent and a licensed private investigator.
When he isn’t coming up with ways to save the planet, he’s busy teaching his kids bad habits.
He lives in Iowa.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
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July 10, 2020DNF
Another one I just couldn't get into. Neither the just missing stereotypical hardboiled detective nor his Android with a heart of gold sidekick appealed to me, and I kept forgetting they were investigating a series of murders.
I received this book free from Goodreads in exchange for an honest review.
No review, so no rating.
Another one I just couldn't get into. Neither the just missing stereotypical hardboiled detective nor his Android with a heart of gold sidekick appealed to me, and I kept forgetting they were investigating a series of murders.
I received this book free from Goodreads in exchange for an honest review.
No review, so no rating.
February 21, 2019
I won a copy of this book in a GoodReads giveaway.
Headspace is a fun little sci-fi thriller. In a society where violence has been inoculated out of the population, Marcus Harvey has to grapple with the first murder in half a century, and what that means for society. At the same time, he struggled with the meaning of humanity, as he is helped by his android partner, C. Lisp. Hardy and Lisp work together to solve the whodunnit, and bond together as friends, despite their hardware differences.
The short story in the back was a nice touch too.
Headspace is a fun little sci-fi thriller. In a society where violence has been inoculated out of the population, Marcus Harvey has to grapple with the first murder in half a century, and what that means for society. At the same time, he struggled with the meaning of humanity, as he is helped by his android partner, C. Lisp. Hardy and Lisp work together to solve the whodunnit, and bond together as friends, despite their hardware differences.
The short story in the back was a nice touch too.
June 10, 2019
Investigating the first murder in the world in over fifty years
Bouchard presents us with a world , in the not too distant future, where a human has not been murdered in over half a century. Thanks to a drug called Headspace administered to all at birth, individuals cannot carry out a desire to kill. When a brutal murder is committed, it 's up to a pair of law enforcement officers, who have never carried a gun, to find the killer. Their only guide to a homicide investigation are history books. If you're a fan of murder mysteries that are more Blade Runner than typical police procedurals, this one's for you.
Bouchard presents us with a world , in the not too distant future, where a human has not been murdered in over half a century. Thanks to a drug called Headspace administered to all at birth, individuals cannot carry out a desire to kill. When a brutal murder is committed, it 's up to a pair of law enforcement officers, who have never carried a gun, to find the killer. Their only guide to a homicide investigation are history books. If you're a fan of murder mysteries that are more Blade Runner than typical police procedurals, this one's for you.
March 2, 2019
I won this book in the Goodreads giveaway. I thought it was a great story and it was written well. It was a fast read, with no low points. The story takes place in the future were murder is a thing of the past, due to a drug called Headspace, that is mandatory for all people to take. After a body is found, a police officer and his robot partner are given the task of solving the crime as two more bodies turn up, all having something in common. This book is great for fans of Asimov's robot stories.
April 19, 2019
I won this in a giveaway, and I am so glad because otherwise I'm not sure I would have bothered with it. I'm glad I read it, since it combines my two favorite genres, sci fi and mystery. The central idea is well presented, and C. List was a great character - much more human in some ways than his human counterpart. Not the most subtle of books, but I very much liked the ending, although I had to think about who these characters were. I hope this is the start of a series.
March 22, 2019
I won this e-book in a Goodreads giveaway.
I enjoyed this futuristic sci-fi murder mystery. I found the premise intriging and the story line well played out.
The main characters a human and an android worked perfectly together in an almost Sherlock Holmes and Watson way. I thought it was well written and while a quick read it was captivating.
I enjoyed this futuristic sci-fi murder mystery. I found the premise intriging and the story line well played out.
The main characters a human and an android worked perfectly together in an almost Sherlock Holmes and Watson way. I thought it was well written and while a quick read it was captivating.
April 27, 2019
Review
Good book with interesting plot. Not a ton of characters like some books. Nice teaser of another book. I would recommend this book for Syfy lovers
Good book with interesting plot. Not a ton of characters like some books. Nice teaser of another book. I would recommend this book for Syfy lovers
October 5, 2019
Interesting take on the murder mystery novel.
A final pass on a grammar checker could have cleared up the few remaining oops.
Otherwise enjoyable.
A final pass on a grammar checker could have cleared up the few remaining oops.
Otherwise enjoyable.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews