Description

About the Book: Imagine the miracle of being able to conceive a child with anyone else no matter your age, gender, or fertility status. All you need to do is provide a biological sample. Saliva, blood or mucus will do the trick. Then your cells can be chemically coaxed to become sperm or egg cells. Now imagine the nightmare of your used napkin or fork in the wrong hands—and your egg and sperm are up for sale to the highest bidder. That’s the terrifying premise behind Kira Peikoff’s BABY X (Crooked Lane; March 5, 2024), a brilliantly plotted, compulsively readable thriller that careens from propulsive action to wrenching emotion as a black-market operation called The Vault steals celebrity cells to convert into sperm and egg in a hidden lab for a massive profit. Their customers range from obsessed fans to hyper-competitive parents who want to give their future children the most desirable genes. Music superstar Trace Thorne knows that his sperm and eggs are in demand and that the slightest slip-up could result in a child he never intended to conceive. To protect himself, he hires gorgeous bio-security guard Ember Ryan to ensure that whatever genetic material he sheds in public is safe from theft. Ember is a pro and knows all the Vault’s tricks. She’ll stop at nothing to protect her most famous and beloved client. As they grow closer, Ember allows herself to fall for the man himself. But what will happen to their developing relationship when a pregnant stranger confronts Thorne with his worst fear? This thought-provoking look into the near future will make you question the price of groundbreaking technology and how it impacts our bodies, our minds, and our world. BABY X raises as many issues as it resolves, and is a great read for fans of Blake Couch and John Marrs—or anyone who enjoys a heart-pounding peek into what lies ahead. About the Author: KIRA PEIKOFF is the author of Mother Knows Best, Living Proof, No Time to Die, and Die Again Tomorrow. She has a degree in journalism from New York University and master's in bioethics from Columbia. Her reported articles have appeared in The New York Times, Newsweek, Popular Mechanics and other outlets. She now works in biotech communications, helping spread the word about transformative developments in the life sciences. Peikoff is a proud member of The Authors Guild, International Thriller Writers, and Mystery Writers of America. She lives in New Jersey with her husband and two sons.