Chance

by Matthew FitzSimmons

Overview

A clone plays a dangerous game of life, death, memory, and murder in a twisting thriller by Wall Street Journal bestselling author Matthew FitzSimmons.

Cloning is a luxury for the wealthy. For Chance Harker, it’s a way of getting on with his lives. Five years ago, when he was sixteen, he and his brother, Marley, were murdered in a kidnapping gone wrong. Chance was revived—and his grieving parents met his existence with anger, neglect, and aversion. The public, though? They can’t get enough of the death-defying stunts he has parlayed into a social media spectacle.

But after Chance’s latest “refresh,” he awakens to accusations that he’s killed Lee Conway, a stranger Chance has never met. Has one of his clones? With no memory of his previous selves, and working fast before he’s arrested, Chance digs into Conway’s background, the mysteries of his own life—and death—and the tragic abduction that tore his family apart.

All Chance has to do is stay ahead of the LAPD; his kidnappers, who are back on the hunt; and a growing mob of incensed protesters outraged that a rich clone appears to be getting away with murder.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781542009485
Publisher:	Amazon Publishing
Publication date:	02/14/2023
Series:	Constance , #2
Pages:	316
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 7.90(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Matthew FitzSimmons is the author of the Constance series and the Wall Street Journal bestselling Gibson Vaughn series, which includes Origami Man, Debris Line, Cold Harbor, Poisonfeather, and The Short Drop. Born in Illinois and raised in London, he now lives in Washington, DC, where he taught English literature and theater at a private high school for more than a decade. For more information, visit him at www.matthewfitzsimmons.com.

Editorial Reviews

11/28/2022

In this provocative if underwhelming near-future thriller from Fitzsimmons (Constance), attitudes toward cloning have divided the U.S. One religious group, the Children of Adam, harasses clones because they believe the clones have no souls. Meanwhile, Chance Harker, a 21-year-old clone who lives in Los Angeles, takes advantage of the new biotechnology in an unusual way. Five years earlier, he and his older brother, Marley, were abducted. Though their father handed over the data drive demanded as ransom, the kidnappers killed both siblings. But that wasn’t the end for Chance, whose memories were uploaded into a new body. (Marley was also cloned, but couldn’t handle his new situation and died by suicide two months later.) In the book’s present, Chance uses his quasi-immortality to become a social media celebrity by performing fatal stunts, such as jumping from an airplane from 15,000 feet, knowing that his mind will essentially survive in a physically identical body. He abandons those diversions when he gets the opportunity to learn the truth about the kidnapping and winds up in a position where his freedom is jeopardized. The worldbuilding is underdeveloped, and Fitzsimmons is stronger on ideas than making his characters feel real. Hopefully, he’ll do better next time. Agent: David Hale Smith, InkWell Management. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for Matthew FitzSimmons

Chance

“Fitzsimmons's thought-provoking novel delves into the possible conflicts and ethical considerations arising from human cloning, for society and for individuals who have been cloned. Narrator Michael Crouch delivers the story with a scratchy, melancholy voice that is just right for Chance. Readers of gripping and provocative futuristic novels should enjoy. Share with fans of Scott Britz-Cunningham's Interface or Blake Crouch's Upgrade.” —Library Journal

“FitzSimmons hooks readers with the clone angle and then expertly mixes SF and mystery tropes till he’s implicated every party in sight in some sort of crime or coverup. A seriously playful novel of ideas.” —Kirkus Reviews

Constance

An Amazon Best Book of the Month: Science Fiction & Fantasy

“Maybe what we need most as this bewildering summer winds down is a diverting story about an interesting futuristic topic that injects no new anxiety into our nervous brains…[Constance] shines in its interstitial moments…In between the sleuthing and the schemes for world domination and the eluding of people with guns, we are invited to grapple with genuinely thoughtful questions about the philosophical, legal, and ethical implications of cloning and scientific innovation in general…The debates around cloning in Constance echo many of our contemporary preoccupations—skepticism of science, radical mistrust of those with opposing views, conspiracy theories.” —Sarah Lyall, critic, The New York Times

“Full of technological surprises and ethical dilemmas, this inventive thriller hums with the electric excitement of the best 1950s science fiction.” —Tom Nolan, critic, The Wall Street Journal

“In this timely thriller, tantalizing clues, complex motives, and shifting views of the truth flow around such issues as the relationship between money and power, the right to life, and the definition of self. FitzSimmons has upped his game with this one.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“A super-brainy high-concept dystopian tale guaranteed to reward anyone who’s in the mood.” —Kirkus Reviews

“A propulsive sci-fi thriller that questions the very nature of what makes us human.” —POPSUGAR

“What a book! Like all the best speculative fiction, FitzSimmons’s compelling thriller Constance takes elements of real science and spins them up into a novel and terrifying premise.” —Blake Crouch, New York Times bestselling author of Dark Matter and Recursion

“Constance is a blistering, balletic read—silky-smooth world building that effortlessly grounds a wonderful, harrowing tale of mystery, suspense, identity, friendship, and redemption. This is, for all its twists, turns, and tricks, a novel that does what a novel should do: examine what makes us human after all. Genuinely one of the best books I have read in a long, long time.” —Greg Rucka, New York Times bestselling author and creator of The Old Guard

Origami Man

“FitzSimmons brings Gibson Vaughn and an old enemy full circle in Origami Man—an intricately plotted, rapid-fire thriller guaranteed to hook you from page one. Easily the best Gibson Vaughn installment to date.” —Steven Konkoly, Wall Street Journal bestselling author

“Matthew FitzSimmons’s rapid-fire novels are loaded with twisted plots, explosive action, and dialogue that crackles with wit and emotion. His bighearted characters keep me coming back, book after book. Grab this thriller with both hands because Origami Man is a total blast.” —Nick Petrie, bestselling author of The Drifter

Debris Line

“Matthew FitzSimmons writes the kinds of thrillers I love to read: smart, character driven, and brimming with creative action sequences. If you’re not yet a fan of FitzSimmons’s Gibson Vaughn series, strap in, because you soon will be. Debris Line is tense, twisty, and always ten steps ahead. Don’t miss it.” —Chris Holm, Anthony Award–winning author of The Killing Kind

“Matt FitzSimmons continues his amazing literary feat of creating an ensemble cast of troubled heroes and shooting them through page-turning thrillers with his latest, Debris Line, continuing the fast-paced adventures of Gibson Vaughn and his crew as they battle to stay alive and find some measure of justice in this unforgiving world. The Gibson Vaughn series is on its way to being a classic franchise of thriller fiction, with a unique voice and an unusual approach that keep the stories as appealing as they are entertaining. Highly recommended.” —James Grady, author of Six Days of the Condor

“Debris Line…doesn’t waste a word or miss a twist. It’s always smart, always entertaining, and populated top to bottom with fascinating and unforgettable characters.” —Lou Berney, author of November Road

Cold Harbor

“In FitzSimmons’s action-packed third Gibson Vaughn thriller…fans of deep, dark government conspiracies will keep turning the pages to see how it all turns out.” —Publishers Weekly

“Cold Harbor interweaves two classic American tropes: the solitary prisoner imprisoned for who knows what and the American loner determined to rectify the injustices perpetrated on him. It’s a page-turner that keeps the reader wondering—and looking forward to Gibson Vaughn number four.” —Criminal Element

“There are so many layers and twists to Cold Harbor…FitzSimmons masterfully fits together the myriad pieces of Gibson Vaughn’s past like a high-quality Springbok puzzle.” —Crimespree Magazine

Poisonfeather

An Amazon Best Book of the Month: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Category

“FitzSimmons’s complicated hero leaps off the page with intensity and good intentions while a byzantine plot hums along, ensnaring characters into a tightening web of greed, betrayal, and violent death.” —Publishers Weekly

“[FitzSimmons] has knocked it out of the park, as they say. The characters’ layers are being peeled back further and further, allowing readers to really root for the good guys! FitzSimmons has put together a great plot that doesn’t let you rest for even a minute.” —Suspense Magazine

The Short Drop

“FitzSimmons has come up with a doozy of a sociopath.” —Washington Post

“This live-wire debut begins with a promising lead in the long-ago disappearance of the vice president’s daughter, then doubles down with tangled conspiracies, duplicitous politicians, and a disgraced hacker hankering for redemption…Hang on and enjoy the ride.” —People

“Writing with swift efficiency, FitzSimmons shows why the stakes are high, the heroes suitably tarnished, and the bad guys a pleasure to foil.” —Kirkus Reviews

“With a complex plot layered on top of unexpected emotional depth, The Short Drop is a wonderful surprise on every level…This is much more than a solid debut; it’s proof that FitzSimmons has what it takes.” —Amazon.com, an Amazon Best Book of December 2015

“Beyond exceptional. Matthew FitzSimmons is the real deal.” —Andrew Peterson, author of the bestselling Nathan McBride series

“The Short Drop is an adrenaline-fueled thriller that has it all: political intrigue, murder, and suspense. Matthew FitzSimmons weaves a clever plot and deftly leads the reader on a rapid ride to an explosive end.” —Robert Dugoni, bestselling author of My Sister’s Grave

From the Publisher

2022-11-29
As FitzSimmons already demonstrated in Constance (2021), it’s hard out there for a clone.

Five years ago, Palingenesis marketing chief Brett Harker’s two sons were kidnapped by bandits who demanded he turn over the company’s proprietary technology for human cloning—including information about how to implant the old body’s consciousness in the new clone. The negotiations left Marley Harker and his kid brother, Chance, dead to anyone who didn't have the cloning resources made available to a high-level executive of Palingenesis like his father. Now Chance is a fifth-generation clone who’s amused himself and amassed a string of social media followers ever since his return to life by engaging in a series of death-defying stunts that have repeatedly left him ripe for recloning. When an interview with prizewinning journalist Imani Zari Highsmith seriously damages his brand, Chance thinks the bottom has dropped out of his endless life cycle. But worse is still to come. He emerges from his latest memory revival to find LAPD Det. Val Wolinski about to arrest him for the murder of Lee Conway, an unemployed man he didn’t even know, and Palingenesis about to pull the plug on his unlimited access to clones, making his latest life his last. Although high-powered lawyer Sy Berger gets the murder charge dropped on a clone-specific technicality, Chance is still in hot water, and this time a troubling gap in his recent memory leaves him uncertain how much he can trust his girlfriend, former movie actress Maggie Soto, and even his now-divorced parents. FitzSimmons hooks readers with the clone angle and then expertly mixes SF and mystery tropes till he’s implicated every party in sight in some sort of crime or coverup.

A seriously playful novel of ideas.

Kirkus Reviews