Bluescreen

When a new drug hijacks the cybernetic implants of those who use it, turning them into puppets for a mysterious mastermind, a teenage hacker attempts to unravel the mystery and save her friends and family. The complicated trail Marisa Carneseca follows takes her from the powerful criminals who all but run her Los Angeles neighborhood to corporations that rule the city. She and her friends face threats both in the real world, with a gang war spilling over into the streets, and online, in the depths of the darknet, where people wage war with viruses and information. Wells (the Partials series) presents a tense cyberthriller set in the near future of 2050, where economic inequality has created a dangerously volatile society and where surgically installed devices called djinni allow for 24/7 connectivity. The ethnically diverse cast features several strong, resourceful women, while Marisa’s struggles with her artificial arm add another layer to the story, helping it stand out as more than a typical SF adventure. It’s an engaging start to Wells’s Mirador series. Ages 13–up. Agent: Sara Crowe, Harvey Klinger. (Feb.)