Two Truths and a Lie

Humorist O’Brien (Zeus Grants Stupid Wishes) spins the wheel on cyberpunk shenanigans in this clever sci-fi murder mystery. In a flooded future Los Angeles where information is literally currency (“Two Rumors and a Scandal was a month and a half’s rent”), geriatric combat drone operator Orr Vue stumbles onto a valuable Rumor involving the death of a powerful tech-bro at a monastery where memories are removed. Dogged by both the police and the dead man’s daughter, Orr is pulled into the investigation by his long-lost love, the murder victim’s protégé. But memories can be deceiving, especially when they have been off-loaded into hidden storage units. O’Brien cleverly plays with the concept of monetizing recordable and erasable memories, including the palimpsest traces left behind. Readers must rely on Orr’s erratic recall to see how the clues play out, but his heart can navigate the course even when his mind draws a blank. This is good fun. Agent: Jessica Felleman, Jennifer Lyons Literary. (Mar.)