Description

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When any biological matter can be used to create life, stolen celebrity DNA sells to the highest bidder–or the craziest stalker–in this propulsive thriller.

With a vivid imagining of the future, Gattaca meets Black Mirror in Kira Peikoff’s Baby X.

In the near-future United States, where advanced technology can create egg or sperm from any person’s cells, celebrities face the alarming potential of meeting biological children they never conceived. Famous singer Trace Thorne is tired of being targeted by the Vault, a black market site devoted to stealing DNA. Sick of paying ransom money for his own cell matter, he hires bio-security guard Ember Ryan to ensure his biological safety.  

Ember will do anything she can to protect her clients. She knows all the Vault’s tricks–discarded tissues, used straws, lipstick tubes–and has prevented countless DNA thefts. Working for Thorne, her focus becomes split when she begins to fall for him, but she knows she hasn’t let anything slip–love or not, his DNA is safe. But then she and Thorne are confronted by a pregnant woman, Quinn, who claims that Thorne is the father of her baby, and all bets are off.   

Brilliantly plotted and terrifyingly prescient, Baby X is an unpredictable and relentless speculative thriller perfect for fans of Blake Crouch and John Marrs.

About the Author

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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 a 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.

Praise For…

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Praise for Baby X:
“A propulsive story.”
—New York Times

“Piekoff pulls off a clever twist.”
—Publishers Weekly

“Will leave readers breathless. This intelligently crafted tale navigates the intricacies of genetic privacy, fame, and familial bonds . . . A must-read for those intrigued by thought-provoking stories and unexpected turns.”
—Booklist

“Exhilarating . . . startlingly prophetic.”
—Elle

“Peikoff does a terrific job of world-building a complex but realistic future full of jaw-dropping twists. Baby X is great sci-fi and reads like a terrifying episode of Black Mirror.”
—First Clue Reviews

“Once again Peikoff gives us a breathless thriller—with an ending you totally won’t see coming—that leaves us wondering if it could be real. Fantastic!”
—Lee Child

“Timely, smart, and suspenseful, Baby X grabbed me on page one and gripped me tight. Kira Peikoff deftly weaves a story about the implications of stolen DNA into a twisty thriller with real emotional depth.” 
—Meg Gardiner, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“It's hard to find a thriller with a unique plot these days - but Kira Peikoff pulls it off spectacularly. Propulsive, innovative, and futuristic, Baby X unveils a chilling glimpse of the possibilities that lie in wait for us all.”    
—Sarah Pekkanen, New York Times bestselling author of Gone Tonight

“With clever details, unforgettable characters, and jaw-dropping twists, Baby X is a slick and stylish thriller that feels ripped from tomorrow's headlines. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough—and the ending left me reeling!”  
—Andrea Bartz, New York Times bestselling author of We Were Never Here and The Spare Room

“Kira Peikoff’s Baby X is inventive, engrossing, and alarmingly prescient. Peikoff paints a chilling future that appears one headline away from reality.”
—Robin Cook, New York Times bestselling author

“What makes Baby X so gripping and scary is how plausible the whole thing feels. Peikoff has crafted a thoughtful, realistic future that explores bodily autonomy and the pitfalls of scientific advancement, nestled within a ripping thriller with breakneck twists, and carried by an incredible cast of characters.”
—Rob Hart, author of The Warehouse and Assassins Anonymous