Five Minds: A Financial Times Book of the Year

‘An addictive read that will remain with you long after you emerge from the rabbit hole’ - THE TIMES

‘A marvellously twisty whodunnit [with] the brutal, clockwork ingenuity of an Agatha Christie mystery’ - FT

‘A pacy, exciting and most unusual crime story’ - GUARDIAN ________________________________________

ONE BODY. TWO LIES. THREE MURDERS. FOUR SUSPECTS. FIVE MINDS.

The Earth’s spiralling population has finally been controlled. Lifespans are limited to eighty years, except for those who make an extreme choice: to become a commune. Five minds sharing one body, each living for four hours at a time. But with a combined lifespan of nearly 150 years.

Alex, Kate, Mike, Sierra and Ben have already spent twenty-five years together in what was once Mike’s body, their frequent personality clashes leading to endless bickering, countless arguments, and getting themselves stranded on a Russian Arctic freighter. Wanting to buy upgrades for their next host body, they decide to travel to a Death Park where time can be gambled like money. But things go very wrong when Kate accepts a dangerous offer, and one of them disappears.

Someone is trying to kill off members of the commune. But why? Is one of them responsible? Or is an outsider playing a deadly game? It’s hard enough to catch a murderer. It’s almost impossible when you might be sharing a body with them…

This brilliant murder mystery blends classic crime with speculative fiction in a stunning debut.