RED SCREEN

In Burke’s immersive thriller, real and virtual lives interweave in the metaverse.

“You haven’t lived until you’ve died in the Land of Might and Magic.” Xperion’s tagline for its most popular virtual-reality multiplayer fantasy game takes on an ominous cast when a player hacks into the game to bypass its leveling rules and starts “killing” the top players. The hacker’s character, now known as “gray warrior,” proves to be invisible to the developers and impossible to beat by the other players, causing an avalanche of issues for Xperion’s senior staff, who commission their own hacker to find the culprit. Shea Britton, an avid gamer and a top player in the Land of Might and Magic, starts her own investigation from within the game. In the real world, Parker Reid, the preeminent profiler at the FBI, is on the trail of a potential new serial killer. The violent manner of execution, the chilling trophies, and the macabre poses the victims are left in all point to a maniac who needs to be stopped, and soon. Initial victim profiling fails to reveal a common thread until the investigators uncover the victims’ connection to the famous virtual-reality game, and the convergence of Shea’s and Parker’s investigations becomes inevitable. In this engaging, page-turning thriller, the author seamlessly weaves two seemingly disparate threads: Parker Reid’s story has a sense of real-life authenticity to the investigation, while Shea’s pursuit in the fantasy realm of the Land of Might and Magic, complete with character-building and rules of the game, brings a unique and refreshing dynamic to the plot. The narrative incorporates elements of corporate greed and dysfunctional families along with compelling character development for both Shea and Parker, making for a well-rounded read. While there’s a degree of predictability when it comes to the culprit, the journey is a reward in itself.

A cool thriller with well-blended elements of crime, suspense, and gaming culture.