REVIEW:

My brain hurts.

Since I only read a handful of science fiction books each year, I’m admittedly out of practice when it comes to keeping up with mind-bending stories in that genre. I thought I was up to the challenge of taking on one about human cloning in the not-too-distant future, but I sure got a mental workout!

The weird thing is, Constance is actually more of a mystery dressed up in sci-fi trimmings. Author Matthew FitzSimmons explains in the Acknowledgments how the plot for the novel unfolded: “Wouldn’t it be cool if someone had to investigate their own death? How could someone living be in a position to solve their own murder? What if the hero were a clone of the murdered person with all their memories except those of the murder itself?”

So that’s the central concept - Constance “Con” D’Arcy wakes up as a clone and tries to figure out what series of events led up to the death of her “original.” It’s a little cat & mouse, a tad whodunnit, and a lot twisty-turny.

Even if the sum of its parts was ultimately too convoluted for this reader, I did enjoy the character diversity and ethical questions posed in the novel. This was a buddy read with fellow Goodreads reviewer Holly, and I think we agreed we wouldn’t want to be cloned! We both also picked up some strong Blake Crouch vibes, so if you like his brand of fiction you might enjoy this book a titch more than I did.

Constance is an Amazon Prime First Reads selection for August 2021, which likely means it will be part of the Kindle Unlimited collection upon its September 1st release date. A follow up book is already slated for September 2022.

PUBLISHER SYNOPSIS:

A breakthrough in human cloning becomes one woman’s waking nightmare in a mind-bending thriller by the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Gibson Vaughn series.

In the near future, advances in medicine and quantum computing make human cloning a reality. For the wealthy, cheating death is the ultimate luxury. To anti-cloning militants, it’s an abomination against nature. For young Constance “Con” D’Arcy, who was gifted her own clone by her late aunt, it’s terrifying.

After a routine monthly upload of her consciousness — stored for that inevitable transition — something goes wrong. When Con wakes up in the clinic, it’s eighteen months later. Her recent memories are missing. Her original, she’s told, is dead. If that’s true, what does that make her?

The secrets of Con’s disorienting new life are buried deep. So are those of how and why she died. To uncover the truth, Con is retracing the last days she can recall, crossing paths with a detective who’s just as curious. On the run, she needs someone she can trust. Because only one thing has become clear: Con is being marked for murder — all over again.