Lucky Ghost

The extraordinary new novel from the incredible author of SOCKPUPPET. Perfect for fans of BLACK MIRROR. Early one morning, blogger Alex Kubelick walks up to a total stranger and slaps him across the face. Hard. He smiles. They've both just earned Emoticoin, in a new, all-consuming game that trades real-life emotions for digital currency. Emoticoin is changing the face of the economy - but someone or something is controlling it for their own, dangerous ends. As Alex picks apart the tangled threads that hold the virtual game together she finds herself on the run from very real enemies. It seems only one person has the answers she seeks. Someone who hides behind the name 'Lucky Ghost'. But Lucky Ghost will only talk to a young hacker called Thimblerig - the online troll who's been harassing Alex for months. Will Lucky Ghost lead Alex and Thimblerig to the answers they seek - or to their deaths? LUCKY GHOST is part of the Martingale cycle, a series of interconnected novels exploring the life of computing pioneer and political radical Elyse Martingale - and her strange afterlife in the 21st century. (P)2017 Hodder & Stoughton Limited