Freelance proofreader Tessa Shepard has spent six years haunted by three missing words in a murder transcript. Her quiet life is shattered when a robotic companion dog named Biscuit is delivered to her porch in the middle of the night. The dog contains the trapped consciousness of Caleb Rook, the man convicted of the murder Tessa cannot forget.
Caleb insists he is innocent, and Tessa already knows the transcript was wrong. Now, the billionaire who buried the truth wants Caleb wiped for good. His corporate clean-up crew is breaking into Tessa’s house to retrieve the stolen technology. Trapped inside with her elderly neighbor armed with a ceramic goose, Tessa must protect the talking robotic terrier, who is the only surviving witness. They have one night to recover the hidden evidence before Caleb’s mind is erased forever.
Experience the ticking-clock tension in this gripping sci-fi suspense novella.
Is this book for you?
Can this book be read as a standalone?
Yes. This is a complete standalone story. It’s part of the Nyx Bytes series, a collection of short dystopian sci-fi thrillers that can be read in any order.
What’s the vibe of this book?
It’s a tense home-invasion thriller with dark corporate sci-fi. The story takes a midnight break-in, a wrongful conviction, and a cheerful robotic support dog, then turns them into a fight over memory, proof, and personhood.
Who is this book for?
This book is for readers who want a fast, suspenseful story set over one dangerous night. It should suit anyone who enjoys, sinister tech companies, sharp banter, older women with backbone, and people fighting back when the powerful try to erase the evidence.
What are the closest comparisons?
Readers who enjoy the tech dread of Black Mirror, the trapped-house tension of Panic Room, or short thrillers about artificial consciousness and corporate cover-ups may enjoy this story.
Is there romance?
No. There is no romance. The story focuses on Tessa keeping Caleb safe, protecting the evidence, surviving the break-in, and exposing the truth before his mind is wiped.
How long of a read is this?
It’s a quick, bite-sized thriller built for one sitting. Most of the story unfolds inside Tessa’s house over a few frantic hours, so it has a tight, fast pace.
Is it funny, scary, or more heartfelt?
It’s tense and scary, with dry humour from Tessa, Caleb, Biscuit, and Mrs Collins under pressure. The emotional centre is Caleb’s fight to be heard after the world treated him as a case file instead of a person.