{"product_id":"the-halter-paperback","title":"The Halter - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eDarby McDevitt\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCombining the inventive worldbuilding of Philip K. Dick and the elegiac longing of Raymond Chandler's \u003ci\u003eThe Long Goodbye\u003c\/i\u003e and for fans of \u003ci\u003eReady Player One\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eRabbits\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Halter\u003c\/i\u003e by Darby McDevitt (lead writer for \u003ci\u003eAssassin's Creed 4: Black Flag\u003c\/i\u003e) is a debut sci-fi novel that fuses cyber-noir, psychological suspense, and high-concept speculation in a breakneck search for truth inside a utopian metaverse on the verge of collapse\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn a world where virtual addiction kills, Kennedy Stark is paid to pull the plug. A professional halter--part detective, part counselor--he trawls the world's darkest surrogate-reality feeds in search of the lost. When he isn't working, he's dreaming of a one-way ticket to Mars, where a new colony has been established as a hopeful alternative to an Earth in the early stages of climate collapse. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e One evening, after a botched rescue attempt, a mysterious client offers Kennedy a tantalizing new case: brilliant software engineer Delia Walsh, who Kennedy fell in love with years ago, has disappeared inside a surrogate reality project called The Forum. Entering under an assumed identity, Kennedy finds a simulation unlike any other. The Forum bills itself as a tool for cutting-edge scientific research and radical philosophical investigations, but the signs of its corruption are everywhere. As Kennedy investigates, he learns Delia had been working on a new simulation that could upend The Forum's primary purpose, and that even in this prurient playground for the super wealthy, the dangers are very real. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBrimming with black humor, hardboiled attitude, and a cast of endearing misfits lost in brittle fantasies, \u003ci\u003eThe Halter\u003c\/i\u003e introduces a charismatic detective and heralds a unique and assured new voice in sci-fi crime.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDarby McDevitt \u003c\/b\u003eis a writer and game developer best known for his work on the Assassin's Creed series of video games. He served as lead writer for \u003ci\u003eAssassin's Creed 4: \u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eBlack Flag \u003c\/i\u003eand as narrative director for the forthcoming \u003ci\u003eAssassin's Creed: Codename Hexe\u003c\/i\u003e. His short fiction has appeared in \u003ci\u003eExquisite Corpse\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003e Jeopardy\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003e Griffel\u003c\/i\u003e, and\u003ci\u003e In Pieces: An Anthology of Fragmentary Writing\u003c\/i\u003e. McDevitt is a dual citizen of the US and Canada and lives in Montreal.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 336\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.01 x 8.31 x 5.61 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e February 17, 2026\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47450878345465,"sku":"9798895150887","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0789\/2782\/3097\/files\/a9QNCf6kPG9798895150887.webp?v=1772050629","url":"https:\/\/bookscloud.io\/products\/the-halter-paperback","provider":"BooksCloud Book Dropshipping","version":"1.0","type":"link"}