The Salvation Gambit

By Emily Skrutskie

Book Overview

A hotheaded hacker must outwit the AI at the heart of a rogue warship-turned-penal colony if she and her crew of con women want to escape with their lives in this electrifying sci-fi thriller from the acclaimed author of Bonds of Brass.

"Fleet-footed, quick-witted, and beguiling, The Salvation Gambit is a good old-fashioned tale of high adventure."--Emery Robin, author of The Stars Undying

Murdock has always believed in Hark, the woman who shaped her from a petty thief and lowlife hacker into a promising con artist. Hark is everything Murdock aspires to be, from her slick fashion sense to her unfailing ability to plan under pressure. Together with Bea, a fearless driver who never walks away from a bet, and Fitz, Murdock's infuriatingly mercurial rival who can sweet-talk the galaxy into spinning around her finger, they form a foursome with a reputation for daring heists, massive payoffs, and never, ever getting caught.

Well, until now.

Getting caught is one thing. Getting tithed to a sentient warship that's styled itself into a punitive god is a problem this team has never faced before. Aboard the Justice is a world stitched together from the galaxy's sinners--some fighting for survival, some struggling to build a civilized society, and some sacrificing everything to worship the AI at the heart of the ship.

The Justice's all-seeing eyes are fixed on its newest acquisitions, Murdock in particular. It has use for a hacker--if it can wrest her devotion away from Hark. And Murdock's faith is already fractured. To escape the Justice's madness, they need a plan, and Hark might not be up to the task.

If Hark--brilliant, unflappable Hark--can't plot a way out, Murdock will have to use every last trick she's learned to outwit the Justice, resist its temptation, and get her crew out alive.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0593499751
• ISBN13: 9780593499757
• Release Date: September 2023
• Publisher: Random House Worlds
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.8" x 8.6"