Summary:

DI Clive Lussac has forgotten how to do his job. Ten years of embedded technology – ‘iMe’ – has led to complete control and the eradication of crime. Then the impossible happens. A body is found, and the killer is untraceable. With new partner Zoe Jordan, Clive must re-sharpen his detective skills and find the killer without technology, before time runs out for the next victim…

Thoughts:

“Proximity” is set in the future, when having an embedded ‘iMe’ is a compulsory requirement. An ‘iMe’ is a clever piece of technology which has the power to control your life. It can make recommendations about your health and diet (just like the IPEA implant in Black Matter), you can use it to make calls and read messages, make payments, read the news, track your loved ones… if you can think of it, the ‘iMe’ can probably do it.

When reading this book I found that it was really interesting to think about this type of technology and the possibility of something like this becoming common place in the future. The ‘iMe’ and its HUD (Head-Up Display) screen has eradicated the need for smartphones which are now sitting in a museum for school children to laugh at, Whatsapp is a distant memory. This new software restricts your diet, so obesity is no long a problem, accidents are prevented as much as possible and, as a result, the NHS is up and running more smoothly than ever. The police force are doing pretty well too as there’s little crime and everyone’s location signal provides the police with solid evidence and alibis for speedy prosecution.

So when a young woman goes missing and her disappearance is reported to the police, DI Clive Lussac and his new partner DC Zoe Jordan initially blame the technology. People just don’t go missing these days so it must be some kind of technical glitch, right?

Wrong.

I felt that this book played out like a futuristic James Patterson novel, and I really really liked it for that. The chapters often changed perspectives between Clive, Zoe and ‘Thief’, and in a similar style to Patterson, chapters were kept short for fast-paced reading.

I’m really impressed with this debut from Jem Tugwell and would recommend giving it a read!

Overall rating: An enjoyable and somewhat unnerving peek at what technology could be like in our future. “Proximity” is fast-paced, imaginative and could easily be featured as the next episode of “Black Mirror”. It’s a big 5 stars from me!

https://whatrebeccasread.wordpress.com/2019/06/06/proximity/