Review of 'Scorpion'

Scorpion by Christian Cantrell

Set in the near future, a series of mysterious murders of unrelated people of different ages (including an infant) around the world with only one thing in common - a four digit number on the body. The murder methods are imaginative and macabre, often using technology. CIA analyst Quinn Mitchell is called in to catch the so-called “Elite Assassin” who we learn is the shadowy “Ranveer”, travelling the world in luxury and performing his task with clinical perfection but for an unknown purpose. Henrietta Yi, also with the CIA but working on a secret project she refuses to discuss, is brought in to help Quinn with the investigation was involved in uncovering the “Epoch Index” - A message encoded in Large Hadron Collider data that appears to be from the future. As Quinn tracks the assassin around the globe she uncovers more questions than answers but under it all is: What is the pattern and will she be able to stop the killing…?

An interesting techno-thriller that keeps you guessing right up until the end of part two when things appear to be wrapped up but the Scorpion has a sting in it's tail for the final part which turns the whole thing on it's head leading to an unpredictable climax. Though, to be fair, part three does somewhat ratchet down the action as it picks up the pieces left at the end of part two. It does appear to slow down quite a bit in the final act but it leads to a satisfactory conclusion.

This is a very readable book and will appeal to those that like “near future” SF taken from the pages of modern society - AI, the LHC, cryptocurrency, etc. All the hyped technology bits are here in spades but are not just there for some “buzzword bingo” but are an integral part of the story. The extrapolation of all of this is quite interesting to see in the book that feels not too far from what may really be in store for us.

An interesting, easy to read techno-mystery that keeps you turning the pages with an ending that may be slightly easy to predict but interesting nonetheless. Well worth a read.

Rating: “Nearly perfect, but not quite”

Review Date: 2025-08-09

Genre: Science Fiction

Publisher: Penguin Random House

Publication Date: 2021

ISBN: 9780241371336