The Family Experiment A dark twisty near future pageturner from the 'master of the speculative thriller'

<p><b>'John Marrs is a writer at the top of his game and <i>The Family Experiment </i>is his best yet. Frighteningly plausible, gripping, dark, and so clever.' - Claire Douglas, author of <i>The Woman Who Lied</i></b><br><br><b>Some families are <i>virtually </i>perfect . . . </b><br><br>The world's population is soaring, creating overcrowded cities and an economic crisis. And in the UK, breaking point has arrived. A growing number of people can no longer afford to start families let alone raise them.<br><br>But for those desperate to experience parenthood, there is an alternative. For a monthly subscription fee, clients can create a virtual child from scratch who they can access via the metaverse and a VR headset. To launch this new initiative, the company behind Virtual Children has created a reality tv show. It will follow ten couples as they raise a Virtual Child from birth to the age of eighteen but in a condensed nine-month time period. The prize: the right to keep their virtual child or risk it all for the chance of a real baby . . .<br><br><b>Set in the same universe as John Marrs's bestselling novel<i> The One </i>and <i>The Marriage Act</i>, <i>The Family Experiment </i>is a dark and twisted thriller about the ultimate 'tamagotchi' - a virtual baby.<br><br>'An unsettling and immersive roller coaster which hurtles towards a chilling denouement - a truly thought-provoking, single-sitting thriller. Loved it. ' - Ellery Lloyd, author of <i>The Club</i><br><br>'<i>The Family Experiment</i> is an eerie and darkly addictive thriller that will have your mind whirling throughout.' - </b><i><b>Culturefly</b></i></p>