In 1969, Andy McGee and Vicky Tomlinson participated in a secret government experiment involving a low-grade hallucinogen called Lot Six. The drug altered their chromosomes, granting them mild psychic abilities and resulting in their daughter, Charlie, possessing uncontrollable pyrokinesis. Now, a clandestine intelligence agency known as The Shop seeks to weaponize the child’s power. After Vicky is murdered, Andy and Charlie go on the run across the United States. They face pursuit by relentless federal agents and John Rainbird, a calculated assassin obsessed with Charlie’s lethal potential.
Fans of supernatural thrillers read this book to see the intersection of domestic drama and cold-war paranoia. The narrative focuses on the physical toll of psychic exertion, which Andy experiences as debilitating "mental hemorrhages." Readers walk away with a detailed look at the ethics of government overreach and the volatile nature of inherited trauma. It provides a technical perspective on how a secret organization might track, capture, and study high-value human assets while documenting the escalation of a child’s destructive output.
Practical, clear-cut and escapist; an easy read.
Best for readers like The Escapist Adventurer. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 1980
- Language
- EN
Quotes by Stephen King
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On Writing
The most important things are the hardest to say, because words diminish them.
The Body
