From the acclaimed author of The One and The Marriage Act, The Substitute is dark and brilliant speculative thriller about families: real and virtual!

'John Marrs is not to be missed' – Freida McFadden, bestselling author of The Housemaid

'Few writers do domestic suspense meets dystopia better than John Marrs' – Lucy Foley, bestselling author of The Paris Apartment

'The books of John Marrs have become a quiet phenomenon . . . Thoughtful, well written . . . and alarming' – Daily Mail

Some families are virtually perfect . . .

The world’s population is soaring, creating overcrowded cities and an economic crisis. A growing number of people can no longer afford to start families, let alone raise them.

But for those desperate to experience parenthood, there is an alternative. For a monthly fee, clients can create a virtual child from scratch, accessing them via the Metaverse and a VR headset. To launch this new initiative, the company behind MetaChildren has created a reality TV show. It will follow its contestants as they raise a MetaChild from birth to the age of eighteen, 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 . . .

The Goodreads Choice Award 2024 runner up, The Family Experiment is set in the same universe as John Marrs's bestselling novel The One and The Marriage Act. A dark and twisted thriller about the ultimate 'tamagotchi' - a virtual baby.

'Speculative fiction at its best – original, dark and wickedly clever' – C. L. Taylor, author of Every Move You Make

'His best yet. Frighteningly plausible, gripping, dark, and so clever' – Claire Douglas, author of The Woman Who Lied

'Hurtles towards a chilling denouement - a truly thought-provoking, single-sitting thriller' – Ellery Lloyd, author of The Club

'Chilling, inventive, horribly plausible and brilliantly addictive' – C. J. Tudor, author of The Gathering

"The books of John Marrs have become a quiet phenomenon. The Family Experiment will cement his reputation for writing intriguing thrillers rooted in the near future that tackle big issues without being preachy . . . A thoughtful, well-written, instructive and alarming look at a possible life in the soon to be present." - Daily Mail

"The Family Experiment is an eerie and darkly addictive thriller that will have your mind whirling throughout." - Culturefly

"A twisted, terrifyingly plausible tale." - Woman's Own