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

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

'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. And in the UK, breaking point has arrived. 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 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 . . .

Set in the same universe as John Marrs's bestselling novel The One and The Marriage Act, The Family Experiment is a dark and twisted thriller about the ultimate 'tamagotchi' - a virtual baby.

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

'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 The Club

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

"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 page-turning and thought-provoking read" - Daily Mirror on The Marriage Act