Three people live. Three people die. You make the choice.
Like any mother, Chrissie wants to protect her family. She would do anything to keep them safe. So when a mysterious stranger turns up at her door, offering to prevent the deaths of the people she loves, it sounds too good to be true. The only problem: she must choose someone to die in their place. A substitute.
When her daughter Holly has a terrible accident, Chrissie has no option but to enter the programme. In that horrifying moment, she would do anything to save her. But even after Holly makes a miraculous recovery, Chrissie is convinced it’s just a coincidence. After all, who can really control the laws of life and death?
But as the dangers to her family escalate and her chosen substitutes begin to disappear, Chrissie finds herself in an underworld of hidden laboratories and secretive doctors. And the consequences of playing by their rules are far deadlier than she ever imagined…
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"What an absolute belter of a book. I’m loving the slight Sci-Fi edge that her work is taking lately, while still remaining effortlessly cool and relevant. Each new book surpasses the previous, something I thought impossible. Holliday is one of the most exciting authors I’ve come across."
— JM Hewitt, author of The Life She Wants
“Wowzers―I’ve just finished reading a proof of Susi Holliday’s twisty-turny thriller Substitute and it’s epic! Mind-bending, pulse-pounding, techno-thriller brilliance!”
— Steph Broadribb, author of Deep Down Dead“Deliciously disturbing, thought-provoking, and unforgettable. Everything I want in a thriller.”
— Jo Jakeman, author of Safe House“A clever slice of dystopian darkness.
— Heat MagazineLoved it. Could you sentence someone to death to save a loved one? A thrilling speculative thriller for fans of Blake Crouch and John Marrs.
— Mark Edwards, author of The HollowsA future-possible plot and richly drawn characters kept me hooked from start to finish. Easy to devour and hard to forget.
— John Marrs, author of What Lies Between UsWowzers—I’ve just finished reading a proof of Susi Holliday’s twisty-turny thriller Substitute and it’s epic!! Mind-bending, pulse-pounding, techno-thriller brilliance! Perfect for fans of John Marrs’s The One, JP Delaney, Blake Crouch.
— Steph Broadribb, author of Deep Down DeadSusi Holliday knocks it out of the park with this book. It’s everything you want in a thriller—imaginative, credible, and engaging; rocketing relentlessly towards a gut-wrenching conclusion as the stakes grow higher and higher…Brilliant.
— Louise Voss, author of The Last StageAbsolutely loved it! Original and compelling, with a killer premise and gut-wrenching dilemmas. And I do love a rogue scientist.
— Roz Watkins, author of the DI Meg Dalton thriller seriesA twisty, super creepy tale that kept me turning the pages well into the night—be careful what you wish for!
— Emma Haughton, author of The DarkI always get excited when a new Susi Holliday book comes out and Substitute didn’t disappoint. A wild ride and a highly original story you won’t want to miss.
— C S Green, author of Sleep TightDeliciously disturbing, thought-provoking, and unforgettable. Everything I want in a thriller.
— Jo Jakeman, author of Safe HouseIf you’re looking for a pacy, smart, and twisty plot, Substitute is an absolute must read. This is a book that feels terrifyingly real.
— Lisa Cutts, author of Don’t Trust HimYou’d be mad to substitute Susi Holliday’s clever, complex & compelling thriller for anyone else’s: who lives and who dies?
— Claire Seeber, author of The Street PartyA chilling and addictive tale of the price of good intentions, devastating choices, and science gone wrong. Frankenstein meets The Chain in Susi’s most powerful thriller yet.
— Heleen Kist, author of Stay Mad, SweetheartAbsolutely loved Substitute. It poses a fascinating question I can’t stop thinking about: if you could save the lives of three loved ones by choosing three others to die in their place, who would they be? Not a wasted word and so compelling.
— Fiona Cummins, author of When I Was TenDark, clever, and thought-provoking, just as you’d expect from Holliday. She puts everyday people through not-at-all everyday situations, and you, the reader, have to watch it all fall apart with your heart in your throat.
— Louise Beech, author of This Is How We Are HumanA cracking premise. If you want something a little different then I suggest you check this out. Read the blurb. Go on. You won’t be able to look away!
— Rebecca Bradley, author of the DI Hannah Robbins seriesWow! Creepy, compelling, and so thought-provoking! Who would be your three?!
— Karen Cole, author of Deliver MeIf you like chills and thrills with a dark science twist and a big hook, it’ll be right up your street. There is no substitute for Holliday…
— Mason Cross, author of the Carter Blake seriesTense, gripping, and terrifyingly plausible, Substitute marries an intriguing high-concept premise with warm storytelling and the most accurate parent-child relationship since The Whisper Man.
— Ed James, author of the Cullen and Bain Scottish Crime Thrillers seriesA razor-sharp story that refuses to let you go.
— Quentin Bates, author of the Officer Gunnhilder seriesWhen faced with an impossible choice of who lives and who dies, a mother is caught in a twisty science of the future. I could barely breathe when reading this. Gripping!
— Rachael Blok, author of Into the FireBe the first to write a review about this audiobook!
Susi Holliday is an author of short stories and several novels, and she has been shortlisted for the inaugural CWA Margery Allingham Prize. She provides coaching for new crime writers via www.crimefictioncoach.com. She grew up in Scotland and worked in the pharmaceutical industry for many years before she started writing.
James Langton, an Earphones Award–winning narrator, trained as an actor at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and later as a musician at the Guildhall School in London. He has worked in radio, film, and television, also appearing in theater in England and on Broadway. He is also a professional musician who led the internationally renowned Pasadena Roof Orchestra from 1996 to 2002.
Simon Mattacks is an actor and voiceover artist who has worked on films such as The World Is Not Enough.
Esther Wane is a British actor and voice-over artist. After a career in finance, she fulfilled a childhood dream of going to drama school in London, and her life as an actor began at age forty. She has a lifelong passion for literature and can often be found browsing bookshops during any spare moments. Wane enjoys taking her listeners on a journeys in time and space and bringing the characters on the page to life in their imagination. She lives with her family and collection of books in Hertfordshire, just outside London.
Esther Wane is a British actor and voice-over artist. After a career in finance, she fulfilled a childhood dream of going to drama school in London, and her life as an actor began at age forty. She has a lifelong passion for literature and can often be found browsing bookshops during any spare moments. Wane enjoys taking her listeners on a journeys in time and space and bringing the characters on the page to life in their imagination. She lives with her family and collection of books in Hertfordshire, just outside London.