BLOG TOUR: THE DOUBT FACTORY BY PAOLO BACIGALUPI

The Doubt Factory by Paolo Bacigalupi.

Published by Atom books.

Release date: 7th April 2016.

Source: Atom books via ED public relations, UK paperback review copy.

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Everything Alix knows about her life is a lie–at least according to the mysterious young man who’s been stalking her. But could her dad really be a bad guy at the helm of an organization that covers up the deadly wrongdoings of some of the country’s most rich and powerful? Alix has to make an impossible choice between her father and the young man she’s not only falling for, but who’s asking her to blow the whistle on the man who raised her. Could someone you have loved and have known for your whole life actually have the heart of a killer?

Today is my stop on the blog tour for the newly released YA mystery-thriller The Doubt Factory by Paolo Bacigalupi! I'm super excited to share an extract from The Doubt Factory with you today and I've no doubt that you'll be just as hooked as I was after reading it! So without further ado, let's dive right into the extract...

Extract from The Doubt Factory

“Who are you?” she asked. “How do you know my name?” She could see herself reflected in his mirrored lenses.

It made her feel small. More like a little girl than a grown woman: brown hair French-braided, Seitz school uniform with its prim blazer and skirt. He’s tall, she thought inanely.

“You want to know who I am?” he asked, and there was so much sadness in the words that she was struck nearly speechless. She felt even more horribly aware of her school uniform. It was as if she was looking at someone who had seen the entire world. Not like she’d seen Paris or Barcelona on vacation, but more like the Bastille or the slums of India. And here she was, in all her naïveté, trying to grab hold of that. It took all her will to press him again.

“What’s all this about?” she asked. “What’s 2.0?”

The guy’s expression was so different that she almost wondered if she’d grabbed the wrong black guy in the crowd. It reminded her of how Cynthia complained about people not being able to tell her and Alice Kim apart. Improbably, Alix heard Cynthia’s voice in her head—Alice is Korean, for Christ’s sake.

“You’ve got questions now, don’t you?” he said, and abruptly the heavy sadness disappeared and the brilliant smile was back. The same boisterous, knowing smile that she’d seen twice before.

A new explosion went off, right among the parked cars. Alix ducked instinctively. Smoke enveloped her, wild and thick and yellow, hiding everything from sight. Suddenly the stranger grabbed her. Hard and tight.

“Hey!” Alix tried to knee him in the balls, but he must have turned away because all she hit was thigh. She struggled against him for another second, then changed tactics and let herself be pulled close.

She bit him.

She heard a satisfying yelp of pain, but to her surprise the stranger didn’t let go. Instead, he spun her around and wrapped his strong arms around her, pulling her into a tighter embrace.

“Should have known you’d have some bite to you,” he murmured in her ear.

The amusement and play were back in his voice.

“You want to see how much bite I’ve got?” she asked. She tried to twist free again, but he was ready for her now. He had her pinned against his chest. She rested, gathering strength. Looking for a chance to hurt him again.

The stranger chuckled. His breath was hot on her cheek.

“How about we call a little truce?”

“Why? So we can go for coffee?” If she threw her head back fast, she could hit his face with the back of her skull. She might crush his nose if she was lucky.

“You want to know what this is all about?” Alix stilled, suddenly alert.

“Are you going to tell me?”

The smoke was thick around them. Alix could hear cops shouting and people running, but all of it was distant. She and the stranger were in a bubble of smoke, separate from everything around them.

She was suddenly acutely aware of how closely he held her. She could feel the rise and fall of his chest as he panted, the exertion she’d put him through. He was holding her so tightly she could feel his heart beating.

“What’s this all about?” she asked.

“Ask your father.”

“What?”

“Ask your father. He’s the one who knows all the secrets.” He shoved her away abruptly.

Alix spun to pursue, but he was lost in the smoke. Everything was shadow forms.

By the time the smoke cleared, he was gone, as if he’d blown away in the wind.

About Paolo Bacigalupi:

Paolo Bacigalupi is a New York Times bestseller and National Book Award finalist, a 2015 Edgar Award Nominee and a 2015 Locus Award Nominee. His novel The Windup Girl was one of the most celebrated SF debuts of all time, winning both the Hugo and Nebula awards. He lives in Colorado with his wife and son and is available for interview.