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The last thing Agent Sam Rose—probationary Agent Sam Rose—wants? More work on the weekend. Especially a dead-clone case that warrants an exaggerated littering fine at most. She needs a murder case to solve so she can finally get promoted away from the out-dated, disorganized, sexist backwater of District 3.
Sam’s boss wants the case closed fast. Sam’s integrity demands she pursues every lead. But in doing so, Sam discovers a terrifying puzzle leading to one impossible conclusion: a secret with the power to rewrite the entire history of the world.
A secret more personal than Sam could ever have imagined.
It’s time to expose the truth.
Perfect for fans of Blade Runner and J.D. Robb’s In Death series, don’t miss The Day Before: a gripping time-travel thriller about standing up for what’s right—no matter what the cost.
“This book ticked a lot of boxes for me – a murder mystery in a science fiction setting with a lovable giant of a dog? Yes, please! I really enjoyed this one.”
– SI Clarke, reviewer, ranking THE DAY BEFORE as one of the top ten SF reads of 2021
“Brooks nails this solid but twisty near-future sci-fi police procedural that feels as real as it does dangerous.”
– Jason LaPier author of UNEXPECTED RAIN
“…a relentless thriller which only pauses to pull the floor out from under you, leaves you asking what it means to be a person, and how far you’d go to make what-if what was.”
– JC Nelson author of FREE AGENT
CHAPTER 1
Friday May 17th, 2069
ALABAMA DISTRICT 3
COMMONWEALTH OF NORTH AMERICA
With an asthmatic wheeze the engine died. It figured. Stuck in a man’s craw, it did. This truck had been his daddy’s and his pappy’s, and before the Commonwealth government forced him to replace the diesel engine with the newfangled water doohickey, he was certain he’d pass the truck onto his son.
He’d been playing under the hood of trucks since he was six and now he was stranded. Embarrassing, that’s what it was. He climbed out of the cab to check the engine out of habit. The ice blue block of modern fuel efficiency stared back. Three hundred bucks it’d cost him, straight from his pocket.
Oh, there was a government subsidy, all right. A priority list. Major Population Centers, they said. Unite the countries of the Commonwealth on a timeline, they said. And what did all that mean?
It meant the damn Yankees got upgraded cities and free cars before the ink was dry on the Constitution and what about the little man? Nobody thought about the working class. No one cared about a man covered in oil and grease anymore.
He thumbed his cellphone on. No reception. Figured.
So much for the era of new prosperity. He’d hoof it. There was a little town about five miles down the road where he could call Ricky to bring a tow truck. It would have been cheaper to pay the diesel fines than get all this fixed.
Off schedule. Over budget. Son of a –
He stared at the distant trees. Well, it wasn’t going to get any cooler.
He grabbed his wallet and keys from the cab of his truck. The tree line looked like a good spot to answer a call from nature, then he’d see if there weren’t a shortcut through to town. A meadowlark sang. Not a bad day for a hike. Would’ve been better if it weren’t so dammed hot, but at least the humidity was low. He wouldn’t like to walk in a summer monsoon, not at his age with arthritis playing up.
Under a sprawling oak he unzipped his pants. As an afterthought, he glanced down to make sure he wouldn’t stir up a hill of fire ants.
A hand lay next to his boots.
He blinked, zipped his pants slowly, and turned around. “Hello?”
Cicadas chirped in answer.
“Are you drunk?” The quiet field that looked so peaceful only moments before was now eerily sinister. He nudged the hand with his foot. It was swollen and pale and crusted with blood, just like a prop out of a horror movie.
Maybe it was a good idea to run to the next town.
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