Driven - by Mason Coile (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

A terrifying locked-room mystery from the author of Exiles and William--this time set in a cutting-edge autonomous car.

Jamie Newcross wants to disappear. His wife and baby girl have abandoned him, and his only wish is to retreat from society. Because, as it turns out, Jamie Newcross is also being haunted. Every house, condo, or apartment he moves into is plagued with ghosts--at the end of the bed or when pulling back the shower curtain. He hasn't been able to sleep in weeks.

But Jamie has a plan. He posts queries online and finds someone wanting to get rid of their Lion--the world's most advanced self-driving car--a sleek, private, contained vessel that is one-hundred percent safe. Or so he thought.

Because now, Jamie has woken up to the Lion speeding down a dark road, the hood is dented--wait, is that blood?--and the car will not respond, or stop, or let him out.

As the miles rack up and Jamie becomes increasingly complicit in his car's choices, he's forced to face the tragic past he has kept buried. Driven is a taut, near-future fever-dream. Mason Coile delivers another one-sitting read that blends science fiction and psychological horror to explore loneliness, grief, and the things that make us human.

Review Quotes

"This heart stopping claustrophobic novel follows a grieving father who is trapped in a self driving car hurdling towards where, he doesn't know-all he knows is he needs to get out, and fast." --Forbes

"Jamie Newcross is struggling . . . as [he] slowly confronts the events from a few years ago that inexorably changed his life, readers learn the true horror may be humanity, and the acts we are capable of, rather than overly powerful machines. As the novel concludes, the creeping dread that has been building gives way to raw grief and, ultimately, release, as Jamie finally ends up where he belongs." --Booklist

"Driven is a taut, near-future fever-dream. Mason Coile delivers another one-sitting read that blends science fiction and psychological horror to explore loneliness, grief, and the things that make us human." --Bookreporter

"Driven is a fast, eerie, violent ride in a smart car with a haunted man who can't escape the ghosts no matter what he does. Wonderfully written and twisty, this short novel is a bittersweet reminder of Coile's talent and a great addition to Pyper's impressive, award-winning catalog . . . Throughout all of it, Coile maintains full control of the narrative and, pardon the pun, the pedal to the metal. Strangely plausible, always moving forward, and wonderfully creepy (there's a scene with a ghost in a bathroom that is worth the price of entry), Driven delivers a wonderful mix of violence, ghosts, mystery, crime, science fiction, and top-notch psychological horror. Don't skip this one." --Locus Magazine

"Coile, in this clever sci-fi thriller, grounds the genre trope of a killer car in an empathetic portrayal of a man at the end of his rope...Coile makes a meal of this hair-raising premise while crafting a nuanced portrait of his flawed and deeply human lead. It's a true page-turner." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"If you've ever been a bit weary of fully autonomous vehicles, reading this book won't exactly change your mind . . . Driven skillfully blends horror with a type of sci-fi that doesn't feel all that far away from what could happen now or sometime soon, keeping us firmly in the passenger seat the whole way through." --IGN

"A story that really packs a punch. Driven is a fast-paced (again, pun-intended) thrilling mystery will have you reading a breakneck speeds (you get the point by now). Mason Coile blends the world of self-driving cars, artificial intelligence, and terror into a fresh new story that was hard to put down. You'll want to put your seatbelt on for this one, because this Lion car has a mind of it's own." --Capes & Tights

"[Driven] is an intense, unique, well-written novel that you will not want to put down. At 207 pages, it's a quick, easy read." --Red Carpet Crash

"A high-tech noir blended with a truly terrifying ghost story makes for one wild--and ultimately poignant--ride." --Jennifer Thorne, USA Today bestselling author of Diavola

"Mason Coile flips the ghost story on its head in Driven, a rare thriller that is equal parts gripping and profound." -Aimee Pokwatka, USA Today bestselling author of Accumulation

About the Author

Mason Coile was a pseudonym of Andrew Pyper, the award-winning author of Exiles, William, and ten other novels, including The Demonologist, which won the International Thriller Writers Award, and Lost Girls, which was a New York Times bestseller and Notable Book of the Year.