The Kill Factor - by Ben Oliver (Hardcover)

About the Book

A contestant on a brand-new game show offering young criminals the chance at freedom and a cash prize by winning over viewers, Emerson desperately needs the money to save her family, but little does she know that winning is her only chance at survival because losing means death.

Book Synopsis

A brand-new game show that offers young criminals the chance at freedom has been greenlit. Little do they know, winning is their only chance at survival. A captivating examination of the dark truths around the criminal justice system, Ben Oliver, critically acclaimed author of The Loop trilogy, delivers an action-packed thrill ride with deadly high stakes.

Fifty contestants. Five mental and physical challenges. One winner.

In a near-future where a virtual currency of digital content fuels a fame-hungry society, a brand-new experiment that combines social media and reality TV has been greenlit.

Voted on, and contestants are sent to a maximum-security reform camp on an island where they can have no contact with the outside world. To lose means prison. But to win is to be free. The most popular young offender with the most upvotes by the end is given both a second chance in society and a cash prize.

This kind of money could mean everything to Emerson and her family who live in the Burrows, one of the subterranean villages where the government have buried affordable housing. It's more than freedom. It could mean the chance to change her family's circumstance and finally find a place in the society they've never been allowed into.

But what Emerson doesn't know, what the viewers don't know, is that the prison on the island is empty. Those who lose, those who are voted off aren't incarcerated. Each challenge will leave more and more contestants to die. And the only choice they have is to win over viewers before it's too late.

Review Quotes

Praise for The Loop trilogy:

* "A script-ready story with blockbuster potential." -- Kirkus (Starred Review) for The Loop

* "While some second novels dip or stall, this volume aptly does its job, building background knowledge for the series, creating more tension, and setting up a riveting cliffhanger for the series conclusion. Readers will be left begging for the final installment."-- Kirkus, Starred Review for The Block

* "Equally rewarding is that this third book is not simply an extension of the overall story arc, but a culmination that ties it together with its predecessors. A thrilling, thought-provoking, and ultimately deeply satisfying series conclusion."-- Kirkus, Starred Review for The Arc

About the Author

Benjamin Oliver grew up in Scotland and began writing long before he could spell. He attended the University of Stirling where he studied English but spent most of his time trying to write a novel. Benjamin's first short story was published when he was eighteen, and since then he's been published in over a dozen literary magazines and anthologies. Fueled by astounding amounts of coffee, Benjamin completed The Loop -- his first full-length YA manuscript -- in Edinburgh, where he currently lives and teaches English at secondary school.