‘Terrifying’. That’s the common theme to early feedback on Palisade, and pleased I am to hear it. It’s exactly what a crime writer wants to hear, particularly if they write thrillers featuring blackmail, jeopardy, and murder. But dig a little deeper, and it doesn’t seem to be the thrills and spills that they’re referring to.
Palisade is a political thriller, set in the sleazy world of Westminster. It’s about a conspiracy between a big tech organisation that has AI capabilities and corrupt British politicians who hope to use its systems for their own gain.
I’m one of those writers who researches endlessly. And uncomfortably close relationships between tech giants and top politicians on both sides of the pond was something that often came up. As Palisade comes out, the world watches the richest man on the planet stand side-by-side with the soon-to-be president of the United States. Interesting… But, no… that wasn’t it.
For all of my Kanha and Colbey thrillers, I like to look into technology that is either cutting-edge or in development. I like to think forward to what it will be like when that technology is in our everyday lives. Palisade, like its predecessor, Dirty Geese, is set a teeny way into the future. A sort of ‘tomorrow’. London is essentially the same as it is now, only the trial of delivery drones is going well and the streets are eerily empty – the army of white van drivers that used to clog up the arteries of the city have all but disappeared. Instead the city vibrates with an endless hum that seeps into buildings and sets people’s teeth on edge.
Everyone has come to rely on their digital assistants, trusting them like a friend, following their advice blindly, not thinking who or what might be behind them. Deep fake is so prolific no-one can tell what’s real and what’s not any more. And there’s a new social media site in town called the Mouth of the Mob. It openly allows its users to post fake news and offers golden scoops to any amateur reporter who happens to break real news. The Mobsters roam the streets, filming and recording, looking for content to boost their ratings. The government has installed listening eye posts all over the city, the better to keep us all safe, and privacy is a luxury that is becoming increasingly hard to find.
Two out-of-their depth MPs, ambitious opposition chief whip Esme Kanha, and honest but tired-of-life backbencher Harry Colbey decide to act when they stumble upon a conspiracy that suggests this not all accidental. But in a world where what can see watches, what can hear listens and what can be followed is tracked, they have to tread very carefully.
People tell me they think the future outlined in Palisade is all too believable and all too near, and that is what terrifies them.
Palisade by Lou Gilmond is published by Armillary Books in paperback, eBook and audiobook on the 21st November.
