Book Review - Baby X by Kira Peikoff

Title: Baby X
Author: Kira Peikoff
Genre: Science Fiction/ Thriller
Published: 2024
 
Description: In the near-future United States, where advanced technology can create eggs or sperm from any person’s cells, celebrities face the alarming potential of meeting biological children they never conceived. Famous singer Trace Thorne is tired of being targeted by the Vault, a black market site devoted to stealing DNA. Sick of paying ransom for his own cell matter, he hires bio-security guard Ember Ryan to ensure his biological safety.
 
Ember will do anything she can to protect her clients. She knows all the Vault’s tricks and has prevented countless DNA thefts. Working for Thorne, her focus becomes split when she begins to fall for him, but she knows she hasn’t let anything slip – love or not, his DNA is safe. But then she and Thorne are confronted by a pregnant woman, Quinn, who claims that Thorne is the father of her baby, and all bets are off.
Review: “Baby X” is set in the near future, where eggs and sperm can easily be created from  any person’s cells. A company called Vault, steals DNA from celebrities and sells it on the black market. Musician Trace Thorne is one of the victims and he hires Ember Ryan as his security agent to help prevent it. But when a woman named Quinn claims she is pregnant with Thorne’s baby, they have to figure out what went wrong.
 
For fans of John Marrs books, like “The One” or “The Marriage Act”, “Baby X” is a great alternative. Kira Peikoff wrote a futuristic thriller that excels in the exciting, speculative science fiction genre, exploring the risks of genetic technology and its ethical dilemmas.
 
The book is fast paced. The chapters are short and each one is told from the perspective of different character. The plotting is clever and it has several really good twist that I never saw coming. Especially the final one.
 
Even though you’re spending a lot of time with these characters, not all are as interesting or as developed. Quinn was lacking depth, although her storyline was my favorite. And Lily’s arc wasn’t grabbing me, until the final few chapters.
 
If you like realistic science fiction thrillers, with excellent world-building, you will probably enjoy this.
 
Rating: 4/ 5