Rune Michaels bursts onto the teen fiction scene with a fast-paced, chilling debut novel exploring the origins of good and evil and thin line between science and morality.

Josh worships his older brother, Max. They look alike, they sound alike, and they even have the same interests, including their favourite online role playing game, Genesis Alpha. But Josh and Max have a much deeper connection. When Max was very ill with cancer, it was Josh's stem cells, harvested before he was born, that saved Max's life. Then, suddenly everything changes. Max is arrested right in the middle of a game of Genesis Alpha for the brutal murder of a young girl. As the family are flung into turmoil, Josh desperately tries to reconcile the brother he knows and loves with the monster they are talking about on television. At the same time he also struggles with an unnerving sense of guilt: if his cells had not saved Max's life, would this girl still be alive? But this is only the beginning, and before the end, Josh uncovers startling revelations - revelations that could have devastating implications not only for Max's future, but for Josh's as well.

In her debut, Michaels takes on some of the age-old big questions: good vs. evil, nature vs. nurture, evolution vs. creationism, free will. Fortunately for the reader, she does so with a fresh and compelling story. Josh and Max are brothers, in a close-knit, well-adjusted, stable family. Or are they? Josh's adored older brother is accused of a brutal murder. And it was Josh's creation as a designer baby that saved Max's life as an infant. Is Max guilty? The victim's sister is sure of it. This is a fascinating and realistic page-turner, and virtually impossible to put down. It leaves gory details out, and focuses on the emotional interaction within the family, as well as Josh's introspection as he contemplates his future. Can he determine what he becomes? Or is it all in his genes? The surprises come naturally, and the ending leaves readers to decide. (Science fiction. 12-14) (Kirkus Reviews)