Latest Books THE FOREVER GAME with Jeffrey James Higgins

Special Agent Adam Locke quits DEA and joins his brother’s artificial intelligence company so he can care for his dying girlfriend, but when his brother is killed in a suspicious accident, Adam discovers life-saving technology can be also deadly.

Being a special agent meant everything to Adam, but when his girlfriend is diagnosed with cancer, he resigns to be closer to home. He takes a job at his brother’s AI start-up and works for an eccentric billionaire on Cuttyhunk Island, a tiny community near Cape Cod.

Forever Technology promises artificial intelligence will extend life, but after a scientist falls off a cliff and Adam’s brother dies in an explosion, Adam believes someone is killing to protect the priceless innovation.

The clock is ticking as Adam fights to use the technology to save his girlfriend and to prove his brother was murdered before the killer can escape with the world’s most valuable scientific discovery.

Jeffrey James Higgins

Award winning author, Jeffrey James Higgins recently sat down with The Big Thrill to discuss his latest science thriller, THE FOREVER GAME.

When you first created your protagonist for this book, did you see an empty space in crime lit that you wanted to fill? What can you share about the inspiration for that character?

I’m was a special agent, like my protagonist, but I wanted him to address issues that transcended his job. My wife survived cancer and battles Multiple Sclerosis. My protagonist’s girlfriend is diagnosed with a life-threatening disease, so he must reexamine what matters most to him.

Can you pinpoint a moment or incident that sparked the idea for this book?

I heard about a CEO in Silicon Valley who had offered to download the consciousness of his friends and family. I researched AI medical advances and realized technology has advanced faster than I’d realized.

A novel is such a major undertaking; there’s the writing of it, of course, then you’re spending months and months revising, polishing, and then promoting it. How did you know this was the book you wanted to spend the next couple of years on?

Artificial intelligence will change life as we know it, and that transformation will happen soon. Advancements in AI make the philosophical argument about the nature of consciousness more relevant than ever. What responsibility do we have to AI beings, and will they have rights? When brains can be downloaded, will eternal life be possible? AI will make people confront what does it mean to be human.

In addition to a great read, what do you hope readers will take away from this story?

I hope THE FOREVER GAME makes people think about the philosophical and ethical considerations around AI. We’re at a major turning point in human development, and the world will be unrecognizable within our lifetimes. The choices we make over the next couple of decades will impact humanity forever.

Were there any particular books, movies, or songs that were knocking around in your head while you were writing this one?

The medical-thriller component was influenced by Robin Cook’s Coma, and the techno-thriller aspects were influenced by Michael Crichton. I always listen to classical music when I write, and during this manuscript, I listened to a lot of John Williams.

What can you share about what you’re working on next?

My new agent is Jackson Keeler at Inkworks. We’re working on an action adventure trilogy. It’s a contemporary thriller with a historical timeline in 47 BC.