Ric has survived a rival�s attempt to poison him, but the hospital AIs pegged him as a suspect character with no job history and a suspicious amount of cash on his person, and they kept the treatments coming until he was broke.

Now he needs a new source of funds, and the hospital which stole his money is chock-full of a new neurohormone that�s worth a fortune. All Ric needs is to manipulate a street gang into committing the crime for him, and then he�ll betray everyone and live happily ever after.

But maybe he hasn�t counted on a new technology aimed at turning him into the star of a very nasty reality show . . .

From Walter Jon Williams, the master of hard-boiled speculative fiction.