''Starts off like a fired bullet and never lets up. A sheer delight'' David Baldacci. At a global tech gala hosted at the British Museum, scientist Tobias Hawke is due to unveil an astonishing breakthrough. His AI system appears to have reached consciousness, making Hawke the leading light in his field. But when terrorists storm the building, they don''t just leave chaos in their wake. They seize Hawke''s masterwork, sparking a chain reaction of explosive events which could end the world as we know it. Michael North, ex-assassin and spy-for-hire, must find the killers and recover the AI. But he can''t do it alone. Hawke''s wife, Esme, and teenage hacker, Fangfang, have their own reasons to help complete North''s mission – and together they unravel a dark and deadly conspiracy which stretches right to the top of the British elite. Can North survive long enough to uncover the whole truth? Or is it already too late for humanity? REVIEWS FOR CURSE THE DAY: ''A slick, fast-paced thriller from a master storyteller... Do yourself a favour and buy this book!'' LJ Ross. ''A rip-roaring road trip into the dark heart of a corrupt, cynical British establishment'' Financial Times. ''With a plot Fleming or Forsyth would be proud of and a hero to rival Jack Reacher, Curse the Day just might be the Thriller of the Year'' Howard Linksey. ''Relentlessly plotted with a blistering pace, Curse the Day is a sharply drawn, gleefully witty conspiracy thriller. Tackling tomorrow''s nightmare today, this is a superb novel'' M.W. Craven. ''A brilliant technothriller that reads like a Bond movie, complete with terrific action sequences, memorable characters, and the fate of the world at stake... The pace never lets up and the story stays with you long after the final page'' Zoe Sharp. ''Packed with no-holds-barred action and memorable characters. It''s a blast!'' James Swallow. PRAISE FOR JUDITH O''REILLY: ''A terrific future-shock thriller full of pace, tension, character, and emotion'' Lee Child. ''Fast-paced and packed with action'' Mick Herron. ''A high-octane plot that centres around the dark heart of British political power'' Sunday Times. ''Thought-provoking, pacy and thrilling'' Sunday Mirror. ''A gritty, action-packed, page-turner'' Andy McNab. ''New thriller writers come and go. I suspect this lady will stick around''Frederick Forsyth. ''A constantly surprising, heart-felt, desperately exciting super-thriller – and a truly standout action-adventure novel... Left me both smiling and breathless'' Rob Parker.