Synopsis

In the quiet city of Preston, café owner Nathan Longton leads an ordinary life until the day a mysterious Vietnamese student walks into his shop. Lan Nguyen is haunted by a voice in her head that has guided her decisions since childhood, now compelling her to seek out Nathan.

Their paths collide when they discover they both wear identical silver necklaces, ones they've had since they were children. Drawn together by this strange connection, they begin to investigate their origins with the help of Nathan's childhood friend, Ollie, and Marcus, a brilliant but tactless former scientist whose inappropriate humour and unorthodox methods add both chaos and levity to their increasingly perilous search.

As Nathan and Lan's bond deepens, the voice inside her head grows possessive, pulling at the edges of their connection and raising a troubling question. Is this love they're feeling, or something carefully engineered to bind them together?

Their search leads them to Project Janus Origin, a secretive program with disturbing ties to their past, and uncovers layers of deception that challenge everything they thought they knew. Pursued by shadowy operatives, manipulated by complex technologies, and haunted by a voice that always seems one step ahead, Nathan and Lan must uncover the truth about their identities, their connection, and the real purpose behind the necklaces they wear.

But in a world where trust is shattered, can love survive when your mind is no longer your own? A psychological thriller laced with sci-fi tension, dark humour, and a slow-burning romance, Janus Origin: Threads of Control is a story about identity, obsession, and the ultimate price of truth, and whether the heart can truly be free when something else is pulling the strings.

Genre: Psychological Thriller / Science Fiction / Romantic Suspense / Technothriller

Setting: Preston, London, Manchester, and Scotland

Pages: 468

BISAC Categories: Fiction/Romance/Suspense, Fiction/Thrillers/Technological, Fiction/Science Fiction/Cyberpunk

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Perfect for Fans Of

  • Black Mirror - For its mind-bending psychological twists and exploration of technology's dark potential
  • Dark Matter by Blake Crouch – For its reality-warping premise and psychological depth, exploring identity, memory, and the consequences of life-altering choices.
  • Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough – For its slow-burning tension, layered psychological manipulation, and shocking twists that challenge what the reader believes to be true.
  • Inception - For its mind-bending narrative and exploration of consciousness
  • The Atlantis Gene by A.G. Riddle - For its conspiracy-driven technothriller elements with relationship dynamics
  • The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides – For its gripping, character-driven narrative that centres on silence, trauma, and obsession, with a final reveal that redefines everything that came before.

Key Themes

Mind Control

Explore the terrifying reality of losing control of your own thoughts in this psychological thriller. Delve into a world where consciousness becomes a battlefield, and the line between free will and manipulation blurs beyond recognition.

Identity

Question what truly makes us who we are when memories and minds can be manipulated. Journey through the psychological landscape of self-discovery as characters grapple with the authenticity of their own experiences and memories.

Trust

Navigate dangerous relationships in a world where nothing and no one is as they seem. Witness the intricate dance of loyalty and betrayal as characters face impossible choices in a landscape of deception.

Romance

Discover if love can survive impossible odds when you can't trust your own consciousness. Experience a passionate connection tested by the ultimate question: how do you love someone when you can't even trust your own mind?

Scientific Ethics

Confront the dark consequences when cutting-edge technology crosses moral boundaries. Examine the ethical implications of scientific advancement as characters face the human cost of progress unbound by morality.

Control

Uncover the devastating power of control, whether technological, psychological, or emotional. As unseen forces manipulate events from the shadows, the question becomes not just who holds the power, but what they're willing to sacrifice to keep it.