In his latest novel, John Scalzi leads us into the ruthless world of e-sports

Hilketa is a fast-paced, violent sport in which players attack each other with swords and hatchets. The goal of the game is to rip off the opponent's head and then get it over the goal line. It would be impossible to do this with physical athletes. But in this team game, "spooks", i.e. robot-like bodies controlled by people with Haden's syndrome, collide with each other, so anything goes. No one gets hurt, but the brutality is real and the audience loves it.

Until one player collapses dead on the field.

Is it an accident or murder? Hadenes FBI detectives Chris Shane and Leslie Vann set out to uncover the truth - and in the process, they also delve into the dark side of the increasingly popular hilketa, where fortunes can be won and lost, and where players and owners will do anything to win, both in stadiums and off the field.