Table Of ContentSCREEN
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SCREEN
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A N O V E L
J O H N D A R R I N
CLEARWATER | FL | USA
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S C R E E N S H O T
Copyright © 2009 by John Darrin.
All Rights Reserved. Published and printed in the United States of America by Kunati Inc. (USA)
and simultaneously printed and published in Canada by Kunati Inc. (Canada)
No part of this book may be reproduced, copied or used in any form
or manner whatsoever without written permission,
except in the case of brief quotations in reviews and critical articles.
For information, contact Kunati Inc., Book Publishers in Canada.
USA: 13575 58th Street North, Suite 200, Clearwater, FL 33760-3721 USA
Canada: 75 First Street, Suite 128, Orangeville, ON L9W 5B6 CANADA.
E-mail: [email protected].
F I R S T E D I T I O N
Designed by Kam Wai Yu
Persona Corp. | www.personaco.com
ISBN 978-1-60164-168-7 EAN 9781601641687
Fiction
Published by Kunati Inc. (USA) and Kunati Inc. (Canada).
Provocative. Bold. Controversial.™
http://www.kunati.com
TM—Kunati and Kunati Trailer are trademarks owned by Kunati Inc.
Persona is a trademark owned by Persona Corp.
All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. All events described herein are imaginary, including settings and characters. Any
similarity to real persons, entities, or companies is purely coincidental and not intended to represent real places or living
persons. Real brand names, company names, names of public personalities or real people may be employed for credibility
because they are part of our culture and everyday lives. Regardless of context, their use is meant neither as endorsement nor
criticism: such names are used fictitiously without intent to describe their actual conduct or value. All other names, products or
brands are inventions of the author’s imagination. Kunati Inc. and its directors, employees, distributors, retailers, wholesalers
and assigns disclaims any liability or responsibility for the author’s statements, words, ideas, criticisms or observations. Kunati
assumes no responsibility for errors, inaccuracies, or omissions.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Darrin, John.
Screenshot : a novel / John Darrin. -- 1st ed.
p. cm.
Summary: “A techno-thriller that poses provocative questions about
justice, revenge and the influence of Internet culture on modern ethics and
morality”--Provided by publisher.
ISBN 978-1-60164-168-7 (alk. paper)
1. Internet--Moral and ethical aspects--Fiction. 2. Executions and
executioners--Fiction. I. Title.
PS3604.A765S37 2009
813’.6--dc22
2008056140
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D E D I C A T I O N
For Anne, of course.
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A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S
My son, Josh Darrin, for his plot ideas and technical expertise.
My agent, Jacques de Spoelberch,
for recognizing the possibilities and guiding the creation.
The Deadly Prose Critique group for their contribution to my literary education,
and especially Biman Nath and BJ Ryan for their detailed and helpful critiques.
My publisher, Derek Armstrong and editor, James McKinnon,
for their support of my work and their effots to improve it.
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6 n JOHN DARRIN
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Chapter One
The First E-mail
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Subject: Extravagant retribution
Message:
At approximately 7 pm GMT today, Screenshot will present
the first-ever, live Web execution. Click on the link below
to view.
Pay attention. The broadcast time is approximate. The image
will appear just moments before the event.
We’re having some fun now.
http://kills.torchsense.com/imageclick/
CID=00000b7c79a99a5070cfg0
Seth Mathias
The gunshot startled him. He hadn’t been expecting that. But
an appropriate start to a live execution, he realized.
The sound came from his computer speakers while he stared
at the blank screen, expecting a visual alert before the show
began. The noise was round and deep and over so fast he thought
he might have imagined it. With almost no knowledge of guns,
Seth guessed it was something big. It sounded like an impressive
bullet.
His screen brightened from the center out, like one of those
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