Time Hack

A Near-Future Science Fiction Mystery Novel (The ArkTech Series, Book 2)

Winner of the Green Stories Prize, this cozy sci-fi mystery continues Charlotte and Ben's story.

What if you could have more hours in the day?

ArkTech’s forty-year anniversary is on the horizon, but Charlotte Vance has bigger things on her mind. She’s determined to protect her home – and her best friend, Ben. That means stopping ArkTech’s curious, pun-loving AI from glitching... once and for all.

When Ben wonders why a young man is braving a violent storm, Charlotte can't help but follow the trail. It leads her to a strange new technology that trades in the most valuable currency of all: time.

What begins as a curious puzzle soon turns into a race against the clock. A missing person draws Charlotte deeper into a tangle of secrets, strange encounters, and the most unsettling possibility…

Could Ben’s time be running out?

A glitching AI, a streetwise investigator, and a conspiracy theorist step into a temporal anomaly… but will this punchline be Ben's last?

For fans of Terry Pratchett, Becky Chambers, and Martha Wells, Time Hack is a charming, thought-provoking sci-fi mystery, blending clever puzzles, quirky characters, and a touch of tech-noir intrigue. Book 2 in a series of cozy sci-fi mysteries for anyone who’s ever wished for just a little more time.

©2025 Marianne Pickles (P)2025 Marianne Pickles

What we have time for is what we make time for.

This series is brilliant. Leaves you with much to ponder including perils of not addressing climate change and unchecked egos of those in power, potential benefits and pitfalls of AI, finding one's purpose (sometimes it's just being), and contemplating time. It's smart, very clever, heartfelt, occasionally hilarious, and expertly narrated. What would I do with extra hours in the day? Listen to more Marianne Pickles books.

Absolutely the best

Unique and beautiful. The author guides us through a believable world only inches away from our own. The characters are engaging. The storing line leads from incident to incident leaving one thirsty for the next.