CHERRY BOMB — Michael Thompson

The year is 2031 and the US is rapidly devolving into a third world country. Corruption has become public knowledge and the middle-class clings to existence by its fingertips while the federal government does everything in its power to prevent total anarchy. Law enforcement has suffered some of the most devastating cuts - including the Seattle Police Department, employer of Inspector Calvin Lee Asher. When Calvin's ex-girlfriend turns up brutally murdered, he is denied the investigation and assigned instead to uncover a murder conspiracy that resulted in the death of one of the richest men in the country, and a long time friend of his late father. Calvin knows from the get-go that all parties involved are manipulating his investigation, but when the NSA claims terrorism may be involved, the inspector finds himself caught in a web of conspiracies that threaten to destroy what remains of the social order.