Driven

By: Mason Coile

Narrated by: Sean Patrick Hopkins

A terrifying locked-room mystery from the author of Exiles and William—this time set in a cutting-edge autonomous car.

Jamie Newcross wants to disappear. His wife and baby girl have abandoned him, and his only wish is to retreat from society. Because, as it turns out, Jamie Newcross is also being haunted. Every house, condo, or apartment he moves into is plagued with ghosts—at the end of the bed or when pulling back the shower curtain. He hasn’t been able to sleep in weeks.

But Jamie has a plan. He posts queries online and finds someone wanting to get rid of their Lion—the world’s most advanced self-driving car—a sleek, private, contained vessel that is one-hundred percent safe. Or so he thought.

Because now, Jamie has woken up to the Lion speeding down a dark road, the hood is dented—wait, is that blood?—and the car will not respond, or stop, or let him out.

As the miles rack up and Jamie becomes increasingly complicit in his car’s choices, he's forced to face the tragic past he has kept buried. Driven is a taut, near-future fever-dream. Mason Coile delivers another one-sitting read that blends science fiction and psychological horror to explore loneliness, grief, and the things that make us human.

Critic reviews

“This heart stopping claustrophobic novel follows a grieving father who is trapped in a self driving car hurdling towards where, he doesn’t know–all he knows is he needs to get out, and fast.” —Forbes

"Jamie Newcross is struggling . . . as [he] slowly confronts the events from a few years ago that inexorably changed his life, readers learn the true horror may be humanity, and the acts we are capable of, rather than overly powerful machines. As the novel concludes, the creeping dread that has been building gives way to raw grief and, ultimately, release, as Jamie finally ends up where he belongs.” —Booklist

"Driven is a taut, near-future fever-dream. Mason Coile delivers another one-sitting read that blends science fiction and psychological horror to explore loneliness, grief, and the things that make us human.” —Bookreporter

"Coile, in this clever sci-fi thriller, grounds the genre trope of a killer car in an empathetic portrayal of a man at the end of his rope...Coile makes a meal of this hair-raising premise while crafting a nuanced portrait of his flawed and deeply human lead. It’s a true page-turner." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"A high-tech noir blended with a truly terrifying ghost story makes for one wild—and ultimately poignant—ride." —Jennifer Thorne, USA Today bestselling author of Diavola

“Mason Coile flips the ghost story on its head in Driven, a rare thriller that is equal parts gripping and profound.” –Aimee Pokwatka, USA Today bestselling author of Accumulation