Proximity Factor

Meet Cynthia Austen, a PhD neurologist whose newest assignment from the Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) — the U.S. Department of Defense's experimental technology shop — takes her to the remote community of Gakona, Alaska, to evaluate a mysterious project gone horribly wrong.Reporting to Major Chesterfield, who insists the project must advance at all costs, and under the direct supervision of Ed Seeding — who relentlessly pushes her to her limits as she investigates both earthly and supernatural forces — Cynthia soon finds herself relying on a loosely assembled team of colorful locals who bring their own expertise.Alma Qaunnaaluk, a reporter for the Juneau Empire who also moonlights as a taxi driver; Dr. Layest, a scientist who relocated from Chile after being censured for misconduct; Roger, Dr. Layest's stout assistant who's always the last to know what's going on; and Officer Calub, a hapless local police officer.Their investigation uncovers a plan to upend our government, our institutions, and even our environment as we know it. Only to open it up to another world.With time running out, Cynthia must quickly adapt her team's strategy and tactics, and transform herself from a diligent professional into a force to be reckoned with. "e;Proximity Factor is exactly the kind of storytelling that reminds me why I love fiction where intellect, atmosphere, and suspense intersect."e; — Ali Hazelwood, New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author of The Love Hypothesis