Travel the World in my upcoming novel, Mortals As They Walk

The settings of my first two novels were rather restricted in terms of geography. Onesimus takes place during the Roman Empire, primarily Colossae and Ephesus (in Asian Minot), and then Rome itself. To and Fro Upon the Earth took place entirely in southern California on the west coast of the United States.

By contrast, my forthcoming novel, Mortals As They Walk, takes place in numerous locations. As a soft-SF thriller with the backstory of genetic engineering and three people caught up in a bold new experiment, there are many characters and events happening in many places all over the world. Here are a few:

New York City, New York
- The Bowery Hotel www.theboweryhotel.com
- The Langham hotel
Vienna, Austria
- Universität Wein.
- Café Centrale https://www.cafecentral.wien/en/
- Kunsthistorisches Museum http://www.khm.at
- Palais-Coburg Hotel palais-coburg.com
- St. Stephan’s Church
Germany
- Heidelberg
- Baden-Baden train station
- München (Munich) train station
- Berlin. Train station, police station.
England
- London. The Goring Hotel. https://www.thegoring.com/our-suites/belgravia-suite/ . The Bowery Meat Company bowerymeatcompany.com
- Cain. Graveyard.
Scotland
- Edinburgh. The Whiski Bar whiskibar.co.uk
- Unnamed island
Istanbul, Turkey
- The Grand Bazaar kapalicarsi.com.tr
France
- Paris. Unnamed hotel
- Paris. Unnamed pub in the Quartierre Latin
- Paris, Gare de Nord station
- Colmar. Train station. Unnamed lab facility.
Florence, Italy
- Unnamed safe house
- Unnamed church
Langely, Virginia
St. Petersburg, Russia. Medezin Research Inc. labs, unnamed locations.
Ireland
- Dublin
- Garbh Eilean

Cover mortals as they walk by Markus McDowell

Mortals As They Walk is a riveting sci-fi thriller that delves into the ethical quagmire of genetic engineering.

Pate Williamson, a once-promising tech innovator now living on the streets, is recruited for a secretive project promising riches—but at a cost. Eris, a woman grappling with the loss of her family and child, joins the same experiment, seeking answers to her past. Meanwhile, Salim, a teenager raised in a carefully curated lie, discovers his true identity as a product of this very project, making him a target in a dangerous game.

Spanning from 2006 to 2038, their stories intertwine across continents, from the cobblestone streets of Heidelberg, Germany to the windswept cliffs of the Outer Hebrides in Scotland. As they uncover a conspiracy involving nanobiots, in vitro modifications, and corporate greed, they’re hunted by black market forces desperate to exploit their unique DNA. With the fate of humanity’s future in their hands, Pate, Eris, and Salim must decide whether to end the experiment that created them or risk its misuse.

Blending high-stakes suspense with profound ethical questions, McDowell crafts a narrative that echoes Gattaca and The Island. This thought-provoking tale explores free will, identity, and the cost of perfection in a world where science can rewrite destiny.

Available from select retailers in paperback, eBook, and audiobook.

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