Everyone is brave behind a screen. But words have weight, and the digital shadows hide secrets that never truly stay buried.
Mateo is a master of the internet's darkest corners. As a digital investigator, he finds the people who want to remain hidden, uncovering the identities of anonymous commenters who have ruined lives through harassment and digital attacks. He believes he is on the side of justice, until a routine investigation leads him to a horrifying revelation: ten years ago, he was the one holding the match.
Under a secret name, Mateo was once a leader in the very culture of cruelty he now tries to stop. Haunted by the memory of victims like Hana, a teacher driven into hiding, and Kenji, a chef whose life was shattered by a viral lie, Mateo realizes that saying "sorry" is not enough. He must step out from behind the blue light of the monitor and face the flesh-and-blood consequences of his actions.
From the quiet libraries of Portugal to the rain-slicked warehouses of London and the digital command centers of Osaka, Broken Screens is a cinematic and deeply emotional psychological mystery. It is a story about the masks we wear, the echoes of our mistakes, and the difficult road to redemption in an age of constant noise.
Can a man who lived as a ghost find his way back to being human? Or will the cycle of hate he helped create finally consume him?
Broken Screens is a timely exploration of collective guilt, moral cowardice, and the enduring hope for a world where we choose connection over conflict. It is a novel for anyone who has ever wondered what happens when the screen goes dark and the real world begins.
