The Garbage Man

by Tessa Pacelli

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Pub Date Jan 20 2026 | Archive Date Jan 31 2026

Zero Day Books

Mystery & Thrillers

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Description

A dark, high-stakes corporate thriller for fans of Blake Crouch, JP Delaney, and The Circle.

Fresh out of Harvard Business School, Kayla Mousavi lands her dream job at General Recycling, a Silicon Valley–style tech company hailed as “the future of clean energy.” Working directly under the legendary CEO Frederick Douglass Monahan, Kayla believes she’s helping save the planet. GR’s revolutionary trash-eating bacteria promise to end the global waste crisis and make her one of the youngest rising stars in the corporate world.

But inside every great company lies a great crime.

When Kayla uncovers data that doesn’t add up—and a horrifying secret buried in the company’s labs—she becomes a target. The closer she gets to the truth, the deadlier the lies become. Soon, she witnesses a professional hit—a hit meant for her—and realizes the company she trusted is hiding something far worse than financial fraud. Now, hunted by a ruthless tech visionary with limitless power, Kayla must outsmart a man who intends to change the world—just not as advertised.

A tense, fast-paced thriller about ambition, corruption, and the price of progress, THE GARBAGE MAN explores what happens when innovation crosses the line into madness.

A dark, high-stakes corporate thriller for fans of Blake Crouch, JP Delaney, and The Circle.

Fresh out of Harvard Business School, Kayla Mousavi lands her dream job at General Recycling, a Silicon...

Advance Praise

THE GARBAGE MAN is Publisher's Weekly / BookLife Editor's Pick: "A twist-at-every-turn thriller about addiction and the power of AI."

THE GARBAGE MAN is a Kirkus Reviews "Get it" (blue checkmark) Pick: "A sleek, sophisticated cyberthriller in which addiction and artificial intelligence intertwine."

"In her debut novel, THE GARBAGE MAN, Tessa Pacelli nets that truly rare bird: a wildly intriguing and entirely fresh concept. You won't forget Kayla's story, so get ready to rock and roll." - Jacquelyn Mitchard, #1 NY Times Bestelling Author, The Deep End of the Ocean.

"Fast-paced and original, filled with imperfect yet uniquely compelling characters, this one is a wild ride from start to finish." - HelenKay Dimon (Darby Kane), #1 international bestselling author of Pretty Little Wife and many others

"Prescient, terrifying, and eminently readable, THE GARBAGE MAN distills everything about the news that scares you into a knockout of a debut." - Rob Hart, USA TODAY bestselling author of the Assassins Anonymous series

"A new recruit to a company hailed as the future of recycling gets much more than she bargained for in Tessa Pacelli's high-octane thriller. THE GARBAGE MAN is a twisty journey through the fraught world of Big Data, AI, and virtual reality." - Allison Buccola, author of The Ascent

"[A] fast paced tale with brilliant plotting...High stakes throughout, The Garbage Man is an unputdownable page turner that doesn't stop until the explosive ending! Pacelli is surely one to watch for action thrillers - Jaime Lynn Hendricks, bestselling author of Their Double Lives

"Tessa Pacelli's impressive debut thriller is as timely as it is terrifying. You'll root for Kayla in this prescient and propulsive tale of corruption, addiction, and revenge. I can't wait to read whatever Pacelli writes next." - Alex Finlay, bestselling author of Parents Weekend

THE GARBAGE MAN is Publisher's Weekly / BookLife Editor's Pick: "A twist-at-every-turn thriller about addiction and the power of AI."

THE GARBAGE MAN is a Kirkus Reviews "Get it" (blue checkmark)...