I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by NetGalley. I was not compensated for this review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I was not required to write a positive review.
I Think I Was Murdered by Colleen Coble, Rick Acker Published by Thomas Nelson on November 12, 2024
Genres: Fiction / Christian / Romance / Suspense, Fiction / Christian / Suspense, Fiction / Mystery & Detective / Amateur Sleuth, Fiction / Mystery & Detective / Women Sleuths, Fiction / Romance / Suspense, Fiction / Thrillers / General, Fiction / Thrillers / Psychological, Fiction / Thrillers / Suspense, Fiction / Thrillers / Technological
Pages: 352
Format: ARC, Audiobook, eBook
Source: NetGalley
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"It's a high-octane thriller with the grounding touches of Katrina's Norwegian heritage, the hygge of North Haven, and a very sweet romance between two likable, vulnerable people. Romantic suspense comfort food--just like waffles with cloudberry cream." --KIRKUS
This timely, high-concept novel delves into the impact of AI on a grieving widow who uses a chatbot to "talk" to her dead husband. What she never expects is the response when she asks it to tell her something she doesn't know: I think I was murdered.
Just a year ago, Katrina Berg was at the pinnacle of her career. She was a rising star in the AI chatbot start-up everyone was talking about, married with an adoring husband, and had more money than she knew how to spend. Then her world combusted. Her husband, Jason, was killed in a fiery car crash. Her CEO was indicted, and, as the company's legal counsel, Katrina faces tough questions as the Feds take over and lock her out of her office. The final blow is the passing of her beloved grandmother.
Her most prized possession is the beta prototype for a new, ultra-sophisticated chatbot loaded onto her phone. The contents of Jason's email, social media backups, pictures, and every bit of data she could find were loaded into the bot, and Katrina has "talked" to him every day for the past six months. She has been amazed at how well it works. Even the syntax and words the bot uses sound like Jason. Sometimes, she imagines he isn't really dead and is right there beside her. She knows it's slowing her grief recovery, but she can't stop pretending.
On a particularly bad day, she taps out: Tell me something I don't know. The cursor blinks for several moments and seems frozen before the reply flashes quickly onto the screen: I think I was murdered.
Distraught, Katrina returns to her cozy Norwegian-flavored hometown in the Northern California redwoods and enlists the help of Seb Wallace, local restaurateur and longtime acquaintance, to try to parse out the truth of what really happened. They must navigate the complicated paths of grief, family dynamics, and second chances, as well as the complex questions of how much control technology has. And staying alive long enough to do that is far more difficult than either of them dreamed.
Bestselling authors Coble and Acker deftly combine a high-concept plot with gripping intrigue and sweet romance. Reading one of their novels feels akin to watching a BBC mystery series: by the end of the first scene you can relax, knowing you're in the capable hands of a story that will have a complex puzzle, character-driven plot, and a satisfying reveal.
Looking for more from these authors? Don't miss their Tupelo Grove series: Book #1 What We Hide, Book #2 Where Secrets Lie, and Book #3 When Justice Comes.
I love the combo of Colleen Coble and Rick Acker. This book’s synopsis really grabbed my attention. The AI angle specifically, as I have very strong feelings about AI as a whole, and I wanted to see where it went. And while it wasn’t as strong a part of the story, the AI angle did go there. Not that the AI is bad, mind you, but the mind and individual behind it. I wish I’d taken notes, as I had some issues with the first half of the book and then took a several-day break away from the book for all the reasons, as I don’t remember them all. But I’m gonna wing it and hope for the best.
The reason I wanted notes is that there were way too many things going on. There were multiple restaurants and some characters that I think were added in to build story and background, but it was honestly too much, and they detracted from the main story. And unless you are brand new here, you know how much I love romance (tongue in cheek, of course). The romance was also a bit heavy-handed here; that was also a detraction from the main story theme. It was handled well, I think, and felt real, but felt a little out of place. Think something from any Law and Order series made as a Hallmark movie. Or better yet, an old Lifetime Original movie with a suspense idea. I wish I’d had a bit stronger character and motivation development, including the AI character, a little less extra things that really didn’t matter, and some things that didn’t end too easy. But . . .
That ending ya’ll. The twists you never saw coming and the turns that will take even a seasoned pro off their game. That ending makes up for several flaws I had throughout the story. Not all, but ya’ll that ending will make you rethink every single thing you thought throughout the story. And honestly, behind the story, the idea that not everyone in life is as they seem, and it makes you rethink the idea of people. All in I enjoyed the story even with the difficulties and drawbacks I had. I’d have liked less fluff, less romance, and more AI angle, but it’s a solid story that not only entertains but also makes you think a little deeper.
About Colleen Coble
Publishers Weekly and USAToday best-selling author Colleen Coble’s novels have won or finaled in awards ranging from the Best Books of Indiana, the ACFW Carol Award, the Romance Writers of America RITA, the Holt Medallion, the Daphne du Maurier, National Readers’ Choice, and the Booksellers Best. She has over six million books in print. When she’s not writing, Colleen is playing Pokemon Go! with the family or traveling to the locales where she sets her novels. She’s a perpetual learner and a natural health nut. Colleen was the CEO of American Christian Fiction Writers for nineteen years and still serves on the Executive Board. She lives with her husband Dave in Arizona so she can spoil her small grandsons. She’s praying her granddaughter chooses Arizona for college to keep her close too.
About Rick Acker
Rick writes novels during breaks from his “real job” as a Supervising Deputy Attorney General in the California Department of Justice, where he leads a team prosecuting corporate fraud lawsuits. Rick has authored or coauthored over a dozen acclaimed suspense novels.
When he’s not writing, he leads investigations and lawsuits that made headlines in and out of California. For example, he and his team won a string of record-breaking judgments and settlements against the Wall Street players who created the toxic mortgage securities that triggered the Great Recession. Before joining DOJ, Rick was a senior litigator at Bingham McCutchen, where he worked on high stakes litigation, including a fight between two owners of the San Francisco Forty-Niners and a multibillion dollar international fraud case. Rick studied at the University of Oslo and has a law degree from the University of Notre Dame, where he graduated with honors. In addition to his novels, he is a contributing author on two legal treatises published by the American Bar Association.
Rick is a transplanted Chicagoan who spent thirty-five years in the Midwest before finally trading the certainty of winter and mosquitoes for the risk of earthquakes and wildfires. He now lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, Anette. They have four adult children.
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