“I Think I Was Murdered” by Colleen Coble and Rick Acker was an intriguing read because one of the central characters is actually a chatbot. (Chatbots are computer programs that mimic the human voice and interact with human users – in effect, an artificial intelligence character.) I don’t know a lot about AI, chatbots or bitcoin, but it was fascinating to learn how they work as I read the story. While this novel doesn’t deal with religion, it is actually labeled as a Christian suspense mystery.
Katrina Berg is the lawyer for a technology firm in Silicon Valley, California. Her husband, Jason, was a structural engineer but was killed in a tragic car accident a year ago. Since then, the AI firm has had major troubles and has filed for bankruptcy. The firm is also being investigated by the FBI. Katrina has a trial version of a chatbot based on Jason on her phone. She has dealt with her grief by talking to the chatbot when she is missing Jason. Katrina and the chatbot come to believe that Jason was actually murdered. In shock, Katrina returns to her hometown, bringing her co-worker, Liv, with her. She reconnects with Seb, a childhood classmate and successful restauranteur. Together, they begin to explore clues that might lead to Jason’s killer.
I really enjoyed “I Think I Was Murdered.” It is the first Colleen Coble novel I’ve read and the characters were well developed and after the first 50 pages, it was pretty fast-paced. The AI/chatbot made for an interesting storyline too. This novel was a good weekend read.
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