PAULA'S REVIEW:
Widowed attorney Katerina is missing her husband. She is testing a unique app that lets her interact with Jason as if he were still alive. She is shocked when the app declares that Jason may have been murdered. Her career has fallen apart and her company is under FBI investigation. So when she inherits a cafe from her grandmother, she moves back to the quaint mountain town of North Haven near where her husband lost his life. A note her grandmother left her says she can sell the cafe and names Seb, a childhood friend, as a good choice.
There begins a tale of mystery, science fiction like technology, and a relationship that could go anywhere. There are a few side stories that made this a complex novel with sinister overtones. Themes of redemption, forgiveness and moving on from the past were evident.
The concept of AI chatboxes was intriguing and showed how Katrina was relying on fantasy and not really moving through her grief. But at the same time, the chatbox helped uncover the truth about Jason and his death.
My favorite characters were Seb who was loyal, honest and tried hard to honor his father and grandmother Frida, who, although she is not on the page, left a legacy of faith for Katrina and her brother.
Thought provoking, with up-to-the-minute technology and the possible consequences, this book kept me turning pages and I did not want it to end.
*I received a complimentary digital copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. I was not required to post a favorable review. All opinions are mine alone.*5 stars and a solid faith thread
BackCover Blurb:
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 closed-door romance in I Think I Was Murdered. Don't miss it!
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