Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Graham (A Murderer Among Us) squanders an intriguing premise about the dangers of AI in this disappointing techno-thriller. When Florida legal receptionist Marci Warden stabs herself with an electric knife being operated by "Chrissie," her home's smart assistant, it's the latest in a line of similar cases. A Tennessee judge was recently killed after his computer-equipped car sped into a tree, and a digitally operated yacht carrying three prosecutors exploded after slamming into a jetty on the Florida coast. The FBI taps agents Jude Mackenzie and Victoria Tennant to investigate possible links between the incidents. Soon, sparks fly between the investigators, even as more bodies pile up and they become targets for whoever's behind the attacks. The plot's straight-faced procedural approach clashes with the pulpy material, and Graham has little to say about AI technology beyond limply framing malware as the "the terrorism of the future." Some implausible oversights by the seasoned Mackenzie and Tennant further detract from the proceedings. It's a letdown. Agent: Lucy Childs, Aaron M. Priest Literary. (Apr.)
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