Plot or Premise

A security android has secretly hacked its governance module and is now autonomous. It continues to follow orders as if it is still being controlled by humans, while spending a lot of time bingeing serial entertainment (like episodes of TV space shows).

What I Liked

I had streamed the first season online, and so I had more of a sense of the characters than if I were starting to read cold. The story is much more streamlined here, which makes it fly along, and not too long. You still see the important interactions with the leader, the other SecUnits, and the ending.

What I Didn’t Like

Obviously, a multi-episode season can go far more into the various characters beyond the leader and the Murderbot itself, and so it did feel like it was a bit short in places. But other places where the show adds padding, the novella/short novel flies along better. There is very little about his previous experiences or his memory issues that are raised in the book, so you don’t get a sense of what he did before.

The Bottom Line

Fast-paced and a fast read

Plot or Premise

Archy is tasked with checking out a potential bride of a rich woman’s son. The beautiful and potential bride lives in a rented condo with her father, and not many know much about her other than her name: Theodosia.

What I Liked

Like all of Archy’s cases, what starts off simple frequently becomes more complicated. In this case, we have a confused relationship with the father, some lies that might lead to potential cons or swindles, strange backstories that are hard to confirm, and just for fun, several bodies that drop. Starting with people who seem to have run afoul or shown too much interest in Theo or her father. But they aren’t the only suspects, which is a good set of herrings to consider.

What I Didn’t Like

There’s a sub-plot with potential blackmail and Archy seems a little slow on the uptake for some of the potential cons. What is obvious to the reader takes Archy far too long to figure out, and no one else in the entire set of societal encounters notices either, yet the con isn’t that good. I liked the story, but the setup was relatively obvious from the first introduction.

The Bottom Line

Good plot with a couple of slow spots

Plot or Premise

A serial killer is stalking hotel guests in New York City, and the police have no leads.

What I Liked

Delaney is asked for advice to help track down the killer after the second body drops. The MO is identical…a man alone in the city, a potential tryst in the room, naked or close to it, a stab wound in the neck, repeated stabbing of his genitals, a wet and wiped down bathroom, and missing towels. And no robbery or apparent motive. Eventually, Delaney starts to suspect it’s a woman, even though there are few examples anywhere of serial killers who are women.

The twists and turns, including information leaking out to the woman, are interesting. As is the life of the woman, what she’s experiencing, and the mental health conditions that are messing with her mind.

At one point, Delaney and his wife are talking about the case and how “mechanical” it feels, putting lists together (similar to The First Deadly Sin) as if they are “accountants”, and that feeling is definitely palpable but also believable.

What I Didn’t Like

The politics of the police station and who is backstabbing who are boring, as is the constant fixation on the killer’s medical fears.

The Bottom Line

Heavy on procedure and a rare female serial killer story for the time