I love this series.

I recently reviewed an anthology of humorous sci-fi novellas and I mentioned that I had been in the mood for some good, fun, and funny sci-fi. That anthology did NOT do the trick, but the Ray Electromatic Mystery series works wonderfully.

Raymond Electromatic is a robot. He is the <em>last</em> working robot in a world that once saw robots everywhere, but a law banned the production of robots and Ray is all that remains. And Ray is programmed to be an assassin masquerading as a private detective. Ray has some serious limitations. His internal memory banks are only good for twenty-four hours and then they are erased and reused. Fortunately he has a partner, Ada, a desktop computer that remembers things for Ray and feeds him his orders.

In <em>Killing Is My Business</em>, Ray's first target kills himself before Ray can make his move and Ray winds up saving the life of his second target - a classic mobster. Out of gratitude, the mob boss (Zeus Falzarano) brings Ray into his organization. Ray sees it as an opportunity to study his target, and the next day, Ray sees it as an opportunity to study his target, and the next day, Ray sees it as an opportunity ... 24-hour memory span, remember?

Author Adam Christopher has taken the classic mystery/noir genre of Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe and tossed it into the future world of Asimov and Clarke, where robots are a reality, and mixes in the wackiness of Ron Goulart to create his own very unique world.

This is the third book in the series that I've read and I find them to just be a lot of fun ... nothing too serious but with enough mystery to keep me interested. This particular book is perhaps y least favorite of the three. While the first third of the book was strong and fast and exciting, and the ending was a delight, the middle portion of this already short book was a bit repetitive. I was eagerly turning pages but then disappointed as we didn't really seem to be moving the plot forward.

Still, this is definitely the sort of book I would take along on a trip - something somewhat light and quick to read, but with a story that catches my attention and characters that make me smile

Looking for a good book? Killing is My Business by Adam Christopher is part of the delightful Ray Electromatic Mystery series and it will make you chuckle while a robot is killing people.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

So… I am not a big fan of robots, but I don’t hate them, and when I saw that this was a noir and that there was some sort of subtle humorism in those pages I had to request it! I was curious and I was expecting an enjoyable reading. But I don’t know what happened between us. I just know that I didn’t enjoy the reading as I was expecting. The idea is good and the MC is original, and the humorism is there but… I don’t know. It didn’t click with me and in the end, it was an okay reading, but a little bit… meh? Plain?

Growing up I was a voracious reader. I loved books of all kinds, from Asterix comics to Agatha Christie mysteries, action-adventure books to Tolkien, CS Lewis, and Roald Dahl. I was a bit more into dwarves and dragons fantasy than sci-fi, though I did love the likes of John Christopher's "The Tripods" series.

A couple of years ago, I was blown away by a sci-fi/mystery crossover, the brilliant MADE TO KILL by Adam Christopher; 1960s California noir, just with a robot detective. It was incredibly clever and incredibly fresh, a wonderful story and world.

So I went into KILLING IS MY BUSINESS, the second Ray Electromatic novel in a planned LA trilogy, with some pretty high expectations. Maybe that played a part in me feeling post-read like it fell into the 'good' category rather than the 'rave about to everyone' category of the first. Christopher tells another very good tale, and the pages whir and are full of action and intrigue as Ray's latest adventures unfold. But there's a little bit of a 'bridge' feeling, as if things are being set up for a grand finale, perhaps, rather than this being a standalone brilliant book. The Two Towers effect, maybe.



There's plenty of energy and life to Christopher's storytelling. He crafts a great sense of the world of his book, a version of 1960s Los Angeles full of the gleaming movie stars, shadowy crooks, and Cold War worries of the time. Ray is an interesting 'hero', a hulking robot with no long-term memory as his tapes are wiped at the end of each day. The latter is an interesting device that sets up lots of possibilities and raises plenty of questions, plot and character-wise. There were occasions in this second novel where it felt a little played out, though perhaps Christopher is setting readers up.

Overall, this was a fast, interesting read that perhaps gets a little knocked down more due to the brilliance of its predecessor more than any inherent issues with this tale. Christopher set the bar very high in MADE TO KILL, and maybe he didn't quite vault it this time around. But he's still got another turn to go, and he's shown he's got plenty of 'hops' in his arsenal. I look forward to the finale.

Raymond Electromatic puts the hard in hard boiled. A robot with a gift for detection and a talent for eliminating obstacles, Ray is a standout in LA.  In what might be his most difficult assignment, he’s tasked with killing of a mafia kingpin.  But in this case, killing isn't enough.  First he must get close and determine what he’s been planning.  But Raymond has one weakness - his memory is wiped every day, so he only knows what he’s been told and maybe, just maybe his handler is keeping important information just out of reach.

Wow, noir and robots what an uncanny and unforgettable combination.  It feels like a classic noir film merged with a 50’s scifi movie- absolutely captivating.  The Raymond Electric novels are in a class by themselves, delightfully pulpy and eminently entertaining.  This unique read is a far cry more satisfying than the vast numbers of repetitive dystopian melodramas.  If you are looking for something different, look no further - Killing is My Business is a fantastic choice for a science fiction fan.

5 / 5

I received a copy of Killing is My Business from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

--Crittermom

Adam Christopher brings us another entertaining addition to the "Ray Electromatic Series". With it's sci-fi noir verve, another retro styled mystery finds us turning each page on the edge of our seats. Visually descriptive, this installment maintains it's thematic approach with characters and settings easily set in dime store comics of old.

Who would have thought that the detached and distant Noir style would perfectly match that of a robot assassin? Ray Electromatic used to be in the detective business but turns out there’s a lot more money to be had killing people. With Ada, his monitoring computer, whispering in his ear, Ray drives around LA fulfilling his contracts. In KILLING IS MY BUSINESS, Ray is hired to take out an old-school crime boss. But predictably, the job is a little more complicated than expected. The hook of the novel is the fact that Ray is an unreliable narrator. He’s a computer, theoretically he can be re-programmed at any time. In fact, his memory tapes need to be reset and wiped every day. He relies on previous data to finish his jobs, but there’s always the chance that details are missed or....deleted. The reader only knows as much as Ray and, when Ray's memory gaps get worse, both Ray and the reader are left in the dark.

KILLING IS MY BUSINESS closely follows the Noir conventions. There’s the seedy underworld, the goons, the broads, the cigarette that always needs to be lit. There’s a femme fatale who has her own agenda, and who doesn't mind flirting with a robot even though he’s not fully functional. As a huge fan of Raymond Chandler and detective novels, I lapped up every tip of hat. Like all good mysteries, the reveal is slowly-paced and placed within the last few pages of the book. If you’re less of a fan, you might find the novel pacing a little slow. There’s a lot of detecting and surmising and not a lot of action.

If you’ve ever had a crush on Nick Valentine from Fallout 4, KILLING IS MY BUSINESS is for you. In fact, it was almost impossible not to imagine the books narrated by the same voice actor. There’s the same 1950/60s aesthetic and the same dry delivery of facts. The book ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, as Ray catches wise to some seedy characters. The immediate stop as Ray recharges his program almost felt disjointed, but readers were prepped for this type of ending throughout the novel. KILLING IS MY BUSINESS was enjoyable from page one. Ray is a fantastic narrator who doesn’t let things like emotions cloud his casework.

You may not know it from this blog’s SFF theme, but I love a good mystery story. The Ray Electromatic Mysteries by Adam Christopher scratches both itches. <em>Killing is my Business</em> is the second book in this series. It is set in a 1960s noir Los Angeles, features a robot assassin nee private detective, and is more fun than it has any right to be.

[paragraph extra=""]What can I say? Robots are cool, damn it, and there should be more stories with them. Or maybe it’s my twelve year old self talking. Either way, I love this concept. I love this series. And more people should be talking about it.[/paragraph]

If you haven’t caught up, you can check out the review of the first book here.

This is the second novel in the Ray Electromatic Mysteries series, though there are two novellas available as well. This takes places after the events of book one, with Ray getting several new jobs in rapid succession including one very curious one. Instead of the normal assassination job Ray is used to, he is hired to first protect an aging mafia boss from another hit only to kill him later after successfully infiltrating his group. It’s an unconventional request to be sure, but Ray is quite skilled at his job.

One of the reasons why I like this series so much is that we have a rather unconventional narrator. Ray is a robot. Not an android or some sort of cybernetic human, but a real, honest to god robot. Even then, Ray isn’t a very conventional robot. Visually, he is a very 1950s-esque take on what a robot would look like (or at least that’s the visual I get). As for function, Ray addresses a problem not often explored.
Memory space.

That’s right, Ray Electromatic shuts down every 24 hours because he’s run out of batteries and tape reel. Every morning he awakens with no memory of the previous day’s activities, instead relying on the supercomputer that assists in keeping him functional for briefings on yesterdays and todays jobs and activities. This is only becomes more and more relevant as the series goes on. While Ray is quite good at his job – both the assassinating and his old function of private detective (hey, assassination just makes more money) this is a huge potential exploitation. Small things that seem insignificant enough to not warrant a briefing aren’t always conveyed and links in cases can be accidentally overlooked. And that’s just scratching the surface with issues.

Now, this memory space element doesn’t bother me in the slightest. On the contrary, I love the concept. However, I can see some readers finding this aspect a bit frustrating. There are times when the reader can piece together events long before Ray does for no other reason than he’s incapable of remembering them. In that same vein, the beginning of the novel can feel just a hair slow. Unlike many mysteries and thrillers this book doesn’t hit the ground running with a thrill a minute. Sure, that aspect is there, but this speculative fiction and, maybe more importantly, this is very much so a noir styled book with dark alleys illuminated by lamplight, mobsters, and discussions in bars. So, if you don’t like books with just a bit of slower pacing, keep this in mind while reading.

The case itself was interesting. Ray is left quite in the dark on this one, maybe more so than in the previous novel. Orders filter in only gradually, forcing Ray to think on his feet and revert to his old detective abilities, something that seems hardwired into his core programming. Things become more muddied before becoming clearer.

Hints to bigger questions and larger overarching series-wide plots are hinted at in this book. We learn a lot, or at least more than we did in book one, about robots, their history, and Ray in particular. There are several times where, though Ray cannot remember something, he seems to have a sixth sense, some nagging and very human feeling. While this isn’t explored too much, it does pose some interesting questions as to Ray’s true nature, and something which, maybe, hopefully, we will see explored in the future. As for the rest of the interesting information, I’m not going to go into further detail. I don’t want to spoil the story any more than I may already have. Needless to say, I’m very intrigued by some of the occurrences towards the end of the novel and can’t wait to see where the series goes in the next book. (I’m unsure if another book has been announced, but I can’t see another book not being released.)

Killing is My Business by Adam Christopher was another fun installment in the Ray Electromatic Mysteries. This series as a whole is a ton of fun. Ray is a great narrator. They are shorter than most speculative fiction, easy to get into, and easy to read. If you like mystery books, robots, and noir this is a book (and series) you’ll want to check out. If you don’t like noir mysteries this one may be a book to skip.

As a huge fan of both hardboiled/noir and science fiction, Adam Christopher's Ray Electromatic series has been a guaranteed hit with me. Raymond (get it?) is the last of the robots from an aborted attempt to replace various public sector jobs with a silicon workforce. Still supposedly with the "Electromatic Detective Agency," his programming has been altered by the amoral supercomputer Ada (get it?) to transform him into a robotic killer-for-hire. Every twenty-four hours, his magnetic tapes run out and his entire memory is removed and wiped clean. Any book involving a robot running around in a trenchcoat and trying to solve a hardboiled mystery pastiche is bound to go over well with me, and <i>Killing is my Business</i> is no exception. This story, which involves a mafia boss, a mad scientist, government agents, and secret plots galore, is as entertaining as it is wacky and engrossing.

One of the things that makes this series so unique is the tension between Ray's hitman programming and his innate desire to be a good detective. He is simultaneously brutal and naive, and the longer he goes before his memory is erased, the more human he becomes. Then there's the tension and hope as his clock runs out, and the sudden shock of the newly-hard, cold, memory-erased Ray. it's a very unique take on the "tarnished knight" and chiaroscuro aspects of hardboiled detective fiction and noir. If any of this sounds intriguing, then the Ray Electromatic series is well worth a look.

Ray is the last of his kind, having rolled off the production line before the robotic business went bust for good. Now he's a hitman moonlighting as a private detective. Accompanied by his handler, Ada, a supercomputer, Ray earns a living taking the lives of others. Sounds cold and dark but Ray is anything but.

The follow-up to Made to Kill, gives the character added depth and makes him more likable than ever, which is saying something considering the book opens up with Ray on a stakeout watching his next victim waiting for the opportune kill moment.

Killing is my Business has an engaging story-line complimented by the fact that Ray has to download information every day given his memory stack fills each day and requires a reboot. Each day is a first for Ray - with just enough information to go on to get the job done. This a particularly important cog in the machine as it contributes heavily to some key plot elements, notably in the later stages of the book.

The thing I really like about Killing is my Business, is the way the author, Adam Christopher infuses doubt into the story. Doubt over the contract Ray's been hired, doubt over Ada's intentions, doubt over Ray himself; this is all mixed with a twisting plot that goes much deeper than a typical P.I book.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

Killing Is My Business by Adam Christopher
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I ripped through the first book wildly enthused and I began this with nearly as many talons at the ready, but even though I'm giving this a solid four stars because it's a nearly perfect "undercover PI infiltrating a mob boss's organization" Noir Mystery.

I only knocked off a star because some of the middle-action was a bit repetitious and there was obviously a lot less cool fifties-robot-revolution stuff except near the end, but I suppose that couldn't have been helped because of the nature of the story.

Even so, I had a good time and the slow reveals burned nicely and kept me thinking about where and who and what was going to happen next... still questioning what might have already been happening because of Ray's little memory problem. :) Seriously. 24 hours is too short a time for all that short-term memory stuff. :) But it still makes for a great page turner!

He is, after all, the real man of steel. :)

This stuff really does hit the spot. I love Mystery/SF blends like this. Popcorn SF at its best.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

A few years ago, Adam Christopher had a fantastic idea based on a dare from a long dead author. Raymond Chandler, one of the greats of noir fiction derided science fiction. Out of his comment “they pay brisk money for this?” came Christopher’s short story Brisk Money, which itself morphed into the science fiction noir detective mashup novel Made to Kill. Made to Kill was set in the 1950s and centred on Ray Electromatic, the last robot in America, plying his trade as a private detective, only not. Ray’s handler, a computer called Ada, had reasoned logically that assassinations paid more money and so while Ray’s cover was as a detective his day job was an efficient killer.
Killing is My Business is a the second in a projected trilogy about Ray Electromatic. Early on, Ray’s first couple of hits go wrong, the first through apparent suicide and the second because his target has done a runner. So Ray takes on another job, getting close to a mafia boss in order to find out his secrets before killing him. There is lot of set up here and then a huge leap of faith that the mafia boss would take Ray into his confidence after one event. And the fact that all of these plot lines come together should come as no surprise.
All of the familiar noir tropes are back – the femme fatal, the Hollywood setting, double and triple crosses. But the whole doesn’t work nearly as well as the first book. In particular, the plot device of Ray not having more than 24 hours memory and having to be reminded by Ada every day what he needs to know wears after a while.
Made to Kill was a fantastic conceit and Christoper’s handling of the both the noir fiction tropes and the retro fifties scifi feel were spot on. But even by the end it felt like this was a one idea book. And that, unfortunately is confirmed in Killing is my Business.

If the films Metropolis and The Big Sleep had a baby, it would look just like this book's plot.

Ray Electromatic, the last robot in a world that used to be full of them, was programmed to be a private investigator...but killing pays better. His handler, a computer named Ada, gives him his work orders. She also wipes his memory each night. His most recent job was saving a mafia Don from a restaurant bloodbath a la The Godfather. Once done, he is offered another job by the Don. Ray is then involved in a mysterious scheme involving car chases, fake identities and plenty of murder.

Originally, I thought this was a parody of 1940's hard-boiled detectives utilizing a kitschy robot. However, it is much more than that. There is real science fiction world building in this novel. It is as if steampunk continued growing until the mid-1960's. The setting and atmosphere are equally gritty and consistent. The plot has the same exuberance for the future as steampunk stories do. The mystery was good though the resolution was a bit obvious (at least to someone who has read as many mysteries as I have). I loved that, though the main plot line was solved, there was a subplot left to be resolved in the next book in the series. I can't wait!

I would recommend this book to hard-boiled detective fans but especially to those who enjoy steampunk thrillers like Leviathan and Kraken.

Thanks to the publisher, Tor Books, and netgalley for an advanced review copy in exchange for an honest review.

A genre and mind-bending caper featuring the last robot in America, Raymond Electromatic, as a private eye. Watch as Ray solves the case, gets the girl and all the answers...or not. Because Ray has a problem, only 24 hours of memory built in.
Killing is My Business, like the first book in the series, Made to Kill, is a quick and easy read, but gives you all the feels and all the laughs. Adam Christopher impressively weaves together noir, with its trademark mid-twentieth century California setting, and the classic questions of science fiction with a healthy dose of slapstick and puns.
Very enjoyable.

A really good second book in this series, maybe even better than the first. Even though Ray Electromatic is a robot he's the closest thing to Sam Spade in literature. A great, fun read. A

I've enjoyed the other books and stories in this series a lot, and this is no exception. Take a Raymond Chandler-esque world, and apply one robot trained as a PI who has been somewhat repurposed as an assassin. Add the complication that he runs on limited tapes of memory -- 24 hours at a time, no more storage than that. Add his AI handler, Ada, who very clearly has her own agenda -- one which doesn't always align with what their creators envisioned for them.

And, in this book, add the mafia.

I started it when I couldn't sleep, and finished it an hour and a half later, without stopping once. Adam Christopher writes crisply, precisely; there's no dead patches where you feel like you can put the book down, because if you did, well; something interesting might happen while you aren't looking. I love the way Christopher uses Ray's limitations to create parts of the mystery. This isn't just a book with a detective/assassin who happens to be a robot; the fact that Ray's a robot is vital to the whole thing.

Raymond Chandler's probably rolling in his grave at the comparison, given he had no great opinion of sci-fi, but I'm not going to worry too much about giving him an unquiet rest.

[Review goes up 4th August 2017.]