While I'm not a huge fan of AI-themed storylines, I think I was Murdered kept my attention because of the writing. The characters were well-developed, although the romance at times was a bit cheesy. I felt like I was able to see the cozy Bestemor's cafe in my mind because of the detailed descriptions. Some suspense mysteries are easy to solve early in the novel, but this one took me much longer. The writing duo of Colleen Coble and Rick Acker is one I'm adding to my list of "Will always read".

A special thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for sending an ARC for consideration. All opinions are my own.

Full of twists and turns. This was my first Noble and Acker novel, but it will not be my last. With AI seemingly taking over many aspects of our daily lives, this pair weaves it into an important part of the story. Betrayal, family secrets, and drama drive this suspense thriller. This book will keep you guessing until very end.

Cutting edge technology mixed with betrayal and suspense. Original plot and intriguing characters make up this interesting story. Twists and turns will keep you turning the pages.

This was an intriguing concept for a book using AI but it was a tad bit unbelievable. Not sure about the premise of someone sharing his thoughts from the dead, But it was well written and I would recommend it. Colleen Coble is one of my favorite authors and the twists and turns in this story were perfectly executed.
This book was provided to me by the publisher. All my thoughts here are my own.

I Think I Was Murdered is a mystery with a very current theme - AI and bitcoins. Using a Chatbot, something of science fiction of yesterday which is becoming more and more real today, Katrina receives an alarming message that her dead husband thinks he was murdered. Who to trust? Seb and Katrina work together to try to put the pieces together. Along the way there is family drama, betrayal, many twists, plenty of suspense, and a growing romance. The book was intriguing, fast-paced, and kept me glued to the story. I enjoyed reading this book.
Thank you to Netgalley for a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A very intriguing cover, title, and concept kept me hooked to the pages in I Think I was Murdered by Colleen Coble and Rick Acker. They’ve quickly become a dream team in the Christian romantic suspense world.
Katrina truly grieved the death of her husband and a chatbot offered the perfect responses when she needed to feel a connection to him. But her reliance became a crutch until it spouted the title, which was genius. I was wondering how anyone in their right mind would “think” they were murdered. Great premise and I can’t wait for more from these two.
Lastly, I liked the romance. Seb isn’t your conventional hero. It took a while for Katrina to have eyes for him. Also great job not having her be in love with him since they were young. He took that honor.
All in all, great book. Would’ve loved a little more triad interaction but the rock climbing scenes made up for that.
I received this book through Net Galley and was not required to give a positive review.

I Think I was Murdered
by Colleen Coble; Rick Acker
Pub Date: Nov. 12, 2024
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchangverale for my honest opinion.
I have read several Coble book and have met the author. I like this new partnership with Acker.
A grieving young widow. The AI program that allows her to continue to "talk" to him. And a message she never expected: "I think I was murdered."
This book would be great for book clubs.
Features a unique look at grief through the lens of technology
Deals with current topics and themes
Will appeal to fans of Ruth Ware, Laura Griffin, Laura Dave, and Sarah Pearse
Includes Discussion Questions.
4 stars

This book was definitely an interesting concept, using A.I. as a way to “speak” to your loved ones who have passed, but I was not a huge fan of the mystery aspect! I think I was expecting more twists and turns, I mean I was curious about what happened but not enough that I wasn’t able to put the book down! The romance was great though! There was also light faith. Overall, I’m glad I read it and will read more books by them!

*Thank you to NetGalley for this advance reader copy, all thoughts and opinions are my own.”

I was really excited to read this book based solely on the title and synopsis of the story.

The introduction was successful in setting up the "mystery" and core of what the story should have been about.
I say "should" because it just never got there for me.

There were too many characters.
There were too many storylines.

I felt like most of these just didn't go together to support or add to the main subject of the story.
I would like to have seen less family dynamics of the too many characters, less relationship drama and more investigation into a murder that had supposedly taken place.

While the AI aspect of the book was interesting, it started to seem like lazy writing to use it for direction in a murder "investigation".
There was literally no suspense whatsoever in the story.
No real emotion was conjured within me as I read the book.
It just fell flat.

I ended up thinking that this book should have been fodder for 4 different books.
It was just too all over the place, with little time taken to develop each story.

The solution to the "who done it" was unsatisfactory.

The twists in the end regarding friend/family relationships, while unexpected, also fell flat for me.
I think this is because there was no back story to really warrant such big "reveals".
There was really nothing to "reveal", and yet.... there they were, this big "reveal".

I didn't hate the book.
It just didn't grab me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas Nelson publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I find it hard to put this book in a box because it’s a lot of things: contemporary-fiction-cozy-thriller.
The good: the book was off to a great start, I found the synopsis interesting. The story was fast-paced, it was not boring; and I liked the multiple POVs.
The bad: the main characters were too flawless (and yet they managed to be annoying), their reactions were not plausible at all. In my opinion, the pregnancy was treated weirdly (it was not fully a secret but no one talked about it either), they were not concerned at all about the baby after the attacks - it made me think (after the betrayal) that she was actually faking it… it would have been better, more plausible.
In short, it was indeed a cozy thriller, and this book made me realize that I don’t like cozy stories - I need tension, nail-biting scenes, twists and turns, I don’t like this size of convenience.

I adored the setting for I Think I was Murdered. It's set in a Norwegian inspired town in California known for it's hygge. And that comfort is exactly what widow, Katrina, needs after she loses her job and her grandmother and travels back home. This story is intriguing as it explores the world of AI and bitcoin, But the real heart of the story lies in the people who surround Katrina. Her old friend, Seb Wallace, has certainly outgrown his awkward adolescent self and has made his way to the top of the restaurant business. He's there to help in any way he can. The balance of hygge and high tech makes for a fascinating story I didn't want to put down.. I received a free copy, and opinions are my own.

This book was a little hard to follow. Not sure it was my favorite Colleen Coble book. I would not read this again.

Reasons to Read this Book:

1. Let’s just cut to the obvious visual…. Check out that cover!! Sigh…..

2. For anyone who read their first book together, you know that they are a terrific writing team. If you e ever read any of their individual books, you know how good they are. So….. Coble’s romantic suspense meets Acker’s legal suspense? Umm, YES, PLEASE!!

3. Though A.I. (artificial intelligence) admittedly creeps me out, this novel is so very timely for today. However, there can be good to come from it. Buuuuut, there can also be a whole lot of bad. The premise of this book is fascinating. Katrina, the main female character, uses her AI chatbot from work to “talk” to her late husband. Actual info, e-mails, social media, texts, etc. were all put into a chat bot to ‘become’ Jason. But, then one day, ‘he’ tells her that he was murdered!

5. The reader will find both positive and negative personal struggles, familial situations, and issues with the main characters as well as with some minor characters. It makes them very relatable.

6. There is a fantastic balance of intense moments and regular life. That balance always make the best suspense books by far. There is some mystery and a a treasure hunt of sorts within this story. There are clues that the female main character’s late husband had left for her. I was fully engaged in the adrenalin AND the everyday happenings throughout this book. This is a WOW novel!!

7. As someone who is more than half-Norwegian and who has travelled there twice, I truly enjoyed all the Scandinavian (predominantly Norwegian) references: meals, desserts, art, words/phrases, style, history, and various other things. This novel has prompted so many wonderful memories of my dearly missed Bestemor (Grandma), our trips there, all my family there, etc. This novel kept me in a state of “hygge” throughout….. 🥰 Norwegian heritage or not, anyone can appreciate the culture, history, and traditions that this book sprinkles out so beautifully.

After reading that amazing novel, I personally need a Norwegian lutefisk meal with some cloudberry dessert, and then some sjokalade on bread for a snack later. And someone must send me a boat load of Freia chocolate NOW because I personally KNOW how good it is!!! (The authors only mention it about 34 times or so! Or at least it felt that way because of my cravings!). I NEED some serious Freia chocolate time as I decompress from the amazing adventure that is this novel.

I do have ONE complaint….
As much as I wanted to keep swiping through my e-reader pages to learn what would happen next, I also didn’t want it to end! I felt invested in the characters and Norwegian settlement community of North Haven. Therefore, I feel I ‘deserve’ to not-so-subtly HINT that there should be a couple more books to make a series. I have minor characters already in mind who really should share their stories, too. Just sayin’….

***My appreciation for an advanced reader copy goes to Net Galley and the publisher. My review is voluntary and written in my own words.

Colleen Coble has been a longtime suspense favorite for me... and I must say, I am really loving her newest books cowritten with Rick Acker too. These two truly make a wonderful team, delivering stories that keep me on the edge of my seat. First of all, that title? Even if I hadn't already been a fan, this title absolutely would have grabbed me on its own. The story inside was just as intriguing--- Katrina's husband Jason had died and she was using an AI chatbot that used his email and chat history to feel like she was still communicating with him. Things get weird when the bot tells her that he was murdered. I'm not super well versed in AI or bitcoin, which are very big themes in this book, but I did find I was able to enjoy the story nonetheless. It definitely felt unique to the suspense reads that I typically read... though I suspect AI will be something we see more of in fiction as it becomes more popular too. There were several twists and turns to keep readers guessing. If you're looking for an intriguing and unique romantic suspense, this is certainly one to check out.

**I received a complimentary copy via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

I thought this book was a fun twist on AI technology possibilities. Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced review copy!

I am loving this writing duo. Coble and Acker combine their individual talent to form what feels to be a new subgenre in Christian Romantic Suspense.

Life for Katrina Berg has been out of control for the last year. Grieving the death of her husband, Jason, she runs to an AI “chatbot” to text with a computer generated version on her late husband. When questionable business tactics by her employer leave her jobless and her beloved grandmother dies, Katrina once again runs to the chat or for comfort, but what she finds is far from
Comfort. Her “husband” chat bot sends the mysterious message, “I Think I was Murdered”. From there, the action, mysterious, and questions continue to unravel and lead her home to North Haven and the familiarity of her Bestemor’s Norwegian restaurant and the somehow familiar, Uber successful restauranteur, Seb Wallace.

The mystery kept me guessing. The characters were intriguing and well developed. This book allows the cozy atmosphere of North Haven to envelope you all will keeping you in the edge of your seat to find out what happened to Jason.


Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Sinopsis en español:


Hace solo un año, Katrina Berg estaba en el pináculo de su carrera. Ella era una estrella en ascenso en la start-up de chatbot de IA de la que todo el mundo hablaba, estaba casada con un marido adorado y tenía más dinero del que sabía gastar. Entonces su mundo se quemó. Su marido, Jason, murió en un ardiente accidente automovilístico. Su CEO fue acusado y, como asesora legal de la compañía, Katrina se enfrenta a preguntas difíciles mientras los federales se hacen cargo y la encierran de su oficina. El golpe final es el fallecimiento de su amada abuela.

Su posesión más preciada es el prototipo beta de un nuevo chatbot ultra sofisticado cargado en su teléfono. El contenido del correo electrónico de Jason, las copias de seguridad de las redes sociales, las fotos y todos los datos que pudo encontrar se cargaron en el bot, y Katrina ha "hablado" con él todos los días durante los últimos seis meses. Ella se ha sorprendido de lo bien que funciona. Incluso la sintaxis y las palabras que usa el bot suenan como Jason. A veces, ella se imagina que él no está realmente muerto y está justo a su lado. Ella sabe que está ralentizando su recuperación de dolor, pero no puede dejar de fingir.

En un día particularmente malo, ella dice: Dime algo que no sé. El cursor parpadea durante varios momentos y parece congelado antes de que la respuesta parpadee rápidamente en la pantalla: creo que me asesinaron.

Angustiada, Katrina regresa a su acogedora ciudad natal de sabor noruego en las secuoyas del norte de California y recata con la ayuda de Seb Wallace, restaurador local y conocido desde hace mucho tiempo, para tratar de analizar la verdad de lo que realmente sucedió. Deben navegar por los complicados caminos del dolor, la dinámica familiar y las segundas oportunidades, así como las complejas preguntas de cuánto control tiene la tecnología. Y mantenerse vivo el tiempo suficiente para hacer eso es mucho más difícil de lo que cualquiera de ellos soñaba.







Reseña:
No esperaba que hubiera romance, no fue algo malo.

Katrina es una abogada que perdió a su esposo hace un año y sigue de luto. Una amiga le dio una tecnología en donde podía meter la información del esposo, sus correo electrónicos y cualquier huella tecnológica que tuviera para crear un chat en donde él pudiera contestarle y sus respuestas eran como si él estuviera vivo. Todo estaba relativamente bien hasta que el bot le dijo que lo habían asesinado, entonces ella se dió a la tarea de encontrar al asesino.

A grieving young widow. The AI program that allows her to continue to "talk" to him. And a message she never expected: "I think I was murdered." Fantastic book and series!! I really am not into this type of genre but I am loving this series! This book has wonderful characters, suspense, intriguing, action, murder, mystery, a great who done it and some crazy twists and turns! The story was very interesting and kept me glued to my kindle! I highly recommend reading this book! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

I wasn't expecting this to be so twisty-turny. Well, I did because Colleen Coble is attached to it, but wow! Great premise. Highly entertaining characters and overall an awesome read!

AI is a central piece of this novel. Katrina misses her deceased husband so much and uses an AI chatbot to "talk" to him. The chatbot was set up pulling in emails/texts from her husband and with his voice. It's a little creepy, but also very understandable that Katrina would find comfort in it. Over time, Katrina begins to believe that her husband was murdered rather than killed in a car accident. She partners with several friends/family members in her life to figure out what really happened to him.

Loved the use of AI and Norwegian influences throughout the novel. And the title is cunning.