☆ALC REVIEW☆
Publication date: November 11, 2024

Unfortunately this was just so slow moving, and I found it really hard to keep focused on the story.

Thank you NetGalley, the authors and HarperCollins Christian Publishing for an advanced audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

I had to unfortunately DNF this book at 26%. This book was not for me. With a title like I Think I Was Murdered, I wasn’t expecting it to be a cozy mystery. The main premise was interesting but there was too many side characters and side plots.

What would you do if the advanced AI bot that has all of your dead husband’s texts and messages, says to you, “I think I was murdered”? This unexpected revelation propels a high adrenaline adventure where finding those who want her dead are as surprising as all the twists and turns along the way.

Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas Nelson, and Zondervan Fiction Audio for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook!

Katrina is a young widow who has used her connections in the technology world to get an AI bot to communicate with her as her deceased husband. But when he tells her he thinks he was murdered, things start getting a bit weird and scary.

I’ve read quite a few of Coble’s books and though I’m not crazy about her romances (nothing against her writing, that’s just not my cup of tea) I have really enjoyed her suspense books. It’s hard to compare this with her others because it’s been a while since I’ve read them but it’s safe to say that for me, this was one of my favorites. There was a lot of action and a big red herring and just enough romance to spice things up a bit. I knew right away who the killer was, from the moment that person is introduced, but that didn’t ruin anything (who doesn’t enjoy feeling a *bit* smug when the mask comes off and you find out you were right all along?)

This book was also pretty thought-provoking. What would you do if AI could bring back your loved one? Was it good for Katrina, or not? Did it keep her from moving on? If so, so what? Interesting scenario to think about!


For anyone who enjoys romantic suspense I think this book is well worth checking out.

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I think I was murdered by Colleen coble and Rick Acker
Narrated by Karen Peakes
The narration was good, so I will definitely recommend the audiobook but I was disappointed with the mystery part of the book.

Audiobook rating : 3.5 stars
Book rating : 2.5 stars
Overall rating : 3 stars

When I read the glossary of this book, I was quite intrigued. I have read a book before where AI was involved in the lives of main characters. As there are many uses of AI in our lives, its too much use is going to cost us and yet we are definitely headed that way.

Everything was going well in Katrina Berg's life when her husband suddenly died in an accident. It's been a year since then but she isn't yet over him. But that's not it. Now her CEO is indicted and, as the company's legal counsel, Katrina faces tough questions as the Feds take over and lock her out of her office. She starts using company's best asset and prototype which lets her talk to her husband "Jason" through his data saved. To be honest, it felt weird but I can understand how grief can make you do things so I will let it slide.

Then one day "Jason" tells her he thinks he was murdered and that leads to a chain of reactions which is explosive, combustive and unstoppable. When her grandma dies and leaves her restaurant to look after, she has to come back to her town and family and it leads to further complications.

Seb has always had feelings for Katrina and is ready to help but he too has past he can't seem to get rid of. Together they are on a quest to find out if Jason was murdered.

This mystery definitely had potential but writing just didn't click for me. It didn't have that adrenaline pumping or tension building quality. I did not care for any character or even the love angle felt dull to me. It didn't feel like falling in love but situational thing. Again the characters are not well developed and thriller did not give me any thrill.

I had somehow figured out who might be the killer in the very first few pages, coz that person was always there but nobody ever suspected. That person was very close to the story the whole time so when reveal came I wasn't surprised at all. It was too easy and lacked the shocking factor. I will say it is good to read once but frankly I was disappointed big time.

Thank you Thomas Nelson fiction and Harper Collins Christian publishing and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.

A little suspense, a bit of a love story and a lot of thought provoking ideas looking forward into the future. After her job is on pause from an investigation, Katrina returns home for a much needed visit. To help with her loss she communicates with her dead husband through an AI bot created by the company she was working for. With each interaction he gives the advice she needs for decisions. As they are chatting he reveals to her his death may not be an accident after all. Investigating this theory sends her down a rabbit hole questioning everything. At the same time it is revealed through her grandmother's will that she has left her the family business. Torn between focusing on the murder and running the restaurant she turns to Seb, who has past ties with both the restaurant and her grandmother. They form an alliance to deal with both. With lots of twists and turns it's a wild ride to reveal the truth. Thank you to Netgalley and Harpercollins for this free advanced copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily

I really enjoyed this book. The premise was unique and I liked the twist at the end (which I didn’t suspect at all until the characters pretty much figured it out). I’m definitely going to recommend this book to the women’s bible study group I’m a part of at my church

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.75
Writing: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Characters: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Narrator(s): ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Tropes, etc: Whodunnit, AI, Friends to Lovers
POV: Multiple, 3rd Person
3rd Act Breakup?: No
Cliffhanger?: No

The Praise: The premise of this was really intriguing. I love futuristic things like using AI chat bots to assume the personality of a loved one. As someone who is typically a romance reader, I really enjoyed the romance aspect. I also liked how the authors included religion without being heavy-handed or over the top about it.

The Critique: I really wish the story had more interaction with the Jason bot. I went in expecting that to be a large part of the story but it seemed like an afterthought. I also felt like the dialogue was a bit stilted at times.

Final Thoughts: This was fine. It kept me interested, it just wasn’t quite what I expected.

I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Christian Publishing!

I truly thought I would love this one, but I just couldn't get into it at all. The story wasn't grabbing my attention like I thought it would. I had to DNF.

Just a year after the shocking death of her husband, Katrina, still grieving the loss, is rocked by the news that her beloved grandmother has passed away. She rushes home upon receiving the news and is immediately embroiled in family drama, inheritance surprises, and a murder mystery. For the past year, she's been using an AI program loaded with text messages and social media posts from her late husband to "speak to him," something that has become an unhealthy obsession and turns even more dangerous when the bot tells her "I think I was murdered."

I always like to start my reviews out with the good bits, so here goes... Karen Peakes is a great narrator. She does a wonderful job reading and bringing the characters to life. I am often annoyed when narrators try to bring voices to characters that are opposite their gender, but she actually does a great job reading for the male characters in the book. Her pronunciation and slight accent for certain characters seemed pretty good to me as well. She didn't try to go too over-the-top or stereotypical. Plot-wise, despite a lack of proper development, in my opinion, I did like the relationship between Katrina and Seb. I also enjoyed the character of Seb's dad, not because he was a good guy by any means, but his character gave Seb a depth that he was, frankly, lacking on his own, and brought another layer to the story as well.

Now, for the not-so-great, I was, frankly, so disappointed in this book. I'm giving it three stars to be generous, but it's more like 2.5. And maybe this is because I am a huge fan of Colleen's work and I really did enjoy What We Hide, the other book she wrote with Rick Acker. But this book just did not feel like her at all (aside from the relationship between Katrina and Seb that drew me in). I love her books most of all because the characters always have a connection to God. It's called Christian Fiction for a reason. Even if they struggle, even if they doubt, even if they start off not thinking God is there for them at all, they always, always come around and they have a godly support system around them. God is mentioned more than in passing. Their faith actually shines in the book and isn't portrayed by saying "I prayed..." This book did not feel like Christian Fiction to me. I read a lot of secular mysteries as well, and they're enjoyable, but if I pick up a Christian mystery, I want to feel that faith in the book. These characters were so secular in the way they acted, spoke, carried out their lives. If I picked this up thinking that it was a secular book, I might feel differently in this regard.

Aside from being incredibly disappointed with the way faith was portrayed in this book, I just didn't enjoy other aspects much. The AI bot was absolutely unsettling and I was so glad that they acknowledged that Katrina's obsession with it was unhealthy and dangerous. The plot was over-the-top and not in a good way. Asian mafia. Guns everywhere. It was just too much. And the characters weren't enough. Liv was so annoying the entire time. Dylan wasn't fleshed out enough and only added to the too over-the-top nature of the book. Seb and Katrina had chemistry, but weren't fully fleshed out either. Katrina was apparently a lawyer but very much didn't feel like it. And Seb was a chef, but felt more like a marine or law officer. Katrina's family can really only be defined by a deep sigh. I don't even remember their names or what they did. They were just Rich and Entitled 1, 2, and 3.

I did sort of enjoy the ending because what do you know some faith finally showed up like maybe Colleen remembered that she writes Christian Fiction? Overall, quite disappointed in this one.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC audiobook for an honest review.

This had such an intriguing premise...we have grieving widow, Katrina, whose husband died in a car crash. She has access to AI chatbot technology where she can text her dead husband, Jason, and "he" makes a statement "I think I was murdered..." There is mystery and suspense as well as a lot of emotional depth through the different character relationships. I really enjoyed Seb's character and the reestablishing connection with Katrina. Even though she is still grieving her husband, their relationship growth from friendship to more felt organic (albeit a little quick) I appreciated the Christian elements, and it didn't feel forced or "in your face." The book had many subplots (some added and some detracted) from the main storyline.

I did guess the twist/"bad guy"...but was still invested in the outcome. The ending, while it did contain a happily ever after, felt a little lacking with how things ended after the grand reveal. Maybe a little too anticlimactic...if you are going to have a "bad guy" go all out making the person bad.

The narration was well done!

I am looking forward to the next collaboration from this duo!

3.5 stars

1.5⭐️ What I thought was a thriller about an AI ChatBot, was in fact a cozy romantic mystery with an AI ChatBot. Yes, the plot was full of suspense, but the vibe is more Sweet Home Alabama meets Mission Impossible

✨ Read if you enjoy: romance, cozy mysteries, Norwegian culture
✨ Don’t read if you loathe: sentimental love stories, genre mashups and far-fetched plots

Katrina, a lawyer for a tech company, returns to her hometown to attend her grandmother’s funeral. There, she reconnects with Seb and her hometowns Norwegian vibe in California

Her husband Jason died a year earlier and the prototype AI ChatBot is programmed to text as dead Jason. During a conversation, ‘Jason’ tells her he was murdered

Katrina teams up with her brother, old friend Seb, his cute half brother and her Silicone Valley bestie, Liv. Together they work on uncovering the mystery of Jason’s death

What follows is a mixture of romance, mystery, AI, rock climbing, Teslas, a bitcoin quest, the Chinese triad, and an excessive amount of Norwegian references…

My rating reflects the lack of character depth, and the convoluted, far-fetched plot

If you enjoy romantic genre mashups, with far-fetched adventure, this could be for you. Bonus points if you like super sweet and smut free

Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins Christian Publishing for access to this audiobook ARC in exchange for my honest review

This is a mystery suspense that focuses on the evolution of AI. I thought it was a super unique concept to incorporate into a book. I unfortunately didn't love this one. I thought the way some of the characters acted/their behaviors were odd. One of the characters is pregnant, and the way it was presented throughout the book was confusing and kind of weird, in my opinion. It’s not a complete secret, but there are periods it’s not talked about/you almost forget she’s pregnant, and there’s no concern for the baby, even when characters are attacked. This side character has a bit of a love triangle, and I didn’t love how it was wrapped up at the end. Colleen Coble’s books have been a bit of a hit or miss for me personally, and I’m not sure if I’ll continue reading books by her in the future.

Thank you, Netgalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction, for sending me an audiobook ARC. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own.

content discretions: Parkinson’s, loss of a spouse from a car accident, Side character pregnant out of wedlock, no spice, no language, broken knee from attack

After Katrina’s beloved grandmother dies and the FBI goes after the CEO of the tech company for which she is legal counsel, she retreats to her hometown to figure out her next steps. She also lost her husband a year previous, and she eases her grief by talking to an AI chat program that is loaded with her his texts and emails. But then an innocuous question to her the bot returns a response that sets her world spinning even more: “I think I was murdered.”

The premise of this story intrigued me greatly, and the mystery aspect of the story was suspenseful and engaging. The book mostly takes place in a small town in California, where Katrina grew up with a Norwegian father and grandmother (called “Bestemor”), and there are a lot of references to Norwegian food and traditions, which I enjoyed. There is romance, but it’s not quite as front-and-center as a lot of these Christian romantic suspense books tend to be. The main male character has family issues that don’t connect to the main story, though they do provide an in-depth backstory for him that make him a well-rounded character.

However, there are several side stories, and I’m not sure all of them are particularly beneficial to the story. There are a couple of minor twists in the book, one of which I suspected from pretty early in the book. I don’t know if it was just that obvious or if I simply took a leap that happened to be correct. In the end, the book wasn’t a stand-out read for me, but I did enjoy listening to it. The narrator is decent, differentiating voices well enough to make the story easy to follow, though there were times when it seemed like her voice was more distressed-sounding than it needed to be. Overall though, I’d recommend this book for fans of Christian romantic suspense/mystery novels, especially those who are interested in the AI angle.

I read the book 5th listened again to this narrator who did a superb job of telling this story.

The talented team of Coleen Coble and Rick Acker have created a fascinating story encompassing AI, chatbots, and Bitcoin. I knew these technologies by name only and enjoyed learning how they could be incorporated and affect modern day life.

Structural engineer,Jason Foster had searched for the mythical, most likely fictitious, Satoshi eggs for over a decade. Then he found it and now he’s fearful for his life. Strangely the very valuable Satoshi egg looks simply like a faded, plastic Easter egg, but inside is a USB drive with valuable information to those hunting for treasures and are frantic to find it. Some desperate enough to kill.

Jason’s fears were merited because he has died in what appears to be an innocent car accident during heavy fog, leaving behind his beloved wife, Katrina. Since her husband’s death, she has become obsessed with chatbots, where she has combined all her husband’s former messages and his social media information into an app. Talking to Jason’s chatbot voice gives her the impression she is still in communication with him using her phone app Talk. While conversing with her deceased husband’s, Jason-like voice, he announces “I think I was murdered.”

Katrina, an attorney, and her best friend, Liz, the Chief Technology Officer, work at Talk, Inc., a tech company in Palo Alto, with a unique AI app. And here’s another strange occurrence… CEO of the company, who also was the boyfriend of Liz, appears to have vanished. He’s not been heard from nor is he responding to any phone calls. The FBI is now looking into their business dealings.

I Think I Was murdered is a fast-paced, action-packed story that includes many likable and relatable characters, although some that prompted me to question their true character.

Katrina is left to examine the intricate clues Jason left behind that includes the code for $30 million dollars of Bitcoin.

Get ready for many unexpected twists and turns to this captivating story. I defy you to guess the shocking conclusion of this most fascinating story.

This theiller is also of the Christian genre where Christian ideas are aptly placed throughout the many conflicts. The authors demonstrate how a persons of faith use their relationship with God to help them in difficult situations.

I highly recommend this thrilling adventure which is a smart read encompassing rich vocabulary and Norwegian culture.

There were about 3 too many Teslas in this book (which in my opinion is 3 too many) for my liking. I felt like the authors were trying to be "cool" and use bitcoin, teslas, AI, robochat, Asian Tech and various other high tech things, which I could careless about and I would imagine 90% of Colleen Coble and Rick Acker's audience do either. Like your target audience is Christian women 30+ who probably are conservative and are not willing to give up their gas powered cars....dont try to sell me on Teslas.
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I truly felt like Coble was trying to appeal to a teenager/young adult. The writing was incredibly novice and cheese doodles galore. I mean our main character is some big shot lawyer and she is talking to a Robot (an AI bot who is her ex husband)....I couldn't get over our stupid that was.
The only redemptive parts of this book were it was a clean closed door romance, the characters are christian and no "check boxes" for diversity.
My main problem I guess is the fact the topic did not interest me....and like I said I really imagine most readers of this genre will have similar feelings. I enjoyed previous books by this duo.....they should just stay in their lane.
Thank you net galley and Thomas Nelson Publishing for allowing me to review this advanced copy of I Think I was Murdered. I was not influenced or paid in exchange for this honest review.

The audio of this one was so well done! There was just enough creepy to ramp up the suspense in the story.

Katrina Foster works for Talk, Inc., creator of one of the premier chatbots in the AI world. Losing her husband to an accident threw her life into turmoil, but when her friend offers to upload all of her husband's texts and conversations to the Beta version of a new interactive chatbot, it feels like she's gotten him back. She texts the chatbot and her husband, Jason, answers - or does he? The answers sound like ones he'd give, but when she asks him about the day he died, he says, "I think I was murdered." The more she investigates, the more sure she becomes that he really was murdered. Inheriting her grandmother's cafe, she returns to her Norwegian-ancestry hometown, and enlists restaurateur Seb Wallace to help her figure out what happened.

Seb Wallace fell for Katrina Foster in his early teens when she was the only kid in school who was ever kind to him. He lost touch before graduation when her ex-boyfriend broke his nose for taking her to prom. Nearly 20 years has only made her more beautiful but he sees the torment in her eyes. When accidents start happening that appear to be targeting Katrina, Seb offers his help. Will they be able to keep her safe until they find the real killer?

Colleen Coble and Rick Acker make a dynamic writing duo! This is the second book I've read by this pair, and both were edge-of-the-seat, pulse-pounding thrill rides! The creepiness of the chatbot answering Katrina as if her husband still lived within her phone sent chills every time she asked it a question. Readers who are looking for their next suspense novel need to run out and pick this one up. It gets all the stars from me!

This second collaboration between Coble and Ackerman kept me guessing to the end. Katrina’s AI chatbot configured as her dead husband was both timely and troubling. A bitcoin treasure hunt, a missing CEO and a newly discovered family member maintained the tension. Narrator Peakes ably voiced all the characters and conveyed rising tension as well as tender moments in this mystery thriller. Recommended.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a review audiobook. All opinions expressed are my own.

I Think I Was Murdered by Colleen Coble and Rick Acker - 2 to 2.5 Stars

Let me start this review by saying I absolutely LOVED What We Hide by Colleen and Rick and had the opportunity to meet them at a local Christian bookstore when they went on tour for a book signing, they were so nice to meet and chat with. I think I was Murdered was one of my most anticipated releases for the fall time this year, but unfortunately, my honest review is this was a bit disjointed and didn't live up to my personal expectations. This one is a standalone story and not tied to What We Hide. I am still interested to see what happens in book 2 after What We Hide to see what happens next but this one fell flat for me personally.

This story is about a grieving widow, Katrina, who talks to an AI program-chat bot that poses as her husband that passed away. The chat bot has all of her husbands social media accounts, photos, information from his phone etc. So it can truly feel like he is talking to her. One day, the chat bot responds to her "I Think I Was Murdered" and she goes on this hunt to find out what really happened to Jason. The story has some side characters and mysteries going on as well.

We all feel like AI is a very odd and strange thing in today's world so the plot itself was SO interesting to me. I had not seen anyone write an AI story yet so I was highly looking forward to this one. I think for me, if the story focused more on the Katrina > Jason story, I would have been more invested but we get a bit disjointed going on side stories with other characters and drama with them that I wasn't connecting to. There is a side character in this that is pregnant and there was some very crazy circumstances that occur where it doesn't feel like there is concern for her being pregnant really. Also, I wasn't crazy about the romances in this book. One being a love triangle and the other I just didn't really connect with.

The ending was the main reason I ended up giving this more so a 2-2.5 star rating (which Star ratings are so subjective anyway, I debated between a 2-3 star but the ending just bothered me so that's why I am at a 2-2.5). I felt like the main story was to figure out who murdered Jason but we spent a long time on other things I didn't care about.

I think if you are in the mood for more of a legal, mystery suspense story and are interested in the AI bits, check this out, but it just wasn't for me personally. I have LOVED all of Colleens books I have read so far so this surprised me but hoping this was just an anomaly for me :).

Thank you to Thomas Nelson for a copy to honestly read and review. I rarely find myself giving ratings like this but this is my honest review and opinions. Take me with a grain of salt :)

Oops, I did it again...
I don't tend to reread books unless I truly love them. I had already read (and loved) the e-book and I had the opportunity to also review the audiobook (thanks @netgalley).
Let me just say, it's even better the second time through!
The audio narration by Karen Peakes is excellent.