THINK I WAS MURDERED by Colleen Coble & Rick Acker
This is one addictive read! Colleen Coble and Rick Acker have knocked it out of the park with this story. This is the first book I have read by these two but certainly will not be the last. This is a romantic suspenseful well written story that starts with a death of a husband and becomes I Think I was Murdered by AI. I didn’t want to put this down! This is 5 stars.

When you live on the bleeding edge of technology, you’ll eventually get cut. On the worst day of Katrina Foster’s life, she lost her husband in a car accident. To help ease the pain, her employer loaded Jason’s information into a bleeding edge AI chatbot, which Katrina used to talk to her beloved after losing him. And on the second worst day of her life, as everything that remained after losing Jason came raining down in ashes around her, Katrina asked him to tell her something she doesn’t know. I Think I Was Murdered is a million tiny cuts to leave Katrina, and the reader, reeling from the swipes as the truth unfolds. Nestled in a Pacific Coast setting that can be both cozy and chilling, and with characters equally lovable and despicable, this is a story to keep you on your toes from start to finish. Colleen Coble and Rick Acker have fabricated a tale that gives no rest for the weary until the last bitter truth is told.

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

Absolutely riveting! This book has mystery, intrigue, a love story blossoming, and the tough coping with the loss of a loved one.
It was hard to put down toward the end because I wanted to know the outcome!

Highly recommend!

Katrina is the legal counsel for a very successful company. Her career and marriage is going great. Then, her husband died in a car crash. It's been a year and she still misses him so badly it hurts. Then, the company's CEO was indicted and the Feds take over the company. Katrina has some tough questions to answer. Then, her grandmother passes away before she could get to her. Katrina and she were very close.
The company had a super duper chatbox that when the app was loaded onto one's phone, along with texts, emails, pics, all communication from an individual, you could essentially 'communicate' with that person once they were deceased. Mind blowing, right? Even after reading the entire book, I still couldn't wrap my mind around it. Apparently, such a thing actually exists. Katrina had been using this chatbox for a the year her husband, Jason, had been dead to 'communicate' with him. It helped her feel near to him-or so she thought. Eventually, she did realize this was not a good thing for her. It only aided in deceiving her and not allowing her to fully accept he was truly gone and to move on with her life without Jason.
One day while 'talking' to Jason, she typed out, 'tell me something I don't know.' The bot replied back, 'I think I was murdered.' Naturally, this was very upsetting to Katrina. She went ahead with her plans and made the trip back home and learned her grandmother had left her restaurant to her. There are some family dynamics here. Her brother felt it should have been left to him.
Katrina knew Seb Wallace from childhood and the growing up years, but hadn't seen him in quite some time. He lives in their hometown and owns an upscale restaurant, and MY, how Seb has changed! Quite the attractive man now! He becomes her confident and helps her with her question surrounding her husband's death which puts both their lives in danger.
Edge of your seat thriller. My only disappointment was that I was able to figure out the killer very early on in the story.
I was given an advanced ecopy by the publisher, Thomas Nelson, through Netgalley. I was under no obligation to leave a positive review.

Can AI bring back to us those who have died? Will the facsimile relationship be healthy or dangerous? Those are the questions at the heart of I Think I Was Murdered.


Katrina Berg had a perfect life - a brilliant career at a hot tech company, a handsome husband, wealth, and a loving family. That all ended the night her spouse Jason was killed in a fiery car crash. It was an event that caused a domino effect; shortly after, the CEO of her firm disappeared with a large chunk of change, the FBI is now questioning her ethics and competence since she is legal counsel for the company, and then her beloved grandmother passes away.


Katrina’s main support through all this is the beta prototype for a new, ultra-sophisticated chatbot created by her firm. All the contents of Jason’s email, social media, pictures, and every other bit of digital data Katrina could find had been loaded onto the AI platform, with the result being that she can talk to her phone and have it respond to her just the way Jason would have. She questions how healthy it is to use the app as frequently as she does, but she can’t stop. Every day, she seeks advice from this digital Jason. Every day, she gets answers using the syntax and words her living husband would have. Until one afternoon, when she begins to receive responses she doesn’t expect. Phrases in Japanese, a language she didn’t know Jason was familiar with. And then, after an innocuous question, the answer I think I was murdered.


Even as she is processing this, another shoe drops. Her best friend Liv, the head programmer at Katrina’s company, tells her the CEO was involved with Chinese gangsters. And those gangsters are now after Liv, his ex-girlfriend, and Katrina, his attorney. Feeling insecure in Silicon Valley, the two head to Katrina’s hometown of North Haven. The kitschy tourist community provides a picturesque stop for those visiting the Redwoods area but is sufficiently isolated that the gangsters will hopefully be unfamiliar with it. This seemed like a stretch to me. The gangsters are involved with a tech company, so I assume they’ve heard of internet research and could probably find out Katrina’s background. It didn’t make sense to me to visit the family with potential killers on her tail, but whatever.


Speaking of her kindred, Katrina’’s family is pretty irked with her. Her grandmother left Bestemor’s, her restaurant, to Katrina, and Katrina plans to sell it. Her mother and brother both want it to stay in the family, but Katrina feels Seb Wallace is, in a way, part of the family. The popular and talented restaurant mogul got his start working at Bestemor’s and has a great deal of affection for it. He’s assured Katrina he will keep the staff her nana had trained and will not make any major changes to the decor or menu. While Katrina and Seb hadn’t been close growing up, the two bond over their mutual love and knowledge of Norweigan food when they discuss the sale. Kartina is confident she has made the right decision. As an added bonus, Seb also knows Japanese and might be able to help her gain insight into what the AI on her phone is telling her.


I was drawn to this book because of the main question posited in the text- could an AI version of you figure out you had been murdered and why, based on your digital footprint? The portions dealing with that and how the use of AI both hindered and helped Katrina in her grief were fascinating. Technology has had a profound impact on us in the last hundred years, and I enjoy narratives that explore that.
The descriptions of the setting were good as well: The huge trees, hundreds of years old, and rugged terrain, with homes at the end of rocky, muddy unpaved paths and steep drops off on the roads that are paved. Most people in North Haven have guns because mountain lions and other beasties abound in the area. All of this contrasted nicely with the very modern issues our heroine was dealing with.


That said, I struggled with other aspects of the tale. The writing tended to be too much tell and not enough show. Once the heroine met (or reunited) with Seb, she seemed to begin a very rapid climb out of grief; I found this unbelievable because Jason had only been dead for a year, and she had just learned he was murdered. Additionally, she was addicted to the AI version of him. I appreciated that the authors didn’t resort to turning Jason evil just to make Katrina hate him, but I would have preferred they put more time between Jason’s death and Katrina falling for Seb.


This kept me from rooting for them as a couple, although I like Seb well enough as an individual. He is kind, thoughtful, generous and caring. There are moments in the tale when he is almost too perfect, but he has just enough flaws to make him down-to-earth and realistic. I did find the depiction of his wealth unlikely, but I accepted that as part of romancelandia culture.


I liked Katrina a bit less. She could be thoughtless of others' feelings and too self-focused. She definitely lacked communication skills; the mess with her family could have been easily resolved with a few heart-to-heart conversations. Moreover, the mystery's resolution and her inability to recognize what had been happening right under her nose left me questioning her intelligence.


I also felt the story had a bit too much going on. Both Seb and Katrina have family issues that constantly intrude upon the text, and the mystery itself winds up being needlessly complex.
I’ll add that the book also brought up nationalities too often for my taste. From the Japanese chef who worked at Seb’s restaurant to the Chinese gangsters chasing them and the endless talk of Katrina’s Norweign heritage, the tale felt unnecessarily race-conscious. To be clear, there is no overt racism, but I found the focus on the gangster’s nationality distracting and unnecessary. I would label anyone who was shooting at me a villain and wouldn’t much care where they came from.
Fortunately, not all the baddies are of one race (some are white Americans), and not all the good people are white. Conversely, for a book marketed as Inspirational, the story has very few faith aspects. God is mentioned half a dozen times, Jesus never, and the characters pray a total of three times, the contents of said petitions being of the sort that an agnostic might use in a foxhole. I’ll add that while there was no on-page sex, it was made clear a lot of sexual activity was occurring off-page. None of it was the hero/heroine, but their siblings and friends were active.


The mix of positives and negatives resulted in a midlevel grade. I think fans of the author may enjoy I Think I Was Murdered, and those intrigued by the premise, as I was, might be able to overlook its flaws, but I would recommend it to only those specific audiences.

This mystery had me wondering what was going on! I thought that the authors did a wonderful job of writing a suspenseful story that was hard to put down!

Colleen Coble & Rick Acker are a dynamic duo mystery team! I’ve really enjoyed their collaborations with smart, up-to-the-date whodunnits which capture the emerging technological world. This story really took me on a thrilling chase with hidden clues, cryptocurrency, artificial intelligence, & chatbots. Along with the intriguing mystery, was a sweet second chance romance, inspiring faith, & ethical questions which caused me to pause.

Katrina Berg was devastated when her perfect world came crashing down a year ago. Her husband Jason died in a fiery crash, the high-tech company where she was a rising star as their legal counsel is being indicted with the CEO missing, & her beloved grandmother recently passed away leaving her a restaurant. Her only comfort is the prototype chatbot she’s installed on her phone which has all of her deceased husband’s emails, photos, & texts, & who can converse with her like Jason.

When the chatbot suggests Jason was murdered, she returns to her quaint Norwegian hometown to search for answers & escape the threats she & her friend are receiving. Looking for a buyer for her grandmother’s restaurant, she renews her friendship with Seb Wallace, a talented restauranteur who’s nothing like the nerdy kid she remembers. As their relationship deepens & threats escalate, Katrina & Seb must work together to decipher her husband’s hidden clues to a vast cryptocurrency fortune.

I really felt for Katrina. Her reliance on the chatbot really made me think. Is it healthy to create a shadow personality of a dead loved one? I was so glad that Seb was there to help her as well as her faith. I enjoyed their slow build, friends to more, second chance romance. Seb has his own issues with a troubled past, ailing father, & a brother he didn’t know he had showing up out of the blue.

I thoroughly enjoyed the fast-paced mystery. It took me a minute to fully understand everything because so many things happened at the beginning. Once I figured out what was going on, I enjoyed the engaging plot. I loved how each clue had a purpose & lead to the next location. I also loved the surprises at the end. There were a few things I didn’t see coming & love when that happens.

Highly recommend to romantic suspense fans! Looking forward to the next mystery from this talented duo. I received an advanced complimentary copy from the publisher. All opinions are my own & voluntarily provided. 4-4.5 stars!

What an interesting book. I Think I was Murdered dealt with topics i was not familiar with. Chat bots, bitcoin, and let's throw in a scandal or two. This book had all the suspense that we know & love from Colleen Coble. A few of the twists were a little interesting but all together, it was an enjoyable book!

Loved it! The prologue had me hooked. Who could have caused the fatal accident and why? Was it all because of the Satoshi egg? It was a good thing Katrina found that adorable kitten when she did or the mountain lion would have had a tiny, furry snack. North Haven sounded like a beautiful place to live. The waffles sounded amazing at Bestemor's. I can't imagine why Katrina wanted to move away, except maybe for her overbearing parents. Her mom wouldn't even let the kitty in her house. From the start, I was very suspicious about Liv and Dylan. I thought Dylan was lying and might want something from Seb. Rory doesn't have anything to give Dylan, except a disgusting, run down trailer in the middle of nowhere. I'm not sure what it was about Liv, but I thought she might be hiding something. There were so many twists and turns throughout the book. The chatbot was the creepiest part of the book. At times, it seemed like Katrina thought the chatbot was really her husband answering her. Some of the responses seemed strange and not something someone would actually say. How can you let someone go when you keep thinking you're talking to them on your phone? The ending was scary and crazy. People will go to great lengths for money, even murder. Loved the relationship between Seb and Katrina. They were exactly what each other needed.

Definitely recommend the book. It was a great mystery/thriller that had me guessing until the end. Loved the characters, story and writing style. Look forward to reading more books by the author.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson Fiction through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I Think I Was Murdered is the second novel by writing duo Colleen Coble and Rick Acker. A lawyer for Silicon Valley AI startup, Talk Inc, Katrina Foster has been widowed a year when her life is again upended: her beloved grandmother, Bestemor dies, and the FBI are investigating Talk’s CEO, David Liang who, it turns out, has been embezzling company funds and has disappeared to Shanghai. His girlfriend, and Katrina’s best friend, Liv Tompkins is Talk’s Chief Technical Officer, and has been left holding the baby (well, near enough, she’s pregnant).

Jason Foster was killed in a terrible car accident while on his way to a meeting in North Haven. Talk’s current project is a chatbot, and Katrina has the beta version loaded with texts, emails, social media and anything else needed to emulate Jason’s personality. Although she’s well aware it’s not him, as realistic as it is, it brings her great comfort and emotional support. But has relying on it retarded her healing? And lately, there might be a few glitches: Japanese text, quotes from books and movies out of left field. And then this: “I think I was murdered.”

The adverse publicity from the FBI raid has her seeking refuge with her family in North Haven. Ivy feels they may be in danger from the influential Liangs, and Katrina invites her along. There’s a funeral to attend, and Bestemor’s will holds a surprise that gives her a reason to seek out local restaurateur, Seb Wallace. They have a history from high school days that she’d all but forgotten, but his fluency in Japanese leads her to share the bot’s revelations.

When he realises that she isn’t self-centred like he thought, Seb is very happy to help Katrina in any way he can, although he does have the distraction of a half-brother of whom he was unaware, turning up on his doorstep. Dylan Carter claims to be the son of Rory Wallace and Linda Carver, but is there more to him than meets the eye?

The premise of an AI chatbot that can respond in character is certainly a topical one, although of course, its output always relies on what goes in. Coble and Acker give the reader some appealing characters and a plot that has a few red herrings and takes a turn or two, including some climbing action and a visit to Yosemite, and a nail-biting climax, before the final resolution.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction.

I Think I Was Murdered is a thrilling and emotionally resonant read that keeps readers hooked from beginning to end. Colleen Coble expertly blends suspense, romance, and psychological drama to create a compelling story about healing, trust, and uncovering the truth. The strong character development, particularly of Evie and Luke, adds depth to the fast-paced, twist-filled plot, while the themes of justice, identity, and self-discovery give the novel a layer of emotional complexity.

Despite a few predictable elements and areas where the emotional exploration could be deepened, I Think I Was Murdered is an enjoyable and satisfying thriller. If you're a fan of suspenseful mysteries with strong characters and a touch of romance, this book is definitely worth reading. Coble’s expertise in building tension and delivering a suspenseful, satisfying conclusion will appeal to fans of the genre, and her skillful character work ensures that readers will care about the outcome as much as the mystery itself.

This book was so interesting and full of suspense! I rarely read thriller style books that have a love interest so it was really enjoyable having someone to root for their love while also being incredibly invested in the plot. I couldn’t tear myself away from this book. The characters were well developed and the twist towards the end was great. Thank you so much to the authors, publisher and NetGalley for my free eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I have enjoyed several books from Colleen Coble, and I Think I Was Murdered did not disappoint. Edge-of-the-seat action, twenty-first-century technology with chatbots and bitcoins, and a long-time-in-coming romance kept my interest high. The authors do a great job of keeping the villain's identity concealed, which keeps the pages turning too! Readers who enjoy fast-paced thrillers will not want to miss this one. I read a complimentary copy of the book from NetGalley and was not required to write a positive review. The opinions are my own.

This book had a really interesting premise but in the end it just wasn’t for me. I can see other readers enjoying the plot and the writing however.

Reading I Think I Was Murdered transports the reader to a small town with serious Norwegian flair. It also incorporates what could be a darker side to AI and all the tech advances. Toss in a few twists and turns to the plot to throw you off balance, and you end up with an enjoyable suspense novel.

This is not the first book I have read by Colleen Coble, but I was uncertain how the book would be as a coauther with Rick Acker. No worries as it turned out splendidly.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for the advance reader copy of the book. All opinions are my own.

I Think I was Murdered is a stand-alone read by Colleen Coble and Rick Acker.

The story begins with Katrina receiving a call about her beloved grandmother falling ill. She needs to return home before it is too late. But she is also struggling with the news her company is being investigated for wrongdoing. On her way home she calls the app that allows her to speak to her dead husband that she continues to rely on while grieving. The AI chatbot program anticipates the responses she feels she needs to hear in his voice. In time she will hear the voice say he thinks he was murdered. Katrina will uncover more mysteries about her husband's death.

This book threw me when I started reading it. It was not at all what I had come to expect when reading Colleen Coble books. The writing is different, not as polished as I have come to enjoy. It is rushed in some spots and drags in others. Let me say that I liked the book, but it was not what I have come to expect which was disappointing for me. It has potential to be a great story, but I think this version needs more work. There are a lot of characters to keep track of, some likeable some could have been left out entirely. Katrina's family is different with no reason explaining why. I was left with more questions than answers.

I wish I could give this a higher rating, but it just does not leave me feeling the way I normally do after I have finished it.

An AI chatbot, bitcoin, and a mystery to solve. This collaboration between Colleen Coble and Rick Acker is quite the page turner.

Katrina Berg is a widow and a lawyer for Talk, Inc. Her deceased husband Jason converses with her regularly via a chatbot app pioneered by her employer. When the Feds descend upon the company, Katrina heads home to New Haven, CA to regroup and mourn another loss -- her Bestemor. I loved the setting in the redwoods and the Norwegian family connections. The food at Bestemor's restaurant sounds fabulous -- waffles and lignonberries on a cloud, for example. Best friend Liv soon joins Katrina and so does a heightening element of danger. If Jason was murdered, is that same person or group now targetting Katrina? Old high school friend Seb Wallace is a welcome partner in investigation and as a restaurant resource. He also has family complications including a dad with Parkinson's and a new brother who has come out of the woodwork.

There is a lot going on in this book. The authors did do a good job of tying up the loose ends by the conclusion. I am not a huge Colleen Coble fan, but if you are then you will also love this new cutting edge mystery. Karen Peakes does a fine job narrating if you choose the audio version.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson for a digital ARC and to HarperCollins for an audio ARC. All opinions are my own.

I did not care for this book. The premise was intriguing and the story started off strong, but after the prologue, I just couldn’t get into it. The characters were flat, sappy (in chapter one, literally everyone was crying), and unrealistic (a grown man whose first thought at finding out he has a long-lost half brother from his father’s affair is “I’m so glad I have someone to eat Thanksgiving dinner with” is not believable as a human being). Based on this book, I would not pick up another by either of these authors.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson Fiction and Netgalley for this e-arc!

I'll preface this by saying this one was not for me. The writing is there.e I was intrigued by the title and the synopsis. However, when I started reading, I wasn't being drawn into the story. It really didn't start to pick up until around 44% and it was short lived for me. It just started to fall flat again for me.

I was drawn in by the AI element. With the emergence of AI, I think this is a hot topic, and I haven't seen a ton of books coming out on the market that involve AI. But honestly, I don't really get what it added to this story, and the whole AI bot says her husband was murdered. Why would that make you think that the bot has any semblance of being accurate?

Then, the romance subplots also felt so unnecessary. They don't really add to the story. It feels forced to me. The one character is repeatedly mentioned to be pregnant, but again, her being pregnant is not important to the story. It felt weird to just keep bringing it up and it not having an actual role in the plot. Like good for her I guess?

Overall, this was my first Colleen Coble book. I can't say that I would never read another book by them, but I can't really see myself seeking one out either.

A fast paced suspense that will leave you guessing until the end. Unexpected twists keep the adrenaline pounding through the entire wild ride. With hits of sweet romance and dealing with grief and loss, there is something for everyone. It was so fun with the AI tech that added a new edge to it all. Character development was so great, it felt like making new friends. They have a depth to them that pulls the reader deeper into the story. The backdrop to the book sprang off the page, filling in all around the story. From towering trees to restaurant chatter, I could easily picture it all.
Colleen Coble and Rick Acker have seamlessly woven a twisting tale that will keep you fully engaged from start to finish. They combine into one voice that crafts suspense to a whole new level. I can't wait for the next book, it is sure to ensnare once again! I also can't recommend this book more, it's worth more that 5 stars! I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.