I loved the complexity of this book, with its multiple layers and how the protagonist dealt with her grief by using a Chatbot with AI. Katrina’s loss of her husband Jason, followed by the death of her beloved grandmother, seems to get her to focus on finding out what really happened to Jason. When he “messages” her on the AI chat that he thinks he was murdered, Katrina is intrigued enough that she continues to pursue clues to find out if he was murdered and if so, who did it and why. The mystery is totally intriguing and the relationships between the characters are as complex as the plot. Katrina meets Seb when she goes back to North Haven for her grandmother’s funeral, the same Seb from high school who carried a torch for her but was too shy to act on his attraction. Now he is a famous restauranteur and wants to help Katrina unravel the mystery of Jason’s death. Meanwhile, back in Katrina’s life in CA, she and her company are being investigated by the FBI, her friend and co-worker Liv is pregnant and has no place to go since they are both unemployed now. So Katrina invites Liv to stay with her in North Haven. The plot gets more and more complicated and the clues are abundant. I enjoyed following the clues, getting to know all of the places Katrina visited as she searched out a hidden message from Jason as well as getting acquainted with a multitude of possible suspects and motives. This is romantic suspense with an edge since grief is added in as well as current technology. I found the story fascinating and the characters realistic. This book offers a great read that made me think as I sought to solve the mystery alongside Katrina and Seb. The romance element simmers under the surface, breaking through with a few kisses and a lot of questioning looks. It took second place to the mystery but added to the intrigue as I guessed whether the couples would truly get together and stay that way or not. I highly recommend this novel as it held me captivated for days as I tried to figure out whodunit and how Katrina would be able to deduce the truth from the AI messages that Jason sent her. Fans of romantic suspense books that are original and believable will definitely want to read this book!
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16th CFR, Part 255, “Guidelines Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

I Think I Was Murdered is entertaining as well as thought-provoking. What is a good use of a chatbot? While comforting for awhile, "conversing" with a dead spouse probably will not help one to get through the grief process. Authors Coble and Acker have written an intriguing modern murder mystery with their characters juggling family issues, grief, and running a business while dealing with a very clever and manipulative villain. The setting of the town founded by Norwegian immigrants added so much to the ambiance of the story. I particularly liked all of the Norwegian references having just returned from a trip there. The authors combined mystery, tech, suspense, romance, faith and family to give their readers a superb read. I would highly recommend this book to readers of clean and Christian romantic suspense and to readers who enjoy a high-tech story.
I received a copy from the publishers through NetGalley and am sharing my opinion of this very well-written book.

I Think I Was Murdered is a rich, multilayered tale told in a great collaboration between Colleen Coble and Rick Acker.
It is a very interesting story that focuses on artificial intelligence, Bitcoins, and chatbots. There was also some interesting background about Norwegian culture and traditions. Katrina returns home to recover the loss of her husband, grandmother, and her job as attorney for a tech company in Northern California. She renews an old high school friendship with Seb, a successful restaurateur. Danger followed her as someone thinks she has something her husband had and was maybe killed for. This is an interesting suspenseful mystery with danger and a growing romance. I really liked Seb and Katrina as well as a great cast of secondary characters in a lovely setting of redwoods, coastline, and small Norwegian influenced town. There is a faith thread that sustains the characters during the times of distress and danger.
I received a copy for an honest review, and these are my thoughts.

I got 50% of the way through this book and could not finish it. Writing style and so many different plot points were just a struggle for me. Primary thoughts: what is happening and why do I care about this random plot line?

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I believe this is my first read by this dual author team. I am very familiar with Colleen Coble’s books.
Lots of suspense from the first sentence, there is a big AI theme in the book as well as crypto currency.

Katrina has had a bad year. Her husband died in a terrible accident and now a year later her grandmother. She tried to make it to see her grandmother before she died, but didn’t make it. She has been using an AI Chatbot invented by the company she works for. It helps her to feel connected with her husband. She talks to the bot about her grandmother and feels comfort although she knows it’s not really Jason speaking to her.
Her company has been taken over by the FBI as well. Can things be any worse?

I believe this is a stand alone book, but I will be interested in reading more by this team. It took me awhile to get this read done bc I have had lots of medical issues lately. I am currently in the hospital waiting for surgery tomorrow.
Read a digital ARC from the publisher through NetGalley. This did not affect my honest review

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

Thank you so much Collen Coble and publisher for allowing me to have a copy of this book. I can't wait to start reading it .

I unfortunately did not find this book enjoyable to read. There were many moments that I found myself rolling my eyes at some of the plot points. The final twist is pretty obvious from the jump in my opinion, and overall there are a lot of plot holes and just really odd moments in this book. I think the use of AI is probably the most interesting piece of this book, and haven’t seen a book with this as an integral part of the story and it was an intriguing thought. But overall this just wasn’t for me. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to provide my honest review.

Title: I Think I Was Murdered
By: Colleen Coble; Rick Acker
Pub. Date: November 12, 2024

Genre:
Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Christian,

Red Flags:
Death, Grief, Loss of Spouse
*Clean Christian Read*

Favorite Quote:
“Every new beginning started with an ending, and this was no different. Pain was part of life, but joy couldn;t be suppressed and always came back. She was thankful she’d finally realized it.”

Summary:
Katrina is grieving the loss of her husband who passed away in a car accident last year. She is very grateful for the newly created TALK bot which allows her to chat with Jason daily. However, dangerous this is for Katrina, her world begins to come crashing down all at once, and the chatting allows her to feel as if Jason is still with her through this process. However, one day, the bot delivers a shocking revelation—Jason's death may not have occurred the way Katrina has always believed. This startling information sets her on a new mission: to uncover the truth behind the circumstances of his death. Will Katrina live to tell his story?

Review:
I’m a big fan of any novel by Colleen Coble, and this collaboration with Rick Aker is no exception. Together, they've crafted a gripping, suspenseful, and action-packed story set in the world of AI. It's the perfect read for today's world, full of unexpected twists and turns that keep you hooked until the very last page. The Christian themes are subtly woven in, striking the perfect balance without feeling too overwhelming. I truly enjoyed devouring this novel and anticipate their next collaboration!

Thank you Colleen Coble, Rick Aker, Thomas Nelson Fiction, and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

#IThinkIWasMurdered
#ColleenCoble
#RickAker
#ThomasNelsonFiction
#reluctantreaderreads
#advancedreadercopies
#NetGalley

Artificial intelligence is often debated that it can mimic human intelligence but not empathy. I was interested how its explored in the most emotional context, 'love lost and a grieving heart'. But the story was about 100 pages too long, for it to stay faithful to its promise to explore 'grief through the lens of technology'.

Its sprinkled with various technology jargons , blockchain, bitcoin, large language models (LLM), generative AI. As a software engineer, it was fun for me to find their references in a book which was not a textbook. Beyond technology comes romance, one that Katherine had with her dead husband and is not ready to 'move on' from it. Other is budding between her and Sebastian, a childhood acquaintance. Katherine struggles internally to allow herself to embrace the attraction she is feeling for Seb, because it feels incorrect to let Jason go. Self-punishment, handling of grief and concept of 'letting go' is quite relatable, author has a knack at writing lost love and its coping struggles.

There were new characters being introduced every chapter and so many subplots were throwing off the rhythm and attention from main plot. Inspite of so many distractions, I had guessed the perpetrator quite early on. I am still not clear about the setting of the book too, it mentions to be in California but vibe is Norwegian, I just wish it was really set in Norway. My experience was also hampered due to PDF version which is cumbersome to read on Netgalley android app.

Verdict : Good premise, poor execution. I have read better books by the author.

I Think I Was Murdered is an enjoyable Christian, cozy read. It centres around Katrina who has returned to her childhood home of North Haven after her tech company is rocked with scandal. She is grieving the loss of her husband Ben, who tragically died a year ago. While back in North Haven, her feelings for Seb, a high school friend, has rekindled but Katrina is plagued by guilt that she is disloyal to her late husband,’s memory. While talking with an AI chatbot designed to replicate Ben, she discovers that his car accident may in fact be murder.

Read this if you like:
-cozy, quick reads
-quaint small town with Norwegian and Hggye vibes
-big tech businesses, AI and the world of Chatbots
-the healing process and journey through grief
-a sprinkle of romance
-twists and turns
-satisfying ending

My rating: 3.75 out of 5

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson Fiction for this eARC that will be published November 12 2024.

A fun suspense that kept me guessing until the end!
These two authors combined talents to make an exciting and thrilling series.
Colleen Coble always writes such intriguing mysteries! This one did not disappoint.
The characters were very well developed and the protagonist was so believable.

This provided a fascinating perspective on chatbots and AI, along with a more profound examination of handling grief. Technology can never substitute for human connection, and the pursuit of wealth is indeed a source of many problems. I found this book enjoyable, but it had the potential to be exceptional. I struggled to form an emotional bond with the characters, and there were quite a few of them with complex storylines. I somehow guessed who the killer might be and i was right about my guess. I wasn't surprised at all. It felt too easy and didn’t have that shocking element.

Thought provoking and an intense look at grief and loss with corporate shenanigans wrapped up in an amazing mystery plot. I haven't read many plots that explore the new AI technology, and I was fascinated by the possibilities of it and how it interacted with the very human emotions involved with the stages of grief. Katrina, a young widow, is an amazing character, coping with her grief and trying to figure out what really happened to her husband and the company she worked for. I loved Seb, Katrina's acquaintance from high school. He was a rock for her at a turbulent time and a sweet love interest. The whole plot worked for me. The contrast between modern Silicon Valley and the traditional Norwegian culture of Katrina and Seb's hometown gave the suspense plot texture and layers I wasn't expecting.

A lot can change in a year. A year ago, Katrina Berg Foster had it all, a loving husband and an amazing job as staff attorney for a successful tech company. Then her world imploded. Her husband, Jason, died, the Feds seize the business where she worked and her beloved grandmother, Bestemor, dies too. Her grief is overwhelming and just putting one foot in front of the other is difficult at times, along with making decisions regard Talk, Inc. and her grandmother's restaurant. She finds solace in a new AI program she is beta testing, but when this program, that mimics her husband, tells her "I Think I Was Murdered", something changes, and she reevaluates everything that has happened in the last year and decides maybe he's right.

My thanks to the Publisher and Author for providing a complimentary digital Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this novel via NetGalley. This is my fair, honest and personal review. All opinions are mine alone and were not biased in any way.

This was an action packed book! It’s full of some twists, turns and surprises. It’s an edge of your seat thriller that you won’t be able to put down.

Readers who want to read a novel featuring AI will probably enjoy this book. AI program chat-bots that took messages from Katrina’s late husband’s emails and texts to ‘talk’ to her was a too far fetched for me. Many rabbit trails and a few side stories made the story hard to follow at times. I enjoyed the Norwegian aspect of the story. Not my favorite.

This was an okay read for me. I had a hard time getting into the mood and setting of this book.

The suspense and mystery side of the book was well thought out and executed but I lacked a connection with the characters.

Definitely will give this duo another shot if they continue to author together.

I felt very immersed in this novel right away, the AI element was definitely appealing and added to the mystery!

Mystery with heavy religious and romance overtones.

I like thrillers that have to do with cutting edge technology and my impression was that this book was about an AI app and also about bitcoin. Although those were parts of the story, the main focus was on the character of Katrina Berg and her Norwegian family in North Haven. The concept of hygge (mood of coziness, warmth and comfort) is also emphasized and appears constantly within the prose. In addition, her romance with a restaurant owner, Seb Wallace, is another huge piece of the novel.

This was fast paced and a quick read, but it just had too much sappy romance for me. I would have liked much more focus on the AI chat bot aspect. Lots of family, home, hearth, sentimentality, and a bit too overly sweet.

I was able to listen to the audiobook while also following along in the e-book ARC, both provided by the publishers. As always, a good narrator can enhance my enjoyment of a book, and this was well done. I always believe, however, that a larger cast with male and female voices would add to the quality of an audio production.

Another suspenseful whodunnit from one of my favorite authors. I was introduced to a lot of terminology that I wasn't familiar with but as the story revealed itself I came to understand the technicalities. The characters were endearing and while the mystery unfolded I had a hard time determining who was the killer. I highly recommend this intriguing and complicated novel.

I Think I Was Murdered was a very enjoyable read that has a surprising ending. I loved the romantic nuisances between the characters and also loved that it showed Katrina working through her grief to move on. I also appreciated that it had romance and suspense, but was also clean and referenced praying and God. I like seeing someone's faith quietly inserted into the book. I would highly recommend this book to others. The 4 stars was purely due to the beginning of the book being a little slow to take off, but it did! I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.