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.

I loved this book! Katrina and Seb were great characters and I appreciated how their relationship changed throughout the book. I thought the storyline was fascinating, especially with the involvement of AI! That definitely brought a bit of a unique twist to the plot. Overall, I would absolutely recommend this book!

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

This book is an interesting look into AI and our future. Katrina is a head of a company's AI chatbot. Her husband dies in a car accident and Katrina is grieving and has used algorithms to still "talk" to Jason. Things fall apart at her business with the CEO disappearing and the FBI investigating. Katrina starts getting messages from "Jason" that make her believe he may have been killed. Katrina has to return home after her beloved grandmother passes away. Katrina is determined to find out what really happened to Jason. This was a great read.

Somehow, with over 70 books under her name, this was my first Colleen Coble read. I can say, she and Rick Acker wrote quite an intriguing puzzle of a book. Katrina returns home when her company is invaded and investigated by the FBI for fraud and her beloved grandmother passes away. She’s still grieving the loss of her husband from a year earlier. Sort of. Her company has created this brilliant chat bot that allows you to upload previous communication with someone to create and AI that will respond to you as though they original person were. And. She’s using it to pretend she’s talking to her deceased husband.

She reconnects with Seb, who helps her run the business het grandmother left to her. She invites her coworker to stay with her while they try to hide and stay safe from the people who have been indicted in the crimes her previous employer has committed.

Enter a few more questionable characters and a message from the chat bot that hints at a possible murder of Katrina’s husband and this is the outcome.

The ending was satisfying. While there was no “smut” you could understand Katrina’s feelings for the people in her life and those relationships didn’t feel rushed.

Karen Peakes audio narration was clear and concise. I forgot we were in the US with all of the Norwegian mixed into the town names.


Thank you to
Colleen Coble
Rick Acker
NetGalley
HarperCollins Christian Publishing
Thomas Nelson Fiction
Karen Peakes
I was granted access to the audiobook version of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGally for letting me get a sneak peak into this book. I got to listen to the audio version

Katrina lost her husband a year ago, she and her husband had developed an AI chat bot. When Jason passed she started to the AI chat bot as if it was Jason. One day she got a strange message from the AI chat bot.

Later going to her childhood town gathering her thoughts and suspicions. Was her husband murdered or is she going crazy believing the AI chat bot.

I am a huge Colleen Coble fan, always drop what I'm doing to start any of her new books. This was a first for me - Coble writing with another author, Rick Acker. I wasn't sure what to think, but hey, it still was Colleen Coble, so it had to be good, right??
Yes! I think I was murdered is right on trend with the world of AI, bitcoins all the new ways the tech world is taking over and everything you love about a Coble read was there too.
Katrina, a grieving young widow has her whole world turned upside down from every area of her life and through the help of a close friend, she is able to continue to communicate with her deceased husband, Jason. During one of these "talks" he tells Katrina that he thinks he was murdered and from there, her world turns into a roller coaster of a ride. With the help of a childhood friend, she finds the answers she was searching for and could her heart be open to love again?
Enjoy this ride of a read, you will not be sorry!

Thank you Net Galley for the ARC of this book. This was my first boo by Colleen Coble, and it won't be my last. While I didn't connect with this story, I hope to read more from her in the future. This writting style and plot was hard for me to keep up with. I think it would have been better for me to read the phyical copy of book rather than the audio.

I think I was murdered by Colleen Coble & Rick Acker 🎧
⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you, @NetGalley & @harpercollinschristian for the early audio of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I enjoyed the premise of this book, something about the whole story itself drew me in. The writing was also very well done. But then there is something I just can't put my finger on. I think possibly pacing, I found the book slow-paced and it was hard for me to keep going after the initial excitement wore off. That could very well be it.
Though the slower pace turned me off- I'd highly recommend this one to those who love a good slow-burn thriller!

This book is about Katrina who’s still grieving her husband who died in a car crash even after a year. She was not ready to move on and has been talking to an AI chatbot developed by her best friend using all of Jason’s, Katrina’s husband, online and offline history.

All was fine in Katrina’s life until the AI chatbot suddenly said that he (Jason) thought he was murdered. On top of that, Katrina’s grandmother passed away. Katrina went home to their small town to attend her grandmother’s funeral and met Seb, a childhood acquaintance.

With all that’s been happening in her life, Katrina figured out a clue regarding Jason’s murder and started to investigate the real mystery behind her husband’s car crash.

First thoughts on this book…

This is an interesting murder mystery book. It’s been a while since I read my last mystery book in general. I wasn’t sure if I still had it in me to figure out the real murderer but I’m gonna try.

And it turns out, I still got it.

The story was actually great and not hard to follow at all. The mystery was nicely laid out. This also felt like treasure hunting because of all the clues the actual Jason left for Katrina. After finding a clue, Katrina will go to where that clue points out and then there will be another clue from there, and so on.

Due to that, it also felt like it was an adventure type of read. Though not really since the places mentioned were not from all over the world. It was still a nice touch and made the book not boring.

Actually, there was not a part of the book that was boring. Every chapter has clues, and all clues are very subtle you won’t even notice it.

Katrina is a good narrator but a very trusty person. She doesn’t even notice or doubt or even think of the possibility that someone in her life might actually kill Jason. She’s too kind.

Or maybe I just have a lot of trust issues I don’t trust everyone in Katrina’s life even though she feels very close to them. I always have suspicions that one of her close people has something to do with Jason’s death.

Then there’s Seb, Sebastian Wallace. Right from the start, Seb felt like the most gentleman ever existed. Like no rude bone in her body at all. He’s polite, respectful, and also very smart in terms of running a restaurant.

He’s been Katrina’s most trusted friend in pursuit of Jason’s murder. But I still suspected him. I’m sorry.

I gotta admit though, the romance they developed along the way was just an added bonus. I wasn’t expecting any romance at all when I started reading this. I’m still so happy though.

I also like that there was no spice at all in this book. It would be unnecessary if there is. It was just a blissful murder mystery book.

Now unto the narration…

The audiobook is not confusing. I find the narrator understandable and easy to follow. This is the first audiobook that I actually finished listening to and I find myself loving audiobooks. There were a lot of things and chores I finished while listening to this.

To wrap this up, this story is good. The clues in solving the mystery of the person who killed Jason were not obvious, you won’t even feel there were clues at all pointing to that person. And I enjoyed identifying which ones are clues and which ones aren’t.

I’d definitely recommend this book to y’all bessies.

I Think I Was Murdered is an intriguing and suspenseful read! Straight from the beginning I was hooked! Katrina has recently lost her husband and is struggling with her grief. A bot programmed to answer her questions as her dead husband leads her to the truth that he was murdered. Teaming up with the handsome Seb, she unlocks the truth about what happened. I highly enjoyed this book! The action and mystery was great as well as the subtle and slow burn of the couple. The ending took me by surprise! I would highly recommend this book! I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley in trade for my honest opinion. My thoughts are my own.

What would you do if you got a message from a loved one saying, I think I was murdered.
In this book, we meet a woman who has pretty much lost everything. The love of her life just passed in a tragic car accident so close to him she input all of his emails, texts, pictures and pretty much everything else from him into an AI conversation chat bot to close to him. But as she’s having a conversation with this bot it randomly says, I think I was murdered.
With a title like that, I was definitely intrigued to see what this book had to offer. it was generally fast-paced and engaging but at points kind of generic and its approach to the finale. I had pretty much guessed who was behind everything by the 50% mark.
Which I usually am not a fan of. And in this case, it was kind of a mixed bag being disappointed and mildly intrigued. The characters were pretty basic in my opinion and I wasn’t as engrossed as I would’ve liked.
The one positive thing I would say about this audio book is that the narrator, Karen Peakes ,for sure elevated it. I think that their narration was what kept me invested in this book. So for sure, a good choice in narrators.
So overall, this book kind of falls in the middle category where it kind of blends into the background of this thriller mystery genre. I would give it three stars but like I say with all my reviews, if you’re intrigued by the title and the synopsis go read it. You could have a different opinion than me and that’s OK.
I’d like to think NetGalley and Zondervan audio for the opportunity to listen to an audio arc of this book

I had no idea that Coleen Coble was a Christian author. I loved that this book kept you on your toes and use modern technology in the storyline. I also love how she can show Romance and affection without being overly graphic. It was refreshing. A book that should be added to your TBR list.

Colleen Coble doesn't disappoint and this story is another winner. This book is a cozy mystery. I really liked the romance vibes and the tension in the plot, until we discovered who was really after the egg. The fact that it is so current with chatbots and cryptocurrencies makes it much more appealing. I loved the way the authors decided to show Katrina's dependence on the chatbot. The only thing I would point out is that it's nothing bad, it's just my personal opinion, as I read Fragile designs (and I simply loved this book), but it made me think this one was too similar. A widowed main character, a criminal network after the main character because of a very valuable egg, and a romance with someone from the main character's teenage years. As I found these points so similar, I can't say that I was captivated by the story, because I wasn't surprised. And I am a reader who likes to be surprised, however, this opinion of mine in no way takes away the value of this book. I recommend it .

I really enjoyed the writing style-each chapter is co written by Colbe (our fmc Katrina) and Acker (mmc Sebastian). I wish there were two voice actors, one female and one male, but the voice actor did a wonderful job for both roles and I was able to easily make the distinction when the pov switched.

As a society we are at a pinnacle of normalizing AI use in our daily lives. The AI aspect was critical to the plot but not overwhelmingly used throughout the story.

My personal experience with thrillers is that they tend to suffer from a slow second act but I didn’t feel that with this one. By having both main characters have their own, but intertwined plot lines, created a fast-paced book that I enjoyed.

Narrator was good but the overall story wasn’t to my taste. I like less romance in my thrillers. It has good reviews and seems to be loved by many. Happy to have had the opportunity to listen and add to my arsenal of recommendations..

Kartina has her own way of grieving with the loss of her husband. She is a huge part of an AI chatbot that came about after uploading thousands of messages from her deceased husband. This allows her to "talk" to her husband. The start up is put in danger when the CEO of the company is indicted and Katrina is put in the hot seat by the Feds. When the chatbot starts glitching Katrina thinks its just a bug needing to be fixed but when it tells her "I think I was murdered" is it right? Is this a bug in programming or is her husband trying to tell her something from beyond the grave?
Katrina heads back to North Haven to find out what truly happened to her husband.

This was a great audiobook. I really enjoyed the narrorator and the voices for each character. Mystery/Thrillers are my go to genre and this is a good one! It is fast paced and keeps you on your toes. I like the relationship with Seb. The insight to grief and moving on seems very relatable. This is a great story of just how much we should be putting into AI. Where as a society do we draw the line of how far is too far. The twist is not what I saw coming! I was shocked!

I picked this up thinking I was in for a futuristic sci-fi adventure, but what I got was a gripping murder thriller—right in my comfort zone! Even though I managed to piece together the twist before the big reveal, the journey there was still full of suspense and kept me hooked. The romance was subtle and clean, adding just the right touch without overpowering the thriller vibe. If you’re into thrillers with a mix of emotions and a bit of romance, this one’s worth picking up!

I think this book may have just not been for me. I gave it a good chance to come around, but I found it redundant and not really telling much of a story, even though it kept going on and on. There also was a lot of weird elements-- AI that could talk beyond the grave and solve a murder, Asian mobs putting hits on (seemingly) civilians, and people that don't want to take the help of authorities.

It has an air of mystery that I did enjoy, but it didn't make the elements that I actually liked more bearable.

I gave this book 60%, and then I couldn't do it anymore. I found I just didn't really care what happened to the characters, and I knew that I had to stop.

Thank you to the Author, Pubisher and Net Galley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I Think I Was Murdered by Colleen Coble and Rick Acker is a thriller that's unafraid of modern technology. With elements of AI, bitcoin, and blockchain included as major plot drivers, the read somehow doesn't feel too tech-heavy for a reader who isn't completely on the up-and-up with these emerging technologies (like me). It maintains its balance with the incorporation of the very organic realm of relationships, family, and friendship.

The company Katrina works for in Silicon Valley is beta testing a new AI system, and she's fed in all her recently dead-husband's electronic records in to test it (but really as a coping tool as she grieves his unexpected death). Texting the program is really communicating with him. He even sends her photographs of their memories. One day she asks him to tell her something she doesn't know. "I think I was murdered," he tells her. He died in a car accident, so this is the last thing she ever expected.

Meanwhile, her grandmother died, so Katrina has come back to her hometown, inherited her family's restaurant, and reconnected with an old friend. Her Silicon Valley career is in shambles and being investigated, and it turns out her husband may have left something behind for her. It turns into a race against time for her to find before whoever killed him for it.

I can't find anything really to fault in this novel. I thought it was done incredibly well. It managed to surprise me a few times, while I was also able to anticipate a few twists and feel that sense of self-satisfaction, too. There are plenty of plotlines to keep us busy, and all of them play into the main story in some way by the end. There is plenty to capture your interest as a reader, and the story felt very robust.

I was provided with an advanced listening copy of this book by the publisher and netgalley. The audio narration is also very good, if you're an audiobook listener like me.

On the scale of wimp to true crime fanatic, I am way down on the wimpy side, and though there are moments of violence included in this book, it never gave me that haunting anxiety feeling as I read. I always like to know where thrillers end up on that spectrum because you can't unread stuff! That's not to say it didn't keep me on the edge of my seat-just that I didn't pee my pants all the way through. ha.