"The sequel to YOU'VE GOT MURDER"

After finding the murderer of her creator, she took over The Universal Library business after it was decided to do away with AIP's (Artificial Intelligence Personality). Now nobody can argue the point that Turing Hopper is a sentient silicon based life form. She and her friend Maude own and run UL. They also manage the Alan Grace company where systems engineer Raymond Santiago is building a new network that will be totally under Turing's control.

A former UL employee, Tim works as a private detective. He and Turing remain friends. At Ray's request they play an on-line game Beyond Paranoia. One night Tim is supposed to meet Ray but gets sidetracked playing the game. Tim later learns that Raymond has been murdered. His PDA and portable PC are missing and Turing fears her identity has been compromised. When it turns out Raymond has been using an alias, she sends Tim to learn why he went underground and if his reasons will affect her. Meanwhile Maude and Turing investigate Beyond Paranoia and find it is much more than an on-line game and it will impact the AIP in ways impossible to imagine.

The sequel to YOU'VE GOT MURDER is charming, endearing and adorable. The reader will forget that the heroine is an AIP because she is a just as uncertain, frightened and confused as most humans. Donna Andrews is a terrific storyteller who creates a world (the web) within a world and makes it seem a part of actual reality. There is a cliffhanger ending that will be addressed in the next book in this series that readers will be very eager to read.

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted April 10, 2003