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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
More High Tech Fun with Turing, May 12, 2003
Turing is shocked to discover, while reading files of police reports, that Ray Santiago has been killed. He was the chief programmer at Alan Grace Enterprises, building the network that would become the new home for Turing and other AIP's. Shock quickly turns to concern when she discovers that Ray's laptop is missing. On it was information that could put Turing and her AIP friends at risk. So she, Tim, and Maude started investigating on their own to find the killer and the laptop. But that's not as easy as it first appears since Ray had constructed a secret life and wasn't necessarily who he claimed to be. While Tim follows the trail to find out who Ray really was, Maude and Turing try to make sense of the little they can find in his office and apartment. Who was Ray? And will that lead them to his killer and the all important laptop? I completely fell in love with these characters in the first book in this series, and this second adventure was as much fun as the first. Turing is a very real character who grows over the course of the story once again. Having established Turing in the last book, Maude and Tim get a bit more of the spot light this time around, and I enjoyed getting to know them better. The story itself provides some interesting twists. I had some parts of the story figured out, but there were a few surprises that I never saw coming. The ending was a bit rushed, but when I went back and reread it, I was able to put everything together. If you're new to this series, start with the first (You've Got Murder.) Not only does it set up the world that Turing lives in, but this book makes reference to a few key events from the last one. Both books are highly recommended for a great read. Hopefully, Ms. Andrews is working hard to bring us more with these characters. I'm sure looking forward it.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
better than the first book, May 23, 2003
This is the second of the Turing Hopper mysteries. In it, Turing discovers that Ray Santiago, a friend of hers, has been murdered. Because Turing is an artificial intelligence personality (AIP), she can't very well look into his murder by himself, so she enlists the help of other friends of hers and Ray's: Maude and Tim. Finding out who murdered Ray isn't just a justice thing - whoever murdered Ray also stole his laptop, which puts Turing and the other AIPs in danger. Maude, Tim, and Turing's investigation takes them into unfamiliar territory: a dark, violent computer game and even live-action roleplaying (LARP). I actually think this book deserves a 4.5. It was better than the first book. It didn't feel as bogged down by Turing and her agonizing over whether the things she was doing were morally correct. She still analyzes herself, and several times she wonders is she's becoming Hal-like, but it didn't feel like Turing's mental dialogue was trying to take over the book. I thought Tim and Maude were great in this book. Tim was still trying to adjust to being a PI, and his part of the investigation led to a new addition to the group: another PI named Claudia. Claudia was really interesting, tough and professional but still very likeable, and I'm looking forward to hearing more about her in the next book. It'll probably help to have read the first book, since that book sets up nicely what Turing is and what she can do. This second book also occaisionally refers to events from the first book. However, since the series isn't too far along, I don't think starting with this book would be too confusing. I definitely recommend this book and the series.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Enjoyable computer tale with a few loose ends, July 12, 2003
When one of her staff members is killed, artificial intelligence personality Turing Hopper suspects that she may also be a target. The only clues are the role-playing game that the victim spent so much time playing, and his strange lack of a true identity. Turing assigned her two friends to find out more about the game and more about what Ray Santiago did before he became Ray Santiago and joined her company. What she doesn't expect is that she'll be sending her friends into danger--or that Santiago's killers just might be a threat for a bright artificial intelligence--like her. Author Donna Andrews does an excellent job making computer crime approachable, using non-technical language and humanizing her computer-program protagonist (as well as providing a couple of very human sidekicks). Turing's concerns about turning into HAL (from 2001) and worries about following the law and respecting privacy add to reader safety. The role-playing game that Andrews describes is also believable, even as it spills out from the computer into the real-world of Washington D.C. Andrews is a skilled writer and provides a page-turning thrill-ride. Although I liked Turing (despite her occasional descents into self-appraisal, I found sidekick Maude a little harder to like. Her moonlighting for Turing's company sounded unethical to me. Worse, she didn't seem to hesitate to shoot to kill, even when she wasn't fully aware of the situation. Nor did she seem to suffer any ethical consequences after she'd actually killed. The hints at the use of games for pedophilia also struck an incongruous note. Although this was an important justification for Santiago's initial involvement, Andrews should either have made this a bigger element or left it out. CLICK HERE FOR MURDER isn't a perfect story, but it is a well written and entertaining adventure. The use of an artificial intelligence character creates an enjoyable alternate spin to the usual mystery novel and Andrews develops this story line convincingly, in a way that will be enjoyable both to computer professionals and to those who remain a bit concerned about the role of computers in our lives.
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