SHE DID THE JOKE!!!! One of my favorite jokes EVER, one that I literally laugh out loud every time I see it, goes like this: “My wife asked me why I carry a gun in the house. I said ‘Decepticons’. She laughed. I laughed. The toaster laughed. I shot the toaster. It was a good day.”
Ladies and gentlemen, a minor spoiler: Deep in the heart of this book about AI tools controlling our machines and how these tools could be used for murder, there is a line:
“If I’m going to need to shoot anything, he thought dryly, it would need to be the appliances.”
YEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
SHE DID THE JOKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That alone MADE this book for me. That one line guaranteed a 5* review. Because it referenced my favorite joke ever. 🙂
Now, the rest of the story, taking place largely in the area I currently live (Jacksonville/ St Augustine, FL) with a few trips to some areas I’ve visited over the years (Tennessee), was a fun one just because of the personal connections… and the well told story. This is one that could have gone a T2: The Future War (an excellent book from earlier this Millenium, the conclusion of a trilogy that picks up immediately after T2: Judgement Day and tells a better conclusion to the Terminator story than anything put on screen since T2) route, given its basic premise… and yet chooses to make everything more more human focused.
Which makes it absolutely more terrifying.
Overall a well told story that could seemingly work as a series starter – and it would be very interesting to see where such a series goes.
Very much recommended.
This review of The Murder Machine by Heather Graham was originally written on April 22, 2025.
