SPSFC4 Review: The Murder Algorithm by Wilson Kincaid
Blurb:
In a world where social media never sleeps, murder has a new audience—Roman Glass is about to face the deadliest broadcast of his life.
In a not-so-distant future where social media broadcasts people's lives 24 hours a day, Roman Glass is broadcast killing the number one media star. Now Roman must race against the clock to unravel a web of deceit. As he fights to prove his innocence, Social Media Investigator Rae Dettmer unearths a sinister pattern: a series of seemingly unrelated murders connected by the invisible threads of the digital realm.
The Murder Algorithm is an exciting blend of science fiction and mystery, where the line between private and public is as thin as the pixels on a screen. With each revelation, layers of intrigue are revealed, leaving readers questioning the price of fame, and the lengths the powerful will go to maintain control.
In the age of perpetual surveillance, the most dangerous game is the one played in plain sight.
Are you ready to challenge the boundaries of reality?
Join the adventure where every click, every post, and every like is a weapon. Get your copy today and follow Roman Glass in a race against time to unravel the truth.
Review:
It took a while for me to get around to reading my last book in the SPSFC pile, at least for the first reading, I’ve got five more to read. And, well, out of the six I’ve read, this one seemed to hit the itch of science fiction, story, plot, and characters, sticking to what it was and what it wanted to show. A great time during a few of my free hours between classes was spent consuming this novel. Needless to say, I look forward to reading more from this author.
Picking up this book, and going to a random Apple augmented reality owner, I’d pitch “The Murder Algorithm” to them with this quick introduction:
“Framed for a murder, Roman Glass tries to clear his name, and he’s not alone, however things get out of control by those who wish to hide it. Care for more?”,
and give them a tap on the glass screen for good measure. Of course, that’s not the whole book, and it barely scratches the surface of the level of shenanigans that play out in this novel.
To start this off, we have Roman, a somewhat popular irl-streamer with drones following him around, recording his life. Part of his popularity stems from his father and the research he did, which ultimately led to his demise by some crazed lunatic. As for his character growth, he learns some detective skills, and grows wiser in the ways of the world and the effects of a streaming based economy has on those who can’t or won’t do so. He was a good way for us readers to experience the world as it is.
Next we have the plot that is basically stuff happening galore. But in a good way. It moves from chapter to chapter, hitting all the major points of a Greek tragedy, and the catharsis at the end, even if a bit melodramatic. The start begins with a conundrum of circumstantial evidence, and the inbetween are scenes that piece together the supposed murder, with hijinks and shenanigans putting Roman, family and co. through the ringer. Finally, there’s the penultimate end, a showdown hastily prepared by the protagonists to deal with the antagonists, with the catharsis that the nightmare is over.
Then, there’s Kincaids worldbuilding. The Murder Algorithm takes place in California, as one does, and there’s a divide between those who constantly stream, and those that don’t. As for the technology, this is something that could be pulled off, with what the state of technology we have available to us all right now. Which means it feels more real. Plus, we already have vloggers who stream their life and make a living off of that, but with this, this is taking it to the extremes.
Coupling that to this part, the dystopian part of the novel, and the image of what could happen. It poses the question of how far one should go with online exposure, and how much control we should give to tech conglomerates that capitalize on the feeling of watching others. It’s a fun thought experiment.
However, the one thing I’d have to pick on in this books is that it could’ve spent more time fleshing out some of the side characters, and not just having them as the “yeah I know a guy who can do exactly what you want to have happen, don’t question it” people. That’s just a me thing though, and you might see it differently as you’re reading it, which you should.
If you like murder mystery, technology that is just close enough in the future that makes it feel relevant today, and some dread as to where things could go, “The Murder Algorithm” by Wilson Kincaid is for you.
As always, if you’ve gotten to this part of the review, thank you for reading it, and I hope I’ve helped nudge you towards your next read. If not, don’t fret, there’s a huge library of reviews here for you to peruse that might help adding books to a short or long TBR list. Now, if you’re feeling adventurous, feel free to click this link to a random review that is up there on the site, and it might be something for you, it might not be.
Wherever you are reading this, have a good morning, good afternoon, good evening and good night!
