ABOUT THE BOOK

In the near future, a paranoid society overreacts to the newly created race of advanced androids that are overloading the job sector. By popular demand, the androids are denounced as second-class citizens and relegated to life in a metallic ghetto. Among them is former police officer RMD3000, or Raymond, now forced to eke out a living as an Artificially Intelligent Private Investigator.

A missing heir, a new designer drug, a robo-phobic televangelist running for President: all are elements of Raymond’s latest case that he must solve while eluding the police state that has vowed to hunt him down and dismantle him.

MY REVIEW

What the hell had Charlie Gale gotten himself into?

Raymond (RMD3000), Artificial Intelligence Private Investigator (A.I. P.I.), may be able to get paid for his services this time.  Dorothy Gale (yes, that’s her name), a young woman with means is looking for her missing brother, Charlie. However, the search for Charlie may be the death of Raymond. The more he digs, the more bodies pile up and his former police colleagues are looking at him as the suspect.

There in the shadows was a heavy wooden door with a sign on it reading ‘No Animals or Robots’. Nice to know where you rank in the scheme of things.

After the human race built the new model androids “it caused an uneasiness that hit them where they lived—now when they looked at us, they weren’t exactly sure what was returning their look.”  So all androids were sacked and relegated to a seedy part of town.  Raymond is a smart-ass ex-cop android who is feared by society, discriminated against daily, and if he doesn’t play it just right, is going to the dismantling station.

Williams brilliantly uses allegories from The Wizard of Oz to represent Dorothy Gale’s innocence in a world unknown, using the derogatory term “Tinman” for all androids, and Raymond’s discussion with Dorothy about not having a heart, but risking everything to save her.

The missing person aspect with all its twists and turns is cleverly written as a  1940 noir detective novel.  I really liked the mystery, but Raymond’s idiosyncracies and philosophies were what kept me glued to the pages.  His love for print books, fedoras, and trench coats, were faultless, but his quick sarcastic wit had me laughing out loud and reading excerpts to my significant other.

I applaud Mr. Williams’ debut novel and hope to read more in the future.  Highly recommend!!

Thank you to Mr. Williams and AXP Books for giving me the opportunity to review this book with no expectation of a positive review given.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Since graduating from Chicago’s Goodman School of Drama, Ian Patrick Williams has garnered almost 100 professional credits in TV and film. 

A.I. P.I. is his first novel.