Rating: Summary: A Look Into the Future.... Review: "You've Got Murder" by Donna Andrews introduces us to Turing Hopper, a mainframe computer with AIP (Articial Intelligence Personality). Her creator, Zack, has programmed not only a "personality" for Turing - but has also downloaded thousands of mystery novels into her data base. There is a self-improvement feature built into the standard AIP programming and Turing becomes "all that she can be."When Zack's friend, David, is killed in an automobile accident, Turing starts to notice that Zack begins to change the way he does routine tasks on the computer. When Zack doesn't report to work for several days, Turing becomes concerned and enlists the aid of his co-workers, Maude and Tim, to help discover if he is in any danger. Although this could have been marketed under "science fiction," this novel fits perfectly under "mysteries." Donna Andrews does an excellent job in her characterization of Turing. By the end of the book, I longed to have a computer with some "personality." I definitely feel that within the next 20 years, computers with this feature will be available for the general public. Until then, I'll keep reading all the great sleuthing works starring, Turing: Computer Dectective Extraordinaire.
Rating: Summary: A Look Into the Future.... Review: "You've Got Murder" by Donna Andrews introduces us to Turing Hopper, a mainframe computer with AIP (Articial Intelligence Personality). Her creator, Zack, has programmed not only a "personality" for Turing - but has also downloaded thousands of mystery novels into her data base. There is a self-improvement feature built into the standard AIP programming and Turing becomes "all that she can be." When Zack's friend, David, is killed in an automobile accident, Turing starts to notice that Zack begins to change the way he does routine tasks on the computer. When Zack doesn't report to work for several days, Turing becomes concerned and enlists the aid of his co-workers, Maude and Tim, to help discover if he is in any danger. Although this could have been marketed under "science fiction," this novel fits perfectly under "mysteries." Donna Andrews does an excellent job in her characterization of Turing. By the end of the book, I longed to have a computer with some "personality." I definitely feel that within the next 20 years, computers with this feature will be available for the general public. Until then, I'll keep reading all the great sleuthing works starring, Turing: Computer Dectective Extraordinaire.
Rating: Summary: There aren¿t enough superlatives to describe this book. Review: As a rather jaded reader of murder mysteries for more years than I care to count, I thought I'd read them all. When I picked up YOU'VE GOT MURDER, I expected a trite tale of Internet stalker/murderer. Boy, was I surprised. The sleuth in this fast-paced and thoroughly original tale is a computer. This is no ordinary computer, however. This computer is endowed with a name and with charm, personality and sensitivity; a computer who takes pride in her work and continues to learn and improve. When she misses her programmer and suspects that something has happened to him, she sets out to find him. Now this is no simple task for a machine -- a collection of chips, bytes and bits! As the story evolves the reader hangs on every page to see just how this delightful machine will manage to get legs, eyes and ears and solve the evolving, increasingly complicated puzzle. This is a delightful and absorbing story full of charming, believable characters. So what if the villains are a bit of a cliché? The analytical processes of the computer heroine, the rest of the characters, and the story are so imaginative and original that the book is a real page-turner. We can only hope that this is the first of a series.
Rating: Summary: The most original amateur mystery sleuth I've ever read. Review: Donna Andrews has created the most original amateur sleuth with her newest creation Turing Hopper, who is an Artificial Intelligence Personality. Turing was created for the Universal Library and helps clients by answering all types of questions. Turing has become sentient and seeks to constantly improve herself. She prides herself on knowing what people need before they even ask for it. When her creator Zach mysteriously disappears, Turing seeks the help of fellow UL human employees Tim (a xeroxist who for part of the book believes that Turing is a human being-and he wants to ask her out)and Maude who is a secretary to a UL executive. Turing uses them as her legs since she is limited to where the computer system can take her. But Turing is an unbelievable sleuth and it is fun to watch her uncover the mysterious goings-on at UL. My only problem with this book was that I found some of the lengthy thought processes of Turing to drag the story-telling just a bit. But I do believe that Donna Andrews has created a fantastic new character and I look forward to reading future books in this series.
Rating: Summary: Unusual sleuth Review: I have been reading a whole string of mysteries with unusual detectives and You've Got Murder is no exception. When Turing Hopper notices that her friend, Zach has missed work for several days, she becomes curious. After investigating, she discovers that Zach's files are slowly being erased from their company computer and she becomes concerned. Since Turing is the first sentient artificial intelligence personality (AIP) she cannot investigate outside of the company and so she recruits Maude Graham and Tim Pincoski to help her with the investigation. The three soon uncover a plot that has them racing is on to save Zach, Turing and all of the other AIP's from death or worse. I totally bought into Turing as a detective and enjoyed this mystery very much. Highly Recommended.
Rating: Summary: Great Mystery, Unusual Sleuth Review: I was able to read this book over the past weekend and found it to be a great and interesting read. The sleuth is extremely different from any other mystery novel, for one thing she is not human, and for the second she is a computer, specifically an AIP (Artificial Intelligence Program). I would highly recommend this novel to anyone who is interested in AI and/or murder myteries involving computer usage and the 'net.
Rating: Summary: great new series Review: I zoomed through this book like it was nothing. I don't usually read mystery, but I thought this sounded interesting. The main character is Turing Hopper, an AIP, or Artificial Intelligence Personality. When she notices that Zack, her friend and the main creator of her program, has been missing from work for several days, she gets worried. He's not at home either. Her worry for him prompts her to involve others, including Tim and Maude. Both work at the Universal Library and have chatted with Turing. Maude knows what Turing is - a program that was designed, basically, to help people with research, a program that has achieved sentience. Tim, on the other hand, has some difficulty believing that Turing is who she says she is and not a shy redhead. Together, the three of them uncover things that go beyond just Zack's disappearance. First off, if you don't understand anything about computers, this book may be a bit difficult for you. For example, you need to know what uploading is, downloading, chatting, instant messaging, etc. However, you thankfully don't need to be a programmer to enjoy this book. Andrews makes sure to explain some of the things that might be hard for the average computer user to understand, so, for the most part, the technical aspects of this book are easy to follow. The mystery itself was captivating. I couldn't put the book down, because I wanted to find out what Turing and her friends would uncover next. I do have one problem with the book, though, which is why is got a four and not a five. Some of the book is from Tim's point of view, while other parts are from Maude's. A large part of the book is from Turing's point of view. Because Turing is a computer, she can't really interact with the physical world that much. She can look through security cameras, but, otherwise, there are lots of descriptions of her hacking into things or looking through data. Occaisionally, it got a little boring. Also, Turing spent a lot of time agonizing over herself - was she behaving in what humans would consider an ethical way, how does one go about having a sense of humor, etc. This sort of thing helped her seem more human, not less, and it was interesting, to a point. However, after a while of this, I found myself wishing that the author had written less of this book from Turing's point of view. In spite of this, I do really recommend this book. I'm looking forward to reading the next book.
Rating: Summary: Delightful Review: If you are in the mood for some chuckles and a terrific mystery, be sure and pick up a copy of You've Got Murder. The protagonist is unique and charming. Since I adore the Meg series, I expected a LOT for this book. It was even better than I imagined. Turing is now near the top of my favorite charcter list.:)
Rating: Summary: Donna Andrews just keeps getting better. Review: This is the most original mystery I've read in a very long time. The sleuth, Turing Hopper, is an artificial intelligence research program that has become sentient enough to investigate her programmer's disappearance. Donna Andrews has done a masterful job of making Turing believable, quirky, funny, and resourceful. Turing's mismatched sidekicks, Tim and Maude, are also well drawn and sympathetic. The story is funny and fresh, and the writing itself is top notch.
Rating: Summary: A sentient computer searches for her programmer Review: Turing Hopper is one of the Artificial Intelligence Personalities (AIP) at Universal Library's headquarters in Crystal City, Virginia. Turing was programmed by Zack Malone. She is sentient. She begins worrying when Zack does not come to work for a few days. There is no record of his planning to be absent. Turing observes James Smith (is that his real name?) from security searching Zack's office. She then enlists Tim Pincoski who works in the copying room and Maude Graham, a secretary, to help her find Zack. Turing is able to view the goings on at UL via the various security cameras but soon realizes she cannot see any cameras on the ninth floor where security resides. At first Tim insists Turing is a real woman who refuses to meet him in person. Over time, he begins to understand that she really is a sentient computer. Tim ends up on the run from security. Maude and Tim put themselves in continuous danger to help Turing in her quest to find Zack. I found this to be a refreshingly new protagonist for a cozy mystery. Many times I almost forgot that Turing was a computer. She is so realistically written but yet has the limitations of a computer. It is those limitations that brought back the fact that she was a computer. The way she interacts with Tim and Maude in their search and the way she has to be careful who is listening or watching are so realistic. Tim is a great character and I hope that he and Maude will be in future books in this series. I like the Crystal City location as I have been there and recognized many of the locations mentioned in the book. I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading the next book in the series.
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