Mirkat Always Reading

You wake up from unsettling dreams to find that you are changed--not to a monstrous vermin, but to a very convincing robot, or "cobot" (companion robot).  Before being made to know this, you think you are recovering from an accident that you can't quite remember, and you are relieved to find that your husband Tim and son Danny are okay.  But upon learning about your robot status, you also learn that your memories of your life with Tim and Danny are from five years ago.

Why am I writing that this happens to "you"?  Because the chapters with the "robot" perspective are written that way.  And normally, I recoil from that device, but I was able to put that reaction aside for this book.  Ultimately, there is a definitive reason those chapters are written in that fashion (it's a late-in-the-narrative twist).

"You" learn that you are based on Abbie Cullen-Scott, who went missing mysteriously five years before.  "You" have a set of "Abbie" memories and traits cobbled together from social media, texts, and assorted other sources.  "Your" OS also allows "you" to learn and fill in gaps to "your" memory.

Tim Scott, Abbie's husband, is the founder of Scott Robotics.  He and Abbie met through her being hired as an "artist in residence" at Scott Robotics.  They fell in love, married, and had a son, Danny.  Their life seemed idyllic, but when Danny went through a developmental regression, he was ultimately diagnosed with a form of autism called "Childhood Disintegrative Disorder," or Heller's Syndrome.  

When Abbie disappeared, Tim was charged with murder.  However, no body was ever found, and Tim was acquitted.  Could Abbie still be alive?  If so, what happened to her?  Where could she be?

The Abbie-bot, with a full slate of memories, emotions, and empathy, cannot believe Tim would ever have hurt Abbie.  Can she figure out what happened and help him remove suspicion?  Can she help Danny, who seems to accept her fairly easily?

This book is highly addictive and threw me twists I didn't see coming even when I was certain I'd figured out the central mystery.  This is close to a five-star book for me, though I was troubled by some generalizations about autism.  Some of those could be chalked up to Abbie's learning process as a bot, but if that was intended, it was never made explicit.  There is also a twist that--once I thought about after completing the book, had me thinking, "Wait if that's the case, why did [character] want [thing I won't tell you because spoilers]?"  It's no deal-breaker, just one of those post-reading thoughts....

If you enjoy psychological thrillers, and even if you think you've read too many of them to enjoy most that come out lately, I believe you will find much to keep you engaged here.

Disclaimer:  I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley and the publisher; however, this has not influenced my review nor prevented me from writing honestly.