The Synapse Sequence

Godfrey (Empire of Time) sets this crafty thriller in a near future in which AIs do most of the work, including deciding which crimes get investigated. Anna Glover is a scapegoat looking to clear her name. Blamed for a decision that set off a bloody war, Anna hopes to redeem herself by helping to establish synapse sequencer technology as a way to enter the memories of witnesses to crimes. When private detective Adrian Fowler approaches Anna’s boss at Synapse Initiatives about using the sequencer to investigate a crime—the beating of a teen in foster care, which the police consider too minor to bother with—Anna is assigned to the case. Soon Anna and Adrian are investigating a kidnapping and figuring out how the notorious pro-human Workers League is involved. The story has little sense of place—it could easily be set in New York City or Sydney—but Anna is an intriguing character, and Godfrey steeps the plot in plenty of twisty intrigue. Provocative worldbuilding and suspense will keep the reader hooked. (June)