Enhanced: A Hollywood Murder Mystery

by Ryan Hyatt, Alien Buddha (Contributor)

ENHANCED: A HOLLYWOOD MURDER MYSTERY is a dystopian tale about an unlikely duo who will leave you grinning and guessing as they come together to investigate a crime.

"Ryan Hyatt has swiftly been establishing himself as one of the best new authors of dystopian fiction. Drawing on a Rod Serling-worthy quality of storytelling, he keeps managing to take our normal world and shift it just enough for us to look at it differently."
-Tony Caballero, Fanbase Press

"Hyatt's A Hollywood Murder Mystery has a classic noir feel married to a techno-dystopian future. The prose is sharp, the story exhilarating. This is must-read material."
-Joseph Hurtgen, author of tae kwon Go!

“The rise of A.I. has made all of us ask what it means to be sentient. Hyatt masterfully guides us through one experience by taking the most unusual point of view in cyberpunk lit, with plenty of humor along the way.”
-Mark Everglade, author of Inertia

53 pages, Paperback

Published June 4, 2023

About the author

RYAN HYATT tells stories about your future. He is a former news reporter, current educator, and author of the Terrafide sci-fi series. He edits the satirical sci-fi news site, The La-La Lander, as well as Not Your Father's Bedtime Stories, kid’s lit he creates with his daughter, author Sage Hyatt. Find him at the beach and his stories across the internet. Connect with him @ucalthisreality.

Reviews

[Lucy Leitner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ryan Hyatt has a lively writing style that is always a lot of fun to read, even as he handles dark topics. He is fantastic at inventing new technology (which seems like it could come to be) and describing it in terms that are easy to understand. I hope this is just the first of many installments in this future LA world.

[Justin Bowers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again right here: folks don’t read enough short fiction. There is something so fulfilling about being able to knock out a great little tidbit in less than a half an hour that has me coming back for more and more. Enhanced: A Hollywood Murder Mystery is just such a gem.

Portrayed from the viewpoint of an AI-powered virtual companion/tour guide in a smartphone, Enhanced is the story of Dave: a guy coming to Hollywood to check out some death.

Honestly, that’s all I’m going to say about the story since every little tidbit counts in this one.

What I will address is the interesting approach to a very realistic future that Mr. Hyatt presents. Set in the not too near future of 2034, Enhanced gives us a very good view of the potential uses that AI might have in our normal life. One of the things I’ve enjoyed about Mr. Hyatt’s previous works is the “maybe that could happen” approach to Futurism, and this is probably the most plausible.

The long and the very short of it is: read this novelette and enjoy it. Hell, read it twice.

This review was originally posted on 23rdlegion.com

[Erica · Rating 5 out of 5]

My full review can be found here: https://thereadingwife.com/enhanced/

[Christina Pfeiffer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full reviews at https://www.uncomfortablydark.com/chr...

Dave is on a mission to find out the truth behind a murder. Who does he have help him? Marilyn Monroe and Easy Z, of course! When technology can be manipulated and questions answered to an old murder, is there a downside that isn’t being seen?

Hyatt rocks my socks off with his newest story. One with commentary on technology, what should be considered cold cases, and even the effect such technology has on children, this fifty-three pager packs a punch. Heavy on intrigue and suspense, Hyatt delivers a winner (again).
A HIGHLY RECOMMEND. 5/5.