The Murder Machine

by Heather Graham

Artificial intelligence meets genuine murderous intent.

This state-of-the-art smart home has a next-generation entertainment system, an ultramodern kitchen where every appliance is online and even a personal AI to control it all. Standing above its owner's lifeless body, FBI agent Jude Mackenzie is faced with the daunting task of discovering how the woman was killed by her own home. How do you catch a murderer that doesn't leave any fingerprints?

Enter Special Agent Victoria Tennant, whose familiarity with cybercrime reveals the stark truth: A machine can only do what it's been directed to. As the number of grisly "accidents" begins to rise, the pair must race to uncover the perpetrator even as they find themselves caught in their digital crosshairs! There's nowhere to hide when danger may be as close as the very phones in their pockets.

Genres: Mystery, Audiobook, Thriller, Suspense, Fiction, Horror, Crime

302 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 29, 2025

About the author

Also published as Heather Graham Pozzessere and Shannon Drake.

New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Heather Graham majored in theater arts at the University of South Florida. After a stint of several years in dinner theater, back-up vocals, and bartending, she stayed home after the birth of her third child and began to write, working on short horror stories and romances. After some trial and error, she sold her first book, WHEN NEXT WE LOVE, in 1982 and since then, she has written over one hundred novels and novellas including category, romantic suspense, historical romance, vampire fiction, time travel, occult, and Christmas holiday fare. She wrote the launch books for the Dell's Ecstasy Supreme line, Silhouette's Shadows, and for Harlequin's mainstream fiction imprint, Mira Books.

Heather was a founding member of the Florida Romance Writers chapter of RWA and, since 1999, has hosted the Romantic Times Vampire Ball, with all revenues going directly to children's charity.

She is pleased to have been published in approximately twenty languages, and to have been honored with awards frorn Waldenbooks. B. Dalton, Georgia Romance Writers, Affaire de Coeur, Romantic Times, and more. She has had books selected for the Doubleday Book Club and the Literary Guild, and has been quoted, interviewed, or featured in such publications as The Nation, Redbook, People, and USA Today and appeared on many newscasts including local television and Entertainment Tonight.

Heather loves travel and anything have to do with the water, and is a certitified scuba diver. Married since high school graduation and the mother of five, her greatest love in life remains her family, but she also believes her career has been an incredible gift, and she is grateful every day to be doing something that she loves so very much for a living.

Reviews

[Kaceey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Want to stay safe? How about just unplugging!🔌
Would you be the first in line when newest AI inspired gadgets hit the market? Wanting your home to run smoothly based on your voice commands alone? Yes? So what if those gadgets turn deadly? How can you protect yourself?

Our first casualty is an unassuming receptionist at a well-known law firm. Killed in her own home by her own appliances. Just a glitch? Or is there someone or something behind this “accident”?

FBI agent Jude Mackenzie and Special Agent Victoria Tennant are paired up to solve the crime before more people fall victim to their AI devices. But right now, the two agents’ primary focus is on each other rather than the crime.🤦🏼‍♀️

Unfortunately I lacked a connection to the storyline and characters.
And, I had the ending figured out way before our two F.B.I. agents did!

This was my first read by this popular author. I’ve always wanted to try one of her books but perhaps I just picked the wrong one to start. I’ll be sure to take a look at her enormous backlist and try again!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing

[ReneeReads · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hate to do it but I have to DNF this book at 50%. This book started off really strong and I loved the idea but somewhere shortly after that it gets caught up in the mundane. I wanted this to be a gripping, tech thriller and I wasn't getting that at all and I didn't really care for the main characters. This book also had a lot of clunky dialogue that I just wasn't feeling.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing | MIRA for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heather Graham has written many, many books, but somehow this is only the second one I've read by her. I was glad to pick this one up - it has been a long time since I read the other.

Description:
This state-of-the-art smart home has a next-generation entertainment system, an ultramodern kitchen where every appliance is online and even a personal AI to control it all. Standing above its owner's lifeless body, FBI agent Jude Mackenzie is faced with the daunting task of discovering how the woman was killed by her own home. How do you catch a murderer that doesn't leave any fingerprints?

Enter Special Agent Victoria Tennant, whose familiarity with cybercrime reveals the stark a machine can only do what it's been directed to. As the number of grisly "accidents" begins to rise, the pair must race to uncover the perpetrator even as they find themselves caught in their digital crosshairs! There's nowhere to hide when danger may be as close as the very phones in their pockets.

My Thoughts:
Being a computer person, I was aware of how technology can be hacked and manipulated to accomplish many things. However, this book really shows extremely malicious manipulation of technology to kill. It was fascinating and scary to think about machines being manipulated to murder. This book really makes you think. Not only that, the story was totally interesting and kept my attention throughout. I liked how FBI Agent Jude Mackenzie and Special Agent Victoria Tennant worked together and used their collective skills to move the investigation forward. Anyone who likes a good mystery or is a computer nerd would enjoy this book.

Thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing | MIRA through Netgalley for an advance copy.

[Jessica Webber · Rating 2 out of 5]

I only made it about half way through and just couldn’t finish it. It started off pretty well and sounded intriguing. But pretty quickly, it got a little monotonous and slow and just lost my attention.

[RoosBookReviews · Rating 1 out of 5]

Remember that 1999 Disney movie "smart house"? Katie sagal is a house that becomes a bit too domineering. Well if that movie was made into a thriller, this would be it. The dialoge is clunky and bland. Somehow, despite only have two incidents in separate states with different murder types, the FBI is able to make a whole serial killer out of that and they send in an agent who "happens" to come across the third scene. Again, with no known ties to the other two deaths. The agents, Vikki, is hot. In fact that is repeated many times in the book and is basically the only adjective we receive about her. Hot and young. This point is belabored when she is paired with Jude, who we are told multiple times is so much older than her. We are also told he is 33, which must put Nikki at about 20. He has lots of lascivious comments about her body and how she must have "just stepped off a runway, which are just gross.
At one point these two agents go to a federal prison and get a man to flip on his father for aggravated murder in about 3 questions, despite the man being on death row and most certainly not wanting to be there. This whole book was implausible and poorly written. I would have quit this book after chapter one had I not gotten it from NetGalley. I haven't tried a book from this author before, so I'm hopeful this is a one off and other books are better.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for my ARC of this audiobook.

[Laura (thenerdygnomelife) · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Murder Machine starts off with a bang and an interesting concept: what if a technologically advanced house could be hacked and manipulated into killing you? While I was immediately intrigued by a fresh modern twist on a domestic thriller, I felt a little bit letdown by how little technology played a prominent role in the plot overall. After the shocking murder in the first scene, the book veers into a traditional police procedural with a surprisingly low-tech vibe. I found myself wishing this were a dual POV with insight into the hacker's actions as well. There were a few plot holes that niggled at me, and I found the romance thread wasn't very believable either in chemistry nor professionalism. Overall, this was a book with a strong start and a rapid fizzle. Tim Paige did an excellent job on narration for the audiobook format. 2.75 stars rounded up.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Audio, and Heather Graham for an advance copy for honest review.

[OutlawPoet]

I didn't finish this, which really surprised me as I usually enjoy the author. I gave up at about 40% because I just didn't care for it. I didn't care for our characters or the way they spoke or their relationships or just how bland everything seemed.

Maybe it's because the concept isn't a new one and it lacked some of the edge and science and horror that usually comes with it.

Just not for me.

[Erin Clemence · Rating 3 out of 5]

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.

Expected publication date: Apr. 29, 2025

When a woman’s body is found in her home, all angles seem to point to the fact that her AI-controlled home was hacked, causing the appliances and electronics in her home to kill her through seemingly random accidents. FBI agent Jude Mackenzie is baffled, trying to figure out how to find the person responsible when they, quite literally, leave no physical trace. Other similar “accidents” happen throughout the community, when two separate vehicles are hacked and all of the passengers are subsequently killed. With the help of Special Agent Victoria Tennant, Jude and his team set out to find the mastermind behind the technology- before it's too late.

I’ll admit, the cover of this novel pulled me in and, although I’ve never read the author, I did recognize her name. The premise, too, was intriguing so I thought I’d go out on a limb and try out Heather Graham for the first time, with her new novel, “The Murder Machine”. Sadly, I was disappointed.

The synopsis of the novel is a modern and relevant one, with machines taking over and wreaking havoc, and it would have served as a great starting off point for Graham’s novel, but it somehow fell flat. The novel was narrated by Jude and, to a lesser extent, Victoria. The characters themselves weren’t unlikable and I connected enough with them to want to see how their storylines played out.

My biggest hurdle with this novel was the language. Being unfamiliar with Graham, I’m not sure if this is her usual style but it was awkward and, in some cases, damn uncomfortable. Graham was trying to create a romance between Jude and Victoria, but it bordered on sexual harassment. Jude, after knowing Victoria less than a week, is calling her “pretty lady” and encouraging her to “flirt” with potential suspects by using her “gorgeous” looks. Even if he was the best-looking guy out there, Victoria must have been pretty desperate to fall for that act. It was completely cringe-worthy, and it’s made worse by the fact that they were partners (professionally). They would’ve worked well together if they had formed a romance more organically, but I felt like I wanted to rush in and save Victoria from the creepy old uncle at the birthday party.

The conversations were choppy, making the characters appear naïve and unintelligent (not who I would want investigating murder). The ending was predictable and it, too, seemed forced and obvious.

“The Murder Machine” had an interesting premise, but that’s about where my enjoyment stopped. I’m still undecided on whether or not I’ll read Graham again, but I hope that her next novel has a little more polish.

[Kat (Katlovesbooks) Dietrich · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

The Murder Machine by Heather Graham is a crime novel about Artificial Intelligence.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Harlequin Trade Publishing, and the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


First, I'm not a fan of authors that put crime fighters together that  end up falling in love and having sex within days of meeting each other.  What trope.  So predictable, so ridiculous.  Much of the book had the pair thinking each other so attractive, so irresistible, so perfect, that I'm amazed they had time to find the perpetrator.

So due to the above, I didn't really like the two main characters.  I just couldn't get behind them. I also had guessed the perpetrator and their motive early on, so that was a bit annoying. There were just too many lawyers involved -- could there not have been other suspects?  I also found the dialogue a little stilted - not a natural flow.

That being said, the overall premise was quite good.  The idea of AI becoming a murder machine is why I chose the book.  The idea of AI being manipulated/hacked by someone is actually a viable possibility, but personally, I'm not very worried (or maybe I'm naive).  There was a lot of action in the book, and that was entertaining, but something was still missing.  I think I was expecting more of a tech thriller, and just got a mystery.

Anyway, I know this author has written a lot of books, so maybe I'll be in the minority on this one.  It was okay, but it's not one that will "stick with me".

Anyway, until next time....


For a more complete review of this book and others (including the reason I chose to read/review this book, my own synopsis of the book, and its author information), please visit my blog: http://katlovesbooksblog.wordpress.com/

[Chuck Segall · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was one of the dumbest thrillers I have ever read. While the plot was interesting, the motivation just made no sense. I couldn't stand any of the characters; their interactions and dialog was just ridiculous

[Skyler · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.25
Things I liked:

A killer concept (literally)—a smart home that might be the suspect

A creepy setup that had real potential

The first few chapters were promising...

And then it unraveled. Fast.

I wanted a sharp, fast-paced tech thriller and instead got a clunky, over-explained procedural with dialogue that felt like it came from a crime show rejected by CBS. The AI element, which could’ve been chilling and clever, never really delivered—it leaned more textbook than terrifying. Instead of uncovering clues through solid detective work, most major plot points just dropped in out of nowhere.

The characters didn’t help. Vikki is described as hot. Repeatedly. That’s basically her whole personality. Jude is 33 but somehow treated like a grizzled old vet, and the dynamic between the two is full of comments about her appearance. Also, if I had a dollar for every unnecessary exclamation point (!!), I’d buy my own smart house and let it do the reading.

This one started strong but lost all momentum, weighed down by unrealistic pacing, awkward exposition, and a total lack of chemistry or urgency. I’m open to trying something else from this author—but this was not it.

[Kai Cox · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is not the worst book I’ve read, but it is far from the best. This book is hard to get through. This book is repetitive, has multiple errors, and the characters are unlikable. The writing is childish and there is zero thrill. There is an overuse of exclamation marks and in a lot of places the exclamation marks are misused. Someone cannot murmur a sentence and it end with an exclamation mark, in my opinion. If I had read about the “cyber geniuses” or “cars being able to be started by a cellphone these days!!!” One more time I might have lost it. Would not recommend!

[R L HERSKOWITZ · Rating 3 out of 5]

My expectations for this book were high.
I did not read any reviews before reading this book, either.
The concept of the story was intriguing.
The beginning of the story drew me in.
However, I found the writing to be choppy.
The local history of the area was interesting, but didn’t seem added to the story well (not in the proper place/not told well?).
The novel did pick up speed and flowed better during the second half.
I was able to figure out the person behind the murders early on.
The main characters were written well.
I would like to see more stories with them.

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thought provoking and chilling! Ideal for a time when A.I. is a prominent topic of discussion and debate.

A woman is found dead in a house completely controlled by A.I. Not only music and television but doors, appliances and water faucets. Virtually everything inside the home can be run by a simple request. Without evidence of a break in or anyone else being in the house, FBI Agent Jude Mackenzie feels it must be the result of a freak accident, possibly a suicide. When Special Agent Victoria Tennant arrives on the scene she informs him of other cases she is working on that may involve cybercrime and that what she has observed of the crime scene has her feeling the victim may also have been a target of the same type of crime. As more similar cases emerge time is slipping away. Are these crimes connected? Are they just unfortunate accidents or is something more sinister going on? Together they work to discover the link between the crimes and hopefully find who is behind the curtain, or rather computer, giving the instructions to turn machines into murderers.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Kate · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hardcover: DNF after reading 5 chapters. The dialogue is very clunky and I find it distracting…also what is with all the exclamation points? Premise was interesting but it’s not worth to power through. So many books, so little time!

[Bec · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don't trust AI!

This started out soo strong and I was really hoping for more but fell short.

[D Ferguson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the story, however poor editing was distracting. Also never read a book with so many exclamations!!!

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

The villain in this thriller murders remotely, by using technology to kill: a smart house attacks its owner ( a receptionist) with an electric carving knife and toaster, a self driving car drives a judge into a tree at high speed and the car’s airbag fails to deploy, and a boat explodes killing its captain and all aboard. The FBI team is charged with figuring out how all these disparate victims are connected. The young handsome FBI team are immediately attracted to one another and the cringey dialog gets rather tiresome. Warning: this novel includes a very nauseating and violent description of a double murder that I wish I had never listened to. No one needs that.
All that aside, it was a quick read and moved along at a good pace. The audiobook was read by Tim Paige, an accomplished narrator.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heather Graham's latest novel asks a chilling question: What if AI developed a taste for blood?

Set to hit shelves in April 2025, The Murder Machine proves that Graham hasn't lost her touch. She takes two ingredients that shouldn't work together - artificial intelligence and old-school murder mystery - and creates something genuinely unsettling. The result? A page-turner that feels less like science fiction and more like tomorrow's headlines.

Graham's signature style is all here: sharp dialogue, tight pacing, and characters that feel real enough to grab coffee with (if they survive to the last page). She doesn't bog us down with tech jargon; instead, she focuses on what she does best - building tension until you're afraid to turn the page but more afraid not to.

The story's strength lies in its simplicity: AI is scary, but humans are scarier. Graham, with over a hundred novels under her belt, knows exactly which psychological buttons to push. Some readers might find the murder scenes a bit over-the-top, but that's like complaining about too much chocolate in your chocolate cake.

For newcomers, The Murder Machine is the perfect introduction to Graham's work. For longtime fans, it's proof that even after decades of writing, she can still surprise us. It's a smart, scary thriller that'll make you think twice about asking Siri for help.

Just don't read it right before updating your smart home system.

[Sue Street · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

The book started out well with a great premise. A young woman is murdered in her fully AI home by the AI going haywire. I was hoping for a high tech murder story but after the initial murder, it got slow with awkward, clunky dialog between FBI agents working this case which tied in to a few other murders. The conversations included an excessive amount of exclamation points throughout the story. I really wanted to like this book but some revisions would have made this a better story.

[Tracy Myers · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did not finish. Could hardly make it through the first chapter.

[Alysa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This had a cool premise but ultimately fell flat in its execution for me. I get zero connection to any of the characters and found myself zoning out more than once.

[Clarissa Stewart · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don’t often write reviews but I couldn’t let anyone else waste their time reading this book. The writing was choppy and the dialogue was ridiculous. I’ve never seen so many exclamation points - and they felt especially out of place in the dialogue between “professional” agents and forensic analysts. The plot was clunky and the relationship between the agents was cringy and uncomfortable (and took up wayyyyyy too many pages). There were not any twists in this plot that you couldn’t see coming from 1,000 miles away, so to call it a thriller or a mystery is a huge stretch.

Also, if you want to write a novel about the law and law firm culture, you should maybe consult with lawyers to make sure it makes sense.

The editing was also horrible. There were typos, grammatical errors and character conflation (or incorrect character names) all over the place.

In sum, do not waste your time with this one. It’ll leave you irritated enough to write a review.

[Jaylee Swanson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Murder machine

I love a good speculative fiction about the inevitable AI take over ! This story focuses on AI usage in houses where the AI starts to take over and murdering the home owners..

Following the detectives analysis of all of the weird cases together and trying to find out who the hacker is that is targeting these homes, cars, and people, and why.

It was an interesting concept, but fell a little short for me. I enjoyed the detectives dialogue and how they worked together. Just for a little bored halfway through.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review. Release date 4/29/25.

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars for this “who done it”…the first half of the book was AWESOME-the plot of an AI house killing the occupant, than a boating accident?, a car speeds up on its own a goes into a tree-all three accidents? Enter FBI and the story gets lost with the backstory- wordy and into investigation mode with bizarre dark web characters. Then the ending- a much needed boost to catch an AI killer. I’ll read some more from this author. Enjoy

[Douglas Chaffee · Rating 5 out of 5]

It had a good flow to it, Like other reviewers have stated, there is romance in the book but it does not take away from the story much. What made it go from really liked it to love it? Clover, yep Clover is what put it over the top.

[Courtney Rennie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unfortunately as intriguing as this book sounded, I found it extremely boring and just not for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, Harlequin Trade Publishing and Harlequin Audio for advanced e-copy and advanced audio copy in exchange for a review.

[Patsy Metz · Rating 4 out of 5]

She usually writes about paranormal plots but this book was about AI controlling the cars and homes to kill

[Meredith Waggoner · Rating 3 out of 5]

improbable beyond belief but entertaining

[David Dalton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A modern who done it with AI.
But there must be a human mind behind the AI.
My first solo heather Graham novel, but I will look around at some of her other titles.