Critical State

by Robert T. Kelley

What if social media was actually mind control?

Struggling journalist Olivia Wolfe stumbles on evidence of a classified artificial intelligence project involving tech giant Spark, the highest levels of the U.S. government, and international elections. As she works to expose the program, Spark and the Department of Justice try to stop her through the courts, threats, and intimidation. From a lab at MIT, to the halls of power in Washington, D.C., to the streets of Boston, others begin to discover the project and its harms, while Olivia gets closer to the truth, putting at risk her freedom, her safety, and her life.

A political and technology thriller that feels like our unwelcome future.

Paperback

Expected publication October 1, 2026

About the author

Robert T. Kelley spent 30 years in the technology industry, building multiple companies before turning to writing and working with startups. Formerly the publisher of the quarterly literary journal, The Maine Review, Rob now regularly blogs for Maine Crime Writers. He received his undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Missouri-Rolla and his PhD in English from Indiana University. Rob lives in Midcoast Maine and Boston with his wife, writer Margot Anne Kelley, and an indeterminate number of cats. Raven is his debut novel.